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Fast methadone taper help

Going from methadone -> morphine -> oxycodone, especially if you haven’t taken morphine much before, sounds like a pretty good idea all things considered. Very doable.

What does of oxycodone are you normally prescribed?
 
I would try to get away from that doc asap. It kinda sounds like your relationship with him is deteriorating. Not your fault though he just had unrealistic expectations. Can you go ahead and make the on appointment? I would say your off methodone for all intents and purposes.
 
My insurance requires a referral for pain management so I'm stuck with Dr Dick for now. And I need to make sure there's zero chance of having methadone in the drug screen at pain management and the neuro. My neurosurgeon said neither his office or pain management take MMT patients. There's a lot of new dea laws in my state. He said if I was prescribed for pain then pm would see me but not for maintenance.

TPD you asked what my normal Oxycodone dose was. I only started that when my dr gave it to me for my first taper. It was 20mg. But he didn't give me another script for those. I'm not sure what he's going to do. Around here it takes months to get a new patient appointment for pain management. He said he would prescribe something for pain until I got an appointment but he won't even make the referral because I'm not off the methadone. That's why I wanted to hurry up and get off of it because I have 2 different doctors who won't see me until the methadone no longer shows on their screen. It's just a mess. But I'm doing really well with the taper plan you guys set up. Seems like the 7 days gives my body time to adjust to the drop. I feel like I'll be successful this time. I mean if I can jump tomorow to the morphine then I'll do that. Oh I looked at the script and all I could make out was: ms ir and then there's 15mg and 90. So I think it's the short acting because of the ir. And it may not say IR his handwriting is awful. I had a pharmacist say he couldn't make out a script before. They had to call him lol. I don't know how many a day I'm allowed and for how long the script is for. Sorry.

Hopefully in the very near future I will be able to post on here saying I'm finally done with my taper!

?Barb
 
Definitely sounds like hopping on the morphine pronto is the best plan. It can take a few weeks for the methadone to clear your system, so perhaps you can use that time to setup your other appointments or make any of the necessary plans.
 
Oh wow a few weeks? Well now I'm 100% sure my dr is a moron. When he yelled at me the time before this last visit, he told me that "there was no way I was in wd's because it would have been out of my system in less than a week" I knew that wasn't true. I didn't know it took weeks but I knew that my body had been storing it up for the 3 years I was in MMT. You would think a doctor would know this stuff. I see him for a follow up on the staph infection on the 17th so I'm going to ask him to go ahead and make the referral. Even if I'm still tapering he won't know unless I tell him. And that will give me enough time because it will most likely be 2 months minimum before I'm seen by pain management.
 
Oh wow a few weeks? Well now I'm 100% sure my dr is a moron. When he yelled at me the time before this last visit, he told me that "there was no way I was in wd's because it would have been out of my system in less than a week" I knew that wasn't true. I didn't know it took weeks but I knew that my body had been storing it up for the 3 years I was in MMT. You would think a doctor would know this stuff. I see him for a follow up on the staph infection on the 17th so I'm going to ask him to go ahead and make the referral. Even if I'm still tapering he won't know unless I tell him. And that will give me enough time because it will most likely be 2 months minimum before I'm seen by pain management.
Sounds like a good plan.
 
I should also point out that 20mg of oxycodone is equivalent to 30mg morphine taken orally. Your new 15mg dose of IR morphine will only be equivalent to 10mg oxycodone. I wonder if you are allowed to take 15mg morphine twice a day? That would equal out to 20mg of oxycodone or so.

It’s a little beside the point because you have to work with what you have, and 15mg is enough to keep you from getting too uncomfortable. Probably not going to be a super comfortable transition, but from where you’re at now it will be very managible and nothing as difficult as what you got a taste of trying to jump off earlier.

Keep your head up OP. You’re well on your way already :)
 
Ok so I filled the script and I was wrong about almost all of it. He prescribed generic MS Contin 15mg 1 every 8 hours for the first week. Then can take 2 tablets twice a day. I'm completely confused about the dosing. Why every 8 hours for a week? And then 2 pills twice a day? And the amount was 90 tablets. I guess that's about 2 weeks worth with the way he wants me to take them. I didn't take the methadone yesterday or today but I'm not sure I can stick with the morphine. About 45 minutes after taking it felt really hot and my face and chest turned red. I called my mother who's allergic and she said that she didn't think it was a reaction. But I definitely felt weird. It finally went away but did it again after the next dose. So I'm not sure. Maybe it because of the methadone? If anyone here has taken morphine and knows what's going on with me I'd love some feedback.
 
That's a classic histamine reaction common to morphine. Take a Benadryl 30 min before dosing. Should fix it. Did the 15mg get you off sick?

So you have 90 15mg pills? Wouldn't that be 3 pills a day for 30 days? Or am I missing something
 
I feel like punching your Dr's. I get so pissed off that your your're going through this. And how uniformed they are regarding methadone.

Barb I got off methadone by getting back on OxyContin. I felt like shit for about 2 weeks. Not withdrawal but I felt drugged. I mean that in the worst of ways. Like I was made ot lead. I assume that is because methadone was still in my system.

