Does tapering from Oxycodone Oxycontin help reduce withdrawls?
 

Some of you may have read my story in newcomers, it's simalar to how everyone ended up here with my own horrer stories...

But I am tring to find out if tapering down from Oxycodone helps in the end to get off these altogether?

I have been taking up to 300 mg a day but have made it 24 hours now on 90 mg and even that has been hard. Luckily I slept through 12 hours of it.

Still have a herniated disk as proven by MRI but no severe pinches to spinal cord. Just the ocasional WHAM! felt like an electric shock from head to toe and the back hurts all the time. Also have neuropathy in feet and lower legs from years of back injuries and three back surgeries.

Finaccially it is a drain since my doctor cut me off 4 months ago, mentally knowing I have to take a pill or become sick from withdrwls is a drain as well. Never realized how bad addiction was until four months ago when I tried to follow medical advice... wow what a horrible two weeks and it seemed to never get any better.

About the only thing that seems to help by the time I get here are these little smiley guys under the message box... :herewego

So again does tapering down from Oxycodone help in the end to get off these altogether?

I am not in any way, shape or form qualified to answer this.

Having said that..I don't think any one of us will contradict your Dr.

I understand the medical advice rule and I'm not looking for any. Just if tapering has helped people in the past reduce withdrawls?

My doctor has sent a certified letter discharging me from his care after I admitted I could not reduce my Oxycodone use without falling into a deep depression. He said in the letter and when I ask for a refil I was taking it for depresion and not pain. So much for asking for help...Yes he did, no I can not belive it either espsally after thinking he was a great doctor for 8 years and he is the one that started me on Oxys. I have no medical advise now and have been looking for a primary care physicain ever since but none will take on a new patient with my insurance. This was caused by me stopping taking my Cymbalta (antidepresent) cold turkey. That was dumb. But now I have been back on Cymbalta I can and have backed down on amount of Oxycodone without falling into a deep depresion that resulted in just crying. If I kept up on my dose I would not cry. Now all I have from backing down is withdrawls symptoms...

If I had had the willpower to taper I probably would not have been an addict. Once hooked it's really really hard to taper. I think you need medical advice or a medical detox to help you out. A doctor can help you with the worst of this. I went cold on my meds but you must realize I was on a fairly low dose to begin with of hyrdros my last time on withdrawing. It is not easy no matter how you slice it.

Well I got a day and a half on taper. Actully I should not call it a taper what I am doing is keeping at a bare minumum of staying out of severe/total withdrawl. Since it is less than a third amount and I am getting by with minumum sweats, hot and cold and that is about it I will have to say so far so good.

Back pain is of course more previlent but I think this is doable. No depresion, little anxiety (which was totally debilatating last try), no restless leg problems so, so far so good. we will see how the next few days go. But one third for 36 hours is a huge jump in a short time from anything I have tried before.

If I could find a doctor or clinic to help I would go for it, but this area getting withdrawl help seems to be Taboo for doctors. Mine dropped me like a rock and started acting like a lawyer when I asked for help.

My history/experience includes a self-tapering of hydro/oxycodone over a period of at least a year. In the end, I had myself on a maintenance dose of about 15-20mg/day - taking 2.5mg at a time several times a day.

When I finally stopped completely, I still had all the physical withdrawal symptoms (except the RLS that I DID have when I tried to stop in years earlier when I took more mg/day). The thing that helped me not use again was that I had somewhere to go every day to help me stay clean (rehab and meetings - being around other recovering addicts). The support I received in the beginning and the continuing support I get from continuing rehab care, meetings and working the steps of NA I believe, is the MOST important thing I do in my sobriety.

In the past I would taper but never sought the help and support I so desperately needed. It was what they call insanity....doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Today is my 4 month birthday. It took me 6 years to get this birthday with many MANY self-tapering/willpower attempts. I think the ignorance among many health care providers when it comes to addiction is disgusting.

Can you call an addiction hotline? Maybe they can help you find help. Or can you find a meeting? It's kinda hard to walk into that first meeting, but when I finally did - I was amazed!

All the best....

Thanks glitter! :c031:

I have been reading the 12 steps. I don't think it's insanity yet as I have never tried this. My only other attempt failed misserably and I had another major issue going on I was not aware of, Cymbalta withdrwls...

My taper or should say drastic reduction is going well. Still at a third and no mental crash like before when I stopped cold turkey. But I am not sure that mental crash was Oxy as I had stoped taking Cymbalta maybe a week or so before. The mental crash is what has had me so scared to even try again. But it is going well and if this is all the back pain I end up with it will be doable on that end as well.

