what is a safe taper for my mother from percocet

[LBunch]

my mother is 79 years old and has a really bad back and osteoarthritis, she was put on percocet 5 years ago and it is up to 7-5/325 milligram 5 times a day. I am concerned because my sister has cut her down 50%the past two days and my mother looks worn out. thank you for any response

[jimgreg]

that's way to fast.i,m detoxing just 15mgs at 1/4 a week or a bit longer. She needs a doctor to taper her..50% no way..

[Danny111]

I completely with Vicourageous.  You'll get a lot of different(and sometimes very strong) opinions on here and elsewhere but this needs to be handled by her doctor.  

Why has your sister cut her meds down?

[VICourageous]

She needs to talk with the DR..Period end.

I have worked the medical field and seen some of the ppl have there fen-patch removed without any kind of taper or put on any other meds. They were SO sick!! That is a no-no. Also I have seen them cut there pain meds way back..to watch the older ones go through this is just horrible!!!
At 79 she also has to be careful of the heart. Detoxing causes a rise in the bp. She could go on a med that has NO acetaminophen in it. I know that if I was 79 I would NOT want to go through any type of a w/d. It was BAD enough at the age 56!!! Please have her discuss ALL of this with the Dr ASAP!

[caregiver222]

Instead of "opinions" regarding "what some doctors say" go to the FDA site and research acetaminophen toxicity. Renal toxicity is the largest cause of liver failure in the United States. I do NOT recommend "going back to her regular dose". Her "regular dose is far too high". A big problem with acetaminophen is that there is a very narrow safety margin between what the liver can handle and induction of catastrophic irreversible liver failure. What the dose the liv er can handle is a factor of weight, age, previous history of liver damage and co-factors, such as drinking alcohol when taking acetaminophen. A reasonable and prudent person should not accept the figures of 3250 mg as "safe". Furthermore, there is evidence on the FDA site  that after a small amount of acetaminophen  is in the bloodstream, further amounts do not decrease pain.

[motye51]

Yeah, i dont think you should take her off....put her back to her regular dose and call doctor for taper information. May i ask WHY she is getting off of them? Osteoarthritis is painful and shes 79 yrs old....why removing it from her?

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome to the forum LBunch~
I, too, agree that what your sister did by cutting your mother's dose 50% in 2 days is MUCH too fast... it's no wonder she looks worn out.
Our forum policy doesn't allow us to offer "taper plans" because we are not physicians and cannot possibly know a person's entire health history.
However, I can tell you, a 50% reduction in 2 days isn't standard medical protocol.

I disagree with the above comment that her Percocet dose is a "death sentence".  At 5 pills/day, she is only taking a total of 1625 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol) which is lower than the FDA's limit of 4000 mg (some doctors say 3250 mg is a safer max).   Is there some particular medical reason she is reducing her dose or eliminating the pain meds?

Let us know how it goes, ok?  Hopefully, you will be able to consult with your mother's physician about a tapering plan.  

[caregiver222]

Get off the percocet entirely. At once. Then you need an opiate  tape protocol. It is the opiates that require tapering. For this you require a physician's consultation. She is destroying her liver. That dose of percocet is a death sentence.

[littlebit667]

That is too much too fast.  contact the doctor and get a taper that is much slower.  Why is your sister doing this??