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How long does WD last when going off Percocet 10/325 ?
I have been taking pain meds for several years to control chronic back, shoulder and neck pain associated with several wrecks incurred while driving either my motorcycles or cars. I take 4 percocets a day but somedays the pain is more pronounced so I may take 5 a day for a few days. What happens is that I find myseld out with 3 to 4 days before I can refill my script. I remember feeling irratible, in pain, felt blood pressure was elevated and thoght this caused my discomfort and anxiety. I also notice I would get bowel irratation and had the runs. Crampy, hot spells, cold sweats...all around flu-like sypthoms. Yet after all these years, and it has been 3 or 4 years of this.....I never realized that what I was experiencing was drug withdrawals ! Now I am pretty sure I am after seeing the previous posts. How long does it take to ween oneself off this medicine and what are the withdrawal sypthoms like ? How long should they last ? And should I quit cold-turkey (had a heart attck, 1999) or should I take leser and lesser amounts till that amount becomes 0 ? Would love some answers from those kind enough to help. God Bless !
To all who have taken the time to respond to my question I want to tell you all thanks so very much. Your answers to my questions have informed as well as inspired me to seek other methods of dealing with chronic pain by other means if possible. I don't know which direction I will take at this time as I need to seek all possible options. I do know that being dependant on a medicine to control pain, which will work less and less as time goes on, is not what I want. It seems to me that what I am hearing is that eventually taking pain meds for pain associated with injury soon becomes more about taking pain meds. to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I sure don't remember my Doctors telling me about that when they suggested I be placed in a pain management program to help with chronic pain. I wonder what people who have chronic pain and get off these pain meds do to relieve chronic pain. If there are people out there that can help me learn more about that I would be very happy to hear from you. Again, thanks so much for the responses to my questions. It is so very heart warming to know there are people willing to take the time to help others in need. Thank you all so very much.
Well I am very thankful for the information. I spoke with my pain management Doctor about this and he reminded me that at the time I was put on pain management it was due to the fact I had no other options for pain. He informed me that a pain pump was deemed unuseful due to multiple areas along my spine that was injured and that it can't be put into the neck. He also said that my chronic pain is not responsive to injections and due to other medical problems I have, namely Diabetes, heart diesease and high blood pressure I need to control my pain levels somehow. I didn't know what to think of this so I then spoke to my primary care doctor and he agreed with the other doctor. They both told me that I need to take the medicines exactly as prescribed and if I'm still in pain to take a over the counter non-acethefine (something like that...I have it written down somewhere) not to exceed 4 a day. If my pain is to much still after a month or so then maybe they will adjust my medication. I guess I have to accept that to have any hope to function in a painless as possible lifestyle and still remein somewhat active, I need to remain in the pain management. I just need to learn to follow the dosage as prescribed without exception. It just feels bad to know that I am in a situation that I forever need to take "something" to get through my days. The money alone to pay for medication is one thing, but knowing I'm dependant on it for pain relief and am really an addict now is very depressing. Thanks for all the words of kindness. That has really been heart warming when I needed that the most.
Didn;t mean to suggest edw83 just swap one addiction for another. The 30 detox on methadone is designed to slowly wean off of opiates and has proven successful and is administered by MDs. Not for every one but edw83 said that she was on the percs for 3 to 4 years. Call me crazy but that's one heck of a long run on pills. No matter what WDs are pretty rough. If she or anyone want to be clean WDs are something that has to be done. When I went through WDs I just did it because I had no other option. But I have tried the meth detox program and it lessens the symptoms.
i must agree with addict3, i really think it would be mad to take the methadone route, as i said the symptoms you describe, are those of withdrawal, you already do 3/4 days of them. it took me around 7/9 days to feel a lot better , i think methadone is swapping one addiction for another, your dr. is the best to talk to , but if you dont want to do that , there is help on here for easing the symptoms somewhat. best wishes sudie
Those 3-4 days that you have gone without is cold turkey withdrawl. You were almost finished with it @ the time you got your re-fill..well, more or less a day or 2 and the physical part would be overwith.
If you want to quit, just stop, tell yourself that you can't re-fill the script for a week, at the end of a week you should be completly over the W/D, more or less.
