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Got dependent on Oxycontin after 1 month
I was wondering if there were other people who became dependent on Oxycontin after a surgical operation. I had both knees replaced in June. I was put on 20mg 2x per day in the hospital + 1 10mg short acting as needed every 3 hours. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks rehabing. In the end I felt I only needed the morning and night dose of Oxycontin. I went home and continued as directed by my doctor to take 1 20mg morning and night and continued my P.T. After two weeks I decided I did not seem to have much pain anymore so I stopped taking the Oxycontin on a Saturday morning. I began to go into severe withdrawals by the evening and was up all night with all the horrible symptoms. To make my story short: I went back to my Doctor who seemed shocked that I experienced withdrawals and put me on a taper down plan which was for a month. He said it would work. When I was down to my last 10mg 1 per day I still went through horrible withdrawals the 24 hours between doses. The day I was supposed to be done with it, I was so weak from days of withdrawing, I told my husband I actually felt like killing myself, I could not stand it anymore. Luckily, I got into see my Doctor again who put me on the lowest dose of Klonopin to break the withdrawal cycle and let me sleep. It did work, but I was terrified to take the Klonopin because that is also highly addictive. I supplemented by drinking herbal teas, especially ones with Kava. Thankfully, I was able to sleep through the night on 1/2 of a 0.5 dose after a week and have been able to stop taking them altogether after 2 weeks. This was up there for being one of the most horrible experiences of my life! I finally feel the constant anxiety and heavy depression lifting after these two weeks. I researched and ordered some supplements to help restore my depleted body. I will never take Oxycontin again even if I am in severe pain for whatever reason! If you have had an experience like this, I would like to hear it please. My Doctor said I am rare that I got addicted to it in such a short time and a relatively low dose, but I think this must happen to many people. Thank God I was able to get off of it.
You must be my long lost twin sister or something, LoL!
Exact same things for me on fentanyl. I could pass out anywhere. I even fell asleep during a chemical heart stress test!
As for the morphine pills, they did nothing for me. It's just nothing like the real stuff. No problem at all stopping those either. But if they work for you and you don't need as much, that's a good thing. I suppose it depends how well a person metabolizes the morphine salts is what determines it's effectiveness.
I have the oxycodone/percs as well for breakthrough pain, but I rarely take them. I just don't like taking acetaminophen at all after having been on them for years in my younger days.
Anyways, I hope you get your problems sorted out quickly. I know what a drag that can be, more doc appointments, test appointments, etc. and all that extra running around, especially when mobility is a big hassle like it is for me. I just hate it.
Exact same things for me on fentanyl. I could pass out anywhere. I even fell asleep during a chemical heart stress test!
As for the morphine pills, they did nothing for me. It's just nothing like the real stuff. No problem at all stopping those either. But if they work for you and you don't need as much, that's a good thing. I suppose it depends how well a person metabolizes the morphine salts is what determines it's effectiveness.
I have the oxycodone/percs as well for breakthrough pain, but I rarely take them. I just don't like taking acetaminophen at all after having been on them for years in my younger days.
Anyways, I hope you get your problems sorted out quickly. I know what a drag that can be, more doc appointments, test appointments, etc. and all that extra running around, especially when mobility is a big hassle like it is for me. I just hate it.
I've never got "high" off any narcotic. I'm not sure if it's because of the type of pain I have (nerve pain and RSD pain.) I also wonder if genetically there's something different with me. None of the women (except one, my sister) on my mother's side of the family could drink alcohol. Even with one drink, they'd get sick, and I'm the same way (though I gave it a good shot in my twenties when everyone was partying ... I wound up being the driver. It never gave me a "buzz" just made me ill.) When I first started taking narcotics, I'd fall asleep but never felt anything else.
Fentanyl was a nightmare for me. I thought I was okay on it but whenever I stopped moving (sitting down ANYWHERE) I'd just fall asleep. I did it at movies, restaurants, doctor's appointments. I tapered it down myself and moved to oxycontin for a short while with oxycodone as a breakthrough med.
