I'm new here but I wanted to chime in. My story is pretty standard, I was prescribed Vicodin after an ACL replacement back in 2008. I took it for 3 days, didn't really like it; left it in the medicine cabinet. I began to take it whenever I would catch a cold (I had 3 small kids then, we were getting sick all the time) and it helped. Once I got a cold lasted 10 days, started taking Vicodin 750 x 2 per day every day. Over about 18 months this went up to 15-20 Norco (10/325) per day; it was an easy relaxed time. Eventually I couldn't sustain my habit and I went to a doc in late 2009, told him I was an addict. He (meaning well I think) prescribed me more Norco and we tried a taper. That failed, surprise surprise, I just used his Rx and what I got from my connection; this went on a few months. Finally, having researched and researched I got on Suboxone in May of 2010. My initial dose was 6 mg but (as addicts with overly sympathetic doctors do) I eventually reached 24 mg. 24 mg is waaaaay more sub than anyone needs, I would say 8-12 or maybe 16 in an extreme case. But I just wanted more more more.
So now it's 2014 I'm taking suboxone for 3 years and it becomes clear I will need a total knee replacement. We schedule it for Jan 2015. I'm honest with my Sub Dr. and my surgeon, but you can't do a knee replacement without pain killers; it's a very painful operation (if there is a painless operation, I don't know what it is).
We all agree we should switch me to oxy, have the surgery and then taper off the oxy. We have the surgery, it goes well, I take my prescribed oxycodone, oxycontin, and hydrocodone in the weeks following the surgery; total of >100 mg/day. I will say immediately after the surgery I asked for pain relief, I was given 20 mg oxycodone, and 1mg of dilaudid; these did nothing at all. I think this is because I stopped the sub 3 days before the surgery and it lasts a long time; it was blocking those drugs from working. It took about 36 hours for the painkillers to have any noticeable effect.
So 8 weeks after the surgery we start the oxy taper which was a total failure (I just ate it up I won't surprise anyone reading this). I told my Dr. I wanted to go back on sub and taper off that. (this is March 2015).
So over the next several months I go from 8 mg sub to 1 mg sub and Wednesday the 6th I take my last .5 mg. Thursday night is horrible, can't sleep legs jumping all over and I've still got 20 mg oxycontin lying around. I take that (wish I hadn't) slept OK after about 2 hours. Next day is OK, but soon symptoms start again:
depression
pain
RLS
can't sleep
no energy
And I've been dealing with that since then. I heard day 3 was the worst but everyone's story is different. I'll check in here on day 5 and let you know how it goes. I'm hoping to turn the corner soon. this is really hard. Yoga and exercise seems to help a teeny bit.
wrote this last night, it's now 2PM on day 4. Last was hard, no sleep till 5 am. Woke up feeling OK but I can feel the w/d coming back. I'm going to try going outside, have a small project there (chimney fell off the pole barn wood burner), see if working helps take my mind off.
any thoughts or experience welcome, please!
DrGian
So now it's 2014 I'm taking suboxone for 3 years and it becomes clear I will need a total knee replacement. We schedule it for Jan 2015. I'm honest with my Sub Dr. and my surgeon, but you can't do a knee replacement without pain killers; it's a very painful operation (if there is a painless operation, I don't know what it is).
We all agree we should switch me to oxy, have the surgery and then taper off the oxy. We have the surgery, it goes well, I take my prescribed oxycodone, oxycontin, and hydrocodone in the weeks following the surgery; total of >100 mg/day. I will say immediately after the surgery I asked for pain relief, I was given 20 mg oxycodone, and 1mg of dilaudid; these did nothing at all. I think this is because I stopped the sub 3 days before the surgery and it lasts a long time; it was blocking those drugs from working. It took about 36 hours for the painkillers to have any noticeable effect.
So 8 weeks after the surgery we start the oxy taper which was a total failure (I just ate it up I won't surprise anyone reading this). I told my Dr. I wanted to go back on sub and taper off that. (this is March 2015).
So over the next several months I go from 8 mg sub to 1 mg sub and Wednesday the 6th I take my last .5 mg. Thursday night is horrible, can't sleep legs jumping all over and I've still got 20 mg oxycontin lying around. I take that (wish I hadn't) slept OK after about 2 hours. Next day is OK, but soon symptoms start again:
depression
pain
RLS
can't sleep
no energy
And I've been dealing with that since then. I heard day 3 was the worst but everyone's story is different. I'll check in here on day 5 and let you know how it goes. I'm hoping to turn the corner soon. this is really hard. Yoga and exercise seems to help a teeny bit.
wrote this last night, it's now 2PM on day 4. Last was hard, no sleep till 5 am. Woke up feeling OK but I can feel the w/d coming back. I'm going to try going outside, have a small project there (chimney fell off the pole barn wood burner), see if working helps take my mind off.
any thoughts or experience welcome, please!
DrGian