What to do now...opioids..

[Vett]

So I quit all my prescribed meds 3 months ago. Daily 4x 10/325 oxy and 2x oxicotin 30mg. Against my doctors advice. I felt I needed off... after 4 years. It wasn?t easy. Ok... it was hell. Put my family through months of supporting me.
I used klonipin and Kratom. Ambien and muscle relaxer to sleep. When using klonipin be prepared to have to ween off of it even if you only took it for a couple weeks. That was a whole other battle.
I did it cold turkey. Only way to go, I hate dragging it out and feeling like crap even longer.
I did it... I am drug free for 3 months now. Mentally I feel good. Physically I am in trouble. Two weeks ago my lower left side back started hurting and it?s been getting worse. I can?t sleep right. After sitting I feel like my back is going to break when I get up. It?s crazy. I never had this amount of pain even when I got out on the meds in the first place. This is insane. It sucks. It?s like the very thing I was afraid would happen has happened. Now what do I do? Doc says go back on the meds if you need them. Another one says take pain meds only when you need them for short period at a time... is he nuts? That?s impossible. I would be in constant withdrawal all the time. It?s either take the meds or don?t take the meds. There is no in between ... is there for any body else? A way to take oxy only when you need them?
So now I am laid up in my bed whenever I am home. And struggle through each day in pain. Today I also had extreme headache that only went away with shot of steroids from doctor. I thought I was maybe having a stroke it was so extreme. Never felt it that bad before. Almost went to hospital instead of doctor, glad I didn?t. Way to expensive.
So what do people do now?
I quit the Kratom and the klonipin months ago. Tried a little Kratom recently with tea to see if it would help my pain and it doesn?t.

The last thing I want to do is go back on the oxy. Could I possibly go back to hydro? Or would it just not do what it?s supposed to do since I was on oxy for years.

I had side effects from oxy. Legs hurt all the time. Couldn?t pea, always had to pee but couldn?t.

I was so happy have made it 3 months... now I totally don?t know what to do. I have appointment with back doctor on Friday and he is going to want to put me back on meds.
I have plenty of proof for the meds with mri ( degenerative disk degeneration) and nerve damage proof from electro shock testing ( don?t ever want to do that again).

Could all this be withdrawal effects still lingering? I keep hoping it will go away. Like I said never was this bad before and in totally different place.
Peace

 

[herbavore]

I'm really sorry to hear about the pain. I've been going through some pain myself (broken bone/surgery) and it can be so draining. Here are a couple of articles about opiates and back pain that you may want to read. Swimming is one of the best things for back health. Do you have access to a pool? Have you ever tried alternative medicine/treatment (acupuncture, non-invasive chiropractor)? Have you already had surgery or is this not an option? I have a friend with herniated discs and he did everything to avoid surgery but in the end it did the trick and he is now pain free. I understand degenerative disc is different but there are now surgical ways to address it. I would hate to see you defeat all the hard work you did to get off painkillers.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/opiates-no-solution-back-pain-201606209821

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/opiates-no-solution-back-pain-201606209821

 

[determinedmom53]

I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles and we could be twins, I was on the same dose as you for 3 years and have finally said goodbye. I'm not 3 months but 5 days and am also having terrible back pain but nothing and I mean nothing can get me back into oxy hell. I know you are hurting now but I totally agree with you - it's either all or nothing. Taking it for 3 days is a joke. Just think how it will be on that 3rd day. You will be thinking about nothing except how crappy it will be to give it up again. You are already on the other side and doing great (except for the pain of course) but just know that it will keep getting better and there are a lot of ways to treat back pain. A Chiro is a great idea. They have more education in bone structure and the spine that any MD. Do anything you can to stay off the crap. It will only make things worse and you know it.

 

[Vett]

Determined... thank you. That?s what I needed to hear. You are right it will only be crap.
I did get a shot of steroids with prescription for more a couple days ago. Not sure if it is helping... seems to be. I don?t want to say it is and then it isnt...
Talked to my pain management doc yesterday and they offered to call me in whatever I wanted... they aren?t much help.

 

[MrRoot]

I was in a situation in which I was scheduled an operation for replacing a vertebra in my spine with titanium one as I had insane back pain due slipped disc but I managed to get rid of the pain through physiotherapy, exercercise and losing weight (30kgs).

For years I had thought that my back pain was totally chronic and I have been through two spinal surgeries but the pain just came back few months after each surgery.

After I started to lose weight and doing some light exercising and stretching the way the physiotherapist instructed me I started to lose some of the pain and I was able to start to do more exercising and within few months I was going to gym two or three times a week and doing pretty much the same exercises I did before my back problems but with lighter weights of course.

I was finally able to stop taking opiates after nine months of diet, exercising and stretching and I haven't had any back pain at all afterwards.

Using opiates as needed wasn't really an option for me as I have abused them before and was in a constant pain so I was switched from Suboxone to oxycodone/naloxone preparation and I was able to use them as prescribed and it helped me a lot that I could only get few days worth of those at once instead of getting for example a script for month.

I haven't used chiropracy as I have heard mixed results about it so I wasn't willing to take a shot but for some it has offered a lot of help.

Acupuncture on the other hand helped a lot for the pain (or it was a placebo effect) and it did help me to go through the withdrawals while doing rapid taper.

The more I have looked about how people have gone through their back pain the more I have seen good results from physiotherapy, losing weight and doing stretching instead of surgeries unless there is some form of sudden paralyzation of leg(s) or even gauda syndrome and that opioids are often overprescribed for back pain issues IMO.

Lyrica or Neurontin could be a good way to look at if there is any lingering pain after or while doing everything else that can be done for back pain.

Of course the condition of my back still gives me some limits to what I can do currently as for example I can't do much of heavy lifting or rotate my back fast or such but for example I can play floorball for an hour quite easily and still stay in the pace of others.

 

[Vett]

After almost 4 months clean I have had to break down and get a script for some hydrocodone. My back/side was hurting so bad I couldn?t work properly. I feel like I am failing. So far only taken a total of 3 hydros... still time to stop. But the pain is still there... it will just come back. Really sucks. But I feel better...
The pain is real. After sitting or laying I feel like I couldn?t move. What am I to do... I have to live right. If it wasn?t for the pain I would be more then happy to stay 100% off the meds.

 

[Ds]

I know people that are in recovery that have to take opiate pain killers for their pain, there's nothing wrong with having to take something that's stronger then ibprop and asprin.
early on in recovery I suggest maybe giving a close friend, or someone that you can trust the medication, and them only give them as you need it.

I just wanted to add 'to thine self be true', only you are the one that knows if you are in desperate need to take one.

 

[Vett]

Yeah I hear you on handing them to someone else. Fortunately I am not one to abuse the meds. I took a total of 2 yesterday and 1 the day before. I never take more then prescribed... not going to start now. Still sucks cause I worked really hard to get off of these meds and now I feel like I am going backwards...
Doc said this a pulled muscle or something so I am really praying that it will go away sooner then later. Pain has been there for a month now. I thought it was going away when it came roaring back over the weekend...