Personally, I just felt like they had me on way too much medication; so I tapered down most of it. Recently I had been ill with something (still sort of undiagnosed) and couldn't keep anything, including my meds, down. Pain management changed me over to morphine as that doesn't make me sick to my stomach. I'm not sure why but I just don't get the withdrawals from it like I did from oxycodone or other narcotics. (They've tried me on just about everything.) I do get a headache with it, but it goes away with ibuprofen.
When I was in the hospital doing nothing, my pain level went way down. Now that I'm home and have to do normal things, laundry, cooking, driving, my pain level is back up. With a small dose of morphine, I can keep it at a level 4, which for me is manageable. It's when my pain climbs to an 7, 8 or more and I'm throwing up from pain that I have a problem.
I guess this discussion would be better off held in the Pain Management forum or privately. Despite my pain, I am trying to get off everything in order to reevaluate what my pain really is. I don't like being dependent. It may well be that I'll go back on a long-acting med along with BT meds, but I want to see if I can manage more on an "as needed" basis rather than by the clock. And for some reason, I don't have to be tied to time with the new med. (It's not helping too much with the pain, but I'm willing to put up with that for the time being.) I'm not sure if I stopped it totally whether I'd have withdrawals or not. And for now, I've promised both doctors to stay on what I'm prescribed until they get to the bottom of what's going on with me physically. But at least I can take MUCH less than is prescribed and still manage.
Fentanyl was a nightmare for me. I thought I was okay on it but whenever I stopped moving (sitting down ANYWHERE) I'd just fall asleep. I did it at movies, restaurants, doctor's appointments. I tapered it down myself and moved to oxycontin for a short while with oxycodone as a breakthrough med.
Personally, I just felt like they had me on way too much medication; so I tapered down most of it. Recently I had been ill with something (still sort of undiagnosed) and couldn't keep anything, including my meds, down. Pain management changed me over to morphine as that doesn't make me sick to my stomach. I'm not sure why but I just don't get the withdrawals from it like I did from oxycodone or other narcotics. (They've tried me on just about everything.) I do get a headache with it, but it goes away with ibuprofen.
When I was in the hospital doing nothing, my pain level went way down. Now that I'm home and have to do normal things, laundry, cooking, driving, my pain level is back up. With a small dose of morphine, I can keep it at a level 4, which for me is manageable. It's when my pain climbs to an 7, 8 or more and I'm throwing up from pain that I have a problem.
I guess this discussion would be better off held in the Pain Management forum or privately. Despite my pain, I am trying to get off everything in order to reevaluate what my pain really is. I don't like being dependent. It may well be that I'll go back on a long-acting med along with BT meds, but I want to see if I can manage more on an "as needed" basis rather than by the clock. And for some reason, I don't have to be tied to time with the new med. (It's not helping too much with the pain, but I'm willing to put up with that for the time being.) I'm not sure if I stopped it totally whether I'd have withdrawals or not. And for now, I've promised both doctors to stay on what I'm prescribed until they get to the bottom of what's going on with me physically. But at least I can take MUCH less than is prescribed and still manage.
I also don't get total pain relief, the best i can get to is about a level 4-5, which is tollerable.
If i could get there with non-opiates, I'd get off this stuff in a heartbeat too, but so far no such miracle drug as come along since oxycontin. :o(
As far as slipping into addiction, when i first started reading this forum, I became worried about that also, but am no longer. I just don't get any buzz from it, and therefore have no desire to take it all and wouldn't if I no longer had any pain.
But that's not going to happen, not in the near future anyways, unless I win the lotto and can afford that experimental surgery where they put artificial discs and vertebrae in your back. I was born with a mild deformity from spina bifida of the spine. 5 of my lower lumbar aren't fully formed around the spinal cord, they are "C" shaped instead. The only thing protecting my spinal cord in that region were my discs, which got crushed in an accident, which puts pressure on my spinal cord. Sometimes if i even blink wrong it's excruciating, LoL
If i could get there with non-opiates, I'd get off this stuff in a heartbeat too, but so far no such miracle drug as come along since oxycontin. :o(
As far as slipping into addiction, when i first started reading this forum, I became worried about that also, but am no longer. I just don't get any buzz from it, and therefore have no desire to take it all and wouldn't if I no longer had any pain.
