Weaning off these %$*&@ Oxycontin

[codgerdog]

Hi all,  I'm new here and need some advice, i hope i ca get some help here.  I have been taking 30mg x 2 daily of Oxycontin but cannot  tolerate them anymore.  I have a doctor who thinks i want more when all i want is to be free from these things.  There is no help coming from his corner so i'mgoing to have to do this myself, getting off them that is.  I plan to wean myself off using 5 mg oxycodone of which i have a supply from those ididn't take as prescribed.  I also come from a family with a severe heart attack mortality rate.  Can anyone tell me how intense the withdrawal symtoms are going to be or at least a little of what i can expect.  I am also 65 years old.  I have never abused my meds but every doctor i see writes me off as just another drug addict.  Ya know, i don't know how many years i have left and i sure don't plan to live them as i am now.  My Father died at 59 and I just uried my brother (55) a couple of yeas ago.  I have no real family left so this has to something i can do on my own.  ANY advice, pro or con would be greatly appreciated.  I'll have to do this in aboout a week as my rx will run out soon.  Thanks to all,  Codgerdog  

[gnarly_1]

HI.....first off detoxing puts your body under tremendous stress you need to be healthy to do it
if your 65 with heart condition in the family consult a cardiologist b/4 doing this ...I see from reading your post your doctor is on board with bringing you off slow this is a good idea as addicts we want it and we want it now this is not the attitude to have when a doctor is helping get you off your meds......when tapering slooooow is good even going slow your going to feel it dont try to speed it up stick to the plan your doctor has for you it will be both safe and as painless as possible this is a race one by the tortus not the hare our bodys get acclimated to our dose and need to be steped off slowly with somebody your age with cardiac condition in the family history no need to torcher yourself just take your time and come down we will be here to support you good luck and God bless.......Gnarly    

[petroglyph54]

Welcome to the forum! I agree 100% with your decision to stop using. I'm 40 days off of oxy and (55). Don't know all your history but I'm gonna go with, that you have been treating pain for at least a year? And also that the 30's are ER, extended realease and the 5's are IR instant release? Not important, just what I'm basing my opinion on. I can't prove it, but I do believe like almost everything else quitting this poison is easier the younger we are. You mentioned possible cardiac issues run in the family. Do you have a cardiologist? If so, you might give them a call and let them know as well what your going to do. I keep nitro handy and tell others how to administer it. This event will probably put the hurt on you in places and ways here to fore, you couldn't imagine. This is only true if you've used for a while. Somebody above said, amount used over how long plus age and health are all factors. If you haven't been on them long this might be real easy or just uncomfortable. Some like myself who are supposedly just "physically dependent" are able to taper and take charge of the dosing down on the meds. Other's who are more mentally addicted need someone else to hold the pills as it's not possible to keep their hands out of the cookie jar. Whatever you need, do it. Believe what else you read here about the "thomas recipe" and amino protocol. The ends of your opiate receptors in your brain are covered with the narcotics and their are few ways of getting them off there except time and perserverance. As you've made it this far, I know you have it. I've read some young'uns thinking since were a touch older we have all this patience and stuff. Let's hope so, cuz your going to need it. The time thing is what's missing with all the recipe's to get clean, and I couldn't find any at the pharmacy. You do need the nutrients, which do help rebuild what's damaged. Your body will want the drug, and will use your mind against you. I couldn't believe all the "ghost" pains I had! Chest, guts,low back, and long bones, they all hurt. I hope you can avoid it. Like other's say, you will need to push the fluids, mostly sugarless. Caffiene, or sugar can give you spurts of withdrawals. Didn't stop me, but I did notice it. Also, those 5's, if their ir, don't last long. If your treating pain, it will increase while either going ct or tapering. For me and many other's the pain will "reset" to a much lower level when your detoxed. That's what I was hoping for. It's hard to believe, how this stuff has saturated our bodies and the time it takes to get it completely out of us. You might consider a journal as it's going on, it helped me know for sure when I took my last one, and I kinda enjoyed watching my success as I lowered. I'm glad your tapering, especially if you've used for any length of time, history considered. Stick around and post, we all want you to succeed! And best of luck!

[Baker3336]

My grandpa is in his mid 80s and was popping the vics everyday and he was able to get off them. He was in the hospital so I'm not exactly sure what happened but he's off them now.

[codgerdog]

Thanks for the advice and support, and i really mean that.  I spoke to my Dr. today because i thought he should know just in case something did happen.  I guess he saw my determination and has agreed to taper me.  His way is quite slow and i doubt i'll do it his way but i will drop to 20mg x 2 for a week or so and them hopefully be able to drop to zero in a month.  He also gave me clonipine .1mg x 2 each day.  He said it would help and i really want to believe him.  Ha!  I went armed with a thick stack of stuff i printed from website like this and he changed his mind.  I can't believe the support i have gotten from this and other sites on the web.  To be truthful I get more support from u people than my own family.  But then they are already burnt out on my problems and that i understand because i'm burnt out on them.  I spoke with a very nice addiction counselor whom, although she couldn't accept my insurance, spoke with me for about a half hour and gave me some very good advice.  I think i'm happy with the way things are going, i still don't quite trust my dr. but i don't mistrust him as much.  I'll keep posting my progress.  I've loaded up with supplements for the duration and i actually believe it won't be as bad a i had thought.  Thanks alot !!   Codgerdog  

