Oxycontin withdrawal

[Oxyclean]

I have been tapering my amount of Oxycontin for about a month now. I am down to 10mg in the AM and 10mg in the PM. My doctor had me taking them three times a day before. I really feel the difference with the twice a day dose. He is having me cut down 10mg every week. I was fine until this week. Does anyone have any advice for me? I can not stand the weekness in my legs already and I am not finished tapering. I am really afraid of cutting down to once a day on Tuesday.....help!

[oxysufferer]

I moved to
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Addiction-Substance-Abuse/Oxycontin-cured-my-depression-and-ruined-my-life/show/1015292
It is more up yo date.
Yes, you will go through withdrawals if you stop taking suboxone. It is an opiate just like methedone and oxycontin. It is just longer lasting so you don't get the high and lows It gives you a steady stream of dope for 24 hrs. oxys last only about 6 hrs at most.
I don't recommend you do what I did. If I had to do it over again I would go to a detox facility. There if any thing goes wrong they have the meds and professionals to get you through it. A few times I got so scarred, my blood pressure rose so high and my heart was beating way to fast. I could have had a heart attack. Luckily my heart is strong. At least get a full medical if you do try to do it yourself.
good luck and go to the other thread it is current.

[Ali1226172]

I am weening off oxycontin as well.... I cut my doses down and felt a little pain as you described.  So I switched to suboxone!! It is working so far with cravings and no pain at all! However, you are going to withdraw from those as well.....honestly the withdrawal is coming whether you wait a month of another year or just tackle it today!! It will probably be less intese with the tappering and only last a week!! GOOD LUCK!! Your already in the process of stopping so just stick with the plan and perhaps you can ask your doc for a low does of suboxone when you finish!!

[oxysufferer]

Thank you for the advice.
Its day 6. Last night I was able to get a few hours sleep. though I the pain in my legs was very bad. I did some research and found this is normal. the pills had made my nerve cells go dormant and the tingling and electric impulses are the nerves regenerating. Walking helps. but I am very weak. I think the worst is over, but I know I still have a long way to go.

[Kevin_Bacon]

If you can find a dr. who knows about opiates, see him/her immediately.

[oxysufferer]

Right now I am in my 5th day of withdrawals. It all started innocently. I hurt my back in 1998 but was only prescribed Tylenol 3. They did nothing for the pain. a year later I had a ruptured appendix and spent 3 weeks in the hospital with a serious infection. During that time I was on morphine and then percocet. I must of went through withdrawals because after the meds were stopped I was shaking,sweating, and having convulsions. I just thought it was part of the infection. I recovered completely got healthy and went on with my life except for  I lost my job and was now on disability. 40 years old and on disability bad move. a year later my doctor moved so I had to find another. I still had back pain during that time but nothing I couldn't handle it was just a bother at times when it flared up, but I was happy and productive. I found a new doctor and described my pain with him, he prescribed percocet. That was the beginning of where I am today. the first one I took I felt great! I would take one and lay down on the sofa waiting for it to work. When it did I felt bliss and well being. Soon taking one was not enough. I started taking more and more. When I told my doctor that they werent working any more he prescribed oxycontin! I went home, took one and I was feeling great again. He prescribed 3 x 20 mgs a day. For the next year they were enough. But again they no longer gave me the high I so much wanted. I went to my doc and told him I was in serious pain and needed more. Reluctantly he prescribed 2x 20mg 3 x day. One day I said to him can I get 3 x40mg pills instead of 2 20's. He did soon it became 2x40mg's 3 x a day. by then it was 2006. I was sleeping all day. My son would leave for school at 7 am and when he got home at 3 pm I was still in bed. waking only to take my pills. I was crushing them, snorting them chewing them. I started to get depressed so my doc prescribed effexor. This made me feel really out of it! A while latter I stopped the effexor because the way they made me feel. I had no sex drive, Nothing I was numb. a shell of a human being. The effexor withdrawals made my head fells like electric shocks in my head. I got more and more depressed. I started to cut down on my oxys too, For a few months I was getting my regular script but accumulating them. I basically stayed in bed for the next three years. getting up only to do the things that I had to. and in order to get out I had to take extra (the ones I had accumulated). I was a real mess. I knew I had to do something so I started weening my self off the oxys. I got down to 20 mgs three times a day. right were I started. Except I was still up all night and sleeping all day and was very depressed especially in the evenings. I even tried suboxone. I felt great for a while but started missing my dose. when I ran out I didn't like the idea of taking suboxone because its like trading on drug for another it is an opiate just like oxys so I returned to taking oxys and was right back in bed again. This brings me to June of 2009. I had enough of wasting my life. I started forcing my self up at 10 am daily and I finally weened myself to taking 4 x 10mgs a day. I went through some minor withdrawals but got through them. On Monday night I watched intervention on A&E. The girl was going through the exact things I was. She was a mess. After her detox and rehab she was a normal productive person.I said to myself I can do it too! I cant afford rehab so I have to do it myself. Tuesday morning I woke up and didn't take a pill. I thought I was ready . By noon I started to shake and sweat. Here it was, the first sign of withdrawal. I thought well it started so why not go through with it. For the last 5 days I have been going through hell! I haven't slept for more then 10 minutes at a time. I suddenly wake up sweating with a very rapid heart beat. My legs are freezing like they're frost bit. and my whole body feels like electrical impulses. I cant get comfortable. I am going out of my mind, but I refuse to take another pill! I have come this far how much longer can it last? Last night was the worst, up all night and every time I doses off I suddenly wake up. When I get up I feel like I am going to pass out. I almost did. I hit my head on the wall. I am so dizzy. I have a rotten taste in my mouth. I am sneezing all the time, shaking sweating, diarrhea,  I took Imodium now I am constipated. I would rather have the diarrhea! No appetite. I have lost 10 lbs I look like ****! My sense of smell is so strong the smell in my nose makes me sick. I am scarred I will have a heart attack. I can fell my blood pressure soar and my heart race. When will this end?
The only hope I have is that for a few moments I feel not too bad. It doesn't last long but it gives me hope and my depression isn't has bad. I think its working, but right now I feel so sick! Right at this moment my whole body is throbbing. I will post daily with updates. I pray tomorrow I feel better.

[benny0915]

i have three herniated discs with a bone spur and a torn labrum shoulder but i do not want to be on oxy anymore and went from 40mg 3 times a day to 40 and 20 and then 20 once a day and now 10mg once a day and yesterday was my last day ...i am so afraid of withdrawals because i have a three year old 12year old 13 year old and 18 and 20 year old..i am in alot of pain but this medication was not something i wanted long term...please help me and tell me if i experience withdrawals what to do....i heard xanax, immodium, and L tyrosine for muscle weakness  i would really appreciate any helpful feedback regarding what to do for withdrawals