Opioids Oxycodone withdrawal... not fun.

[Rav]

I may be a new member but have used these forums as a reference for some time now.

This is the first time I am withdrawing from anything. I take Oxycodone for legitimate back problems, unfortunately I have started taking much more than I should. (300-700mg daily last two weeks, 120-220mg daily for 2 years prior) In the past, my doctor has always been really cool if i've had to take more than prescribed, so long as i'm not going way overboard. This time I really did myself in, my month long prescription lasted 6 days. I know my doctor would NOT be cool about that.

This was actually about 5 days ago. I had an old prescription of hydrocodone laying around, so I used that to prevent any hardcore symptoms up until yesterday when I ran out of that. (I started with 120mg (CWE) for the first 2 days, then 80mg, then 60mg, then 40mg) Withdrawal did really not start until I got down to 80mg.

I've bought loperamide, hoping that will help. I've read mixed reviews. Haven't taken it yet because I can't figure out what dose I should start with. I do not have access to anything else... if I did, I would go for it.

The restless legs seem to be the absolute worst part on top of the legit pain I already suffer from. Just trying to get through this, if I had a connection for something far less legal like H. I would go for it, but i'm not the sort of person that would know where to start. So thats not a possibility. I want to think this is a good thing and a way to bring down my tolerance... because I will need to be on pain killers for some time. However i'm getting desperate for relief now.

Anyone out there have any words of advice? How did you manage to pass the time during withdraws? Minutes seem like hours. Not being able to sleep isn't helping the situation.

 

[Rav]

Despite not having any replies, I thought I would post an update for anyone that may come across this thread.

Loperamide proved to be a lifesaver, minimizing and getting rid of many unpleasant symptoms. The restless legs were the worst part, I ended up combating them with Lidocaine patches and sleeping pills. If you can get your hands on a sleeping pill such as Ambien (zolpidem) you'll be much better off. During the first and worst days, I also used a combination of Ibuprofen 800mg 2x daily, Acetaminophen 500mg x2, Gabapentin 600mg at night, Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) 10mg at night. Gabapentin combined with the last two will help knock you out, this was only necessary on nights I did not have access to Ambien. When taking the sleeping pill I only used the ibuprofen and acetaminophen, then lidocaine patches if I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.

Today I haven't taken anything and I am starting to feel good. This is day 8 and if it weren't for my legit back problems, I could easily stay off the narcotics. The cravings are there, but not that strongly.

If anyone needs help with withdrawal and wants to talk, feel free to post or PM me. :D

 

[RTrain]

Smart of you to jump ship when the habit escalated so quickly, nice work getting thru it, too.

I was wondering how much loperamide you used? I've heard the gabapentin can be a huge help. Most people don't suggest the cyclobenzaprine cause it can increase RLS, but if you got other things to combat that then it is a great med for knocking yourself out(a huge plus when w/d from opioids).

 

[SC_NowLiving]

Nice
I'm glad that it's working for you, just stick with it. I myself encounter that issue and I was able to stop. Yes,restless legs are the worst I hate them.

When I started my process cold turkey with 5 day supply of Imodum for belly, Benz for sleep and stay asleep and low dose of amphets in the morning. By day 5 I was ok, no physical WDs, but the fun begun right after day 5. PAWS the thing we all hate, cravings, boredom, psychological mind chess game. Keep in mind that uppers and downers are not a good combination to tamper with. I had a very close precise schedule for mine effects. Ambien is a strong sleep med and I'm not that familiar with it, but i would assume it's not a good combination with any controlled substance.
Make sure you have plants supply of Vitamin C it will do wonders, never take ibuprofen without anything in the belly or it's just going to make your belly not happy.

There's a lot of great info in the MegaThread for WDs.

 

[Rav]

Smart of you to jump ship when the habit escalated so quickly, nice work getting thru it, too.

I was wondering how much loperamide you used? I've heard the gabapentin can be a huge help. Most people don't suggest the cyclobenzaprine cause it can increase RLS, but if you got other things to combat that then it is a great med for knocking yourself out(a huge plus when w/d from opioids).