How are you feeling? I hope the meds are helping. I was on time-released morphine (MS Contin) for a few years. That's what I detoxed off of ct in jail. I hope you get relief ❤
 
CJ the bottle says take 1 every 8 hours for 1 week. Then take 2 tablets twice a day. With him prescribing 90 I thought the same, 3 a day. But his instructions are weird. He wants me taking 4 a day after a week. Isn't this a long acting type of drug?

I feel worse now than I did on 7mg of methadone. I think maybe I should just finish the taper and just use these as needed. What do you guys think?
 
If you crush up your morphine (or just chew it), it should have more of an effect. Ideally, if you weren’t in the situation you were regarding the methadone in your system, I’d just suggest continuing the taper. It is really up to you though, given your situation. If not continuing the taper will prevent you from getting the care you need down the road, I’d suggest working to get off it ASAP. That said, there is no legitimate medical reason not to finish your taper.

But by the same token, 15mg of morphine three times a day (with the formulation you’re using, chewed) should hold you alright. It might be a little uncomfortable for a week or two as you transition into it, but that is a reasonable dose of morphine to be switching to from under 10mg of methadone. You can always supplement the morphine with 10-20mg of loperamide to aid in the transition. It will be far more managible than just cutting the methadone off without replacing it with something.
 
I would ignore his suggestion and take 3 a day. That will probably hold you pretty well. Even if you feel a little worse for awhile it should level out pretty quick.
 
I have this horrible pressure in my head/ears. And I don't know that I'd call it a rash but I'm really red on my chest and face. Is all that from the histamine? I don't have any Benadryl I'll have to pick some up tomorrow. Does that ever go away?
 
That sounds like a classic histamine reaction. There is a chance you might be allergic to morphine, although that is fairly uncommon there are people who can’t take codeine or morphine. Id think it was more likely a histamine reaction, even though this is a little odd at such a low oral dose.

Definitely get some antihistamines ASAP and monitor your symptoms. Make an appointment with you doctor ASAP if this continues despite an antihistamine. They might prescribe something steroidal like Prednisone, but more likely switch you to a different med. Assuming they are not entirely incompetent...

Something like diphenhydramine will also be good for you because it will add a slight potentiation effect to the morphine, which will help keep you more comfortable (assuming you don’t have issues with the sedative effects, but at 25-50mg DPH it shouldn’t be too strong).
 
I found a pack of generic benedryl. It says diphenhydramine hcl 25mg. I took 1. This pressure in my head and ears is terrible. I can't even get out of bed because it feels like my brain is gonna explode through my ears. I've never felt anything like this. I have high blood pressure so I'm kinda scared. This can't cause anything bad can it? Does it usually go away after taking it for a while or should I expect this with every dose?

My doctor won't prescribe anything else. He made it very clear that this was my last shot at him helping me. He's a jerk and once I'm in with pain managment I'm getting rid of his ass.
 
If this continues please visit an urgent care facility or the ER. It is unusual to experience such an extreme reaction to the morphine. Also, unless medical professionals are able to get it under control, get back on the methadone. This isn’t worth some serious health complication.

It generally takes about 30 minutes for DPH to kick in. If you aren’t feeling relief from 25mg, try taking another 25-50mg. If 25mg makes you feel worse, do not take more and get yourself to a doctor who can check it out. Urgent care centers are probably wholly unable to deal with this issue as it requires a very specific specialization they probably won’t have, so although it is more expensive and ER may be a better bet (although by the same token they may have no clue).

Can you monitor your BP with an analytical device? Like a BP meter or whatever? As opposed to just guessing what it is. That can actually cause a panic attack, which will increase you BP/discomfort in itself. If you can monitor it, let us know what it is versus what it normally is. If you have BP medication, it is probably a good idea to take it. Just check to see if it has any interactions with morphine or DPH (or with us) first.

I’m sorry to hear you are going through this Barbie. Sounds really horrible and very scary. This is unlikely to actually cause you real harm, but it is unsettling enough that you should really get a medical professional to check up on what you’re experiencing.

And just to reiterate, it still sounds like you’re experiencing a histamine reaction. Try laying down with the lights off in a cool room. That may help. Anything you can do to relax with something that doesn’t stimulate you any more than you already are (so watching TV or playing games isn’t the best idea).

Unless you begin to have trouble breathing, histamines reactions, while very unpleasant, are generally not very dangerous. If you begin to find your face, for instance, is become swollen and inflamed or begin to have trouble breathing, that is the sign you need to get to an ER ASAP. But short of difficulty breathing, it shouldn’t actually be dangerous.

I now see it is more than 30 minutes since taking DPH. How are you feeling?
 
Thank you TPD. It has relieved some of my symptoms. The pressure in my head isn't as bad as it was an hour ago. I wish he would have just kept me on the Oxycodone. I've never expirienced anything like this before. I can deal with that red heat feeling on my face and chest. But not the pressure/headache thing. I do have a bp monitor somewhere I'll have to find it. It's been under control since dr dick put me on lisinopril so I haven't needed it. I'll def check it. And I'm not so sure I want to take the morphine again.
 
Ugh such a shitty situation. Can you go ahead and make the pain management appointment now so you can hopefully end up on a med you can tolerate. I would also call Dr dick and explain the situation. Having an allergic reaction is not something that the patient should just have to deal with regardless how the doctor feels about you personally or whatever his deal is.
 
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