But that's not going to happen, not in the near future anyways, unless I win the lotto and can afford that experimental surgery where they put artificial discs and vertebrae in your back. I was born with a mild deformity from spina bifida of the spine. 5 of my lower lumbar aren't fully formed around the spinal cord, they are "C" shaped instead. The only thing protecting my spinal cord in that region were my discs, which got crushed in an accident, which puts pressure on my spinal cord. Sometimes if i even blink wrong it's excruciating, LoL
Oxy doesn't have a very long half life, 3- 4.5 hrs. Because oxycodone releases faster, basically instantly into your system, it's total working life is shorter than the sustained release oxycontin, which I find to be just around 6 hours for me, then starts weakening noticeably after that.
I'm interested in knowing what you are taking now that you say doesn't give you withdrawal symtoms if you miss a dose or two..
I was on fentanyl for a few years at high doses (3-50mcg patches) which made me groggy, but I had no withdrawal symptoms at all when I stopped using them. I just hated the groggy feeling, it was like being in a fog, plus I would pass out alot while sitting up watching tv, or even playing on the PC.
I'm interested in knowing what you are taking now that you say doesn't give you withdrawal symtoms if you miss a dose or two..
I was on fentanyl for a few years at high doses (3-50mcg patches) which made me groggy, but I had no withdrawal symptoms at all when I stopped using them. I just hated the groggy feeling, it was like being in a fog, plus I would pass out alot while sitting up watching tv, or even playing on the PC.
What is "dopesick"? Do you mean that you get zonked out from taking oxy, and just get tired of feeling that way?
Did you doc just precribe you that amount right from the get-go? My pain management specialist starts a patient out from the lowest dose possible, then over 1-2 weeks or so works up to a dose that controls the pain at a reasonable level, without making you high, or "dopey" feeling.
I think a mistake a lot of people make is that they expect Oxycontin, or other opiates to get rid of their pain completely, and end up taking way to much trying to achieve that.
I'm not sure why, but i think the reason I can't get high on Oxycontin is because of the type of pain I have, more spinal cord nervous system involvement that muscular.
I have tried taking more to see if I could get some sort of buzz, but It's just a waste of pills. They don't even provide any extra "instant" pain relief either. It takes time for the ocycontin to release and build up in ones system, and because it releases into your system much slower than oxycodone, you can't feel any immediate extra pain control by taking more. Although the half life is the same as oxycodone, it takes longer to get into your system in the first place.
Did you doc just precribe you that amount right from the get-go? My pain management specialist starts a patient out from the lowest dose possible, then over 1-2 weeks or so works up to a dose that controls the pain at a reasonable level, without making you high, or "dopey" feeling.
I think a mistake a lot of people make is that they expect Oxycontin, or other opiates to get rid of their pain completely, and end up taking way to much trying to achieve that.
I'm not sure why, but i think the reason I can't get high on Oxycontin is because of the type of pain I have, more spinal cord nervous system involvement that muscular.
I have tried taking more to see if I could get some sort of buzz, but It's just a waste of pills. They don't even provide any extra "instant" pain relief either. It takes time for the ocycontin to release and build up in ones system, and because it releases into your system much slower than oxycodone, you can't feel any immediate extra pain control by taking more. Although the half life is the same as oxycodone, it takes longer to get into your system in the first place.
When I was taking oxycodone, even at lower doses, I, too, found that missing a couple of doses would bring on the withdrawals. For me, the signs were muscle fatigue and extreme sweating and hot/cold flashes. After being on it for years, I was switched to a different narcotic, also at a low dose. I'm finding I do not have the same issues with this. I am prescribed to take it 6 times a day and find that very often I can get by with one in the a.m. and one at bedtime. I experience no withdrawal symptoms at all (though I often will have increased pain, which I'm willing to put up with to lower my tolerance.)
I'm personally working towards getting off everything totally so I can reevaluate my pain level. I feel like I've been on narcotics (4-5 years) for too long. Pain clinic kept upping my dosages and medications until, looking back, they had me on "end-of-life" meds and dosages. I've had a difficult time tapering down (physically.) But it's been worth it to me.
