Opioids Need to get off oxycodone

[Em123]

Thank you Blue Hues! I have been on oxycodone since 2010. I have spoken to him about my concerns & all he says is "be patient"..He gave me enough medicine for one week & when i asked what will happen next time i see him he avoids answering, when i press he says we will see how you are next week. I felt at first he may be able to help me but he wont answer direct questions. Clearly i don't understand alot (which is why i am here-to learn) & what is the right way to help me.Honestly, i don't even know when/if i should take the clondidine. He didn't say, when you are shaking like a leaf take one pill, he said nothing, just to take it up to 3times a day. I worry. So when i asked him who covers for him when he goes away he said "i don't go away", when i pressed him he gave me a name of another sub doctor who is at the popular rehab in my area, but he said "Tim won't give you what i do"...so where does that leave me? I know this is unlikely to happen but what if he has a car accident, i will be screwed & not even be able to say " The Plan Dr G had for me was..." - the best i could say was...I don't know..urghh

I understand it took 3 years for me to get here & nothing will happen over night but i do want a plan..a taper plan for either the oxy or sub if i choose that..i just feel like i am in limbo. I know i am needy, i just want to understand & feel safe..not that i will run out of meds & go into w/d.

Sorry for the rant. I have been reading around & it seems like i am pretty screwed no matter what i do..oh goody LOL

Thanks again, i appreciate your time & knowledge, i did feel better after reading your post.

ps are there any other sites or places i should go to?

 

[BlueHues]

Every story you could ever possibly hear about suboxone is probably somewhere on BL...When I first went on Suboxone some 7 years ago, this is the only website I found where I could connect with other people who actually could give me tangible stories and facts based on their own experiences....Everything else I found at that time was either advertising or just the same bullshit couple paragraphs about buprenorphine as a drug...

There's a lot of Suboxone doctors where...if you have the money, they'll get you on the Sub in a hearbeat....you go back for the visits, they ask you 2 or 3 questions and whip out the magic pad...I had one place that was up my ass with urine tests and monitoring the shit out of me....it was more expensive...I hated those assholes! Mostly because I just wanted to be able to have my medication and figure out my own taper with no interference...These people wanted micromanage my every move...Some people like that approach, I hated it! He may want to taper you before inducting you...or see how you do with the oxy taper and maybe avoid giving you Sub altogether...

the thing with you that's alittle different now that you explain a little more....You went into this as a pain patient and not an addict...Also, three years isn't that long to be on opiates...You're right on the borderline of needing maintenance...that's probably why he's being all mysterious...and truth be told, if you can do this without having to be on Sub you'd be better off....Anyone would be better of not having to take opiates...

If you are gonna go on suboxone....it's the type of thing that you kind of have to devise your own plan to detox yourself from it based on how you're feeling and what you can handle...for me, that's a lot easier to do with a doctor that's not trying to manage my every move...it's really up to you...for now, I'd see where he's goin with this...He is a doctor, and I'm sure he really does have your best interest at heart.....

 

[Em123]

Blue

I ended up calling the doctor because my blood pressure went way down. I have been on bp meds for high blood pressure but since he switched the meds & i have stuck to the taper i have leveled out. Anyway, i felt weird & took bp which was 107/62 & he told me to call if there was any change..i got a chance to talk to him about a "plan" & you were right..he would like to taper me & see how i feel instead of switching me to sub, he also said "if" i were to go to sub he would like me to be on a much lower dose then i am now. That makes no sense to me because heroin addicts dont' taper before sub but i guess my age combined with other factors make the switch more difficult. I hope this works!
It's just i don't ever feel good - i am just numb to everything & i hate feeling like this.

 

[missmeyet?]

Well girl, you do have some legitimate concerns. A doctor should always be straight forward and open with you and discuss a plan so that you can be actively involved and know what your goals are. At the very least he should have been much more clear about the way to take the clonidine. And you are also right to be concerned about what would happen if he were to become suddenly unavailable. I would definitely tell him again my concerns about what would happen if he were to become ill or have a family emergency and you need a script especially if "no one else will give you what he is giving you". Ask him if that were the case what would happen? Because th ese things do happen and it is awful and very bad feeling to be in that situation.

