Going through Oxy Withdrawal Can I Step down to Tylenol 3 and be ok?

[LKnight]

I have a fear of addiction, so I was taking percocet for two weeks and then tylenol 4 for two weeks.  I went away and left my percocet, but had four tylelnol 4.  I had gone through withdrawal with tylenol 4.  I used to not take it for a week to give my body a rest.  The withdrawals were only stomach cramps and diarrhea and imodium took care of that.  Now I have more withdrawals (I have only been taking the percocet for three months) the worse is the anxiety and goose bump feeling.  I am not psychologically addicted,  I still want to give my body a rest, so I ordered clonidine from on line.  Too bad it hasn't arrived yet.   I think I dont want to go back to the percocet even though its much better for the pain. I don't want to go through this type of withdrawal again.  My question, if I go back to tylenol 4 will I suffer these bad withdrawals or go back to the way it was, just the stomach cramps?  I dont know maybe I should get off opiates alll together, but I feel since I don't have an addiction why suffer with more pain that I need too?  I wish I would have just stuck with the tylenol 4.

[LKnight]

Thank you both for the advice.  I do often wonder if some trigger will happen and I become a full blown addict.  I have a debilitating back problem and I went through so many NSAIDS and they helped at first, but stopped.  I even use to pay $160 a month for celebrex.  It's no reason to print out a sob story, its a quality of life issue.  I have a job on the street and three year old twins and I have to produce and this helps me.  I am very scared by what you say.  I wish I had never got on those percocet. I guess the two week off two week on thing was just stupid.  I know now my trying to control them was what everyone who eventually becomes an addict tries to do.  I guess I feel it really is not affecting my life until now with this oxy withdrawal.  My codeine withdrawal was a piece of cake.  I'm not sure what to do.

[gnarly_1]

HI Welcome to the forum.....we normally dont suggest using another opiate to get off another kinda like putting a fire out with gasoline you just wind up cross addicted
as for the severity of your withdrawals for most it gets progressively worst the more times you go threw it so your theory has some flaws in it our forum is all about getting off the pills and if your interested we will help you with that it not so much about what is worst or less to withdrawal from....medhelp had a pain management forum that may be more helpful to you people come to this forum to get clean and be free from the pills we dont promote continued use.....sorry I cant be of more help try the other forum you may find what your looking for there.......Gnarly  BTW watch the clonidine if taken wrong you can have blood pressure failure      

[tired_of_oxy]

I think you could describe your situation as someone who is at the edge of a cliff. Another step and you fall into full blown addiction. There will come a time where you no longer have the option to take a break. You'll need it all the time. Whether it's oxy, T4's, etc. It's all addictive and you already realized that your getting in over your head.

My advice would be turn back and RUN. Stop it all now. But what about the pain? You ask no doubt. Well once the heavy painkillers are out of your system you'll probably be amazed at how well non narcotic pain meds will work. You might need to develop a multi faceted approach. OTC meds, physio, massage etc. Try different combos until you find one that works. No physical pain can compare to the all consuming torturous pain of being a full blown addict. I know. I have been addicted to oxy far too long and I wish so bad I had heeded the same advice I am giving you right now. Instead I dismissed the best advice I never took because "I could handle it and I wouldn't get addicted" well I did get addicted. In fact I got badly addicted and it's robbed me of all I am this addiction.

Please please just throw all the narcs in the garbage and change course before it's too late. You don't want a full blown addiction. It's life altering, all consuming and completely devastating. And so HARD to stop. Hope you sit and think long and hard before you go any further into addiction. You don't want this, it's pure hell!