Hello. I am in my young twenties and have a problem. I am currently fighting a Benzodiazepine dependency. I tapered down from 5mg Clonazepam to 0.4mg. I am also taking oxycodone (60-100mg a day). The oxycodone always helped me staying motivated during the Benzodiazepine withdrawal and fought off the depression. I snorted them and ate them over the whole day without problems for months. Two weeks ago something happened. I got a cold and had a very stuffy nose. Because of that, I consumed much less oxycodone. In the morning I always woke up completely wet from sweating, air hunger, freezing and twitching because I was in interdose withdrawal of oxcodone. I also had insomnia for a week because I couldn't take as much oxycodone due to my cold and feeling sick. One morning I took 60mg DXM due to coughing and took my usual oxycodone snorting dosage. I had a massive panic attack, chest pressure, a heart rate of 180 and hyperventilated. Now I tried to consume more oxycodone again after my cold to avoid the interdose withdrawals but now I am feeling anxious, overly alert, overstimulated and my heart beats insanely fast if I snort just 30mg in the morning. It doesn't feel right anymore. It puts me into a panic mode as if I had taken an amphetamine overdose. Why is this happening now? Is it due to blood level flucuations due to the cold where I lost my steady level of oxycodone? And how am I going back on it? I am in constant partial withdrawal because I cannot snort as much oxycodone anymore. My heart goes crazy. Is this just panic?
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BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic
Suddenly oxycodone causes anxiety
- Thread starter Abyssos
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Are you at all familiar with Dextromethorphan or was this sort of an odd thing? Some are highly and I'm talking highly sensitive to the dissociative effects of the drug.
In short, I feel that you had a panic/anxiety episode provoked by the Dextromethorphan that's now causing you to mentally associate the Oxycodone with the Dextromethorphan. At any rate, I would avoid the Dextromethorphan. It is not a good thing for everybody. Oxycodone is itself an anti-tussive for future reference.
It wouldn't be a first line treatment for the purpose of cough-control, but it should do the trick unless you have a very severe cough.
In short, I feel that you had a panic/anxiety episode provoked by the Dextromethorphan that's now causing you to mentally associate the Oxycodone with the Dextromethorphan. At any rate, I would avoid the Dextromethorphan. It is not a good thing for everybody. Oxycodone is itself an anti-tussive for future reference.
It wouldn't be a first line treatment for the purpose of cough-control, but it should do the trick unless you have a very severe cough.
I didn't feel the dissociative effects of DXM at 60mg. It was only the second time I have used it and the last time as well after the horrible panic attack. However, I was having very little sleep that morning when I was doing the DXM and I also used a prescribed nose spray which I found out has a stimulating effect on the CNS due to adrenaline agonism.
I guess you are right about the anxiety I associate with Oxycodone now. I get the same chest pressure, throat tightness and sensory overload as I did with the DXM combination.
The problem is that not taking my previous dosage will put me into an anxious state of withdrawal, too.
What's your advise?
I guess you are right about the anxiety I associate with Oxycodone now. I get the same chest pressure, throat tightness and sensory overload as I did with the DXM combination.
The problem is that not taking my previous dosage will put me into an anxious state of withdrawal, too.
What's your advise?
It is definately withdrawal due to a much lower dosage than usual. Is high blood pressure and heart pounding normal during withdrawal? My Betablocker Bisoprolol isn't working to calm down my heart. I also have strong orthostatic hypotension which I never had. How can I ease the cardiovascular side effects of withdrawal?
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What a little bitch you are Abyssos. A combined Benzo/Opioid withdrawal has you feeling unwell? All joking aside, nobody feels you are being a sissy about this at all. Everyday you don't rob a pharmacy or string yourself up should be counted as a powerful personal victory. The fact that you're experiencing Clonazepam withdrawal explains a lot. Everyone's personality is a little different and we can all handle different things at different intensities, but Benzodiazepines/Sedative Hypnotic withdrawal is well-known to be physically and emotionally devastating.
What is your plan for dealing with this? I'm assuming by the fact that you're on LevoMethadone you're either in Germany or one of the Low Countries. Could you potentially try to link up with an MD for a Clorazepate/Chlordiazepoxide taper or maintenance protocol? I firmly believe that in situations as difficult as these, skinning one cat at a time is important. Given the development regarding your Benzodiazepine dependence, your experience with Dextromethorphan is pretty typical. It's not a drug that's easy on the body in my experience. Any added stress to your CNS while in sedative/hypnotic withdrawal could easily provoke a panic attack/breakdown of functioning. Stop using it for now please.
I'm surprised nobody could answer your question regarding your Methadone prescription. Methadone is a chiral molecule. It has two isomers. Levo-Methadone is the "active" (in this instance) side of the molecule; the one which will mediate your withdrawal and almost all of the Opioid effects of this drug. Dextro-Methadone is among other things, active as an agonist of the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) system. So, in short, your LevoMethadone is twice as potent as what would be callled racemic Methadone.
For further analogy, LevoMethorphan is a powerful Opioid, while DextroMethorphan is little more than a cough-suppressant.
Hello Keif' Richards. Thank you so much for this useful post! I appreciate it and your information are very useful for my situation.
I am from Germany, indeed. I was prescribed LEVOMETHADONE for pain management, not as a substitution. I am a chronic pain patient. Since I am hydrated I tolerate opiates better again. It seems I lost alot of fluids during my cold.
Very kind regards!
I am from Germany, indeed. I was prescribed LEVOMETHADONE for pain management, not as a substitution. I am a chronic pain patient. Since I am hydrated I tolerate opiates better again. It seems I lost alot of fluids during my cold.
Very kind regards!
no trust me