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Opioids A few questions about buprenorphine

Good job blue keep at it but IMO if you keep trying to get in to see a Subs Dr that would be your best hope
Honestly you dont get the same anxiety and it acts almost like an antidepressant...in fact trials are underway as we speak
You would be so much more stable
And switching now would work as you are not taking much opiods
Please keep trying to get in...because do not forget you have to get off the contin now and that wont be easy but the subs would be
When are you supposed to start decreasing the contin?
Cheers Stell
 
I will make my next OxyContin taper when I see my doc at the end of this month. He sees it as a 2-3 month tapering process. I will have another three day weekend, so it's an ideal time to taper again. One thing I have learned is to never, ever taper during the work week. I want my body to be as stress free as possible. I wonder if I should ask him for something to help deal with the anxiety and shakes. They're minor withdrawal symptoms, but quite irritating. I have an Ativan script, but it doesn't really help unless I take too much of it. Fortunately, none of my tapering symptoms this week involved insane levels of agitation and restless legs like when I tried to kick cold turkey. Still, it was an adjustment. I probably drank one too many beers along the way, but I got through it.

Another sign of progress....I survived a full 12 hours of OxyContin last night without waking up with withdrawal symptoms. It's the first morning my bed hasn't been soaked in quite some time. It's funny....I only started sweating after I took my morning OxyContin dose.
 
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You know small doses of immodium helped me a lot...its very good for minor WDs It comes over the counter and I took about 4 tabs twice a day[ 2mg] ...dont do it everyday just for the first couple of days after tapper it really works also drinking a glass of grapefruit juice a half hr before the dose of contin...I know it sounds stupid but it works !!
Valium works too very well to well if you get a script just ask for say 6 tabs at a time and only take if really needed because you do not need that problem as well
You are getting there and if you use any of those tips all help
 
One thing I really wanna say blue is don't start taking too many benzo's to help with WD and anxiety unless you think you can manage them because you would just be swapping the bitch for the witch! Seriously man benzo's are the worst of the worst of any drug I've personally ever WD from. The initial physical WD aren't as severe but the psychological effects are way fucking worse in the long run, up andd down like a yoyo for a VERY long time so just be careful with your lorazipam ok and yes doing it alone sucks balls and makes it harder. It's good to have some kind of a support network to help encourage you and tell you your doing good makes all the difference but us fellow bluelighters are here to help with that!
Keep strong blue?
 
I won't go above 3mg of Ativan a day. That's what the script is for. My anxiety has gone way down, although I experienced a quick rush of withdrawal symptoms this morning around 9am. I went into a panic. High anxiety and sweating. 2mg of Ativan and a 5mg Perocet killed it off within 30 minutes. Very odd. I will be taking my 2nd OxyContin dose of the day in a little over an hour. In all honesty, it's just to keep the withdrawals away. I'm not getting a lot of pain relief.

I am now at the stage where I am really starting to get dogged down by depression. I can't turn to the opiates to lift me up anymore. If I don't sleep well, I am really tired in the morning. I am tired all day. Complete opposite from last week. I just got out of physical therapy, and all I think about in this lonely abode is sadness. I'm all alone....as usual.
 
Anybody have any advice on dealing with opiate tapering depression besides the obvious: exercise. I just took my dose of OxyContin and a 5mg Percocet. I should feel a little more comfortable here in 40 minutes. But I need some other strategies now that the major physical withdrawals appear to be behind me (at least until the next tapering).
 
You are doing a great job Blue. Look you could benefit from a comfort med or two especially in the evenings. A benzo like Valium can help and Lyrica of course but I must add, if you aren't already used to these other drugs like the aforementioned then they could cause you more distress/anxiety as they often do to people when they first started - I hated Lyrica at first and in the end I've decided that it is excellent for WD symptoms. Same thing with Benzos, before I had bad anxiety and panic disorder benzodiazepines would give me those symptoms. Gabapentin may be more available to you depending on where you live.
 
I will eventually be on Lyrica as a part of my non-narcotic chronic pain concoction. That and some antidepressant (and possibly another med). I am seeing a pain psychiatrist at the end of next month. I would see him sooner, but because he's the top dog in our area, he can only take so many new patients per week. I do sometimes wonder if it might be a good idea to take a very light dose of Lyrica in the evenings. That seems to be the time of day where I have issues. At work, at physical therapy, running errands, I have some distractions. But it's also earlier in the day......
 
Hey bluesteyes,

I had good results with low dose Gabapentin in the evening or in the morning when tapering opioids. It helps me sleep and takes away the mind-fuck/depression-edge.
The same should apply to Lyrica/Pregabalin. Just be careful you don't get used to it since it can cause nasty WDs by itself when taken in higher doses for a longer period of time.

Good luck!
 
I get the sense that at the end of the month my doctor is going to want to reduce my OxyContin dosage from 30mg to 20mg, 2x per day. I will probably get another small 10mg Percocet script for breakthrough pain. I am finding that it helps to take a 5mg Percocet with each OxyContin dose. It also helps to take a 10mg Perc at the end of the working day when the morning OxyContin dose is wearing off and I need to wait a few hours before taking my second OxyContin dose. It keeps the deep depression symptoms from creeping in.

Dropping from 30mg to 20mg seems like an awful lot. Should I expect to get some nasty but tolerable withdrawal symptoms?? When I did my first taper from using Percocets throughout the day to 30mg of OxyContin 2x per day, I sweated like a pig, and felt like I was on 6 doses of Sudafed. I was super hyper and anxious. Didn't have any diarrhea, nausea or restless leg/body agitation. If I am bound to experience some withdrawals for a few days with the next taper to 20mg, should I ask my doc for withdrawal relieving meds? Clonidine perhaps? I need to continue to be able to work and function. I already have a Lorazepam script, but honestly, my tolerance is such to where it doesn't work very well, and I don't like mixing opiates with benzos.
 
