Pneumonia and Oxycodone

[bwhite172]

I recently came down with pnemonia less than one week ago. I spent two days at home very sick with high fever before i finally went to the hospital. There i was diagnosed with double pnemonia in both lungs. I have been on antibiotics and was released 2 days ago with a scrip of continued antibiotics.

The issue is that I am severly hooked on Oxy blues (30's). I used to take about 6-7 per day for the last 6 months or so. And off and on for the past few years. I know that this is the reason that I became sick. Right? I mean i am friends with the doctor and felt ashamed to tell him so i just went along with whatever the doctors thought caused the infection. While in the hospital I would eat one blue per day in the evenings just to avoid withdrawal.

So my question is: Can I still take just one blue in evenings until I am healed and then try and quit? I really dont want to go into withdrawal right now and get sick again for another week. Is it safe to take the blue even though I have pnemonia because of respitory complications? Will it caus me to relapse?

I know that not many people on here are doctors but i just wanted to know if anybody has had a similiar experience.

Thanks!!

 

[1Love4me]

Why do you think that you became sick from the oxy? I recently had pneumonia as well and I took my 8 norco a day and didn't have any complicataions. In fact, when I took them it felt like all the mucous and gunk in my throat and lungs was a lot looser and easier to cough up. Your situation may be different and I am in no way a doctor, I just thought I would share my experience with you. Hope you feel better soon

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Opioids definitely increase one's risks of getting pneumonia, this has been well-documented. But opioids don't directly cause pneumonia, they just make it much more likely for you to be able to get colds, flus, bronchitis and pneumonia. The reason this happens is because opioids depress the immune system, and another possible reason is that they decrease the breathing rate and cause sedation, which can increase the risk of inhaling material (including saliva or particles) into the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lungs caused by an infection, virus, or other foreign particle. I had pneumonia when I was addicted to heroin.

I don't think that quitting cold turkey right now is a fun idea and the oxycodone might help make your symptoms a bit more bearable. I'm not sure whether it will prolong the pneumonia though, I could see stopping cold turkey prolonging the pneumonia as well (since quitting is hard on your body and immune system too), so my best guess is that it wouldn't make a huge amount of difference either way. It's not like the oxy is directly causing the pneumonia and that the pneumonia would instantly clear up if you stopped taking the oxy, you already have the pneumonia. I would personally be inclined to go with your idea of just taking enough to keep withdrawals at bay and tapering off after your pneumonia improves. But of course it would be best to talk to a doctor if you can. You could always go see a different doctor who you don't know and ask them what the best course of action is.

What do you mean by "will it cause me to relapse" though? If you currently are addicted to oxy and are still using, how would it be a relapse? Do you just mean will it be harder to quit if you don't quit now? Or what?

 

[Elm73]

Well just to put my 2 cents in... I'm currently going though a similar situation... I live in Rochester NY and I go the whole year without getting even a common cold but when the seasons change from fall to winter I get extremely sick... I get horrible migraines with what feels like road tar in my lungs witch is worse then a normal person because I smoke about 20-25 cigarettes a day... But I'm also a hydrocodone user they are the 5/500's... I take anywhere from 8-32 a day depending on what I can get at the time and I take 8 at a time orally (I pretty much don't have a liver at this point anymore from 4 years of abuse) but I found since I'm sick as fuck that if I have the energy to get up and take them they make me feel SOOOOOO much better! They loosen the shit in my lungs so I can fill about half a Pepsi can with road tar...(yes it's gross) but after that it seems to stay away while I'm high and my migraines are completely gone! So in my opinion I would use your normal amount until your not sick anymore.... I'm not a doctor but I know a lot about drugs and I do tons of research on them because they fascinate me to a great extent! I also am telling you just my personal experiences with opiates/opioids and being sick I consider my body research in itself... Remember be safe!
Steve

Feel free to PM me and I'll tell you more detail about my experiences I love to talk about these kinds of subjects

 

[Crashing]

Whenever i quit opiates, i got really sick after the withdrawal period. It reduces your immunity pretty badly but luckily its temporary. Taking oxy at this point will probably cause you to relapse, unfortunately.

 

[T. Calderone]

To the OP: what is your typical route of adminstration? If snorting or smoking the 30's I can understand the correlation to pneumonia. I abused them for years and didn't get sick until I switched to hydrocodone.

