Bill17724
08-15-2005, 12:41 PM
Has anyone when cutting back or trying to discontinue oxycontin experienced extreme anxiety? I mean my anxiety is so bad I can't stand it and need to take a percocet (because it's faster acting than oxycontin) to settle me down. I take 30mgs of oxy a day and 20 mgs of percocet. My anxiety has gotten so bad that I have started chewing the oxys because I can get some fast relief from the anxiety. Now I'm to the point where the only way I can take them is by chewing them. I seem to be getting deeper and deeper into trouble and I don't think the pain even warrants the use of the drug at all anymore, but now I can't stop because of the anxiety, which wasn't a problem before I started taking this stuff for legitimate pain in the first place! Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get out of this mess? I've tried a slow taper, but the anxiety is so strong I just can't get any lower on the dose. Please help.
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Director
08-15-2005, 04:36 PM
Hey Bill...I'm not sure how much help I can be for you, but I withdrew from Oxycontin about four years ago. I found for me and my doctor concurred that my dose was going up too fast. In other words I had a very rapid tolerance built up to Oxy. He suggested something else and eventually went on the Duragesic Patch.
I was at 160 mg of Oxy TID. The doctor brought me off fairly quickly decreasing my dose every five days. I wish I could remember the doses of the withdrawal, but it's been too long ago. I should say, he felt at that point I could get by without LA opiates. After I was off the Oxy I was given the patch after a short period of taking short acting meds. It was apparent they weren't doing the job.
I did go through a period of anxiety when my doc was decreasing my dose every five days. I couldn't hardly wait for the next pill and I was definitely a "clock watcher" during this period. I knew I would get at least some relief when I got the next pill, no matter what the dose.
Sorry I couldn't be more help, but this took place too long ago to recall anything else, especially the doses during the withdrawal period.
I was at 160 mg of Oxy TID. The doctor brought me off fairly quickly decreasing my dose every five days. I wish I could remember the doses of the withdrawal, but it's been too long ago. I should say, he felt at that point I could get by without LA opiates. After I was off the Oxy I was given the patch after a short period of taking short acting meds. It was apparent they weren't doing the job.
I did go through a period of anxiety when my doc was decreasing my dose every five days. I couldn't hardly wait for the next pill and I was definitely a "clock watcher" during this period. I knew I would get at least some relief when I got the next pill, no matter what the dose.
Sorry I couldn't be more help, but this took place too long ago to recall anything else, especially the doses during the withdrawal period.
sjhw1119
08-15-2005, 05:14 PM
Be very careful about this anxiety and how you treat it. Please, please talk with your doctor. Do NOT take your Oxycontin medication with an anxiety medication, because in my case I had serious blackouts!!! I had a very severe case of headaches and took all types of pain meds over the years. The worst getting off was Oxycontin. I don't have an answer for you, I'm so sorry. I know it is hell. Very Concerned, Shari
Director
08-16-2005, 05:04 PM
I too, would strongly suggest you consult with your doctor about taking anti-anxiety medications with Oxycontin, while withdrawing. Personally, I was also taking Klonopin while withdrawing from Oxy and I didn't have any adverse reactions. My doctor did know I was taking it, because he had prescribed it. I was taking up to 1 mg TID, but I rarely take more than 2 mg a day. Just to be on the safe side though, you should talk with your doc.
Shoreline
08-17-2005, 10:03 AM
HI Bill, Anxiety, depression, retless leg, sweating, rapid changes from hot to cold, nausea, vomiting, the rns and depression are all pat of physical dpendnece and the withdrawal process. What concerns me is that the dose is low, youmentioned you only taking it to stave of withdrawal or anxiety. The only unpleaseant way o dtox is the rapid withdrawal methods used to purge your sytem of all opiates. They knock youout with enesthesia, monitor all digns as if your having surgery and infuse Nracan "naltrexone" and this blocks and urges all your opiate receptos. You wake up clean and alittle shakey but your done. The down side is it cost 10-12k last time i saw it adveertsed and it's not covered by insurance.
With the low dose your on, I wouldn't recomend switching to a med like meth to trat addiction to opiates. If you think Oxy is hard, meth you haven't seen anything yet.
From the looks of things your a couple weeks from being med free. There are safe meds that can be used to control some of the ised effectslike nausa and BP but rplacing one oaddiction with another is no the way to go . I've met to many addicts that think meth is a wnder drug but they are stilltaking it 10 years later. Still dependnet on opiates only they have to get up and start each day with a trip to the meth clinic.
There are newer meds like subutex and suboxone but you mayhave to see an addictionologist or go the rehab route if you can't tolerate 2 weeks of feeling like crap. Your does is really low enough that it's not that much different than switching from one med to another and staring the titration process over. There is an addiction forum at ealboards that can tell you more about subutex and your option sa s far as treatment if youfeel this is mor than simple physical dependnece. Howver chewing an OxyC is really taking astep back. If your prescribed 10 mg OC's they sustain 5 mgs in your system for about 8 hours, chewing one releases all 10 mgs at once which simply drives your tolerance up further maing stepping down even harder. But every orthopedic surger patient usualy starts with 2 5mg peercs every 4 hours and as you heal the meds drop down to vicodin, llower doses and less frequently. So your really not coming off any more meds than I did with all 3 spine surgeries I had. Discontinung meds is part of the surgcical process and people do it all the time withut having to go to rehab. So I wouldn't feel like your stuck on sme hriable drug at a high dose that means months of tpaering an feeling bad. day 3- 10 are the worst fif you flushed everything today and then your sleep paterns, apitite and bowels will return to normal after another couple weeks.
