getting off opana & oxycodone

Question

PLEASE HELP! I am a 68 yr old whom doctors put on 60 mg opana and 40 mg oxycodone per day. I am desperate to get off this evil crap! My arthritis is much worse. I have severe difficulty moving my bowels. I have developed fibromyalgia. I sweat all the time. I am constantly upset/nervous and wake up in the night to take meds! I HATE THIS KIND OF EXISTANCE. My life revolves around my pills! Some were stolen recently and I thought I was going to die from withdrawals. My legs hurt so much. I have read as many of the posts as possible and just cannot bring myself to talk to my doc because my insurance just changed and he doesn't know me at all. Someone tell me how to do this. What works for you? I read the gov't stuff from hurricane Katrina opiate addicted people and they said it is dangerous to go cold turkey, not that i think I can. If I cut down, does this leg pain ever stop? Oh God, please someone advise me. Thank you and God help us all.

cbrenner · Answer

I began with one 30 mg opana in the am and 3, 10mg oxycodone throughout the day or 60 mg per day. I put myself on 40 mg per day and I really am miserable and it has now been 5 days. I am following the Thomas as much as I can afford and will do it all after the first of the month. You said your father didn't suffer any w/d???Am I going too fast? Also, you have fibromyalgia, as do I. Maybe that is making it worse. Thank you so much for posting. Really, I appreciate it.

cbrenner · Answer

Thx for answering me. When you say "taper down over a period of time," How much time? I'm taking 50 mg per day now and the second half of the day, I'm in bed or just laying down and trying to not think about how bad I feel. If someone had a magic light and could look into it and tell me that the light IS at the end of the tunnel and I will get there in X number of days, then I feel like it would be so much easier. If I just knew....blessings to you for answering.

marycarmel · Answer

As Vicki said, tapering slowly is best.  I went too fast and was miserable.  My primary care suggests no more than ten percent at a time.  I agree with Vicki about getting off the Opana first.  Talk to your doctor.  Do you see a pain management doctor or a different type of doctor?  Let them know you want to go slowly.  Some doctors may increase your short acting med briefly as you come off the long-acting one, in your case the Opana.  It's easier to taper off the immediate release pills as you can drop dosages or even cut them.

Imitially you may see an increase inpain.  Sometimes narcotics cause hyperalgesia ... increased pai that is caused by using pain meds.  After you come off them for a bit, you'll get a better sense ofmwherenyour true pain level is.

I have fibromyalgia for the last 13 years.  I've primarily managed that through exercise and diet.  Swimming is great for fibro if you have a pool available nearby.  When I exercise, I tend to eat healthier and with the combination, my fibro isn't usually too bothersome.  Weather can trigger it and I,ve had a fairly bad flare-up since January when I got in a minor car accident..

Definitely use the Thomas recipe while you're tapering.  It will help, though if you do the taper nice and slow, you shouldn't feel any withdrawals.  My 84 year old dad broke his back last year and shortly after that had a mild stroke.  While in the hospital and rehab, he was on morphine, oxycodone and then mOxyContin and oxycodone.  We did a very slow taper with him and he had absolutely no withdrawal symptoms.

vicki595 · Answer

I forgot about the legs...Are you having leg cramps? Restless legs?  If that's the case, try some magnesium tablets and potassium ( if you're not on a med that already contains potassium or that would interfere).  Also, hot baths with Epsom salts really help along with sips of Tonic water.  What do you take for constipation?  You should take something everyday until you're regular. To get you going, get some Miralax and follow directions.   Be sure to keep your fluid intake up!

vicki595 · Answer

Hi there- I'm really sorry for what you're going through...and I understand about your doctor being new to you.  We generally recommend contact with a doctor to give you a taper plan; were unable to do that here.

I can tell you that you should taper down on one drug first, then the other. I would try to taper off the Opana first.  Tapering is simply cutting back a small amount of the dose you take daily, over a period of time ( until you adjust to the lower dose ).

Is there a family member you can confide in for support?  Believe me, this is not uncommon to experience...

Keep posting!

TiredinTempe · Answer

Sorry that you are not feeling well. I hear and feel your pain. I agree with the above with talking with your Dr. To Discuss options for quitting. Take some time & read the posts on here how people have really kicked this ****** existence. When you are ready we are all here to support you and offer up our experiences. Good luck!

Norco1947 · Answer

Hi , You can get free of pills , I am 66 years old and pill free now for 7 months thanks to the support from people here on this site  .You can do it to .
 Sorry you really need to Talk to your DR.  You need his help & advise Ask for a taper plan Then post questions for help & support . 
 When i was on pills my legs & body killed me , could not walk 5 min's  without pain .
 Now i can walk  without leg or body problems . Must be the drugs . 
The sooner you start the sooner you get your better happy life back .. Were here to help but you must do the fighting ...Ron

ricart70 · Answer

Hey sorry you have not gotten any response.It is kind of slow around here.
I would really talk to your doctor and tell them you are having issues with this stuff and want off.You can taper by cutting down very slowly over a period of a few months but I would not advise cold turkey with what you are on and other factors.Look up the thomas recipe.It is at the bottom of this page on the right.I hope you get some more answers soon. Sorry I could not be of more help.