Opioids Switching ROA for HM. Expect W/D's ?

[BustedUpBoarder]

Just wondering if I can expect any sort of withdrawal symptoms once I switch from taking Hydromorph Contin intranasal to orally. I am prescribed 200 9mg HMC's a month , and was curious if I switch to taking them orally , because of the low bioavailability compared to snorting ,will cause W/D ? I will keep dose of 54mg daily the same, just switching the ROA. I have been snorting these for almost 2 years , and it is becoming a real hassle crushing these. I am also afraid I am doing some real damage snorting these doses for so long, and it would be a lot easier to just swallow them. Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[SWIM Had A Dream]

I do not take Hm-C, but I expect that as you stated the lower bioavaility will reduce the usable ammount of the drug that your CNS is dependant on. Less drugs = Sniffly Sadness...IME...a quick search revealed

Bioabailability of hydromorphone:

Intranasal: 52–58% (according to wikipedia)
Intranasal- 52.4%, Rectal administration 33% ,Oral-30-35% (according to this chart)

So nasal does have a higher bioabailability than oral - if you assume it's 60% (rounded up) and oral 30% to be on the safe side, you should take half the dose you normally would to get the same effects (or expect the same dose to be twice as strong..)

But really, I cannot stress enough that starting to abuse your pain meds in that way is asking for trouble.. nasal administration is obviously safer than IVing as a ROA, but it's still using a ROA other than the one you are prescribed, with a higher bioabailability, and if you start using them to get high you are risking going down a slippery slope (see muvolution's post).. as your tolerance rises you'd be tempted to up your dose more and more and the temptation to IV would grow..

I'm sorry, I don't mean to preach to you at all - but as this is a HR site I feel I have to say that I am really concerned that you'll end up running into problems that could jeopardise your future pain management..

Also, as you say, returning to your normal oral dose after using a ROA that gives twice the bioavailability wouldn't be much fun..

I hope this helps