Morphine Taper: Can I Cut MST Continus In Half?

[Rybee]

Hi All,

I have a lumbar spinal fracture and have been rotating around Morphine/Oxycodone/Tapentadol/Fentanyl for 2 years now and I'm getting sick of it. I've been doing intensive physiotherapy as well as swimming and Pilates in an effort to strengthen my core abdomen and reduce the strain on my lumbar spine fracture. As such, I've started a taper plan to try and get off of the opiates, or at least reduce their load.

It may seem a silly question but I don't know how the time release mechanism works for these particular extended release Morphine tablets, I know some brands will have different XR mechanisms so that's why I mention that I'm specifically taking Morphgesic Tablets made by Adapharm:

In order to carry on with my taper plan it means cutting my tablets (I get a mixture of lots of XR30mg and lots of XR15mg as well 1x 600mg's of liquid morphine) - and the 30mg's and 15mg's don't fit in very well with the numbers of my taper plan. I just fell out with my GP who prescribes my morphine and I wouldn't feel comfortable in talking to him to discuss helping me taper so I have to use what I've got.

So anyway, are these the kind of pills that can't be cut in half order for the time release to work? And if they can be cut in half - can they be crushed into a powder that can be weighed and then measured accordingly (that would be the best method as I could weight out my dose and be very accurate in following the taper plan)?

One tablet weighs 150mg and they're not scored so cutting has proved tricky. I just tried to cut one in half and ended up with 94/56mg and 88/62mg - so safe to say I'm going to have to cut them multiple times to get them accurate (if they can be cut at all), which is why id rather crush them and measure out the powder if that's possible.

If they can't be cut and need to be digested whole for the XR mechanism to work, I guess I can use whatever combination of whole XR tablets I can use to calculate near enough to my tapered dose, and then just supplement it with an accurate dose of the liquid Morphine I have.

Any help much appreciated.

 

[Rybee]

Final bump before I cry. Been delaying my tapering schedule because of this

Come on someone please

 

[ovo1024]

Remove the purple coating, with a wet napkin, than crush into a powder, than let sit in a cup of heavily carbonated soda coca cola works fine for me, drink up after that.

 

[Runtoparadise]

Ok, I would abandon the idea of tapering with XR meds. Obviously, though, if that's the bulk of what you're intending to taper with, you'll need to defeat the time release mechanism.

I have experience with MS Contin, but not the above mentioned brand. Once the pill is cut at all, it's no longer going to deliver a certain dose over a certain time. Eg: by aproximately halving a 30mg tablet, you'll not be receiving around 15mgs over twelve hrs.

The finer that you cut/crush the tablet, the quicker it'll absorb into your system. Acting like IR morphine. I think doing this & dissolving it in a small amount of liguid, then using a syringe to measure it'd be more accurate way to dose.

What is your taper plan? I gather you're on a dose such as 45mg,-hence the two strengths. There's a number of strategies for tapering. The one that I'd prefer, & have at times resorted to in times where I'd otherwise run out of opiates, is wait until you begin to experience withdrawl symptoms, then take as little IR med as possible to alleviate symptoms.

This is known as your "holding" dose, & that's the dose that you will have to stabilise on then reduce gradually.

Well done for finding the strength of mind to taper off opiates!! Good luck with your plan. Lucky you it doesn't sound like you're on a huge dose, so hopefully in a few weeks you'll be opiate free! A life that some of us can only dream of.

Rtp