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Oxy withdrawal advice
I have an unusual problem.Well,to me anyway.My back is shot.Been to more drs. than I can count.Spent $20,000.00 last year on medical.Started lortab,then more,then oxy,then higher doses.Just about 100 mg a day.I run out sometimes.I do physical labor(plumbing),and I am in constant pain.I do 2.5 hrs of physical therapy a day,heating pads,electro stimulation,everything.I need to get thru the next 4 days until I get a refil.All of the drs. wrote letters saying there is nothing left to operate on,and all I have for an option is pain clinics.They all say that I will be on pain pills for the rest of my life.I'm 56 yrs old.I haven't had a drink in 14 years.And I can't calm down with an herbal remedy because I'm due for a **** test.I have a couple of valium,and a couple of xanax.But I'm in bad pain.I quit drinking and smoking at the same time.Cold Turkey.It sucked,but I'm clean.No AA.It's not for me.Can anybody give me some advice?I have to work thru this,as my job is very busy,and I deal with customers all day long.I don't go to the street for anything,and I won't.But I'm hurting.This is day 2.Anybody?
Went to the drs. told them I quit oxy.They all started running around cuz I screwed with the system.They try to give me more pills,I said no narcotics,they tried to give me time release,they tried to give me more,less,anything I wanted.I told them I'm done with pills.Feel a little less cloudy in the head today.Thanks everyone.You rock.
Your a strong man. I'm also in construction so I feel your pain there. I've been on lortabs for 5 years and two days ago I decided I'm done. These people on here are the best part of detoxing. You get a FREEEEE feeling. You'll be happier, more energy, generally nicer etc. at least I have been. Let us know how your doc apt went today.
keep it up my friend I will agree with the others your pain threshold is like 0 because you just pop a pill to ease it, heck I would take a pill if a mosquito bit me :) each day gets physically better although mentally it is a challenge these people here are so awesome and an inspiration to stay clean I don't think I would have been this optimistic without this site. main reason is that my body is freaking out and here you see that it is not just you and you are not alone ... I am on day 4 of detox got on them pills myself because of back issues ... You Can Do It :)
Hey Everyone,just checking in.Haven't had anything for a few days now.I just feel tired all of the time.I have to run my plumbing company while I do this,but I took 2 days and a weekend off and just relaxed.I'm going to the pain center in an hour.I'll tell them I'm off oxy,and I'm not taking any more narcotics.See what they say.I'm done.But it's tough.And I want to thank you all for your advise.
Adding to oxytired's strapon devices, i'm also a 50 yr old manual laborer crouching/squatting hours a day, GET a pair of milton brand knee supports $15.00 each, black elastic wrap around with velcro not the pull on kind. They are meant for knee pain, pulled tendons and sprains etc, but will help leg and lower back pain alot as well as standing or walking several hours a day, i wear mine under my jeans so people don't ask what happened, also you can drop down quick and have some cushion when looking under a sink or car. I wear them often, and make jumping in and out of equipment, ladderclimbing, crawling on hands and knees or bangin your knee against concrete and steel much better. Surprsing how much the knee supports help relieve back pain. I also use a tens unit a couple nights a week at bed time, a drug free relaxing way to scramble nerve pain for several hours of relief. Most likely ebay is the way to get one, mine came from a physical therapist who switched from the old analog display to digital, but i do get the replacable sticky electrodes off ebay. Those non drug devices take care of 3/4 of my pain issues.
And I would like to add, that I have to be on my feet all day long, and one of those back belts that are 6 inches wide and have a side pull so it can really be tightened up, helps a lot. I have to take a break from it every 6 hours or so-I have mine on right now.
I am in a very similar situation with the back and pain meds. Along the way it occurred to me that all my Oxy was doing for me long term was masking what was really going on with my back. Being Oxy numb all the time actually was increasing the chance of injuring my back by overdoing it while feeling no pain.
Sounds like you are really going the distance with conventional therapies, you might be really surprised how well they are working once you can feel again.
The detox part is unpleasant, no getting around that, I am on day 8. Just read the posts the more experienced members make about how it does get better. That has been helping me.
Congrats to your success!
Sounds like you are really going the distance with conventional therapies, you might be really surprised how well they are working once you can feel again.
The detox part is unpleasant, no getting around that, I am on day 8. Just read the posts the more experienced members make about how it does get better. That has been helping me.
Congrats to your success!
Hi There & Welocme! Thanks for reaching out.
You're NOT alone, here. You're in the right place. We have plenty of folks w/ back problems who have successfully detoxed. I just wanted to add a little to what clean_in_ks & bama88 mentioned.
There's a condition called 'Hyperalgesia' that occurs with sustained opiate use. A steady dose of Oxys will actually lower your pain threshold. Many people are surprised to discover that when they put a certain amount of time between themselves & their opiate of choice that the pain is less than they feared/anticipated. Here's a Wiki for ya':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid-induced_hyperalgesia
Also, I feel for you,. I've got friends who are laborers & plumbers & it really tears you down. I'm not sure how practical it is for you to detox while working. Do you belong to the Union? Is there any way you can take some vacation time? 1.5 weeks or so?
