Forced w/d coming up. Are Clonidine, Zofran, Ativan and Vitamin C enough to carry me?

[ElleAZ]

My pain management doctor wants me off and he said that at Oxy 30mg for 8 weeks, it likely wouldn't be bad. He suggested tapering to 20 for a week, then 10. So I imagine three weeks of w/d!

I cried in his office because I feel that this surgery was the worst decision I have made in years. It has torn me in every direction and I cannot move forward until I get off Oxy. I can't drive.

I feel the anxiety under my skin at the oddest times and it keeps me house bound. I won't even get in the tub. So this needs to end.

I also bought Lope but I don't want to do the mega dosing thing as constipation has put me in the ER.

Thanks for any advice or insight.

 

[Prescottdave]

The WD should not be to bad if you make sure to taper down hopefully to at least a dose of 5 mg per day. Try taking 8-12 mg of lope if you do feel physical WD's during the first 3-4 days. Other then that the clonidine will also be extremely important. If you have no prior history with opiates using them for 8 weeks should not result in a traumatic cessation experience. No need to take mega doses of immodium to feel relief from the physical aspect of discontinuing opioids.

 

[ObieWan]

I've never withdrawn from OXY, but I imagine this would be uncomfortable. You did not say how long you were on it as this makes a difference. The clonidine can help with the blood pressure spike which goes with wd from many drugs. The ondansetron will help with nausea. The the lorazepam will help with sleep, restlessness, and anxiety. None of these will help with the feelings of NOT well being, depression, aches, etc. But these are all a cushion and will help.

You should talk to you doctor about a longer taper. It can be done with minimal discomfort. You can also see a sub doctor and can taper you off in about 2 weeks with much less discomfort if this Dr. won't work with you.

EDIT: I misunderstood. 8 weeks is not terrible. I think you will be fine, but I do agree with getting down to 5mg before cessation.

 

[simco]

Have you been taking your Oxy as directed? i.e. following the doctor-recommend dose, and taking it orally? If so (and to a lesser extend, even if not), quitting after a ~2 month habit really shouldn't put you into gnarly WDs. And the taper will help offset any symptoms you do have. Of course it's nearly impossible to predict how any particular kick will play out. But a relatively short duration at a relatively low dose should keep you in OK shape.

The thing I encourage you to prepare for is the mental side of things. You're already feeling some intense emotions about your opioid use and related subjects, and these emotions are likely to get stronger for a while when you stop. Do you have any support--people or groups that you trust--that you can lean on as you come off the oxy? I would also recommend looking at our sticky thread here on SL about mindfulness and recovery...Having some tangible skills to use against the depression, anxiety, etc will probably help at least as much as your comfort meds.

Good luck!

 

[cj]

It sounds like you are already emotionally vulnerable. That's not a good place to start withdrawal in but it's where you are. Basically your going to feel like death for 5 days then you will recover over the next few days.

 

[ElleAZ]

Absolutely yes. I took them on the Clock . My surgery was supposed to be standard and simple . They replaced an old hip replacement that I had for over 20 years. But I lost so much blood during the surgery that they kept me in the hospital for three nights. My husband took over all of my medication and I never missed one or had extra.

My pain doctor can’t understand how my body has become dependent upon these meds. By the time I met him I had already been on 40 to 75 mg of oxycodone per day, and a Valium twice per day, for six weeks. That was enough to create such a dependence that I was getting breakthrough withdrawals while I was taking it! Just seems that one day the oxycodone decided it didn’t like me and wanted me to take more of it. It left me with nothing but constant withdrawals for the last three weeks. Insomnia, agitation, inability to eat, and hot and cold flashes have been my every day for the past month.

I am working really hard to stay positive and keep moving. I’m taking recommended supplements for mood stability. My family is very supportive but it’s obvious that they just want it over.

Thank you!

 

[cj]

Absolutely yes. I took them on the Clock . My surgery was supposed to be standard and simple . They replaced an old hip replacement that I had for over 20 years. But I lost so much blood during the surgery that they kept me in the hospital for three nights. My husband took over all of my medication and I never missed one or had extra.

My pain doctor can’t understand how my body has become dependent upon these meds. By the time I met him I had already been on 40 to 75 mg of oxycodone per day, and a Valium twice per day, for six weeks. That was enough to create such a dependence that I was getting breakthrough withdrawals while I was taking it! Just seems that one day the oxycodone decided it didn’t like me and wanted me to take more of it. It left me with nothing but constant withdrawals for the last three weeks. Insomnia, agitation, inability to eat, and hot and cold flashes have been my every day for the past month.

I am working really hard to stay positive and keep moving. I’m taking recommended supplements for mood stability. My family is very supportive but it’s obvious that they just want it over.

Thank you!

Hold up. You've been in withdrawal for 3 weeks? That doesn't sound right at all for such a short term habit. Tell us about your symptoms. Also how many days have you been totally opiate free.

 

[ElleAZ]

Yes I’ve had wd symptoms for three weeks. One day I was standing in my bathroom and I just started to shake and all of my muscles locked up . I went to the emergency room where they called it an anxiety attack . But the truth is that I had run out of my Valium and wasn’t aware that stopping it would cause withdrawals. So I was really sick for the next week.

Three days after the er, I was brought into pain management with an immediately drop my medication Oxy from 45mg to 60mg a day down to 30 mg a day . So I went through a short benzo withdrawal just as they were cutting my Oxy. After that, dropping the Oxy made me sick for a week. I was at that dosage for three weeks because of the holidays. Last week the withdrawal symptoms intensified yet I was still on the same dosage. nothing had changed.

I am currently tapering, yesterday I went from 30 mg to 20 mg . I think I will wait 5 days to drop it to ten. I don’t have 5s so I will be jumping at 10.

The current theory about my response to the medications is that I have a degenerative neuromuscular disease that has impaired my central nervous system. My cranial nerves are lacking sufficient myelin. That’s the only explanation that we can come up with .

 

[cj]

Benzo withdrawal is awful and lasts a long time. Are you back on the Valium? If not that would explain why your feeling so bad. Tapering is basically just a prolonged withdrawal. If your already feeling bad I think it might be in your best interest to go ahead and jump off the opiates and get it over with. Since your having trouble I think you need heavy comfort meds. Lyrica or gabapentin/clonidine/muscle relaxer/benzo/ibprofin/ and vitamins

 

[yompf]

Can you get Suboxone? I've had really good luck using a mixture of sub and methadone.
Sub for the first week tapered. Then methadone for the next week.
Pretty much that gets you through relatively easy . Especially if you have tramadol. The trick is not to get hooked on any of these . I would check the streets for these if you want this to be easier .
Basically the opiates will be leaving your system while the other meds keep you stabilized.
It will take 2 weeks not 3 to kick your oxy. Just taper as much as you can . That's really important.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Frankly, if you're doctor is trying to get you to do something you're not comfortable (such as coming off opioids), I'd try to get at least one second opinion. If nothing else, you should have someone who is willing to help you work on the benzo and opioid issues one at a time.