Also, some docs are great but as a nurse for 20 years I can tell you that they don't always (usually don't) put themselves in the patients shoes. He may be an awesome doctor and you may end up being really comfortable with him but never just totally put all your trust in them. You have to be proactive with your health because in the end it is usually just a job for the doc and it is your life and well being (and peace of mind). So many times I have seen patients suffer needlessly because they were afraid to step up and say something. Just because they are doctors does not mean that they don't make mistakes (it happens every single day, some are small and some are life altering) or that they always know what is best for you. So don't be intimidated and keep asking questions until you are comfortable with where things stand.

 

[BlueHues]

I can understand his hesitancy to switch you to Suboxone, especially if you're planning on just tapering from the Suboxone anyway....Although milder, the Suboxone WD lasts at least twice as long as oxy WD would....Since it's your first time detoxing, and given that you haven't been on it that long...It could be that you could have the oxy kicked in 5 days or so....Doing a super long and slow taper with oxy before stopping completely isn't how I would do it...It may just make you suffer more....If I were to taper oxy....I'd do it quickly over 10-14 days and then start with the clonidine and a cocktail of other drugs to combat the WD symptoms....some people have very mild symptoms their first time and you could be lucky and be one of those people....

WD can completely sap you of your energy and make it very hard to move around and function, that's one of the worst parts of the whole thing for me...you have no energy and feel weak and exhausted but you can't sleep...It makes focusing on work very difficult...but if you time it right and you can get 3 days off and combine those with a weekend, you could pull it off....Withdrawal get harder everytime you go through it....You're not quite a senior citizen, but you are getting older and it could take you a little longer to adjust than a 20 year old....IDK, you'll have to wait and see....

As far as tapering the Oxy to go on the Suboxone goes? I don't really se that as being necessary...oxy has a very short half-life and it should be a breeze to get on the Sub...just wait until you're in WD and take the Suboxone....

I feel for you, it's a tough situation...tough to decide what you wanna do....

240mgs is a lot of oxycodone to be legitimately prescribed, but in the overall picture of opiate use and WD, it's really not that much....People use 10 times that amount...and when you start taking heroin into account...even a modest heroin habit equals out to a lot more than 240mgs of oxycodone...so you're habit may not be as bad as it seems to you....

I wish you good luck, if the detox he has you on starts to be uncomfortable for you, I'd try something different or switch doctors....A lot of these guys really don't seem to know all that much about withdrawal and how to effectively taper people...It's almost comical to hear about, it's like they're just making it up as they go along with nothing to actually support what they're doing....If you want real strategies of how to detox yourself from opiates, I personally think that talking to other people who have done it several times is the best way to learn....I wish you the best of luck getting through this as painlessly as possible. I know it's a major issue when it's happening, but once you get to the other side and you're off everything, it will seem like a distant memory!

 

[Em123]

Update: Iguess i didn't mention that this new doctor switched me to oxycontin. I thought i put it on here..oh well. So he has me on 80mg oxycontin pill- twice a day with oxycodone for break through - 60 mg. Basically he kept me at 240 but is using oxycontin. I do feel better on the oxycontin, not so anxious & UP..i don't know how to explain it. Anyway, i am on the oxycontin for at least another 3 weeks & has reduced the oxycodone (20 mg pills). I should be dropping 20 mg every 10 days. I guess he has the "slow & steady" approach with me. Probably based on my age, health issues & me being a big baby LOL

My plan for the next month is to stay with the slower taper & see how i feel at the end of the month when i see him again. I don't have the money to switch doctors right now. It's $250 first visit & $150 a month.

 

[BlueHues]

^Yeah if it works for you great, glad to hear you feel like you have a handle on it!