Opioids Oxycodone - Advice please ...

[nektar]

Hello all. Looking for some advice here.

I use 40 - 50mg of Oxy a day. I have a boring job (working at home) and I find it just gives me a lift.

I would say I have suffered from mild, low lying depression all my adult life but never chronically.

I have also never been addicted to any other substance (despite trying pretty much everything over the years). I am a male, 48 years of age.

My question is this - is there any reason I shouldn't keep on this way? The dosage has not increased in a year, nor do I crave more. It keeps my mood alert, helps with appetite regulation, alcohol intake is lower (always a moderate to high drinker without being a problem drinker), sleep is better, helps with creativity and may other seemingly positive benefits.

Definitely there is some physical addiction - I took my son away for a week in the summer and didn't take any pills - had a bit of trouble sleeping (RLS included) and felt somewhat gloomy in patches but really nothing too bad. Was only when I was in the car home that I started to think - ten mins till Oxy!

Anyone else relate to this or can offer any words of wisdom?

Thanks

 

[Larimar]

Yes I have been on 40mg for about 3-4 years. Same as you it helps me feel happy , gives energy and helps sleep later . We can’t afford more so my tolerance has stayed somewhat low and I’m normally out of pills a day or two a week and I def feel restless and bitchy and can’t wait to get more . I don’t see any thing wrong with it, guess just money that I use for that I could use elsewhere .

 

[nektar]

I don’t see any thing wrong with it, guess just money that I use for that I could use elsewhere .

Thanks. I know I 'should' get a more fulfilling job, but I have a very easy life I suppose, with enough money to cover my needs. Maybe this lack of purpose is part of the problem.

 

[negrogesic]

Lack of purpose is probably a big part of it.

Opioids aren't particularly bad for you, though they do decrease testosterone, which will already be dropping quite abit in the late 40s. Numbing yourself with opioids however will make you more apathetic and prevent you from going out and trying to fix your life. It becomes cyclical.

Aside from those that take opioids for legitimate pain control, there are some people with severe depression that responds so poorly to other treatments that opioids may be an acceptable options. These cases are rare. Is the medicine prescribed, and if so, what for?

Overall, most people (without chronic pain or highly treatment resistant depression) are better off without taking daily opioids (myself included, as i learned after years on high doses).

On a side note, its interesting how you were able to stop 50mg of oxycodone a day with just some minor symptoms, I can't imagine that every happening to me.

 

[nektar]

Is the medicine prescribed, and if so, what for?

No. Maybe that's why the occasional withdrawal is not so bad as there is not an underlying issue (apart from the lack of drive which you correctly identified). This lack of drive includes libido loss which was gradually declining anyway (before the drugs) - quite agree this is not helping.

I'm going to decrease to 25 mg a day and see what difference there is. Thanks for responding.

 

[BeachBum4u]

Nectar, starting a proper taper is a very smart decision! I wrote you a lengthy reply before this post but lost it in never never land. Unfortunately I don't have it in me to redo the post as I'm in need of sleep desperately. So I'll wrap this up by saying I sincerely wish you tons of luck with tapering/reducing your usage. You can do it, just as many folks here on BL have, and know that you have the support of the entire community. You got this!!

 

[GENGAR]

I don’t know much about oxy but with the drugs I take I’m the same way. I’m a functioning dug addict so to say

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

What bothered me the most about opoids is how they depleted my sex drive while kratom does not actually. If you're a male and can still pop a stiffy though, whatever. I'm a younger guy, so sex is important to me right now.

My opinion on opoid addiction is this. You'll only run into problems if you run out and are forced to go into withdrawals. Otherwise, I realized no obvious negative consequences. If you use caution and aren't taking obscene doses due to tolerance raises, then carry on. I personally had to quit because the withdrawals were becoming quite severe and I could not afford the lifestyle after my tolerance raised. I used it for similar reasons you did. Was one hell of a time quitting, though. If you go through a real... final withdrawal--it can last a REALLY long time and I'm talking about crippling misery. In time, you may find their energy boosts and antidepressant properties begin to fade however. Just don't switch to H and you're golden.

In fact, I'd dare to say that opoids improved the quality of my life in a way. It does dull out life a bit, but in a nice way. Relived the glory days one week recently. I actually have come to prefer life without them surprisingly.

 

[OrbitalCombustion]

Hello all. Looking for some advice here.