Right now, I'm staying where I'm at due to some health issues that have cropped up. I've promised both my primary care doctor and the pain clinic team that I will not taper any more until we get to the bottom of what's going on.
I've found this forum VERY helpful in so many ways. I was always concerned that I'd slip from dependence and tolerance into addiction. There are a lot of people here who found that once they gave up the narcotics, their pain WAS manageable by OTC medications. I'm hoping to find that out for myself. I am open to continuing my injections and other non-narcotic treatments available to me. I know I'll never be pain free but if I can keep it at a "4," I can manage.
I'm personally working towards getting off everything totally so I can reevaluate my pain level. I feel like I've been on narcotics (4-5 years) for too long. Pain clinic kept upping my dosages and medications until, looking back, they had me on "end-of-life" meds and dosages. I've had a difficult time tapering down (physically.) But it's been worth it to me.
Right now, I'm staying where I'm at due to some health issues that have cropped up. I've promised both my primary care doctor and the pain clinic team that I will not taper any more until we get to the bottom of what's going on.
I've found this forum VERY helpful in so many ways. I was always concerned that I'd slip from dependence and tolerance into addiction. There are a lot of people here who found that once they gave up the narcotics, their pain WAS manageable by OTC medications. I'm hoping to find that out for myself. I am open to continuing my injections and other non-narcotic treatments available to me. I know I'll never be pain free but if I can keep it at a "4," I can manage.
Everyone is different. Some people metabolize Oxycontin faster than others, and others still have a very high tolerance to opiates. One thing that seems to hold true for everyone who takes opiates for legit pain management and long term chronic pain management is that they all develop a physical dependance to them.
I take 320mg Oxycontin for chronic pain. I am confined to a wheel chair because of a spinal injury. It's extremely painful to even stand up, never mind take a step- not that my legs are very useful anyways, plus I have bad hip joints and knees) and while I know I have a physical addiction and will go through withdrawals if i forget to take my pills, I do know that I do not have an addiction to them, not in the same sense that someone who uses them to get high and worry about having enough for the next high does.
I do not and never have since I first began taking them ever got a 'high" from them, and i don't get anxious for my next dose. I very often forget to take them, but I don't need to 'catch up' on missed doses, and very often have several days worth extra when my prescription refill date comes due at months end.
Missing two doses in a row has very unpleasant effects though. Withdrawal symptoms come very soon after not taking them for 12 hours. Besides increasing pain levels, which is no surprise, Yawning and watery eyes are the first indicators 4 me, which is what I consider an "early warning" reminder that I had better take my pills or else the next symptom is going to come along very soon, and it doesn't give much warning!
It's as if my gi tract suddenly wakes up and goes into overdrive, which isn't so easy to address at a moments notice when you are stuck in a wheelchair, especially there is no one around to help. I have hoist, but it is built for comfort, certainly not speed, which really what you want in that situation, LoL!
The physical dependance everyone develops, ( I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't have it) is the number one complaint us "wheelers" talk about while we are hanging (rolling?) around the Doc's office, and there doesn't seem to be any answers for that. I guess it's just the price you pay if you want to have at little bit more mobility knocking down the pain to a tolerable level allows. I guess I look at dependance a little differently from my perspective, because I have to depend on a lot of things most people don't have to think twice about.
It would be nice however to "take a break" once in a while from these pills, even if it means putting up with more pain and more time stuck in bed all day.
That's one of the reasons I came to this forum, I want to see how others respond to Buprenorphine treatment, and if it's even possible for someone like me and the high doses of Oxycontin I am taking. Doesn't look promising unfortunately. :o(
It's also interesting to see that you find the fish oils and others helpful, I also eat a lot of foods high in hyleronic acids and vitamin suplements, especially the b complex vitamins, vitamin D and C. I find that they just improve your sense of well being and mood, even though I am taking the Oxycontin. Flax seed and other foods high in fiber are also very helpful to counter the effects Oxycontin has on your Gi system. It becomes very slow and sluggish, and people have a lot of problems with constipation from it. Keeping your GI system functioning normally also reduces the problems accidental withdrawal causes. If you aren't all plugged up, you don't have very much diarrhea if any at all, but the spasms are terrible and painful just the same.
