Taper and Withdrawal advice

[Puddinpiebiter]

Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice or experience with tapering off my opioids.

I’ve been on them since June 2011, for a back injury that didn’t resolve after 2 spinal fusions.
Most recently been on Palexia and Endone, since 2015.

Had to taper down for a trial spinal stimulator in August 2018, went from 200 Palexia twice a day and 90 5mg Endones a month as needed to 100 Palexia twice a day and 40 Endones a month.
Dropped too quick and was pretty miserable, bit suicidal so went back up to 150 Palexia twice a day and maybe 5 Endones a week.

I feel like I haven’t really recovered from that, I have been down ever since. Thought I was just burnt out but that has dragged on, seeing a psych etc but just can’t shake the cloud.

Was forced to drop to 100 Palexia twice a day this past month, feel much clearer in the head not as foggy, but withdrawals were fairly harsh again and mood is lower than ever.

I want off these Opiates, what is the best way forward do you think?
I was reading up on Suboxone, is that easier or just as difficult to taper down as my normal stuff?
I’m a bit worried about my mood slipping further but have good supports in place to help that so prefer to ‘soldier on’ and maybe get to the other side of this black cloud.

Should I suck it up and go cold turkey, lock myself in my room for a few weeks and just suffer through?
Physical symptoms are doing ok at the moment, have found out my big toes are cold and numb so guessing my back is playing up with that, would suboxone help with pain as well?

My ultimate plan is to be off everything and start from scratch again, I believe I have a good pain tolerance and can get through it I’m more worried about my mental health.

Any tips, thoughts, ideas or experiences would be so very much appreciated.
Thankyou

 

[cj]

I recommend tapering for sure. Some people get alot of benefit from a two week sub taper others dont. What is your current total doses and what is the dosing schedule?

 

[Iceman1216]

Tapper is a more civilized path.
I know that a many people put a lot of stock in the Experience of CT and that it will remind them of the horrible path they put themselves on????????????
Has not worked out too well for me, tapper gets me off, Cancer pain gets me back on , and the cycle continues
I always look at as a moving Train. I would always rather step of a slow moving one rather than , one at High speed

 

[bdaver]

Tapper is a more civilized path.
I know that a many people put a lot of stock in the Experience of CT and that it will remind them of the horrible path they put themselves on????????????
Has not worked out too well for me, tapper gets me off, Cancer pain gets me back on , and the cycle continues
I always look at as a moving Train. I would always rather step of a slow moving one rather than , one at High speed

What Iceman says. I'm a CT kind of guy but it's really intense. My MD said she couldn't support my approach. When I saw a new pain specialist the other day (he was British) I told him my story and he said "That's rather sporting". But that's the kinda guy I am. A taper would have been more gentle but to me, that would just be dragging out the pain. Based on your comments, I would taper but you also have good reason to be on pain meds (as do I). I totally understand your desire to get off them. Good luck. I'm 33 days clean today and just starting to feel normal.

 

[Iceman1216]

great job Dave<
Tapper can be a pain in the Ass, for sure!! But with chronic pain from cancer treatments, there is a balance to my day. But I am concerned about long term use. Now I am no spring chicken and i attend more funerals than weedings

 

[ghostandthedarknes]

Has anyone had any luck with gabapentin for alcohol withdrawal? I don't want to go to the hospital again for another medical detox if I don't have to. It's getting embarrassing now.

 

[Puddinpiebiter]

Thanks so much for your replies guys.

Cj my current doses are 100mg Palexia SR twice a day, with 5mg endones as needed.
I try not to use the endone if I can get away with it, so maybe 1 or 2 5mg tablets a week.

Bdaver well done on getting off them, that’s awesome. I think the same as you, am I just prolonging the misery by going slow or should I just deal with the withdrawal to get off them quicker.

The reason I want to get off them is because I don’t have any control over my dosing anymore. I have had the same doctor for most of my chronic pain experience and she totally understood me and never messed with my meds, made me feel like I was in control.

She moved away and these past 15 months has been a nightmare having my permits renewed and other doctors giving me grief about the doses etc I feel like they have completely disempowered my choices for this latest crackdown on Opiates and I don’t like working really hard to get stable mentally and physically then having the rug pulled out at the whim of my doctor.
I can’t see it getting any better and I want to be more in control, that’s why I was thinking Suboxone or something.

Depending on the strain I can get some relief and a few hours sleep at night from smoking a joint, I’m waiting on my referral to go in to try and get prescribed Cannabis legally so my hope would be I could maybe manage daytime pain with some oil if possible.

I’m supposed to have a spinal stimulator implanted, the trial surgery was good for my leg pain, not so much for my back issues but workcover are messing me around and it’s been dropped from my tier of private health so I’m kind of scared to even agree to it now, I’ve not had the best luck in surgical interventions and I’m scared I’ll end up in more pain and not able to get it taken back out.

 

[cj]

Has anyone had any luck with gabapentin for alcohol withdrawal? I don't want to go to the hospital again for another medical detox if I don't have to. It's getting embarrassing now.

Gabapentin wont help alcohol withdrawal. You need a benzo.

Ehh i mean i could make a taper schedule for you but honestly i dont know if quitting opiates with no backup plan for the pain is a good idea. Thats your call though. How many endones do you have? it will be easier to taper with them because breaking up an extended release drug is sketchy for dosing