I use 40 - 50mg of Oxy a day. I have a boring job (working at home) and I find it just gives me a lift.

I would say I have suffered from mild, low lying depression all my adult life but never chronically.

I have also never been addicted to any other substance (despite trying pretty much everything over the years). I am a male, 48 years of age.

My question is this - is there any reason I shouldn't keep on this way? The dosage has not increased in a year, nor do I crave more. It keeps my mood alert, helps with appetite regulation, alcohol intake is lower (always a moderate to high drinker without being a problem drinker), sleep is better, helps with creativity and may other seemingly positive benefits.

Definitely there is some physical addiction - I took my son away for a week in the summer and didn't take any pills - had a bit of trouble sleeping (RLS included) and felt somewhat gloomy in patches but really nothing too bad. Was only when I was in the car home that I started to think - ten mins till Oxy!

Anyone else relate to this or can offer any words of wisdom?

Thanks

Ive never used opiates in that fashion, mine has always been a nasty nightmare, but the reality is the longer you take them the more you will need to take to feel normality. Also, with the prolonged usage comes an expected withdrawal (varies depending on genetics, length of use and frequency). At some point the harsh reality of opiate use will emerge.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

This is true. I went to a 7 week work-type program and withdrew from 30 mgs daily. The mental aspect was horrible beyond words even from a dose not too large. Withdrawal isn't so bad if you know you can eventually knock yourself out of it in a week or so. But when you have to go through it for more than a month it is mentally devastating. It depletes your will to live to be blunt. It's the mental aspect that is a beast, you wouldn't withdraw hard physically from your dose. Plan to never face a long-term withdrawal and your lifestyle is probably fine.

On a more serious note OP, I share a similar story to yours. For most of us, opiates aren't a mind-blowing feeling. They grow on you bit by bit day by day. I predict that one day you'll wake up and say "hey, let's have a great day I deserve it" and take more than your normal dose. That's when opiate addiction is no longer fun and games and starts to get wicked dark. It starts off as improving your life and then for a lot of people longer-term usage results in opiates literally becoming their entire life. After 2 years of taking relatively the same dose, this is how my tolerance finally shot up. Greed. It starts to cause depression when you need to be on them to enjoy literally anything. So discipline would be needed probably. I started to be disatisfied with not being high. Then it's no longer a drug and becomes your God. I was very functional throughout my addiction, but oxy was the only thing I started to look forward to anymore.

 

[negrogesic]

What bothered me the most about opoids is how they depleted my sex drive while kratom does not actually. If you're a male and can still pop a stiffy though, whatever. I'm a younger guy, so sex is important to me right now.

Definitely right here. Kratom doesn't supress sex drive until pretty high doses. It is a vasodilator, which helps in that regard.

In fact, I'd dare to say that opoids improved the quality of my life in a way. It does dull out life a bit, but in a nice way. Relived the glory days one week recently. I actually have come to prefer life without them surprisingly.

It cetainly makes it less painful, and easy going. Its blunted but also shined up in a way. I am not a food person by nature (i have a shitty appetite) but when i was on high dose opioids i could really enjoy food and simple pleasures in life (like stupid TV shows). Now i can't do any of that stuff, but im far more productive. Being too comfortable is nice but its not how we're designed (it is how idiots are designed however, those fortunate, simple pleasure enjoying bastards).

 

[nektar]

Definitely right here. Kratom doesn't supress sex drive until pretty high doses. It is a vasodilator, which helps in that regard.



It cetainly makes it less painful, and easy going. Its blunted but also shined up in a way. I am not a food person by nature (i have a shitty appetite) but when i was on high dose opioids i could really enjoy food and simple pleasures in life (like stupid TV shows). Now i can't do any of that stuff, but im far more productive. Being too comfortable is nice but its not how we're designed (it is how idiots are designed however, those fortunate, simple pleasure enjoying bastards).

Yes, absolutely agree with this. Boredom is my fundamental problem. And as I get older I can't see this improving (although my life is reasonably comfortable in some ways). Hence my seeking relief. I realise of course others have worse situations than me and I consider myself lucky (no more, no less) that I have less to complain about than some.

I have too much to lose to develop a real problem, and am careful with this (as with everything else).

Thanks everyone for the insights and comments. Luck to us all as we navigate this weird thing (life).