I used 84mg (an entire 42 count bottle of tablets). It was generic with loperamide as the only active ingredients. I took an antacid before comsumtiom, it took about an hour to an hour and a half to kick in on an empty stomach. (I had no stomach cramps as others have reported.) My restless legs still bugged me, but it made them bearable during the day. Trying to sleep was another issue and why I recommend a sleeping pill (at normal doses). Gabapentin will only work if you are not already taking it, not having it built into your system increases the drowsiness of the drug and it works wonders. The cyclobenzaprine combined with Gabapentin only intensifies this effect. From what I can find, it is not dangerous to combine these so long as you intend to got bed and give yourself enough time for the med to work its way out of your body before driving or going out.

I recommend you start with the loperamide during the day, up to two times. Then at night try the sleeping pill. If your still not able sleep, I would go with Gabapentin next. Then if you can get your hands on Lidocaine patches, they will be a lifesaver, just place them over the most problematic spots. If your still not getting relief you can try adding in the cyclobenzaprine or upping the dosage of Gabapentin.

As always, be careful and do your own research before putting anything into your body.

I am happy to report that I am no longer experiencing any signs of withdrawal and that I am already feeling comfortably sober.

 

[Rav]

Nice
I'm glad that it's working for you, just stick with it. I myself encounter that issue and I was able to stop. Yes,restless legs are the worst I hate them.

When I started my process cold turkey with 5 day supply of Imodum for belly, Benz for sleep and stay asleep and low dose of amphets in the morning. By day 5 I was ok, no physical WDs, but the fun begun right after day 5. PAWS the thing we all hate, cravings, boredom, psychological mind chess game. Keep in mind that uppers and downers are not a good combination to tamper with. I had a very close precise schedule for mine effects. Ambien is a strong sleep med and I'm not that familiar with it, but i would assume it's not a good combination with any controlled substance.
Make sure you have plants supply of Vitamin C it will do wonders, never take ibuprofen without anything in the belly or it's just going to make your belly not happy.

There's a lot of great info in the MegaThread for WDs.

You are right, Ambien is no joke. Especially if you've been drinking or are on a high dose of opiates. It is ok and is commonly prescribed with maintenance doses of opioids. It is not something you want to abuse by taking more than recommended... Start low and you can always take more of needed. Women need less than men.

I tried the mega thread, but it can be difficult to find much help when you don't have access to most anything that everyone is recommending.

 

[SC_NowLiving]

Rav
I recently kicked this whole crap out of my life and I'm exactly 47 days sober from opiates after 3 years of wasting my life.
I just came up with the best schedule based on my research and stuck with it. BTW never take more Ambien if needed, only Ambien CR is meant to keep you asleep any other Ambien is just to help you sleep. So when I started I never used any PM meds such as Ambien, Tylenol PM or any other till day 6 of my stage, I choose Benz (xanex) only at night 30 min before sleep and NIGHT,NIGHT. I would assume that you not having access to a lot of meds mentioned on the thread will have a very positive effect after opioids are out of your system day 5-7 (depends on each person) because PAWS will kick in and they are worst than first 24hr.<-my opinion...
Just a thought Imodum 2mg every 6-8 hours, will help a lot. It will get you thru the day, like you mentioned ibuprofen will work wonders (have to take it with food) I know it's hard to eat while going to WDs but just simply make yourself eat. I kept that up the whole 5 days. If you have access to amphets I found out its very helpful to get out of bed. Rememberer Benz and amphets have high potential for abuse, so def wanna do research on those and never take them as a combination. Amps=UP bensOWN
Most important thing is support, your family,friends (that are nont using) wife, girlfriend, whichever is going to be your biggest help. I had no choice but to keep it quiet while I went thru my process until day 3 wife had some questions and I had her fullest support witch helped me out.
You are on BL already so you know that something needs to change, keep it up and don't give up.

Common Ambien side effects may include:

daytime drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, feeling "drugged" or light-headed;
tired feeling, loss of coordination;
stuffy nose, dry mouth, nose or throat irritation;
nausea, constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach