For Oxy withdrawal, what are the most helpful meds to treat side effects?

[Kismet555]

Hey all, I’m new here. I’m facing either as a long taper or cold turkey withdrawal from 30mg 3 times a day of OxyContin, plus 40 mg a day of Oxycodone, all prescribed by pain Mgmt. But to be honest, I’ve been on that same dose for 3 years, and 3 months ago my pain was too much and my PM dr wouldn’t increase my dose despite my tolerance, so I started buying extra Oxy off the street. (This was all prescribed for an autoimmune disease I was diagnosed with 3 years ago that eventually disabled me).so the actual amount in my system is higher.

So now I’m trying to decide if I want to do a long taper, but I don’t think I have the ability to stick to the schedule, or do a faster withdrawal and ask the Dr for meds to help the side effects. I have some meds that would help the withdrawal now, a little gabapentin, 6 pills of Valium, kratom, 2 bottles of hydroxyzine, but no clonodine.

If you could get any drug to help with Opiate withdrawals, what would you ask for? (I don’t want methadone or suboxone tho).

Honestly, I know I can’t just get down to the amount prescribed and stay there, and I most likely can’t just taper either, because I’m an addict and have been in recovery 19 years before this, before I got sick. It’s a cruel joke to get another chronic disease after I had been in recovery 17 years. But I know what to do to stay sober once I get off these drugs.

But first I need to detox. I can ask my Pain Mgmt Doctor for meds to help with the wd symptoms, so suggest away! Any advice for the faster withdrawal schedule would be appreciated.

I’m so impressed by the knowledge and kindness of this forum. You all are awesome. I’m lucky to have found this place!

 

[Steady Scootin]

There's a huge thread on this topic on page one of the Other Drugs section.

 

[Lorne???]

Benzodiazepines are the best however they are also addictive and can end up even worse. Hydroxyine is a go-to, that would be first non-narcotic to come to mind, probably. What you mentioned, and perhaps seriquel.

There is an entire thread on this topic, and other threads so it's been covered. Going there can probably get you individual support if needed.

 

[Kismet555]

Thanks guys. I’m new here and still learning my way around. I appreciate your responses.

 

[T. Calderone]

Hi Kismet, sorry to hear about your disease. It does seem cruel that you've been in recovery and then have to go back to the medications that did you in. When were you planning to start this process? I would talk with your doctor about getting some more gabapentin. It is very useful in mitigating withdrawal symptoms and prescribed for nerve pain the same way Lyrica is. Clonidine helps with excessive sweating and blood pressure and will help you sleep. You mentioned Valium, too and that's a good medication but can be habit-forming. It's a personal decision but I might take it slow being that you have an illness. Let us know how you're doing.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Kismet, I understand that you're new, so I'm not gonna hammer you too hard . We're a pretty extensive Harm Reduction resource and much like that guy on the State Farm commercials, "If it's happened, we've covered it!" (or whatever he says). So, you can probably expect, that given the history of our forums, you are not the first individual to consult us regarding how to handle Opioid withdrawal. So, for both the good of the community and yourself, I have to direct you to use our search engine or consult our Opioid withdrawal megathread. We have countless, endless threads devoted to your problem and being able to find them would enable you to help yourself and not rely on our being available for you. With that being said, I'm going to send you on your way with the basics that I go by. I've been an Opioid addict for about a decade and I've withdrawn countless times. My mother is quite proud of me.

Gabapentin (Neurontin) or Pregabalin (Lyrica) - The latter is better, but they are essentially cross-tolerant. Restless legs/Akathisia, Sleep, Anxiety, Depression and Lethargy. If you intend to follow my advice, this is your most important component. Ask for 800mg x3/day or if not, try to get at least 600mg x3/day

Cannabis - Whether you eat it, smoke it or shoot it up, there's no cure for nausea like Cannabis. When I'm sick, I will typically smoke and then force myself to eat and drink. The Cannabis helps me keep the food and fluids down. It's also great for sleep and tends to have a minor impact on my RLS/Akathisia

Clonidine (Catapres) - It's a blood pressure medication, but is sort of a jack-of-all-trades/master of none. What I mean, is that this one drug is not likely to make a seriously noticeable difference in your symptoms. It helps, but it's not enough on its own. It's a sedative and will help calm you down, reduce hot/cold fluctuations and can help make the difference between a night of restlessness and 6 hours of sleep.

There are a ton of other medications that you may or may not find helpful, but these are the 3 most important in my opinion. I start here and if I decide it's not enough, I go further, but this is my tried and true cocktail. I typically avoid Opioids and Benzodiazepines completely though. You may want to use Benzodiazepines, which is fine if you can be responsible, but you should always steer clear of Opioids as they will only prolong your syndrome.

I'm closing this one, as we have way too many threads devoted to basic Opioid withdrawal already. OP, if there's anything that I did not make clear enough, please send me a private message.