When does the light at the end of the DARK tunnel appear?

[nowherebutup]

First off just a quick thank you if you're reading this. My writing skills are not the best when I'm this miserable i.e. in withdrawal.

A few years ago I had to have surgery that was basically not a choice, but a must. I ended up with several more surgeries due to the first two not being successful. Soon after my third OP I realized the amount of daily pain I was in. I was referred to a pain clinic, (didn't know much about them, as I am not from the country where my OPs took place). Long story short, I was given heavy duty narcotics, no explanation on how incredibly hard they are to kick. I took what was given and while at first they seem to help tremendously, I soon realized that they created a lot of other issues that I wasn't okay with. However I continued to take a long acting Oxycontin 15 mg twice daily, that's it. *However without getting into specifics of the past, the amount use to be much higher and I also had short acting oxycodone as well. Which is why I made the decision to just stick to a plan of Oxycontin 15 mg twice daily, because I felt that when the time was right, I could quit. How so very wrong I was.

Fast forward to today and I've been without Oxycontin since Friday am. I have people I can speak with, but it's unnerving to hear you'll be fine, you're tough, you can do it, when they have no clue how hellish it is to be in withdrawal and not know when things will become easier. I write as I hope others who have been in my shoes can offer me words of encouragement and basically a place to keep myself in check. I'll update hoping I am successful in getting off all opiates.

I was given clonadine, tramadol, baclafen, gabapentin as well. Pretty much all of those minus the gaba have made me ill and of very little help.
I don't see the use in taking more drugs to combat my current situation since I've heard most of the above are also addicting.

If anyone has a time frame as to when I may start to feel better, I'd greatly appreciate anything you have to offer!

Thank you for reading!!

 

[neversickanymore]

Hey and welcome to BL


Oxycontin half life is about four hours. To determine how long a drug will take to be eliminated we can use 6 x the half life for a strong approximation. So it takes about a day for the drug to be eliminated. Then it takes around four days for the system to really start to adjust back for the loss of the substance.

So just coming off the oxy you would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel in under a week very good approximation would have been sometime on day six.

You stated that you were given tramadol. Nasty drug right? Its also an opioid with some other characteristics as well.

Its half life is 6 hours. 6 x 6 = 36 hours + 4 days = 5.5 days. So you should see the light at the end of your tunnel right around six days after the last dose of tram you took.

The gabapentin can cause physical dependence, but if its just used for a week or so then immediately tapered you should be fine.

If you don't mind sharing, what's the dose size and time they told you to take?

Your doing this. Freedom from the pills is on the other side.

Hot showers, sexual climax, making sure your eating enough even if the last thing you want to do is eat (nutritional shakes do well for some people), and keeping yourself occupied with non stressful activities are all things that can help some.

 

[P.o.T.u.S]

The light comes when u realize there is no darkness its just your perspective on your reality.change your perspective..change your reality.you are goin to feel like shit for a while coming off opiates but every day will get better..theres no way anybody can tell u when u will be feeling better..theres nothing u can really do except ride it out..just eat well and workout a little bit ..what goes up must come down..good luck and i think that is ridiculous they gave u tramidol which in some cases is harder to get off then oxy because of the snri effects and it still stimulates opiate receptors

 

[Erikmen]

Prepare for the worst and don't expect anything other then feeling miserable for some time and when you least expect, you'll start to feel a little better. It sort of comes and goes but it will be better than what you are going through now.
I'm on a similar situation and know exactly what you are going through.

What I can tell you now, after struggling w pretty bad withdraws is that atm, only the thought of going backwards make throw up, literally! Impossible to do this again..

I started just like you, but on a fu..ing hard medication (methadone) which made me believe for years that I was just fine.

Welcome to BL!

 

[nygiants1313]

Currently in withdrawal at work i feel your pain. Id write more but know you are not alone, and its miserable, and only if you been through it do you really know.

 

[nowherebutup]

Thank you very much for the replies! It makes doing this easier if that makes any sense. Still feel "Hellish". I was given clonidine 0.1 mg one to two tablets three times a day (it makes me viciously sick) so I take about 2 in a 24hour period

Gabapentin is ruthless on my system at 300mg take 1-2 capsules at bedtime

Tramadol 50mg take one tablet by mouth four times daily as needed ( this also doesn't do well on my system) I've taken one to two max a day (total 100mg) Is that going to impact me as far as getting off if I abruptly stop in 4 days or so?

Baclofen 10mg tablet take one tablet three times a day ( I have only taken this once)

Forgot to add Amrix 15 mg take one at bedtime which I have done only twice

I feel as though I am trading one vicious hell for another, and I'm currently working with a pain management Doctor. It makes me question why he'd give me tramadol unless it's very short term and the dose is low. Or am I grossly misinformed and even at that low dosage will have an issue stopping it?

Again I greatly appreciate your feedback, advise, whatever you post helps more than you know! Beyond grateful, thank you!