You're NOT alone, here. You're in the right place. We have plenty of folks w/ back problems who have successfully detoxed. I just wanted to add a little to what clean_in_ks & bama88 mentioned.
There's a condition called 'Hyperalgesia' that occurs with sustained opiate use. A steady dose of Oxys will actually lower your pain threshold. Many people are surprised to discover that when they put a certain amount of time between themselves & their opiate of choice that the pain is less than they feared/anticipated. Here's a Wiki for ya':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid-induced_hyperalgesia
Also, I feel for you,. I've got friends who are laborers & plumbers & it really tears you down. I'm not sure how practical it is for you to detox while working. Do you belong to the Union? Is there any way you can take some vacation time? 1.5 weeks or so?
Did you know that right now your feeling more paiin because of the way the brain is processing?? It gets better in a few days. Soaking and stretching will help alot. Plus oxy is a nasty drug. I know I'm 11 months clean from that stuff. I still have some pain but not nearly as bad as when I was on oxy. It seemed to fade.
Thanks for all of the advice.I had a bad night last night,and I've decided since I'm into wd,I might as well finish.I'm cancelleling my appt to get refills,and going to see my primary dr today to try and get suboxone.It'll be tough,but I've got no other choice.My back pain is bad,and they said there's nothing left to operate on,but at least I won't have my life controlled by pills.Thanks to all of you.I wouldn't have made this decision without hearing from you.I'll keep you updated.Stay strong everyone.
Have you ever thought of getting off the opiates for good? I understand the pain as I myself have had 3 discs herniate in my back and was on 10mg of hydrocodone 5x a day which led to taking more to kill the pain, then when that wasn't working turned to heroin. I was able to kick a very serious 2 year oxy and heroin additction in 14 days with suboxone. It was like a miracle. Then turned to a naturopathic doctor for some strong herbs and such to help with pain. Also if you want to kick, do a sole' bath cleanse or sole internal or bentonite/pascalite clay internal cleanse. It will help get it out of your system quicker. Also mixing Epson salts, bentonite clay and Himalayan red salt and adding to bath water will not only help with pain but also detox you at the same time. You also might want to try arnica and eucalyptus oils for topical pain. I have been clean, by using suboxone for 2 weeks, after 7 hard years of using. The pain will slowly become bearable again. Also as much as it hurts make sure you are walking for a min of 15min in sun with no sunscreen to help your body develop vitamin D. I hope this helps. I now work with a homeopathic doctor helping people detox naturally. If you have to switch one drug for another, use suboxone for a very short period of time. We just helped a 37 year old heroin and hydrocodone addict (for 8 years) kick with only 6 films of suboxone and natural detoxes. He has been clean now with very little side effects for over 90 days and loves his life again.
Welcome to the forum, Theo. OpenMind gave you excellent advise. Those tips will surely help get you thru the next 2 days...you said you were just trying to make it a total of 4 days before you get your next refill. And you have 2 days down and 2 to go. The worst of it last 3-5 days for most so you will be in the thick of it before you get your refill.
I strongly relate to what you posted. I became addicted to pain meds due to serious medical issues....my back being one of them. After I found this forum, I learned about increased pain that actually can occur from our taking opiates... the pain becomes worse the longer you take the opiates to try and control the pain. It's called opiate-induced hyperalgesia. My pain was NOT being controlled by the pain meds towards the end...and I was taking as many as you are per day and even more....My tolerance was increasing and increasing...it took more and more and STILL didn't relieve the pain. You said you are already up to 100 mg/day and you're running out early. More than likely, this pattern will not only continue, it will worsen. We've all traveled this road to some degree.
You are already doing some non-narcotic things to assist with your pain. The physical therapy, electro stim, etc. are great. Chances are, when you get tired of repeating this cycle of running out of pain meds early and enduring a few horrible days of detox....you may consider detoxing off of them for good.
I think you would be surprised how much better your pain would be. But of course, initially, when we stop the opiates, we have increased pain...rebound pain...as the pain receptors are literally in shock...they are used to having an opiate attaching....and all of a sudden...there isn't any.
The cycle of addiction will become familiar to you...especially if you are a recovering alcoholic.....we begin taking the pain pills for legit reasons....and over time....take more and more....run out.....detox.....run out....suffer again.
I hope you will hang around and read some of the other posts on this forum. You will be amazed how familiar our journeys are.
Wishing you the best~
I strongly relate to what you posted. I became addicted to pain meds due to serious medical issues....my back being one of them. After I found this forum, I learned about increased pain that actually can occur from our taking opiates... the pain becomes worse the longer you take the opiates to try and control the pain. It's called opiate-induced hyperalgesia. My pain was NOT being controlled by the pain meds towards the end...and I was taking as many as you are per day and even more....My tolerance was increasing and increasing...it took more and more and STILL didn't relieve the pain. You said you are already up to 100 mg/day and you're running out early. More than likely, this pattern will not only continue, it will worsen. We've all traveled this road to some degree.
You are already doing some non-narcotic things to assist with your pain. The physical therapy, electro stim, etc. are great. Chances are, when you get tired of repeating this cycle of running out of pain meds early and enduring a few horrible days of detox....you may consider detoxing off of them for good.
