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permanent effects from Oxycontin?

My husband got off Oxycontin about a year ago. He had been taking 40 mg/day for about 8 months, for chronic pain. From what I've read in other posts, this sounds like a pretty low dose, but he, nonetheless, looked, sounded, and acted drugged, the whole time. He was irritable and yelled way more than he used to. Whenever he ran out of pills he would panic and complain until he found a doctor he could convince to prescribe him some more. He finally tapered off them over about 3 weeks because he was scared he was going to rupture his bowel from the chronic constipation (and he was sick of going to emerg. for enemas to deal with it). As far as I know, he has not taken any since, and he said that the withdrawal was not as bad as he was expecting it to be. He says he didn't realize, until after he got off it, what it was doing to his brain. Anyways, now, a year later, he is still complaining that he has no short term memory (as in he even has trouble remembering that he's even had conversations let alone the content of them, within the past day or more). He says that his concentration is shot and if he tries to push through it, his head literally, physically hurts. He blames all of this on the oxycontin and refuses to even try to look for work because of it. Is it possible that the oxcontin is still affecting him? And will he ever get better? Sometimes it just seems like an excuse. Do I have to just accept that I have a diabled husband and that I will have to work to support our family, giving up all of the dreams we had of homeschooling our children (although he says that he will homeschool them, but I don't see how he will be able to teach them if he can't concentrate for longer than a few minutes at a time - and if he can, then why can't he get a job?). I don't mean to sound insensitive, but he never kept a job for more than 6 months at a time even before his chronic pain started. If anyone could give me some info about what, if any, permanent effects oxycontin can have on a person's brain, and under what conditions the effects would be permanent (eg. ose, length of time taking it, etc....) I would really appreciate it. Thanks.
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2111299 tn?1334232584
I saw this post of yours from 2 years ago, and I was just curious to see how your husband is doing now.  I have been off of oxycontin for 5 years now.  I used it for about a year straight, around 80-120mg a day... and I was injecting it.  So I was probably worse off than your husband, but after about 18 months, all of my cognitive abilities returned.  I feel exactly like the same person that I was before.  I'm sure my short term memory suffered some permanent damage, but it isn't noticeable to me.  The only problem that I've struggled with, is stomach/intestinal issues.  And I'm not even sure if this is due to the oxycontin.  

Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you and your husband.  Let me know how y'all are doing :)
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Avatar universal
Thank you very much for your reply. I will talk it over with my husband and see how things go. cjd
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Avatar universal
I cannot tell you for sure about his situation as he was not taking that much for very long, however, I can tell you that after multiple years of much heavier use of Oxy, I have very similar problems to what you decsribe.  Therefore I am inclined to believe his complaints.  However, I do still work and never stopped even thru the worst of it.  But that is just me.  The worst thing for me, even today at 430 days clean from Oxy, is to sit still for very long.  If I get up and get going and using my brain and/or body for something constructive, I am ok.  If I get up and try to sit around and watch a tv show or something, then within minutes, I am totally screwed.  This is a bad drug, and the effects of it are devastating and long lasting.  I have not a any days in the last 430 that I did not have to deal with the effects.  It is a daily battle and if you do not treat it that way, it will eventually beat you down..  I highly recommend NA or some type of aftercare if he is not already in some.  If I can be of any help, please let me know.  guv
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