[Dav125]

I've done this 3 times..Oxy wd that is. A cold turkey from 120mg, a 5 day fast taper from 200 to 40, (not much help), and then a jump from 300 straight to 80, then 80 to 20 over a week and a half..That helped..I was void of major night sweats, rebound pain, and very little stomach issues that normally hit..I was expecting them so this was quite surprising. I, myself have mixed feeling on which is the best approach..I really believe age is something that needs to be considered when going cold turkey as my first experience was extremely tough. At the time I knew nothing about what to expect..I had not found this site when that happened..Based on what I've learned and experienced, I would have to go with what Vicki says..Taper..If you can get a minimum of a week and a half in I can't help to think it will lessen the ultimate symptoms encountered during that first week by everybit of 50%..Instead of your body going thru a heavy shock for 3 to 4 days, you will have spread this out preliving some of the wd's ahead of time with the taper..It does stretch things out some as during the taper period you will feel aggitated, some headaches, and a general foul mood but as far as instant shock to your system, it will be lower during that first 72 hrs once you quit which is kinda the turning point on getting over the major physical symptoms..Low energy, depressive thoughts and sleep issues will persist a couple more weeks and this is where you will get tested mentally as to getting the days behind you. Once you have 3 weeks chalked up, then change to the better really does get noticible..I'm telling you this so you can program into that mind of yours that this process takes a little time and doesn't clear up in a weeks time nor two..Many I've seen lately keep coming on thinking it should be over at 8 days or 11 days ,whatever, and make this much tougher on themselve's than need be. They are trying to "make" the ill feelings stop and get frustrated..This is a pocess that is different with each of us, some get thru it faster than others, but my point is,,the best thing to do is not put an expectation on the process...If any, put three weeks on it for feeling lousey..You might be a lucky one and get thru this in as little as 10 or 12 days as there have been a few who have had that happen for them..It just seems the older we are, the longer it takes for our bodies to readjust. I imagine if I was still in my 30's, I probably could fight a cold turkey experience no problem..But I'm not. I'm in my mid 50's with 30 yo thinking when I had my ct experience. And all I can say is I was not even close to being prepared for what hit me..That week before my refill date was nothing but mind over matter using everybit of strength I could to deal with the intensity of that experience..You've got a few years on me so this is a big reason I wanted to share what I have come to learn..There's another fellow (petroglyph 54) that was watching me and pretty much came to the same conclusion. He tried a cold turkey and it was a big wakeup for him..He backtracked and then worked a taper and found it ,,well, easier is not the right word for this, maybe could deal with it with a better frame of mind...You can get thru this and it will pass, but being mentally prepared is a very good thing to have in place when you jump ship. Because your mind will test the h*ll out of you...Wishing you the best with this..Stay close to the forum and if you have any questions, ask away..Dav

[vicki595]

Hi and welcome.  How long have you been taking the oxycontin?  The amount and length of use will determine how severe the withdrawal will be.

I agree that cold turkey gets the job done very quickly. But,given your age,cardiac issues in the family and the fact you don't plan on talking to your doctor about this, tapering will have to do.
Taper a little at a time and wait a week before you drop again. Slower is better. Fluids are essential.

I believe you when you say you don't abuse your meds. How else would you have a supply of 5mg tabs??? Good for you!  Many would have swallowed those a long time ago!

Start to taper the 30mg oxy now. Just a little,before you run out. Going from 60mg per day
to a few 5mg will be unpleasant so try to get the mg's down.

Keep posting. There's much support here!

[justneedtotalk]

Well....you have definitely come to the right place!  Do not rely on doctors to help.....Most probably think you are a drug seeker or you are working for a law enforcement agency trying to bust him.....They are in crisis mode right now because of all of the liability issues....Ok......Many on here will tell you to taper.....I am not a fan of tapering....I think it is cruel and unnecessary punishment and cold turkey in the only way....But you need to be prepared.....Here is what you do....In the upper right hand corner of this page you will see a Health Pages icon....Click on it and navigate to the amino therapy protocol article....This page was designed for methadone users but a drug is a drug is a drug....You will need to buy most if not all of the natural suppliments.  You will also need to go buy some protein powder.....Buy some orange juice (not from concentrate...the real stuff)....Pick a day...Flush what ever pills you have and tell your doctor what you are doing so he does not prescribe any more pills....Once you are completely out and ready just jump!  Start drinking a lot of orange juice mixed in with water.....lots and lots of water!  Start taking the suppliments the minute you get them to get them built up in your system before jumping.  You can do this but you have to be committed....This is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do in your life....I know you are tired of the comfortable fog of the OC and you cannot just "cruise" through life anymore...I am sure you have legitimate pain issues but believe me most of us addicts find once sober a lot of our pain was manifested in our heads.  If you still have pain issues, ask your doctor about non-narcotic pain relievers.  You will need to set a week aside if possible to just relax and be able to take care of yourself without interuption.....There are a lot of knowledgable people that will post soon and listen to them, they know what they are talking about.....Good luck, keep posting, and God Bless....WE are all here to help!

[caregiver222]

You don't have to worry about a heart attack. You'll simply feel very, very crummy, yell at everyone, be unable to concentrate and have all sorts of aches and pains.