Morphine & Oxycodone Withdrawals

[MLM103169]

I've been on Morphine now for nearly three years. Up until recently, I was taking 90 mg/day on average. Some days I could get by on 60 mg and others I still felt like I was dying after 120 mg. My neurologist has tried a few times to switch me to Oxycodone cold turkey. I was told that I would not go through withdrawals because I was trading one opiate for another. NOT TRUE!! The withdrawals were not as bad as long as I took Oxycodone, but I was still going through them. Now today is day two of NOTHING. I am losing my mind. I can't hardly sleep, can't keep still, feel jittery, night sweats, runny nose, excessive sneezing, and major anxiety has set in. I'm not sure I am doing the right thing, due to my diagnosis. I have suffered from bilateral Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia (ATN) and bilateral Trigeminal Neurlagia (TN) aka "The Suicide Disease" for 26+ years. I now also suffer from Occipital Neuralgia (ON) on top of everything else due to some head trauma that stemmed from screwing my titanium frame into my skull for a bilateral Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKR). I feel like I am darned if I do and darned if I don't. I am desperate to control the pain and my options are slim to none after 26+ years, but I know at only age 43 I can not keep upping my meds. I tried to treat it myself for the first 23 years with an occasional trip to the ER for a shot of Toradol in the butt and one script of Vicodin ES every 1-2 years. Finally I needed help or else I was ready to blow my head off due to the more frequent and severe pain over the years. I feel like I have sold my soul to the devil and now it is time to pay up! This is not how I had imagined my life at only 43. In the last five years I have gone through a spine surgery (Discectomy, Fusion, & Laminectomy on my L4-L5 & L5-S1) and the radiation brain surgery. I just want to calm down enough to sleep. This is a living hell!!
Has anyone else had success with home remedies to curb the withdrawals? If so, what has worked for you?
Thank you!!

[Tahoedirt]

I've been thru thus a few times and feel like I know what I'm talking about.  First, I think the oxycodone is much more addictive than morphine.  The withdrawals are way too familiar.  A couple things that will help- Hot showers and some tranquilizers (Valium of Xanax).  Keep lots if sweets and convenient food and sleep when ever you can.  Walking a little helps.  The Morphine is time released so wein off it last, but don't take too long.  The temptations are overwhelming.

[TikkiTT]

You replied on an old post....so if you don't get the answers you need, start a new topic.    I don't have any experience with morphine and oxy, per se, but I did take Loratab for about 7 years total.    I quit them twice.   The first time, cold turkey and then had to go back on them following knee replacement and PT,  and the second time I quit, I did a slow taper.   Are you saying you are still having withdrawals, despite currently taking 10 mg. Loratab  6 times a day?   When I quit cold turkey, I was sick for about a week...mostly just felt very lethargic, couldn't sleep, constant low level nausea, sneezing.   It took about a month for me to get over feeling lethargic.   As far as  coming off on a taper, not too many symptoms...some sneezing, some nausea....just feeling kind of bad,   A little anxiety but not as bad as the first time....where I had panic attacks if I didn't have some with me at all times.

[Artsit]

I am coming off from morphine and oxycodone. My pain Dr. Took me off 60 mg morphine cold turkey. The next week he took me off 90 mg oxycodone and put me on 10 mg. lortab x 6. It's been three weeks and I'm still going through withdrawal.ive been on the clonodine patch to help with withdrawal and I am still in hell! How long do these withdrawal symptoms last? I'm just starting a week of lortab 5 x a day. I am so miserable. I had excruciating pain after my 2nd back surgery(fusion). I then had both knees replaced. I have been on pain meds for going on four years. When will I start feeling better. So achy, weak, hateful etc. Help!

[MLM103169]

It sure does, DF!! I never truly gave it an honest shot until now. At this point all I notice is chills most of the time, sneezing all the time, diarrhea (although not horrible), & insomnia (hence this post at 5:35am - HA!!)
My PCP gave me Trazodone and this was only my second night. I took it years ago and loved it. I obviously was on a higher dose or I'd have a snowballs chance in h•ll at zonking out for more than one hour per night. lol
You guys are great!! Thanks again.

