withdrawal

[my_time_2_quit]

i want to know what to expect when i stop taking my prescription morphine extended release i.v., and start taking it orally again.  i have been taking my immediate release pills i.v. for a year.  the extended release for less time, approximately eight to nine months.  will i experience withdrawal symptoms?  i know that no one can say for sure, but there must be someone out there who can speak to this situation that i am in.  i am frightened, or more appropriately, i have a sense of dread about having to go through withdrawal on top of all of the other health problems that i have right now. in may of last year i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and in feb of this year i was diagnosed with crohn's. it seems as though within the last six months i have seen a rapid decline in my health. i have begun to have balance problems, which causes me to fall almost daily, so i stay injured and sore most of the time.  two months ago, out of nowhere, a spasm started in my lower back, and it has me doubled over involuntarily. i try very hard to straighten up and stand erect, but it keeps pulling me over.  this makes ambulating very difficult, and i can't walk for many feet without having to stop and wait a few minutes for my legs to start working again.  i feel very bad that i took being able to walk for granted.  i have started using a cane.  i am experiencing cognitive impairment that makes it difficult to function. i can't remember anything, even important dates, so i try to write things down. then i lose the paper i wrote it on. ha. ugh.  the explosive diarrhea is in remission right now, and it is a wonderful respite that i pray continues. so that is what i am dealing with right now.  also, i am supposed to be packing every day so that i can move within the next two weeks, ideally. but im so weak and in so much pain, that it is causing me to have to sit down every few minutes.  the pain in my back, hips and legs is worse when my medicine wears off, so i know that it is helping some, but it seems like it should be taking away more of the pain than it does, especially since it's morphine. people think,  'ooohhh, morphine! that's strong!', but it has not been as much help to me as i initially thought it would, so i don't think of it as people in general do.  and now, having to go back to taking it orally, will it help even less?  this has become too long, which will cause people to not want to read it, so i will stop writing and wait for a response.  i was just trying to provide some background information about what is going on in my life right now, in order to hopefully provide some insight for someone out there who may be able to help me. i really need your advice, and any input that you have will help me immeasurably.  thank y'all in advance for reading this and writing back to me.

[guitrldy]

Just need to address the last note - again, it is VERY dangerous to inject oral medicines.  And a HIGH White Count CAN be a serious sign.  You need to get back to a health care provider - in your post under Pain Management, you explained how they had to give antibiotics by IV in the hospital for over a week - two times.  This is extremely important that you seek medical advice and DO NOT inject oral medicines, whether or not you are taking antibiotics.
The people caring for you need to know the truth to help you.
Praying for you....

[lulu747]

Hi there-

Just chiming in that I would listen to Connie (Clean in KS) about all the things she mentioned.  Read and re-read her post because she is bang on.

In terms of your white blood cell count- don't be alarmed- 14 is not that high.  I suffer from autoimmune illness and right now I am having a flare of my rheumatoid arthritis.  My white blood cell count is 13.  This is elevated but not dangerous.  So don't panic okay?
I also have Crohn's disease so I know all about what you are going through.  I can also tell you with absolute certainty that opiates are NOT GOOD FOR CROHN'S.  At first they help with the pain and it is a relief because they slow down the colon.
The problem is us Crohn's patients are prone to bowel obstruction.  Because long term or chronic use of opiates cause the bowel to slow, we are at great risk of bowel obstruction.  At the height of my opiate usage I nearly died from bowel obstruction and was hospitilized many, many times for it.
It took me about a month off of opiates to evaluate my pain levels.  I was in 90% less pain OFF the opiates than on.
There are many natural and dietary changes you can make to help both your Crohn's and MS.
Listen, I know how scared you are.  My body fell apart at 26 and I was diagnosed with one thing after another.  That was a decade ago and I am still learning how to manage with as little medication as possible.
I had 3 really great years with only one minor Crohn's flare before my stage 4 endometriosis came back.  It is the ONLY one of my 4 diseases that opiates help, and only for a short time.
The injection of the morphine is very, very dangerous.  Scary.  And your behaviour around the drugs is definitely addict behaviour.
The good news is, you don't need these drugs.  I know you think you do. and your doctors have told you that you do, but you don't.
I found this out the hard way.
If you need anything, or have any questions or just support from someone who has gone through what you are going through, feel free to PM me anytime.
I'm sorry this has happened to you.  I felt like my life was over when I was diagnosed with all this crap.  NOW I see it as a blessing.  I have learned to stop being a victim and use my illnesses to empower myself with knowledge and to help others.
You need to come clean to your doctors and your family and humble yourself to ask for help.
I didn't get well until I did this, and I nearly died many times.  
It is possible for you to live a full and balanced life.  Please give yourself the chance to find out.

Bless,
Lu

[newoutlook12]

You also can get an infection or abscess in your heart from injection pills. You should really have that checked out the sooner the better! When I was addicted to herion one of my friends who was only like 22 or 23 at the time had to have open heart surgery because of this she had infection in her arm where she would shoot up, it was left untreated so long the infection went to her heart and almost killed her. Not trying to scare you but this is something u can not mess around with u should really go to an er show them your arm and tell them what u have been doing also should tell them how high your white count is. Your life is so precious dont let being embarrassed by what you are doing take your life! You really need to come clean to these doctors so they can know what they are really dealing with and that will help them with how to treat u and what they need to look for.

