Discontinuing Opioid Pain Medication - My experience

[Laramarie]

Ezer,
Thank you for clarifying your tapering schedule. I will continue to decrease my dilaudid slowly. Unfortunately I am not able to get an appointment with my pain doc until October! Yes we have free health care but it is nearly impossible to get appointments. I have to figure out my own meds and do what feels right to me.
Thanks again and I will let you know how I do.

Lara

[Laramarie]

Hi River133
Did you have to take any other medication (like Ezer suggested) to detox off of the opioids? Can I ask what type of medications you were taking? Did you stop cold turkey or did you have a taper schedule? Thank you for any help that you can offer me right now......

Lara

[ezer]

River133, I read your previous posts. I understand that you discontinued Oxycontin but it is unclear to me whether you are still on Suboxone. It seems that you were in the process of switching from Oxycontin to Suboxone according to the following June 15 post.
http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... 351#p44351
Are you still on Suboxone? If not, when did you discontinue?

In case you are still on it, I hope your doctor made you aware that Suboxone (Buprenorphine) is not a medication to ease withdrawal. It is an ultra potent opioid that is extremely addictive. 1.2mg of Suboxone is equivalent to 20mg of Oxycodone.

[Laramarie]

Hi Ezer
It's been a few days as you know of decreasing my dilaudid...... My pain has now increased through the roof! I am really wanting to take a dilaudid. I don't have any other withdrawal symptoms, just serious PN pain. Maybe it is too soon for me to decreasing my opioids? Should the pain be this bad? I did overdid it today..... I cleaned my bathroom and did laundry and went to the mall. Stupid me. Now I am paying for it! Please advise.....

Lara

[Violet M]

Lara, I guess one strategy would be to try get through several days and see if this is a temporary flare-up before going back on the higher dose of dilaudid. Maybe extra ice and heat would help, as well as taking it easy. Hopefully the pain will calm down soon. It was a bit of a roller coaster during my recovery with good days and bad days so I think what you are experiencing isn't unusual but definitely not easy either.

Take care,

Violet

[river133]

I was on butrans, which is a lot like soboxen, I think. They were giving me 20 mg. Patches that I used for several werks. I just decided after that period of time I didn't want to continue with it . Just stopped. I was on 20 mg of oxycontin a day and 6 10/325 of norco. June 8th of this year was the last time I had opiots. But, I am having so much pain that I went in to see my gp.and she gave me a script for tramadol. I have been taking it for two weeks, I have been trying 450 mg.. a day and that gives ne about a 90 min time of relief , probably brings me down to a 7 on the pain scale. I googled tramadol and from what I have been reading it acts as an opiote, but is synthetic. I am feeling bad about taking it because it still damages the brain receptors. I dont believe I am helping my withdrawl from the opiots. This whole thing is depressing. I just want a pain pump, I don't care what they use. I do know it is ketimine . I am hoping to have a trial. My consult is on the 16th of Oct.

[river133]

Forgot to say I did go cold turkey, well with the help of the butrans for a short peroid.

[bikelover]

After using tramadol for some months, I too share the same experience when I suddenly try to stop taking it. I had a horrible insomnia episode, with anxiety and restless legs syndrome, well.... pretty much restless everything . Add to that I had my fourth baby, and we had to spend some nights at the hospital. When we left, I literally took wife and baby home, and came back to the hospital to intern myself, begging the doctors to put me to sleep. With their help, I slept for 2 says straight, only waking to have lunch. Fortunately I'm pass that, I will not take any opiate drug for so long ever..

[ezer]

Bikelover, Tramadol is quite addictive. What was your daily dosage?
Did they use Naltrexone in combination during your stay at the hospital?

[river133]

I decided to go off of the tramadol also, I was on it for two weeks. It was interupting my withdrawls from the oxycontin. I am fine . A bit of brain buzzing and a few sweaty times, but in general I am ok again accept for this horrible sciatic, pudendal pain. I try so hard not to let it consume me. I have always been able to put it aside and keep busy, but this has been unbearable.