 

[Foreigner]

I thought that opiates depress breathing, and with pneumonia you want the respiration to be normal or slightly faster so that the fluid doesn't build up in the lungs. That's why steroid inhalers are often given to people with pneumonia, to speed up lung function.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

^I don't think that's why inhalers are used in people with pneumonia. Pneumonia itself causes an increased respiratory rate, as far as I know there is no reason to try to speed it up. In fact, people with pneumonia are recommended to try to breath slowly and deeply. Deep breathing will help to clear the lungs and increase oxygen levels in the blood. When I had pneumonia I was given an albuterol (non-steroid) inhaler, to reduce bronchial spasm and ease wheezing (not speed breathing). Not that it actually seemed to help at all. And several inhalers, particularly corticosteroid inhalers, have actually been shown to increase the risks of pneumonia. Respiratory depression might increase the risks of getting pneumonia in the first place, but I'm not sure if it would slow one's healing from pneumonia or not, perhaps if you are breathing shallowly - regardless, if the OP is solely taking enough to ease withdrawal it shouldn't be causing much respiratory depression anyway.

 

[bwhite172]

Thank you guys so very much. I really appreciate the advice and dont feel as bad anymore about continuing to take the Blues.

In response to the relapse question? I was referring to relapsing with pnemonia. Not the oxy. I was just afraid that if i countinue to take the oxy that i will not improve bc of a continued weakened immune system, and that once my antibiotics were complete, my pnemonia could return.

Does anybody have any advice on how to increase immune system to avoid these situations? Should i be taking Vitamin C daily? If so how much?

Thanks!!

 

[Elm73]

It's odd but if I drink a shit load of milk and orange juice it seems to make me feel better I also take musinex to cough up the shit in my lungs and that seems to help wonders

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Thank you guys so very much. I really appreciate the advice and dont feel as bad anymore about continuing to take the Blues.

In response to the relapse question? I was referring to relapsing with pnemonia. Not the oxy. I was just afraid that if i countinue to take the oxy that i will not improve bc of a continued weakened immune system, and that once my antibiotics were complete, my pnemonia could return.

Does anybody have any advice on how to increase immune system to avoid these situations? Should i be taking Vitamin C daily? If so how much?

Thanks!!

Are they certain it is bacterial pneumonia? Antibiotics only help for bacterial pneumonia. I had viral pneumonia so antibiotics did nothing. It's possible that your pneumonia might return after you stop taking the antibiotics, but I don't really think quitting the oxy right now would necessarily reduce the chances of that happening. I do think keeping your doses low is probably a good idea though.

Things you can do right now:
- Drink tons of liquids.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Breathe deeply and slowly. Try deep breathing exercises.
- Do not suppress a cough unless it is making it difficult for you to breath or sleep. Try to only take as little oxy as needed to prevent withdrawals as it can suppress coughing.
- Natural remedies can help. For example one laboratory study reported that oil of oregano, thyme, or rosewood destroyed S. pneumoniae.
- Avoid respiratory irritants, such as pollution, pollen, mold, dust, smoke and chemical fumes.
- If you smoke try to smoke as little as possible (and if others around you smoke, try to avoid exposure to it).
- Use a humidifier or nebulizer etc.
- Take N-SAIDs to reduce pain/inflammation.

Things you can do to help your immune system in the future:
- Stick to your plan of tapering off the oxy.
- Stay well-hydrated.
- Eat healthy with lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
- Take a good multi-vitamin.
- Take a herbal immune-boosting supplement.
- The jury is still out on whether Vit C actually helps much, but it can't hurt. I'd say a comprehensive multi-vitamin is better.
- Don't use antibacterial soaps/products, but do frequently wash your hands and be aware of touching your face.
- Get sun and fresh air whenever you can.
- Get as much exercise as you can.
- Take extra vitamins/supplements right away if you even feel like you MIGHT be starting to get sick. These include ColdFX/ginseng, zinc, echinacea, oregano oil, astragalus, garlic, etc. I find ColdFX very helpful when taken immediately at the onset of a cold/flu/etc, but I'm not sure how widely available it is outside Canada. It's also a great idea to take extra supplements any time you are going to be in a situation where you are more likely to get sick, for example if you're stressed out, travelling, not getting enough sleep, going through drug withdrawal, the weather is changing, a friend/co-worker is sick, etc.

 

[F1n1shed]

I had pneumonia a few times from heroin. I didn't know oral oxycodone could cause it, besides the fact that it ruins your immune system. The reason i got it was because black tar heroin carries a lot of bacteria on it since it is a moist wet substance. And i would mix it with water and shoot it into my nose. From there some of it would drip down into my lungs and cause a bacterial infection in my lungs, making it super hard to breathe. I guess if your going to do the oxy, make sure you just take it orally. When you snort pills some of the particles travel into your lungs, no good.