Why your taking them and improperly taing them is what really determines the difference between simply physiological dependnece and actual addiction. This isn't an addiction forum so my experience changing meds and starting at 1/3 of where I needed to be creates the exact same symptoms, but the undertsanding and need for pain mnagement is what makes getting through those rough weeks and months untill your dose is adjusted to the point of no withdrawal and beter pain relief is very different than what someone dealing with an addiction issue has to deal with. That's hwere the addiction forumwould be a bteter place to get through the next 10 days f your intention isto quit. IF your not going to quit, than stop chewing the OC's because soon you will need the 20 mg pills to create the same effect as chewing a 10mg OC.
The higher your dose goes, the more dependent you become, and the more severe the withdrawal symptoms will be. If you discontine at a rate of 10-20 percent evey
3-5 days, you would limit the worst of the withdrawal but take alittellonger to be completely free of all withdrawal symptoms. Clonodine is the standard withdrawal med used for CP patients, It controls blood pressure and has an anti anxiety an calming effect. But it is hard to do on your own when there are meds and weaker opiates you could step down to and make the process easier.
Personally I would rather feel wrotten for 7 days then feel woozy for 6 weeks. It just depends on what you can tolerate and how you see this problem.
God luck and take cae BTW, very few people have ever died from oiate withdrawal. You may have anxiety that makes you feel like your dieng but heroin addict get thrown in jail all the time and they aren't given any medication, they don't die and it's extremely unlikley you will unless you have serrious heart problems that can't withstand a rise in BP.If that's the case you need a docs supervision but still have to follow his plan. Stay well hydrated and try to do things that take your mid of how you feel.
Take care, Dave
With the low dose your on, I wouldn't recomend switching to a med like meth to trat addiction to opiates. If you think Oxy is hard, meth you haven't seen anything yet.
From the looks of things your a couple weeks from being med free. There are safe meds that can be used to control some of the ised effectslike nausa and BP but rplacing one oaddiction with another is no the way to go . I've met to many addicts that think meth is a wnder drug but they are stilltaking it 10 years later. Still dependnet on opiates only they have to get up and start each day with a trip to the meth clinic.
There are newer meds like subutex and suboxone but you mayhave to see an addictionologist or go the rehab route if you can't tolerate 2 weeks of feeling like crap. Your does is really low enough that it's not that much different than switching from one med to another and staring the titration process over. There is an addiction forum at ealboards that can tell you more about subutex and your option sa s far as treatment if youfeel this is mor than simple physical dependnece. Howver chewing an OxyC is really taking astep back. If your prescribed 10 mg OC's they sustain 5 mgs in your system for about 8 hours, chewing one releases all 10 mgs at once which simply drives your tolerance up further maing stepping down even harder. But every orthopedic surger patient usualy starts with 2 5mg peercs every 4 hours and as you heal the meds drop down to vicodin, llower doses and less frequently. So your really not coming off any more meds than I did with all 3 spine surgeries I had. Discontinung meds is part of the surgcical process and people do it all the time withut having to go to rehab. So I wouldn't feel like your stuck on sme hriable drug at a high dose that means months of tpaering an feeling bad. day 3- 10 are the worst fif you flushed everything today and then your sleep paterns, apitite and bowels will return to normal after another couple weeks.
Why your taking them and improperly taing them is what really determines the difference between simply physiological dependnece and actual addiction. This isn't an addiction forum so my experience changing meds and starting at 1/3 of where I needed to be creates the exact same symptoms, but the undertsanding and need for pain mnagement is what makes getting through those rough weeks and months untill your dose is adjusted to the point of no withdrawal and beter pain relief is very different than what someone dealing with an addiction issue has to deal with. That's hwere the addiction forumwould be a bteter place to get through the next 10 days f your intention isto quit. IF your not going to quit, than stop chewing the OC's because soon you will need the 20 mg pills to create the same effect as chewing a 10mg OC.
The higher your dose goes, the more dependent you become, and the more severe the withdrawal symptoms will be. If you discontine at a rate of 10-20 percent evey
3-5 days, you would limit the worst of the withdrawal but take alittellonger to be completely free of all withdrawal symptoms. Clonodine is the standard withdrawal med used for CP patients, It controls blood pressure and has an anti anxiety an calming effect. But it is hard to do on your own when there are meds and weaker opiates you could step down to and make the process easier.
Personally I would rather feel wrotten for 7 days then feel woozy for 6 weeks. It just depends on what you can tolerate and how you see this problem.
God luck and take cae BTW, very few people have ever died from oiate withdrawal. You may have anxiety that makes you feel like your dieng but heroin addict get thrown in jail all the time and they aren't given any medication, they don't die and it's extremely unlikley you will unless you have serrious heart problems that can't withstand a rise in BP.If that's the case you need a docs supervision but still have to follow his plan. Stay well hydrated and try to do things that take your mid of how you feel.
Take care, Dave