I think you would be surprised how much better your pain would be. But of course, initially, when we stop the opiates, we have increased pain...rebound pain...as the pain receptors are literally in shock...they are used to having an opiate attaching....and all of a sudden...there isn't any.
The cycle of addiction will become familiar to you...especially if you are a recovering alcoholic.....we begin taking the pain pills for legit reasons....and over time....take more and more....run out.....detox.....run out....suffer again.
I hope you will hang around and read some of the other posts on this forum. You will be amazed how familiar our journeys are.
Wishing you the best~
Hi and Welcome. Been there with the shot back, the pain meds and long term sobriety prior to the pain meds. I can't give you Med advice on your back, but can help with the WDs. I trust you've asked the prescribing Doctor what he/she can do to help also? Don't go through this without their help. As an example, sometimes they prescribe Clondine (if your charts allow) which helps with sleep and BP.
It's going to be like having a bad flu a few days and then you'll be catching up on sleep near the end of the WD period. Set up a few days aside from your daily schedule, including work duties, so you can go through the rough stuff without any interruptions. The other part is a slow process, and you'll get better and better every day.
I stopped cold Turkey and it took about 24 hours to reach withdrawal stage, and by 36 hours I was in full withdrawal. My symptoms were: restlessness, headache, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, sweating, chills, diarrhea, muscle aches, runny nose and watery eyes. It seemed the restlessness kept me awake the most. Restless arms and legs all night. I had to look at what I was going through as a part of recovering from Vicodin, just like I would recovering from surgery - something I must go through to reach to the other side, which to me was and is freedom. Along with the Thomas Recipe I was told HOT BATHS, and I can't begin to express how the baths helped ease the anxiety and muscle aches right from the start of full withdrawal. Add Epsome salts to your baths. The magnesium will help your aches and pains. Take as many baths as you need. If you're lucky enough to own a hot tub, use that also. I always slept after the baths, although not for long. The brunt of WDs lasted only about 2 days or less. I was left with only the restlessness and insomnia for about two more weeks, but felt better and better each day. You can expect restless legs and feet. Hyland's Restless Legs helps out with the condition. I found myself wrapping my lower legs with ace bandages. Sleep when your system allows, no matter when. I used Alteril and Valerian for help with sleep, avoiding antihistimines like TylenolPM, but for the most part I went with it, getting up and watching TV if i couldn't sleep. Once you catch up with sleep quickly wean off any sleep meds and get your system back to natural sleep ASAP.
You'll get through this, and you only want to do it once in your life. For me, each WD was worse than the last one. I HAD to get involved with aftercare. Getting clean was an event, staying clean is a life long process for me. If you don't like the thought of 12-step groups, look into another plan of recovery. Reading this site and participating helps me quite a bit. All of us on here have been through it one way or the other on one drug or another. It's sort of a fellowship of people in recovery on here. Some in some not in 12-step programs. But we all respect each other's way of staying clean. Whatever works, work it!
Best of luck to you.
It's going to be like having a bad flu a few days and then you'll be catching up on sleep near the end of the WD period. Set up a few days aside from your daily schedule, including work duties, so you can go through the rough stuff without any interruptions. The other part is a slow process, and you'll get better and better every day.
I stopped cold Turkey and it took about 24 hours to reach withdrawal stage, and by 36 hours I was in full withdrawal. My symptoms were: restlessness, headache, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, sweating, chills, diarrhea, muscle aches, runny nose and watery eyes. It seemed the restlessness kept me awake the most. Restless arms and legs all night. I had to look at what I was going through as a part of recovering from Vicodin, just like I would recovering from surgery - something I must go through to reach to the other side, which to me was and is freedom. Along with the Thomas Recipe I was told HOT BATHS, and I can't begin to express how the baths helped ease the anxiety and muscle aches right from the start of full withdrawal. Add Epsome salts to your baths. The magnesium will help your aches and pains. Take as many baths as you need. If you're lucky enough to own a hot tub, use that also. I always slept after the baths, although not for long. The brunt of WDs lasted only about 2 days or less. I was left with only the restlessness and insomnia for about two more weeks, but felt better and better each day. You can expect restless legs and feet. Hyland's Restless Legs helps out with the condition. I found myself wrapping my lower legs with ace bandages. Sleep when your system allows, no matter when. I used Alteril and Valerian for help with sleep, avoiding antihistimines like TylenolPM, but for the most part I went with it, getting up and watching TV if i couldn't sleep. Once you catch up with sleep quickly wean off any sleep meds and get your system back to natural sleep ASAP.
You'll get through this, and you only want to do it once in your life. For me, each WD was worse than the last one. I HAD to get involved with aftercare. Getting clean was an event, staying clean is a life long process for me. If you don't like the thought of 12-step groups, look into another plan of recovery. Reading this site and participating helps me quite a bit. All of us on here have been through it one way or the other on one drug or another. It's sort of a fellowship of people in recovery on here. Some in some not in 12-step programs. But we all respect each other's way of staying clean. Whatever works, work it!
Best of luck to you.
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