Concerns about the possibitly of addiction and withdrawals from Oxycodone/Hydrocodone

[testudo]

Hello,

I had shoulder surgery about 9 weeks ago and I was prescribed Oxycodone (5/325), about a month's supply. I was then prescribed a month's supply of Hydrocodone (10/325). I went back to the doctor and was prescribed another month's supply of Oxycodone (10mg - no APAP) to get through physical therapy.

I started out with the Oxycodone was prescribed, 2 tablets every 6 hours. I did that for a while and then when the pain wasn't so bad, I stopped taking them as prescribed and took them as needed. After that prescription was empty, I started on the Hydrocodone in the same fashion. I actually have have just under half of that prescription left. When I do take them, it is usually 1-1/2 a night, which equals 12/650 a dosage. I skip every other night sometime. I will take them now before bed and it does help me sleep.

With the fear of being judged, I am wondering if I am prone to become addicted to experience withdrawals using them like this, which will amount to 12/650 (HC) or 10mg (OC) a night. I have read where others are taking 50mg + a day. I have no intention of getting into those high dosages. I am just wondering if I finish out the prescriptions, with that pretty small dosage a day, if I could become addicted, dependent or experience withdrawals. I haven't felt anything like withdrawals when I haven't taken them, so I am wondering because I have no idea about any of this stuff.

Thank you in advance for any and all responses, help, suggestions and advice. I truly would appreciate it.

Testudo

 

[wezface]

You may have some mild withdrawal symptoms, but as a general rule, if you're not getting "high" on them and just using them as prescribed for pain relief, you won't become physically dependent on those dosages.

I would say probably the worst you'll have to deal with is some watery eyes, muscle tightness (stretchy legs) and maybe a bit of lethargy and diarrhea. But it won't be too bad. I suggest tapering down to a negligible dose when you're getting ready to hop off of the for good.

 

[testudo]

You may have some mild withdrawal symptoms, but as a general rule, if you're not getting "high" on them and just using them as prescribed for pain relief, you won't become physically dependent on those dosages.

I would say probably the worst you'll have to deal with is some watery eyes, muscle tightness (stretchy legs) and maybe a bit of lethargy and diarrhea. But it won't be too bad. I suggest tapering down to a negligible dose when you're getting ready to hop off of the for good.

Thank you very much for your response!

Yeah, I forgot to mention that although the OC are 10mg (no APAP), I cut them in half, so it is really about 5mg a night, or every other night.

Right now, I have not had a pill since Sunday around 11PM. I don't think I feel anything, but I am so paranoid that I think a stuffy nose is a sign of an addiction withdrawal. Which is kind of weird because I have really bad allergies lol.

So, even how long that I have been on them so far, I really shouldn't worry too much about becoming physically dependent? I like to think that I do not have an addictive personality. I quit smoking 5 years ago cold turkey after 15+ years of smoking. I know that is not the same as opiates, but I thought I would throw that in there.

 

[wezface]

No. You're at such a low dose I really don't think you need to worry about it. But keep in mind there is a big difference between physical and psychological dependence. You don't need to worry about withdrawal symptoms, I should say.

Withdrawal does trigger a histamine response but you'd be getting watery eyes and sneezing if that was causing your stuffy nose.

 

[testudo]

No. You're at such a low dose I really don't think you need to worry about it. But keep in mind there is a big difference between physical and psychological dependence. You don't need to worry about withdrawal symptoms, I should say.

Withdrawal does trigger a histamine response but you'd be getting watery eyes and sneezing if that was causing your stuffy nose.

Honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell if it was a withdraw symptom or just normal every day sinus issues that I go through. I have some kind of issue with my sinuses every day. It has been like that ever since I was a kid. It sucks!

Back on track
That is good to hear. I am very paranoid when it comes to this stuff. I am going to look it up, but I will ask anyway: What exactly is psychological dependence? I would imagine it is your brain telling you that you need it? Maybe that you need to take it to feel normal?

 

[wezface]

Yes, psychological dependence is that drive to seek drugs that is most of addiction. Physical addiction is a small part of it in my opinion. It's the part of your brain that lights up at the thought of scoring or using your drug of choice. If you haven't been tempted to abuse your meds, though, I don't think that's really something you have to worry too much about.


Don't worry yourself sick! You'll be perfectly fine. Lots of people take opiate painkillers for a short time after an injury. I'm afraid only that you will be so paranoid you'll give yourself psychosomatic withdrawal

 

[testudo]

Yes, psychological dependence is that drive to seek drugs that is most of addiction. Physical addiction is a small part of it in my opinion. It's the part of your brain that lights up at the thought of scoring or using your drug of choice. If you haven't been tempted to abuse your meds, though, I don't think that's really something you have to worry too much about.


Don't worry yourself sick! You'll be perfectly fine. Lots of people take opiate painkillers for a short time after an injury. I'm afraid only that you will be so paranoid you'll give yourself psychosomatic withdrawal

I just got home and looked at the pills for the first time. The are round pink pills that say K 56 on them and a break line (?) In the middle. They are Oxycodone HLC 10mg. Are they immediate release? The only reason I know that term is because I saw it on a website. I really don't know what it means. Can I break them in half?

 

[wezface]

Okay, I'm not sure about the pills and we don't do pill IDs here anyway. But here's a tutorial on ER (extended release) and IR (instant release) pills.

Extended release (ER) pills can have two mechanisms of action for delaying power: They can either have a thick coating or they can use small capsules/wax/some other agent to slow down absorption.
IR pills generally have no coating and are therefore absorbed instantly, hence the name.