[MLM103169]

Thanks so much! Nope, I'm not real sure what I am going to do about the pain yet. Thank goodness the weather is warning up a bit...that generally helps. I'm now going into my 6th day after stopping cold turkey. I'm usually a pretty head strong person so I'm forcing myself to do it!! I won't say someday I won't need it again due to more frequent & more severe the pain gets as time goes on but for now...I'm avoiding it at all costs. I've been going through my hell since age 17, following a Maxillofacial Jaw Reconstruction. I toughed it out for the most part for 23 of these 26 years (not to mention Lortab after fusion, discectomy, & laminectomy for two years before I began Morphine. Almost a total of 4.5 years straight daily. I'm only 43 now. I've beat the odds and not taken myself out all these years, so I'm trying to remain optimistic that this is just a little setback. I don't crave any of it whatsoever...never have. I used it strictly for pain. At least I was smart enough not to allow myself to carelessly using my meds. I'm hoping that's what saves me. Thanks for all the great advice, information, and kind words. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! :)

[YesLife4Me]

Glad you came back!   You are on the downhill side now...each day you are getting better.   If you can take a hot bath with epsom salts it will help ease the RLS and creepy crawlies.   The depression is also part of coming off the meds.  Suddenly the receptors in our brain are empty so they take a little time to heal.  Evenings seem to be a rough time for most people.  We have struggled to make it through the day and then we sit down to relax and all we can think about is how we feel and that darn RLS kicks in.  That's why I suggest a nice hot bath.  It will help calm your nerves too.  

I think when it comes to the oxy and morphine that the morphine is actually the stronger of the two even though in mg's it seems like the oxy is stronger.  It has to do more with how the drug metabolizes in our systems.    Yet I understand.  You just get sick and tired of being sick and tired.   What started out as a good thing (which was for a bit) turns against us.  I used to sit watching TV wondering what it was like to feel 'normal'.  I had forgotten what it was like to 'feel' and live life on lifes terms.  

Do you have a support system in place?   A good place to learn more about the disease of addiction and surround yourself with people going through the same thing as you is NA or AA.   Stick around here too..lots of good advice and people that have been there, done that.   And congrats on 72 hours!!    Feels good to make it further than you have before, doesn't it.  

[vicki595]

What you describe is exactly what an abrupt withdrawal from opiates will cause.  A far more gentle approach might be to take the oxycodone and taper off of it.  The result is the same minus all the discomfort.

I'm only suggesting this although after two days, you're on your way through this detox.  It's up to you at this point but if there are any suggestions we can offer about things to help your symptoms, please ask.

Also, how will you manage your pain now?

[MLM103169]

Thanks so much for your reply. I am now about 72 hours into this. My reasons for doing this are 50/50. I have been flipped back and forth between the Morphine and Oxycodone three times in the last couple of months. I have complained that it doesn't last long enough and I am very unhappy with it...but for some reason my neurologist preferred to put me on 30 mg Oxycodone three times daily rather than Morphine 30 mg four times daily. He said he didn't feel comfortable raising me from 90 mg to 120 mg Morphine yet. It doesn't make a lot of sense since the amount of Oxycodone he prescribed is more than the Morphine I was hoping to up 30 mgs. So far my sneezing and RLS have calmed down quite a bit from yesterday. I'm hoping in the next day or two they are gone completely, Im still getting very little sleep so far. I either feel too cold or too hot...can't find a happy medium. My depression seems really ramped up right now...not sure if that is part of it. I've began withdrawals before but never got past day two. I could go back and begin Morphine when it is time to get a new script (05/01) but I just got a bug up my butt and decided I am going to give it an honest effort to attempt to come off of the Morphine and/or Oxycodone. I won't lie, yesterday/last night was the worst so far. I was down right miserable. I have always looked at this as if I sold my soul to the devil by beginning Morphine at all. Now it's time to pay the price. One day I saw a picture of a poppy field. It was stunning. I couldn't help but think "Even the devil comes disguised in the most beautiful of ways, but when it comes time to pay the piper beauty is only a memory."

[YesLife4Me]

Hi & Welcome.  My goodness you have been through a lot.  I don't know what most of it is, but I do understand withdrawals.  Been through them more times than I care to count.   Are you coming off the meds by choice?   Is there any way you can get help from your Dr?  That's alot of meds to come off of suddenly.  I was on morphine at one time and when I was taken off it, my Dr gave me clonodine (a blood pressure med) that helped ease the withdraws.  Another thing you can do is look up the Thomas Recipe on the bottom of this page.  It is chocked full of all kinds of natural OTC products that most all of us have used to help us get through the nightmare of withdraws.   Nothing makes them go away completely, but if you can make yourself more comfy, pick and choose what works for you.  The worst will pass after the first few days (about 100 hours) and then it starts to get better.   Keep reading and posting...we can help get your through this too.  DF