Opioids Withdrawal from Oxycodone every 6 hours?

[theblurr54]

I have been on relatively doses of oxycodone for a while now (40-60 a day for months). For the past two weeks I've been pumped with pain meds (including 6mg of dilauted every 4 hours). I was taking 120-160 oxycodone in the hospital per day and 40 mg oxycotin.

Like clockwork it seems that whenever the oxycodone wears off I go into withdrawal. I have been throwing up the past couple days before I realized this. I cannot go into withdrawal right now as I am extremely weak due to major surgery and need to keep food down.

When I take 20mg of oxycodone the nausea and feeling horrible subside to a certain extend so it seems it is withdrawal, but I truly can't believe it. I am confused and am not sure what to do. I've been taking 20mg every 6 hours three times today already.

Also maybe of note, when I first cut my dose upon arriving home I had major hallucinations (horrific experience).

Can anyone provide guidance here? So if it's from withdrawal how should I cut? I need to get off this crap.

 

[Kittycat5]

You can do a slow taper. Start with the dilaudid. Try to decrease by 1 to 2 mg every week for 1 to 2 weeks. Then move onto the oxy. Try decreasing by 5mg every one to two weeks. You could maybe try 10mg but think that may be rough. Dont decrease your frequency until you are down to 1-2mg of dilaudid and 10-15mg of oxy. Once there, take one fewer dose each day for another 1 to 2 weeks until you hit zero. If still on oxycontin, I wouldnt taper that until you are low on the IR stuff. When ready to stop the Oxycontin, decrease by 10mg every 1 to 2 weeks as well.

Alternatively you can try to get on suboxone or methadone and stop everything else, then taper those as much as you can tolerate.

It would be a good idea to see an addiction specialist as he can also provide things like clonidine, benzodiazepines and gabapentin to help with withdrawal symptoms.

Good luck my man.

 

[tacodude]

I learned in a hospital stuck on a 6 hour regimen pain relief wears off at 4 hours and withdrawal sets in at six. It hit like clockwork. Hydrocodone is simmilar in duration once a good dose is found. Too low and barely an hour of pain relief.

oxycodone focuses on kappa activity I find is active and without it I get tension and discomfort in my muscles and body still getting bracing pain in my shoulder on rare occasions instead of a chronic nonstop agrivating soreness. Without oxymorphone, which focuses on mu activity or I find resting pain, and I get nausea bouts easily like my stomach is too tense to hold water especially without cannabis to quelm it to just stomach discomfort. As far as my pain it deals with it, but there's a certain strength the body lacks to allow me to really function leaving me constantly sitting back down or leaning on something for support. It's like the kappa activity blocks the sedating effect causing a sense of stimulation by causing pain relief without heavy sleep inducing sedation while the quality still exists.

Ween off them both gentally. The dilaudid by 0.5-1 mg at a time when you are ready and the oxy by 2.5-10 mg incriments till you're off. Develop a day plan to keep you up and active with the sun and asleep at night time. Just take it at the pace you can handle and get support from loved ones especially if you need help keeping to a weening plan. As long as you're ready and plan through it there should not be much discomfort if you keep yourself distracted right,

Also mention this to your doctor.... They can set you up in a detox center to have trained help to ween off your meds and keep you active through w/d. I am doing the same now after struggling on my own and finnally being explained no addiction facility will treat me as I am on pain management meds and they can't be removed without a plan that identifies and deals with my pain. The health system is outragous really,..

 

[ColoradoBoy90]

To your topic headline, I hear you on that one. I can go into withdrawals as soon as 3 hours after last dosage (feeling cold, runny nose, yawning). By the six hour mark I could be throwing up, sometimes I have before othertimes I've gone 6 hours and only had a runny nose. I think it's because I take extended release so it's hard for me to track.

But even if I take an Extened release 10mg oxycodone pill right before bed, I STILL wake up in withdraw 8 hours later. Normally I only take 5mg immediate release hydrocodone dosages, so no idea how I can wake up in withdrawal after taking a 10mg oxyxodone slow release pill, especially since it's slightly stronger (and once a 20mg before bed, still woke up in mild withdrawal). Taking another dosage stops it immediately so I know its withdrawal.

Sorry not trying to steal your thread just wanted to add mine as some of us get W/D very very fast, and much more intense than others. It sucks.

 

[tacodude]

You should not have w/d with a ER formulation. They stave them off 10 hours minimum. Your dose sounde like it is too low, but if you go past 30 mg a dose you're asking for problems down the road and not far

 

[Bropiace]

I found myself that after 2 to 3 hours max after my last dose I start experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms. (from Oxy or Dilaudid)

However your case seems extreme to me and I am not convinced that there ain't something else that either exacerbate your withdrawal, or mess with the availability of the drug in your system or something else that would alter the expected effect of the drug.

You might want have your liver tested, or something else. The best advice would be to discuss this in dept with your doctor. I really think starting puking 3 hours after your last dose is weird.

In any case, eventually tapering is indeed your best option. If you are interested, I've started a thread with my taper tricks : http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/767060-Sharing-Taper-Tips-and-Experience

Good luck.

 

[Runtoparadise]

You should not have w/d with a ER formulation. They stave them off 10 hours minimum. Your dose sounde like it is too low, but if you go past 30 mg a dose you're asking for problems down the road and not far

Not necessarily. Im a fast metaboliser of oxy & require dosing T.I.D, & if I don't take oxycodone on schedule I'll start sneezing fits & tearing which are a clear indication of withdrawl. IME, but I've been doing PM for a loooong time...

I agree with the above poster though regarding vomiting. That's pretty extreme, & could be from any number of reasons.

Rtp