So with SOME er pills, if you break them in half you will not compromise the time release mechanism. If you're prescribed these 4 times per day I would be willing to bed they are IR pills, so breaking them is fine. With ER pills that have a coating even breaking them doesn't compromise the dosage but it will simply release the medication more quickly. So you should be fine breaking them in half regardless.

 

[testudo]

Okay, I'm not sure about the pills and we don't do pill IDs here anyway. But here's a tutorial on ER (extended release) and IR (instant release) pills.

Extended release (ER) pills can have two mechanisms of action for delaying power: They can either have a thick coating or they can use small capsules/wax/some other agent to slow down absorption.
IR pills generally have no coating and are therefore absorbed instantly, hence the name.

So with SOME er pills, if you break them in half you will not compromise the time release mechanism. If you're prescribed these 4 times per day I would be willing to bed they are IR pills, so breaking them is fine. With ER pills that have a coating even breaking them doesn't compromise the dosage but it will simply release the medication more quickly. So you should be fine breaking them in half regardless.

Thank you for your reply and the info! I really appreciate it. I am assuming that the prescript for the Oxycodone that I have does not have Acetaminophen in it, just 10mg of Oxycodone. Should I just try and take 5mg to see how it works, or do as the prescription states and take the 10mg?

 

[wezface]

Well, it really depends on what you need for your pain. Don't put yourself in extra pain just because you're afraid of withdrawal. If it's your first time using opiates at all then you have a really really low chance of any sort of withdrawal. Generally when taken as prescribed (at your dose) these medications will not get you high, and they will not make you build a tolerance when taken properly.

The reason some people have withdrawals after taking these meds is that they take them incorrectly. They take more than prescribed (I do this with my pain meds and always screw myself) and when you actually get "high", something very different happens in the brain from if you take the as prescribed. Your body stops producing endorphins because these opiates bind to the endocrine receptors in the brain, which are the same sites that endorphins bind to. So withdrawal is, physiologically, your brain not producing any endorphins because it has been "trained" that it doesn't need to.

However, like I said, if you're taking them as prescribed there is a very low probability of this happening. So low it's negligible. Take them as prescribed, and if you really want to, wean down when you're almost out of your script. But you really shouldn't need to do this.

 

[igetdown]

I was in a similar situation a couple years back. I had lower back surgery and was prescribed oxycodone hcl 5mg to be taken 3 times a day. This was a months worth and then I was bumped up to a 10 mg dosage for a month because of complications. I used the oxycodone as prescribed for the entire two months. I had little to no physical withdrawals. Watery eyes and a couple days of very mild stomach aches. The mental addiction was the only thing that got to me a little. Two months of taking these pills became like clockwork. I had a week where I'd see the clock and think I needed to take a pill because thats what I had done for the past couple months. It didn't make me crazy or anything like that but just seemed like something was missing for a week or so. All in all since you are taking the meds as directed you shouldn't worry.

 

[testudo]

Well, it really depends on what you need for your pain. Don't put yourself in extra pain just because you're afraid of withdrawal. If it's your first time using opiates at all then you have a really really low chance of any sort of withdrawal. Generally when taken as prescribed (at your dose) these medications will not get you high, and they will not make you build a tolerance when taken properly.

The reason some people have withdrawals after taking these meds is that they take them incorrectly. They take more than prescribed (I do this with my pain meds and always screw myself) and when you actually get "high", something very different happens in the brain from if you take the as prescribed. Your body stops producing endorphins because these opiates bind to the endocrine receptors in the brain, which are the same sites that endorphins bind to. So withdrawal is, physiologically, your brain not producing any endorphins because it has been "trained" that it doesn't need to.

However, like I said, if you're taking them as prescribed there is a very low probability of this happening. So low it's negligible. Take them as prescribed, and if you really want to, wean down when you're almost out of your script. But you really shouldn't need to do this.

Thanks, again, for your help. That is good to know. I am actually not quite taking them as prescribed. Although, the bottle does say take one every 6 hours as needed for pain. I usually wind up taking one before bed because right now it is tough to sleep through the night without rolling over and hurting my shoulder pretty good. So, it really amounts to one a day and there were times where it has been one every two days.

Perhaps I could ask my doctor, but I am not technically taking them quite as prescribed. Will that type of inconsistency mess with anything? I haven't taken any more than prescribed because I am a nervous person and I would probably freak myself out so bad that I would not benefit from the pills, at all lol. In fact, I freaked myself out one time that I haven't taken more than 7mg of the Oxy at once and no more than 12mg of the Hydro while I was prescribed those.

I was in a similar situation a couple years back. I had lower back surgery and was prescribed oxycodone hcl 5mg to be taken 3 times a day. This was a months worth and then I was bumped up to a 10 mg dosage for a month because of complications. I used the oxycodone as prescribed for the entire two months. I had little to no physical withdrawals. Watery eyes and a couple days of very mild stomach aches. The mental addiction was the only thing that got to me a little. Two months of taking these pills became like clockwork. I had a week where I'd see the clock and think I needed to take a pill because thats what I had done for the past couple months. It didn't make me crazy or anything like that but just seemed like something was missing for a week or so. All in all since you are taking the meds as directed you shouldn't worry.

Thanks for your reply! That is the how I felt for the first month. I was ready to take the meds when I saw the hand hit the time. However, the pain sort of subsided during the day for a while, so I kind of just stopped taking them around the clock and it became (still is) once a day and mostly at night before bed. Sleeping is still pretty harsh on my shoulder and it has been 10 weeks.

 

[wezface]

If you are taking them even less than prescribed, you have basically less than zero chance of withdrawal to worry about. Now, if you had been taking more than prescribed, it could become an issue. Seriously, don't worry about it. You're going to be just fine.