I have been taking 95mg daily of Oxycontin / Oxycode for six years. I never abused the dosage requirement. However, I hated the stuff. So In August 2011 I decided to wean myself off. Througout the month I lowered the dosage until I took my last pill on Set 1, 2011 of 7.5mg. After posting previously and reading other posts I was not sure if I would be able to do this but I did. Maybe its my make-up as I quit cigarettes and other habits cold turkey as well. Myproblem is I have not had a good nights sleep since I cut it out completely. I cannot go to bed at a reasonable time as I will lay there and toss and turn (until my wife chases me out of the bed). I may finally get an hours sleep and then maybe another half hour but that is it! Any suggestions on how to combat this sleeping deprivation?
Congratulations on getting off pills. I am about to begin that journey myself.
I don't have much luck sleeping either. I did start taking melatonin which is over counter and available at walmart. It seems to have helped me some. I'm sure there are other things that may do better, but I am sure, like me you prefer not to go get a script for a sleep aid. Melatonin is natural and I think is produced in the body. And it is cheap. Had difficult time finding it in walmart but it was there all along. Good luck and God bless.
The first thing that comes to mind is: why were you prescribed this medication, and is that reason still ongoing? Or in other words, if you have been taking them for pain due to an injury or other pain issue, is that pain no longer affecting you? If it's just sleep that's eluding you, I'd suggest you consider taking melatonin (3-5mg) about an hour before your regular bed time, and make sure that you observe good sleep hygiene (comfortable room temperature, completely dark, no caffeine after 3pm or so...and so on.) After years of opiates (and just plain getting older) the body often no longer produces sufficient melatonin. It's working for me, ymmv.
If the pain is still an issue though, could this be what's keeping you from sleeping? Is something like ibuprofen sufficient? Or do you need to be taking something other than opiates for pain control?
In any event, I'd say see your physician. And congratulations.
I had shattered my right foot and ankle. Screws and pins arre holding everything together and cartilidge has worn off. I was just sick of taking the meds. After going through therapy and trying different methods to curb the pain the final outcome was that only pain meds would reduce the pain. The pain is still there and more intense now without the meds. I eat pretty healthy so it is not food or caffine. I'll try your recommendation and see if it helps. I can take Tylenol PM but I hate taking those as well. I want off all pills!
My sympathy for your situation. (And your wife's as well...it's hard to sleep with someone who isn't sleeping.)
Have you looked around over at the 'Knee & Hip' or the 'Orthopedic' boards? I wonder if any of the information there could help? It's said that sleep, deep restorative sleep, is absolutely crucial to help healing but pain makes that hard to come by. There might be some answers (and certainly empathy) for you over there.
It sounds like you need help both getting to and staying asleep. It's more likely that melatonin will help you get to sleep more easily, and perhaps that will assist you in staying asleep longer. You might consider doing a bit of research on this too, as there are other non-pharmaceutical, alternative-type sleep aids that aren't cold medication-ish.
Wishing you success in your quest for restful, pain-free sleep~
My sympathy for your situation. (And your wife's as well...it's hard to sleep with someone who isn't sleeping.)
Have you looked around over at the 'Knee & Hip' or the 'Orthopedic' boards? I wonder if any of the information there could help? It's said that sleep, deep restorative sleep, is absolutely crucial to help healing but pain makes that hard to come by. There might be some answers (and certainly empathy) for you over there.
It sounds like you need help both getting to and staying asleep. It's more likely that melatonin will help you get to sleep more easily, and perhaps that will assist you in staying asleep longer. You might consider doing a bit of research on this too, as there are other non-pharmaceutical, alternative-type sleep aids that aren't cold medication-ish.
Wishing you success in your quest for restful, pain-free sleep~
Thanks. I went and talked to my pharmacist and he also recommended Melatonin. So I bought two bottles (buy one get one free!) . I'll try it tonight and see how it goes. I'll check out the other threads as you suggest and see what I can discover and learn. Thanks for the info!
If the melatonin doesn't help, perhaps you could try Valerian Root, it's an herb and can be found at any pharmacy or vitamin store. The only drawback is that the pills actually smell like stinky feet! You open that bottle and get your first whiff and it makes you want to gag.
Thought I'd give an update on my use of melatonin last night. I started out taking 3mg about 9:30 and then tossed and turned for 1/2 hr. I then took another 3mg pill and tossed and turned until 12:00pm. I then did some web surfing till about 12:30am. I finally laid down on the couch and fell asleep until 4:30am. At least it was 4 hrs! Not sure if it was the melatonin or exhaustion. I'll keep trying for a couple weeks to see if it helps.
sorry you're having such a rough time, but glad you got 4 hrs.! Don't give up on the melatonin, some times it takes a bit to get in your system. You can take the Valerian root with it, there's no contraindications or problems between the two. Sometimes when your insomnia is very pronounced it just take a bigger kick to get your brain back on the right track.
Try to follow better sleep habits, even if you toss and turn, resist the urge to surf the net or watch tv, or stay in a lighted room. Each time you introduce light to your brain it signals that it's time to Wake Up, not sleep. If you do have to get out of bed, to keep from going nuts (and boy I know that feeling) do something quiet, read a book, sip some warm milk or tea, no caffeine and try not to turn the lights on brightly if possible.
I also used Melatonin to help with sleep after withdrawal. For me, it worked best if I kept myself on a pretty strict schedule. Got up at the same time each day, ate at the same times, napped at the same times, went to bed at the same time. Took the Melatonin (3mgs) one hour before lights out.
I think all the strict schedule helped my body get back into a more natural rhythm. As Kaitlan wrote, it can take a bit of time. For me it worked well.