Looking for a meeting nearby. Not scared to go. God has been in my life since I was brought up with religion. No secrets in my family. So I think I have what it takes. Except a doctor... still hard to beleive that one... I would try calling him again or make an appoinmtnet but like I said he now acts like an attorney...

just another reminder to all to stay on the good side of our medical advice rule

talking about our experiences is fine - but diagnosing, or making suggestions or recommendations about treatment etc. for others is a no no.

D

Sorry if I am crossing that line. I think maybe my question is hard to answer and staying within the boundries of the medical advice rule. I was just looking for past experiance.

With that said I am doing great at third dose third day. Still looking for a new doctor in town that will accept my insurance. I am sure a lawyer would love my story but I don't beleive my doc did anything wrong till he dropped me and changed to a lawyer when I asked for help...

I've read all your posts both here and in newcomers EaglesNest and I consider it unlikely your original Dr will take you back - rightly or wrongly, it seems obvious to me he feels you've not been straight with him, or his directions for taking medication.

I hope you can find another Dr as soon as possible.

D

I'm so sorry if I came too close to violating rule #10. I genuinely thought about what I wrote before I hit reply.

I think the point I was trying to make is that no matter how hard I tried on my own, I just couldn't stop - even on the smallest amount of my drug of choice - without the help and support of a sober network....and thinking that I could was, well, insane!

:)

I am still doing well and am going to continue. I have the willpower I think? Right now all is fine.

The insanity was taking all this medicine when my back was OK, then POP! OK now I need it. If my back pain was not variable I think it would not have happened. This has been happening for years but weight loss and activity have made the POPS less severe and less freqent.

Right now my only problem just stopping and paying the price is complete sickness from with drawls. I am going to stay here for another week. Maybe make it a 10 day plan. Then go down again. If I stay steady at one third all is well. Once I try to push it past 6 hours it starts to get worse (pain and with drawls).

Went to see my surgeon today who has done 2 previous back surgeries and he said you are not bad enough! When you come crawling through the door like the last times it will be time. I really hope that does not happen and have been losing weight for 2 years along with exercise and walking. Physically I have come a long way and honestly I don't think I would have made it to where I am today without this medicine. Problem now is the physical addiction to my body I have to get through.

Life is getting better, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train.

Thank you all for experience and support. It has really helped to know I am not alone.

That's great glitter that my experiance is helping you! :c031:

I forget what day it is but my experiance of doing a taper as recomended by Oxycontin and Oxycodone instructions seems to be working. I am staying steady at one third and feel good mentally and phyically. I am still having an ordinary life. I do not feel high, no euphoria. I am just keeping the physical side effects of total withdrwal at bay.

I know I am still sick and have admitted my addiction I think is the main point for me! :c029: What a step that was.

Being an addict and not taking more has taken, a lot of willpower the first day but less each day after.

I don't think this is insanity as I never tried before and it is working. I still have some major stress issues in my life with family members health and a major surgery coming up for one, nothing has changed there except that I am not covering up by running for a pill. I just take a third of what doctor had given me in the first place, as scheduled. It is keeping the back pain down to tolerable level and kept away major withdrawls from my cold turkey attempts which I think was insanity as I tried over and over and over and always thought it would work.

This is not medical advice just what the drug manufacturer recomends and what my experiance with that is. Always follow your docotrs advice.

I really hope this helps someone else and is giving back to the sobreity site here that I have recieved so much help from.

I was around a lot of people who said it does....personally I find none of it is easy although completely possible.

Glad to here your on the road to recovery, your plan looks wonderful and simalar to what the pharmacutical company recomends. My doctor said tapering never works "People just call in for more" Well soon I am going back in to tell him or YELL at him from the witing area while the cops come I am sure. That tapering does work.

I lost track here but origanally stopping cold turkey reinforced my fear that I need this stuff to live for ever! Because when I stop, I die.

I did a drastic reduction to 1/3 from around 300 to 90 but think I should have followed a shcedule like above. There were simi withdrawls for several days then was just normal again so I jumped to 30 from 90 and simi withdrawls again and now I am on nothing, simim withdrawls less than both times in my dramatic reduction, not taper. If I had to do it again the taper would be easier.

But now I am on day three, still sleep at night, low energy but making it through the day.

So this does work. It is also recomended by the company who makes the drug. So now I guess it's just up to the person as to how they are going to do it.