Alcoholism - Naltrexone - Oxycodone

[slimjim30]

Hi all...

I'm a recovering alcoholic on Naltrexone treatment (50mg daily). I've recently hurt my back and am in quite severe pain. I've been prescribed Endone (Oxycodone 5mg) tablets for this by my doctor.

My doctor has full knowledge of my alcoholism and Naltrexone use and has said to stop taking the Naltrexone while using Oxycodone because obviously it blocks the oxycodone working.

Does anyone have personal experience with how long it takes for the pain killers to become effective after stopping Naltrexone? The half life as per wikipedia is either 4 or 13 hours so I assume 24 hours is about how long before my pain killer will start working. I've never taken Oxycodone before so I'm not sure if I will know - and the doctor said to start with the ocycodone right away.

I'm in so much pain...and the nurofen/panadol does nothing at the moment.

Thanks! n.b. I'm not asking for medical advice, just personal experience. I am doing what the doctor has told me to do..

[Dee74]

Hi Jim

Unfortunately I have no experience to offer - but hang tight - there should be more posters along later on in your night.

Welcome to SR

D

[DesertEyes]

Hello there slimjim, and welcome to our corner of recovery

How long is it going to take? It depends on several things.

- The dosage. The more your doc gives you the faster it will have an effect. The danger is that it will also mean stronger side effects. Take too much and your lungs will stop and you will die. Or worse.

- Your body weight. The larger you are the more med you need to get the desired effect. But you can still overdose no matter how big you are.

- Your internal organs. Some meds are processed by the liver, others by the kidneys, and so on. The general health of your internal organs will affect how quickly the med has an effect, and also how strong the side effects will be.

- There is something called the "breakthru" effect. Which means that when you _first_ start taking a med it takes it longer to have an effect than if you have been taking it for awhile. Once your body gets past the "breakthru" then it will take less meds to give you relief.

- Another issue is called "blood level". Some meds work the same one day as they do the next. Other meds have to "build up" for a couple weeks before you feel anything, and then you have to maintain that level on a daily basis.

- And to make it even more complicated, some meds interact with each other making each other stronger or weaker.

All of which results in an answer that only a doctor or a pharmacist can give you. And only if they look at your medical record to see what other meds you are on and what your general health is like. So if you are still in pain, call your doc and tell him that you are still in pain and if there is something else you can take, _less_ powerful, just to get you over the initial "hump".

Mike

[ffrnemtp]

If this med is Narcan, the opiate will outlive the Narcan.

[slimjim30]

It's similar to Narcan. Narcan is Naloxone and I'm on Naltrexone (well I was - that's a story for another thread). They are both opiate blockers, but in my case it is an alcohol craving reducer.

It took about 3-4 days for the Naltrexone to wear off before the pain medication worked properly. This is longer than I expected.

[ffrnemtp]

Originally Posted by slimjim30

It's similar to Narcan. Narcan is Naloxone and I'm on Naltrexone (well I was - that's a story for another thread). They are both opiate blockers, but in my case it is an alcohol craving reducer.

It took about 3-4 days for the Naltrexone to wear off before the pain medication worked properly. This is longer than I expected.

I don't have any experience with your med, but LOTS with narcan. I administered it IV to patients in the field for years and nothing happened--it was a matter of protocol. Then one night I unknowingly gave it to a severely narcotic addicted patient. VERY UGLY! I got a hold of an ER doctor who ordered Fentanyl to stop the poor guy's withdrawal until we could get him to the hospital.