I'm Starting Over again,

[dafoxx]

"WoW" I'm trying to get off of these pain meds and I'm having a real hard time with doing that, I have plenty of meds to taper with but I don't know the proper way of tapering, Can anyone Help me with a starting plan for tapering off pain meds, Please, I really want to do this and I've tried cold turkey but thats not working to well.

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

There is a difference between physical dependence and addiction.  If you are simply physically dependent, you can taper off by reducing by about 10% every few days.  If you are addicted to pain meds--- something that is quite common, unfortunately-- you will taper to a certain point, and then go back to the higher dose and feel guilty about it.  The guilt will push you to take more, and at some point you will get sick of what you are doing and try tapering again...

People addicted to pain pills will make the mistake of thinking that if they can just find the right taper, they will be able to stop.  That is an illusion;  the proper approach isn't finding the right taper, but rather coming to terms with the fact that you cannot stop taking pain pills, and seeking help.

In today's world-- where we often expect things to be easy, or to be packaged in pill form to take at our convenience-- people often-times expect 'treatment' to consist of education, or something that doesn't get in the way of life's activities.  But recovering from any addiction is a huge challenge, and opiate addiction in particular can be very difficult to recover from.  

If you are unable to taper down on your own, consider seeking treatment.  I talk quite a bit about opiate addiction on my blog and on web sites that I have for my practices;  I sell a long recorded lecture called 'opiate dependence treatment options' for about 10 bucks on one of my sites-- you can find it on my blog, suboxonetalkzone.com, or at the site soberaftersub.com .  I'm sorry for those who are offended by my selling something--  I'm only human!!  You will find the same information on my blog and elsewhere for free;  I use the ten bucks from the occasional purchase to help justify the time I spend doing the blog and my other internet activities.

For the symptoms of withdrawal, I recommend immodium (over the counter) for cramps and diarrhea, and clonidine (by prescription) for aches, irritability, and insomnia.  Warm baths help also, particularly for the bone-chilling cold sweats that come out of nowhere.  Good luck!

[Sam_iam]

I'm in the same situation at the moment. It really depends on how much you have come a custom to taking every day or so. If you can post what pain medicines and what MGs I may be able to help you find a way to get away from them.

Also what other medicines are you prescribed? Anti-Depressants, Anti-Anxiety?