Please ask others here about methadone.....That would be crazy in my opnion to start. Meth has a horrible W/D from what people say...I would go cold turkey and be finished with it.
Good luck!, I wish you well....It won't be that bad.
If you want to quit, just stop, tell yourself that you can't re-fill the script for a week, at the end of a week you should be completly over the W/D, more or less.
Please ask others here about methadone.....That would be crazy in my opnion to start. Meth has a horrible W/D from what people say...I would go cold turkey and be finished with it.
Good luck!, I wish you well....It won't be that bad.
The immediate symptoms can last about 2 weeks before you are at least able to sleep right and not feel horrible. You described classic withdrawal symptoms. If you went a little longer without the percs. you'd feel even worse but don't let that scare you. The longer you go without the less you become dependent. Try hard to go through the entire withdrawal process. You can consider a methedone clinic to place you on a detox program. It's not what you think. For 30 days you go to the clinic in the AM. and pick up a dose of methadone then go about your daily business. Each day they incrementally reduce your dose and at day 30 when they cut you off the WD symptoms are minimal.
the symptons you describe are with drawals, the best thing to do is to tell your dr. exactly what you have posted here, if you are taking a few more because of the pain, (not to get high), maybe he needs to check it out, also you now know you are addicted ,so what will you do for pain control? he can put you on a taper withdrawal plan, although a lot find it prolongs the withdrawal, and so do cold turkey, as i myself did. you know the symptons,as you experience them ehen you run short of meds.(how do you cope with the pain then?) cold turkey lasted 3/9 days, but please tell your doctor, he can help you do whats best for you, its not your fault you have become addicted, i really wish you all the best, take care.
sudie
sudie
Well to ween yourself off you should see your primary doctor tell him what is going on and that you would like to stop the medication tapering off will help tremendously with the w/d but it won't stop them all together. Seeing that you have had a previouse heart attack im not sure cold turkey would be the way to go unless the doctor put you on something to control the anxiety i know my blood pressure and heart rate would go through the roof. As far as w/d effects last varys but your first week will undoubtly be the most severe and slowly decreasing through the next three. I hope i have helped, best of luck to you my friend. May God's grace be with you!
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The thing about this is as much as we do exactly as the Dr says, the effectiveness goes down in time and as these amounts are adjusted upwards,, they become less effective faster and faster..This is what happened to me..And before I knew it , my daily intake was the equivelent of 30 percocets a day using time release oxycontin meds...With percocets as a backup for pain episodes that broke thru the oxycontin relief....
In 6 to 12 months time you will find you are getting less pain relief but more waves of wd's not just happening if you happen to run out of meds early, but minor wd's starting inbetween doses..Just enough to aggrevate you until you get a brief moment of relief once taking more..The trend is inevitable..Tolerance goes up, and so does the required dose to acheive the same relief..
There are many people in here that have chronic pain who finally decided it just wasn't worth "the headache" trying to get continued relief..And I mean a real headache which lives with the person..A hangover of sorts which just won't go away..
These are just some thoughts to think about if you've resigned yourself that you'll need to manage your pain with narcotic medications from here on out..Right now the benefits outweigh the risks in your situation but the risks are starting to gain ground..
You talking of running short a few days and coming to realize you were starting to go into wd's after wondering why you had sick spells once a month is the sign..Even if you can keep your med use to exactly as prescribed, these uncomfortable feelings are going to gain ground..Then eventually the pain won't be the issue as to why you need the meds, the withdrawals you begin to experience is whats going to drive your desire to keep taking them..The only possible way to keep this trend from increasing is to take breaks from the meds allowing your tolerance to reset persay, but who wants to keep doing that over and over? I say this because you are already getting a taste of what that will be like..By running short 3 or 4 days .. Believe me, the day will come that you will not like living this way anymore..It takes a mental and physical toll on a person..Feelings and emotions get surpressed, and life turns into an existence from day to day revolving around our pills..
Your at a low dose right now..If you can find an alternative approach and consider trying to go that route, you will save yourself from having to actually experience the vicious cycle to realize what I'm saying ..Please try to find another option..If you don't, I have a feeling about a year from now you may be back in this forum going "what do I do now?..Just my gut feeling...