How To Get Off the Morphine

[ClassicGlass]

Hi all. I have been on pain med for fifteen years. They finally did something to my back to make it a little better. I no longer think I need all the med I take. It has gotten so bad that I can take 10, 60mg Morphine Sulphate at a time. I have never had the drugs cause any problems in my life with the exception of me having a lack of motivation at times. Just so you know, I tried to take my Morphine Sulphate only once a day. I know WD's don't really come on for a day or two, but I just thought it best to give my body a little break. What I need help with is tapering off. My regular day is 8, 60's in the morning and on rare occassions use Vic for break through pain. I have no problem skipping a day of Morphine, but on day two I start to feel the WD's.
What I need to know is how much and how long should I be cutting back. Should I cut one 60 a day for a week and see how I do, or should I start a little stronger. Any input would be appreciated. I have been very lucky to this point and just want to get my life back. I know I need a lot less pain killers now, but the problem is convincing my body of it. I know this will be difficult, but it has to be done. I have been at this for a long time. For those of you just starting out with pain meds, be proactive in your own care. Do NOT let Doctors talk you into more pain meds just because they think you need them. Make sure that there are no other alternatives because once you start on this path, it is a long road home. I have missed out on a good part of my kids lives because I just plain did not have the energy to be there for my kids. It has only been the past three years that I really missed out on a lot of stuff, but those are years I can not get back. Just be careful and I wish you all the best.
Now, how the hell do I taper off of these things?  

[vicki595]

Yes,cutting the dose in half is a lot,I know.   Actually,you could eliminate it completely.
It won't feel good but it won't kill you.  I would do that because tapering is really hard.

I would continue on the Vicodan for a while,then let go of that. First,get over the MS.

Get yourself vitamins,juices,lomotil,tonic water.  Read the health pages,upper right of this page. Lots of good info in there!

V.

[ClassicGlass]

Vicki, Getting my Dr. involved will not do much good. He is actuslly a great Dr.that really listens to you. Sometimes too much. I told him I was going to start working my way off the stuff and he just said, "How do you plan to do it. I am sure you did a ton of research on this too" My point is he is great to work with because he listens to what people have to say and is very open to ideas. This is a great quality in a Dr., he admitted he does not have a lot of experience in dealing with working your way off drugs. I respect him for being honest. He has done some research and we have talked a bit, but he would rather tell me very little instead of telling me something that is not good for me. You kind of have to be here to understand and appreciate him.
Are you suggesting that I cut my dose in half for the first week? That seems like a lot, but I will give it a shot. I will see how my body reacts and take it from there. I am willing to go through some tough times to get this over with. Again, I am never going to be totally off the stuff, but I am hoping I can get to the point where I am at an as needed place. I took none yesterday, but I woke up in the middle of the night a little restless and took 3 so I could go back to sleep. We will see how that lasts. I have been very lucky over the years. As a kid I tried drugs. Most of my friends ended up hooked. We took the same amount everyday, but for some reason I was just able to walk away when I decided to while they all had to go through some kind of a program. Seeing that as a young man had kept me off of any other drugs until this back injury. To be honest, I am a little scared. My ex-fiance started using Dexedrine and by year two she got so messed up that it tore us apart along with her world. I watched what she went through while using that stuff. Every day was hell for her when the pills wore off. She never admitted she had a problem. At least I know I have something I have to deal with. Sorry to run on, but this Morphine thing is staring me straight in the face and the sooner I can get this monkey off my back, the better.
Wish all of you the best. We all have to remember that we get to choose each day what kind of life we are going to live.
Thank you for the input,

[vicki595]

Hi~  That's a lot of morphine...Can you get your doctor in on this? He/she can help with a taper plan(we don't give taper schedules).  The other thing is to cut that dose of MS in half for a week and drop it.  You could use the vicodin and then eventually drop that,also.

You're not going to feel well at all but in a few weeks it will be over.  I'd see your doctor though and get the help you need.

Good luck~
Vicki