Hello all - I am finally making the decision to get myself off the pain medication I've been taking for about a year and a half for a bad neck condition.. I've been taking 90mgs a day of percocet/oxycodone combo...30mg 3 times per day. Against my doctor's opinion, I asked to lower my dose...so I only received enough pills to take 60mg a day this month. Starting yesterday, I tapered my dose down to 60mg...2 pills 3 times per day. To be honest, I thought it would be easier than this. Its not God awful (I went through straight cold turkey withdrawal a few years ago). But its not easy...the 20mg gives me relief just as my old dose did...however, it seems to start wearing off after 3 or so hours since I took the previous dose. So the last few hours until the next dose get progressively worse. Again, not anything like the severe withdrawals it would be if I delayed dosing cold turkey. My neck pain gets steadily worse, overall my back pain is worse, I have mild yawns and runny nose and my mind is racing up and down with anxiety and all sorts of thoughts of being disappointed in myself and my life. I try and delay the mid-day dose as long as I can (so I can take the nighttime dose as late as possible and get a decent nights sleep). My question is...is this mild withdrawal similiar to extreme cold turkey withdrawal...in that after 4-7 days will it balance out and the withdrawals go away entirely...so that I can continue with lowering my dose? I just want to know if my body will get used to this new 60mg a day dose in a week or less and eventually I'll feel the same as I did on my 90mg dose?
I figure doing it this way (assuming my body adjusts to the new dose), will make it easier to quit eventually. My plan is once i'm down to 15 or 20mg a day...i'll jump off entirely...and that will be much easier than jumping off of a 90mg a day dose for the last 1.5 years.
Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read and/or respond! Take care!
I figure doing it this way (assuming my body adjusts to the new dose), will make it easier to quit eventually. My plan is once i'm down to 15 or 20mg a day...i'll jump off entirely...and that will be much easier than jumping off of a 90mg a day dose for the last 1.5 years.
Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read and/or respond! Take care!
