Oxy dosage for former Heroin user

[quasimodo21]

A little background.

I started using Oxy about a year ago and didn't need much to get high. I mucked around with Heroin later on and then spent the first 6 months of this year on roughly 2 grams a day of reasonably pure smack (snorted not injected). The reason I assume it is reasonably pure is that I was doing roughly 200mg lines at a time - and when I tried snorting Oxycodone, 240mg just kept withdrawals at bay (it sucks trying to inhale this much too). So I assume the smack was pretty pure.

I withdrew early June and haven't looked back. It was a pretty shitty experience, but nowhere near as bad as I expected.

I have no interest in doing Heroin again, but I still have serious bouts of pain from IBS. For this, I want to continue using Oxycodone irregularly. There's a long story as to why I can't get it from a doctor at this point in time, but suffice to say, I'll need to work out my dosages myself. I was using Suboxone for the pain for a little while, but really didn't want to continue pushing my tolerance up so I stopped that.

So I am a month off opiates, and fortunately at the moment pain free. The pain will be back soon I am sure, and I don't know how much Oxy to take. I don't want a high, just pain relief. I was considering 20mg Oxycontin. DO you think this will be enough for pain relief a month off all Opiates? It'll likely be at least 2 or 3 months off them entirely until I need it. I want adequate pain relief, without killing myself basically.

I am not worried about them being a pathway back to smack. While smack was fun, it wasn't really worth the $$ to me. My withdrawal was purely physical pain, without any craving for the drug. Maintaining a smack addiction is also too expensive in Australia, and I have too much to lose. I know myself well enough to know I won't go back.

Thanks!

 

[Burnt Offerings]

Maybe you won't go back to smack? Maybe you'll just be content with a massive oxycodone dependency?

Here's the problem that I see. You obviously used to love this class of drug, because you said yourself that almost a quarter gram of oxycodone a day only kept you well. So you went hard in the paint with opiates, and now your tolerance has gone back to baseline. So any amount of oxycodone necessary for serious pain (that you're self-medicating) is also going to make you feel "opiated", most likely, especially since your tolerance is now gone, you have serious pain (which will take more drugs to dull), and the fact that it didn't take much oxy to get you high before. You'll get the same feeling that led you to use oxy and heroin recreationally for the past year, along with the pain relief/analgesia. If you think that you can simply use opiates to moderate your pain and nothing more, even after another taste, then go for it...I believe in adults making their own choices and all that stuff. I have no idea if 20 mgs is an appropriate dose, though, as I don't really have any knowledge of how bad your pain is and I'm not a doctor...

 

[quasimodo21]

I have no plans to take Oxy every day. IBS comes and goes, so usage can be intermittent. Believe me, I understand addiction. I was not addicted to heroin, I was physically dependent. My withdrawal came with no cravings, and a month later I still don't have any. I am not asking this question to get high, just to treat pain. When I mentioned 240mg of Oxy prevented withdrawal I meant it, but it is a physical withdrawal I am referring to, not a psychological one. I only continued so long as I needed to get a week clear where I could be "sick". That takes a while with jobs, kids, etc.

So, no, I have no plans to develop an Oxy dependency.

Oxy dosages are more based on tolerance than severity of pain as you imply. An opiate naive person couldn't take 100mg just because they hurt a lot.

Since you highlighted the fact you think I am self-medicating, the reason I can't get pain management is complex and I didn't want to get into it, but I will. Before I can get proper pain treatment, I need exploratory surgery. I have had this surgery before, and there's nothing wrong. Problem is, the last time I had it was 4 years ago, so I cannot get referred to a pain specialist until they confirm (again) that nothing is physically wrong with me.

Now, I take a medicine called Parnate. It's an irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibtor. I cannot find an anaesthetist willing to anaesthetise me while I am on it. This is not for any rational reason, just poor pharmacology understanding on their part. So, they told me to stop taking it before I come in. If I stop taking it the chances of severe depression and/or suicide become very high. It's not a risk I am willing to take when I have other options, such as 'self-medicating' as you put it.

So, I reiterate my question... What is a reasonable dose of Oxycodone for pain management 1 month post high levels of Heroin usage? Is my tolerance 0? Or is it higher? I can't afford to buy a whole variety of dosages to work it out, so I thought I'd ask the group consensus.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

Buy as much as you can afford to buy.

Then use as much as you need to make the pain go away. If a dosage you took is too low, take more.

 

[quasimodo21]

Buy as much as you can afford to buy.

Then use as much as you need to make the pain go away. If a dosage you took is too low, take more.

I am thinking to buy 20mg Oxycontin, it's just that a month ago 10x as much didn't do anything really for me. I'd rather keep my dose as low as possible, and now a month clear I am worried about ODing by mistake, especially with slow release stuff.