Personally I don't think that reduction should bother you too much, don't get me wrong you will definitely feel some discomfort as too be expected but it won't put you into real nasty WDs at all and after 5-7 days you shouldn't notice anything at all really. A lot of it can be in your head too because your already onviously hyping yourseld to the fact your going to be reducing so your mind is going to be on a sharp look out for ANYTHING noticeable at all.
Good luck with the ruduction mate.
 
Hey blue how you traveling? Do you when your doctor is going to ruduce your oxy intake or have you dropped to 20mgs tid already? Just interested in how your copping?
 
I have an appointment with my primary care doctor near the end of this week. I'll drive to his office after work. I would imagine that we will discuss tapering from 30mg to 20mg of OxyContin, as well as some strategies to limit my withdrawal symptoms. I will probably start the next taper on Saturday morning since I have a 3 day weekend to adjust.

I hate being on a drug like this that I have to take for the sole purpose of avoiding withdrawal symptoms. The OxyContin isn't doing anything for my pain. The one thing that I am sure of right now is that I am going to try to avoid the buprenorphine route. There just isn't enough docs around here who are licensed to prescribe it. More importantly, my habit, if it you can call it that, is peanuts compared to most people who need to use buprenorphine to get off of hard core opiates.
 
I personally think oxy's are a hard core opiate but you sound head strong about avoiding bupe which i think is great. Try and keep that and do your best at tapering off oxy's with a little bit of help from your lorazepam but remember not too get too used to taking that to help relieve your opioid WDs as benzo's turn around and bite you in the arse pretty damn quick. I know I've already said that but i say it cause it concerns me when people talk (not that you have) about benzo's like there nothing, there awesomely fucked up.
 
Went to the doctor. Starting on July 14 I am going taper down to 20mg of OxyContin, 2 times per day. I am at 30mg right now. In between now and July 14 I need to start tapering my use of Percocets. I have been taking 10mg in the morning with my OxyContin. This is going to be the hardest one to eliminate. I usually don't sleep well, and so I get up exhausted and in pain. I like the extra kick that the Percocet gives me in the morning. I also need to eliminate the 10mg Percocet that I usually take around 4pm when the morning OxyContin dose starts to wear off (OxyContin tends to last 10 hours for me). I tend to get depressed when the OxyContin starts wearing off. I also need to eliminate the 5mg Percocet tablet that I take with my evening OxyContin tablet. This should be the easiest one to eliminate.

I expressed to my doctor my concerns about withdrawal symptoms when I go from 30mg to 20mg. Especially since I will be starting the taper on a work day. He said that it's really important for me to taper down the Percocet usage. He also gave me a script for Clonidine. It's for the pill kind (not a patch), and it's the lowest possible dosage. He told me to take one if I felt withdrawal symptoms. I have never used Clonidine before, so I have no idea what to expect. He said it shouldn't make me sedated. When I switched from taking Percocets all day to 30mg of OxyContin two times per day, I went through 4 days of mild withdrawal symptoms which were unpleasant. I had bad anxiety, shakiness, and I sweat like a hog. I felt at times as if I were hyperventilating. Fortunately, I didn't have nausea, diarrhea or restless legs. I somehow got through it. After 4 days, I felt normal. I am hoping that if I experience similar withdrawal symptoms on July 14 that the Clonidine will help make things easier for me. I also have an Ativan script, but I have been taking Ativan for some time, so my tolerance is up there. Still, 2mg will help calm me down a bit.
 
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Clonodine will most likely sedate you and make you feel very sluggish. If you take it do it at night and not for work, a lot of people report feeling like they are walking through mud when on it. If you haven't taken it before start with half of a 0.1mg pill and see how it feels before taking it for work
 
How long do the effects of Clonodine last??? Is that really the only thing the drug does to help with opiate withdrawals.....sedate you?

When I feel bad anxiety, shakiness and agitation due to opiate withdrawals, I could take 2mg of Ativan, 2 Benadyl tabs and a couple of cups of Kava, and I will get very little relief.

Thanks for the tip of cutting the pill in half and trying it out at night first. If anything else, it might help me get a good night's sleep.
 
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It is supposed to help regulate blood pressure so it can take away some fever and hot and cold flashes. The first time I took a 0.1mg pill it knocked me out an hour later for 3-4 hours, knocked me out hard. It is good to take with maybe some gabapentin and should combat most wd symptoms.
 
Your dr is wrong to say it isn't sedating because most people here will tell you it is very sedating at least the first few doses you take. If you are on your feet at
Work don't take it during the day. After you try one you will know how to best use to help you, it can also help anxiety a little bit

It should last 4-6 hours
 
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Do you think 1/2 of a .01mg pill would allow me to work, or is there just no way to tell? I suppose everybody's body is different. I suppose I could even split the pill in quarters. I haven't picked up the script to see how small the pills are yet, and if splitting them in quarters is possible. I will get the script tomorrow. It's amazing how powerful that medication is if .01mg is the lowest dosage you can take. How do people survive on a higher dosage? Gees.

I could see how Clonodine could really help if you're going cold turkey and have the option of staying at home and being in bed. When I tried to kick cold turkey about a month or so ago, I felt the thing I needed more than anything else was to be sedated. I needed a drug to just calm my system down. A powerful med like this may have really helped.
 
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