[Jinx_777]

it is highly possible you were misdiagnosed because the doctors were unaware that you were injecting your meds.

if a doctor ONLY has the symptoms to work with and is unaware of something that very well could be causing some of your issues you will receive a diagnosis that is not correct.

i REALLY suggest getting real honest with your doctor so he can test for other things

[Ejm7263]

I have multiple pain issues. I have used many medications the wrong way & I'm blessed to be alive. I did all this being a nurse for 33 years. Most of the time working in a very busy ER watching people die that had RX for all their meds. Some taking them as prescribed, most experimenting with the wrong way to take the meds. Living with severe pain I completely understand the willingness to do anything to stop the pain BUT I'm now unwilling to continue living my life waiting for the next med. Wanting to do anything to change the way I felt. But because of the people in this community I have found the strength to stop all that and live clean from drugs. Please stay around read all the posts. Rely on the strength, experience & hope all these blessings from GOD have to offer you. A NEW WAY OF LIFE!!! It's worth it, we promise.  

[my_time_2_quit]

i really appreciate your advice and genuine concern. and i am very grateful to hear from y'all. i know that you both are right about this. i had an appointment with my neurologist on tues the ninth. he wasn't there so i saw the nurse practitioner. she said that i need to be on a disease modifying drug for my m.s. immediately, and so they took blood to check my cbc and liver function. a nurse called yesterday and told me that my white cell count is up, it is a 13 something, and the 'within normal limits' is 4something to ten something. she downplayed it, saying it is not too far beyond normal, but three more thousand white cells running around in my blood sounds alarming  to me. she called in five days of keflex, but said she was calling in ten days of it, which i would have preferred. do y'all think it is a good antibiotic for whatever infection is in my body? i wish i knew what is causing the fevers. the abscess is in the crook of my elbow, and nothing will come out of it. it is like a hard knot.  it doesn't have fever or redness anymore. so i wonder if that means it is resolving.  anyway, i Must stop the i.v. while i am taking this antibiotic. i pray that i will have the self control to put this behind me and start from scratch. i will taper down, then take a 'vacation' from these drugs and see what my pain receptors think about it. that is, if i have any receptors left.  i read that it takes five years to get your brain chemistry back, and feel like yourself again. i dread the withdrawal. i pray that it's not bad. thank you both again, very much.

[guitrldy]

i just saw your post - Connie is so right.  Medicines you are supposed to take by mouth are VERY dangerous to inject.  When medicine is made to be injected, it is made to be sterile, since it is going directly into your veins.  Medicines meant to be taken by mouth, such as yours, are NOT made to go into your veins.  Just wanted to reinforce that point.  
I can see you have many things going on, but you really must get medical help and STOP injecting these meds. You may very well even need antibiotics to address the abscesses/fevers - this is why you should have a doctor check you.  I hope you take Connie's advice above and please heed mine as well.  Janet

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome.....after reading your other posts, I see that you didn't really intend to post this in an addiction forum.....but I'm rather glad you did.  I read your other post in Pain Mgmt forum and am VERY concerned for you.

Are you aware of the risks you are taking my injecting both your oral morphine instant release AND the extended release?  I mean I know you started injecting them instead of swallowing them because "someone" told you the bio-availability would be better....but are you aware of the dangers?
Here's a quote from a medical web site..the caps are theirs...not mine:

"MORPHINE SULFATE EXTENDED-RELEASE TABLETS ARE TO BE SWALLOWED WHOLE AND ARE NOT TO BE BROKEN, CHEWED, DISSOLVED, OR CRUSHED. TAKING BROKEN, CHEWED, DISSOLVED, OR CRUSHED MORPHINE SULFATE EXTENDED-RELEASE TABLETS LEADS TO RAPID RELEASE AND ABSORPTION OF A POTENTIALLY FATAL DOSE OF MORPHINE."

Is the reason you are wanting to stop injecting these pills solely because you are moving back with your ex and your boys and you don't want them to know?  I had so many red flags go up when I read your questions....the recurring abscesses.....the fevers...your declining health.  You said your health has really gone down hill in the last year.....and that's also when you decided on your own to start injecting your pills, right?  The gastrointestinal problems could be partially due to the morphine....so could many other things you are experiencing.  If you could get honest with a dr and have him change your pain meds to something oral that you haven't abused....or ideally, give your body a pain med vacation and see how you feel after 30 days or so it would REALLY benefit you.
The morphine can affect receptors in your gut, up and down your spine...in your brain....so many new issues you are having since you began to inject it, no?  You believe yourself to be dependent not addicted...but a lot of your behaviors are "addictive behaviors"....secretively injecting your meds that are intended to be taken orally, the trips to the hospital for your abscesses and high fever and having to lie about that (which they probably knew the truth anyhow), having to cover your arms around your family, wondering what you will tell the dr and fear of him/her cutting you off if they find out what you are doing, worrying about having blood drawn, etc.
See, I'm an addict....so I recognize these behaviors.  Non-addicts don't even think like us.

I really hope you know I am not judging you....just REALLY worried about you because you can get a fatal dose by injecting those extended release pills and those abscesses if left untreated can also VERY serious.

Maybe this move back in with your ex hubby and boys can be a new start for you.  Maybe you can find the courage to be honest at the dr's office and get switched to a med that you won't/can't abuse.  Many of the health issues you are having will improve once you stop, too.  You can at least get a true evaluation of your pain and other symptoms.  My older sis and best friend has MS.  I have spent many years helping her...so I understand the walking, balance and cognitive issues.  But it's possible, even some of them may improve if you stop this.  I take it you have a script for both extended release and instant release?  You will definitely feel some opiate w/drawal symptoms as you go back to taking them orally....but we can help you thru them....that's what we do here....help each other.

Please see this as a wake up call for yourself.....I so hope you will receive my post with the care and concern I have for you.....and that you will keep us posted and let us know how we can help you as you go thru this.
Blessings to you,
Connie  

[IBKleen]

Hi & WElcome,

I assume that you were prescribed Morphine IV by your doctor who has switched you to oral? It really would be best that you work with him/her to come up with a transition plan. We will be here to support you. We can make suggestions along the way. Glad you found your way here.