I take 320mg Oxycontin for chronic pain. I am confined to a wheel chair because of a spinal injury. It's extremely painful to even stand up, never mind take a step- not that my legs are very useful anyways, plus I have bad hip joints and knees) and while I know I have a physical addiction and will go through withdrawals if i forget to take my pills, I do know that I do not have an addiction to them, not in the same sense that someone who uses them to get high and worry about having enough for the next high does.
I do not and never have since I first began taking them ever got a 'high" from them, and i don't get anxious for my next dose. I very often forget to take them, but I don't need to 'catch up' on missed doses, and very often have several days worth extra when my prescription refill date comes due at months end.
Missing two doses in a row has very unpleasant effects though. Withdrawal symptoms come very soon after not taking them for 12 hours. Besides increasing pain levels, which is no surprise, Yawning and watery eyes are the first indicators 4 me, which is what I consider an "early warning" reminder that I had better take my pills or else the next symptom is going to come along very soon, and it doesn't give much warning!
It's as if my gi tract suddenly wakes up and goes into overdrive, which isn't so easy to address at a moments notice when you are stuck in a wheelchair, especially there is no one around to help. I have hoist, but it is built for comfort, certainly not speed, which really what you want in that situation, LoL!
The physical dependance everyone develops, ( I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't have it) is the number one complaint us "wheelers" talk about while we are hanging (rolling?) around the Doc's office, and there doesn't seem to be any answers for that. I guess it's just the price you pay if you want to have at little bit more mobility knocking down the pain to a tolerable level allows. I guess I look at dependance a little differently from my perspective, because I have to depend on a lot of things most people don't have to think twice about.
It would be nice however to "take a break" once in a while from these pills, even if it means putting up with more pain and more time stuck in bed all day.
That's one of the reasons I came to this forum, I want to see how others respond to Buprenorphine treatment, and if it's even possible for someone like me and the high doses of Oxycontin I am taking. Doesn't look promising unfortunately. :o(
It's also interesting to see that you find the fish oils and others helpful, I also eat a lot of foods high in hyleronic acids and vitamin suplements, especially the b complex vitamins, vitamin D and C. I find that they just improve your sense of well being and mood, even though I am taking the Oxycontin. Flax seed and other foods high in fiber are also very helpful to counter the effects Oxycontin has on your Gi system. It becomes very slow and sluggish, and people have a lot of problems with constipation from it. Keeping your GI system functioning normally also reduces the problems accidental withdrawal causes. If you aren't all plugged up, you don't have very much diarrhea if any at all, but the spasms are terrible and painful just the same.
HI OXY is a powerful drug and getting hooked on it can take as little as 10 days it always ruff to come off of even if you taper I have a friend that calls me each month short on his script he only takes 2 15mg a day but goes threw awful withdrawals when het takes a extra one here and there to compensate for extra pain this is an evil drug to have to take or get off off..........Gnarly
Although I started taking oxycontin (and eventually heroin) for recreational purposes, in my experience it is not at all surprising that you got dependent on it after 1 month. For me all it took was 3 days of daily use, and on the 4th day I would have withdrawals.
Thank you for your empathy. I never once during the 2 months total I was on Oxycontin desired to take it to get high. I wanted off of it as soon as possible and thankfully found a way to do that. I am very cautious about people I tell my tale to though, as people can be ignorant and judgemental regarding dependency on prescription meds and blame the person for becoming dependent on the drug or think the person must now be addicted to the substance and forever crave it which thankfully is not so. I think the supplements are really helping: l-tyrosine, l-glutamine, fish oil, current seed oil, vitamin e and a high potency vitamin + much less coffee and lots of water. I recommend them for feeling better.
It seems that you're not addicted but dependent. You took the medication as prescribed but your body became dependent on it. I also became dependent and have experienced withdrawals and they are horrific. I switched to another medication and find that I don't have the same problem with this one. OxyContin and oxycodone are very powerful drugs and I personally believe it doesn't take long to become physically dependent and/or addicted to them. I'm glad you're feeling better and sorry you had to suffer so much!!!
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