 

[nowherebutup]

Sorry I thought I entered quote, Erikmen:

I hope you're able to win this fight, I've never been on methadone, as it scares the hell out of me. Sounds like you're prepared to fight this until you WIN.

 

[nowherebutup]

Currently in withdrawal at work i feel your pain. Id write more but know you are not alone, and its miserable, and only if you been through it do you really know.

There is no way I could be at work in my condition, how are you able to do it? Are you not able to take a few days sick leave?

 

[nygiants1313]

Lol i use to not be able to. Now its my 800th withdrawal, im out and about in a company car listening to music and trying to get this spring rollin. Dont get me wrong im up and down all day emotion wise. But after kicking an IV heroin habit years ago on family vacation having to hide it and get black out drunk every day i realize withdrawal is withdrawal.

I rather take my off days and hit the beach not cry in my bed lol. Not saying your crying but ya know what i mean. Im alone all day so its a lot of inner thinking.

Mind you i refuse to eat all day no breakfast no lunch only when i get home cuz i dont have bathrooms around me 24 7 lol

And my dad is the most strong willed individual and never ever calls outta work even if hes legit dying lol so i dont wanna look like (no offense) a little girl in his eyes )

 

[neversickanymore]

Im not a doctor and im not trying to give you advice as one.

People often are a little confused about opiate detox and often put emphasis on individual drugs.

Your not detoxing individual drugs. Instead you are attempting to detox a class of drugs.

You will need to stop taking all opiates, let the system clean itself out and then give it four days to reset.

You have dropped the oxy but have taken up the tram. These both work on opiate receptors.

The oxy is stronger so your in withdrawal. But when you stabilize you will find your dependent on the new opiate level of the tram.

Your adjusting to a lower opiate dose, but your not detoxing opiates.

Also the tram is both a ssri and nari.

Ssri take two weeks to start working and during those two weeks the can make people really wacky and feel awful.

The dose of gabapentin that people experience relief at is a two day titration up to 1200 mg 2 0r 3 times a day with a max oral dose of 3600 mgpd.

Im sorry your misserable, but in looking at what they have you taking it makes perfect sense that you feal awful.

Your kinda in a pickle here.

Are you planning on staying on the tram?

 

[nygiants1313]

^^^basically. You might as well go full cold turkey or just go back to your DOC. Ive never been one to have patience and drag the withdrawal out which in hindsight thats what your doing. Feel good or kick no between.

But we each are different and didnt read whole thread if i come off as a jerk my bad

Hope you feel better soon OP

 

[nowherebutup]

Im not a doctor and im not trying to give you advice as one.

People often are a little confused about opiate detox and often put emphasis on individual drugs.

Your not detoxing individual drugs. Instead you are attempting to detox a class of drugs.

You will need to stop taking all opiates, let the system clean itself out and then give it four days to reset.

You have dropped the oxy but have taken up the tram. These both work on opiate receptors.

The oxy is stronger so your in withdrawal. But when you stabilize you will find your dependent on the new opiate level of the tram.

Your adjusting to a lower opiate dose, but your not detoxing opiates.

Also the tram is both a ssri and nari.

Ssri take two weeks to start working and during those two weeks the can make people really wacky and feel awful.

The dose of gabapentin that people experience relief at is a two day titration up to 1200 mg 2 0r 3 times a day with a max oral dose of 3600 mgpd.

Im sorry your misserable, but in looking at what they have you taking it makes perfect sense that you feal awful.

Your kinda in a pickle here.

Are you planning on staying on the tram?

Thanks again for the info! NO, I will no longer be taking the Tramadol. I had one last night and they are done. (in total I had 6 pills since Friday) I see no point in trading meds, and can't fathom why my doctor would put me on it. As for the other drugs, is there going to be withdrawal for all those as well. Is truly being in withdrawal meaning you must be on nothing? I thought that the meds he gave were to combat the worst of the symptoms that come with not being on the Oxycontin. I know that any drug taken has side effects, but I figured once I felt safely out of HELL I could reduce and stop all meds that were given. I was adamant when I was in his office that I wanted to be done with the drugs, and thought I elucidated that loud and clear. Glad I have this forum's feedback, seems much more informative, genuine and without agenda. Many thanks you all!

 

[nowherebutup]

^^^basically. You might as well go full cold turkey or just go back to your DOC. Ive never been one to have patience and drag the withdrawal out which in hindsight thats what your doing. Feel good or kick no between.

But we each are different and didnt read whole thread if i come off as a jerk my bad

Hope you feel better soon OP

Nope, just honest advice which I want, no sugar coating it, so thank you!!! I would rather read the authentic truth than feel like I'm running around in circles so to speak.

 

[nowherebutup]

I stopped taking the tramadol, the clonidine and am now only taking when necessary the Gaba and the sleep aid I have. It's an OTC. I feel ok, almost like I may be doing better one minute and back to hell another. I'm not giving in to going back, no matter what my pain levels are at. I can't wait to be free of all pills i.e. the ones mentioned above. I wish I would have done this sooner, seems like life goes so fast, if anyone is reading this and they are young (early 20's) I encourage you to not allow this crap to overtake your life. All I can say is the cliche of life is short is so true, and the older you are, the faster it goes.

 

[nygiants1313]

^^^^can deff relate to the time going by fast ESPECIALLY on drugs. You come out of the opiate fog and think "where the fuck did the last 5 years of my life go" especially if you have nothing to show for it except thousands of dollars lost. Its enough to make many go back because of the shame and reality of it all. Those emotions will come hard. But one day at a time and in a year a lot of that wasted time can be made up for. Its never to late. Remember that

 

[herbavore]

OP, have you tried acupuncture for pain? I had constant shoulder pain that went from a 3 to a 10 round the clock for almost a year. I was prescribed painkillers but after being on here was too scared to take them. I went to both physical therapy and acupuncture (recommended by both my GP and the Physical therapist) and found it to be miraculous in the short term. After the treatment I would get 24-48 hours of relief. Might not sound like much but when your pain is chronic it is a heavenly respite. The other added bonus was the total relaxation and good sleep I got on the night after a treatment. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on acupuncture and opiate withdrawals? (OK, just answered my own question: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/585219_1)

Here are some other links on the subject:

http://www.heroinhelper.com/sick/acupuncture.shtml (I really liked this site for other info as well).

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...edle-acupuncture-holistic-addiction-treatment (This one says that acupuncture does nothing for addiction but is helpful with withdrawal symptoms.)

 

[nowherebutup]

^^^^can deff relate to the time going by fast ESPECIALLY on drugs. You come out of the opiate fog and think "where the fuck did the last 5 years of my life go" especially if you have nothing to show for it except thousands of dollars lost. Its enough to make many go back because of the shame and reality of it all. Those emotions will come hard. But one day at a time and in a year a lot of that wasted time can be made up for. Its never to late. Remember that

I'm just guessing that you're quite young you're 100% right though that once the fog is lifted you realized what little one has not accomplished. It's a harsh reality to admit to. Thanks for the continued support!

 

[nowherebutup]

Herbavore:
I don't know how to multi quote sorry. I was an avid user of acupuncture when my back issues started years ago. The GP in the county I was living told me I had nothing wrong, while I continued to get worse. To the point I couldn't stand, sit, walk, without horrendous pain. When I left that country for somewhere else for work purposes the chiropractor called me frantically at my residence in a tensed panic telling me to get the the emergency at the nearest hospital. I was admitted and the Neurosurgeon said that I was lucky to have the chiropractor use such force, otherwise I'd be paralyzed. I had one of the largest herniated disc he'd ever seen. So because I was ignored for so long in my former country, the issue left me with severe nerve damage. When it first began I relied heavily on acupuncture for a variety of reasons. I have always loved holistic side of medicine. Yet when things became too severe I turned to drugs for relief. *Just not knowing what a true dead end drugs would become. The issues they would inject into my once healthy life. The amount of quilt I have is overwhelming and I am ashamed of being so weak and not advocating better for myself. Anyhow, thank you for the links above and help! You all have been a blessing,more than you know! xx

 

[xxjadedxx]

Personal experience with tramadol (6 years).... it's an amazing drug i've found for W/D, helps minimize symptoms and allows me to function during the day without feeling like crap. I've never had an issue with stopping it cold turkey but i've never taken it longer than a week or 2 max and never at super high doses for seizure reasons. Ask your doc why they rx'd that to you...

 

[nowherebutup]

Personal experience with tramadol (6 years).... it's an amazing drug i've found for W/D, helps minimize symptoms and allows me to function during the day without feeling like crap. I've never had an issue with stopping it cold turkey but i've never taken it longer than a week or 2 max and never at super high doses for seizure reasons. Ask your doc why they rx'd that to you...

Do you find that you then have to taper off of tramadol when you're done? My biggest fear was trading one headache for another. I don't mind using meds if it helps with the initial withdrawal phase (which seems worse than living hell) but to have to withdrawal twice would put me in a tailspin. I live far away from family and friends and have virtually no help, so I have to be careful how I do this. I don't have an option of doing a detox centre which has already been recommended by my pain management doc. What irks me is that not one person told me how incredibly brutal it is to get off this drug. They were happy to give it to me, with little to know info on the after thoughts, although I could have researched a bit myself. Anyhoo, it's been almost a full week since I stopped the oxycontin and I am happier than heck that I did. I still am in a tremendous amount of pain, but that may also be my body screaming for the drug, and not actual "pain", could be "ghosts pain? I'm an avid runner which keeps my spirits up, but it's not the best for my back situation. I'm a pretty stubborn person and have workout my entire life, even when injured. Which is part of my problem. In the end, I'm the fool and only have myself to blame for the path that I have taken thus far. I guess it's never too late to learn lessons that I may have either missed, ignored, or felt that I could carry on. I'm no superman (woman) . That's where I need to listen to my body and take things slow, easier said than done. Sorry for this nonsensical rant. I'm glad I joined this amazing forum. You all are great people to lean on, more so than you KNOW!