Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Oxy clean.weening down on painkillers

Hello Everyone

After my last Rx for pain meds my doctor thinks I am taking too many pain pills and they are not working as well due to tolerance. I am taking 6 5mg oxycodone a day and he wants me down to 1 or 2 a day. I guess I am ready for it mentally since I have been taking them for pain only and do not feel any warm fuzzy feelings from taking them. I hope to be down to 1 or 2 by the end of the month. I am hoping the exercises in the pool will help with some of the pain and stiffness. Has anyone else weened themselves off? And how did it go? I am hoping this will help with constipation problems as well. Thanks all. Looking forward to Spring and warmer weather.

hi jeff i was on many pain meds during my 8 years of pain management. the last one was fentalen patches. after my last back surgery i started cutting them down. it took me about 10 months to get off them. now im on humeria zanaflex celebrex and once in a while tramadol. for now i get by with the pool and the low starch diet. i will eventually end up back in pain management but hopefully thats many years in the future. im glad you stuck with the pool today i start with swimming lessons. i hope to learn the breast stroke with my ruined shoulders. mike

Yes, I weaned myself off of 10 mg. pills. Now I take 5 mg. when I get up and if it doesn't do the trick, I take the other half. My idea not my doctors. I just don't like the way they make me feel. It will help the constipation completely. The less you take, the better that problem will be.

I weaned myself off of 60 mg. MSContin and actually weaning off the long acting meds is easier. As you wean yourself off, if you feel the effects such as yawning, just take a tiny bit of one to stop that and keep cutting it down. It is not that difficult. I never got a buzz as such because I have so much pain. I just get an adverse reaction from pain meds. Even after my heart surgery, I was awake by the time I got to recovery and couldn't sleep until they stopped the pain meds.

You really aren't taking very much. My rheumy prescribes 10 mg. to be taken no more than 6 a day, even taking the 10 mg. 2 at a time.

Best wishes. Might try the cherry pie out on someone else first. :o)

Possi

Good luck Jeff. Ialways found taking less of any med to work better in long term. I'm no worse than I was a decade ago except left shoulder (ROM) and better two pills

Jeff,

If you can get by without them, then more power to you, but your doctor is being a bit overly cautious, IMO. The dose you are on is NOT a high dose at all . . . for example, I take 4-6 of the 30mg Oxy IR every day, which is a significantly higher dose than what you take. The big question is, does the oxy work for you, and does the pain return when you stop taking it? If the answer to both those questions turns out to be yes, then do NOT let him bully you into stopping oxy. Yes, there is a concern that your body will adjust to the dose you are taking and it will become less successful in stopping pain, but in most cases, that is a signal it's time to increase the dose, not reduce it or stop it altogether. Well, as long as you're not at the very top of the dosing range anyhow. Like you, I never feel ANY kind of buzz from taking oxy, but I definitely do get very good pain relief still. This was proven to me very clearly recently when one of my teeth started to break apart, exposing the nerve. From time to time, it would flare into hellacious pain, but within a half hour of taking my regular dose of oxy, bam, it would drop to nothing or almost nothing. That's proof enough for me that it's still a very effective drug for me.

Bottom line, if you want to cut it back, or you do think you can handle being without it, then more power to you and it's absolutely great that you can cut it out of your drug regimen. However, if you find yourself going downhill after you reduce and/or stop taking it, please revisit the issue with your doctor and insist that he work with you to find a dose that will help you.

Good luck man!

Brad

Is this the oxy like the 10/325? Or the straight oxy extended release? Just curious because I only get 4/day of the former. My doc wouldn't even entertain a higher dose. Good luck on the cutting down. I would cut them in half for a while, then drop one dose a day till you are off. If there is enough pill to do it in 4ths, try that, too. And immodium helps the diarrhea, if you get that. Drink lots of water. Good luck. Don't put up with hurting, though. No reason to suffer. Really.

My dr. prescribes either the Hydro or Oxy IR 10/500 with directions to not take over 6 daily. I have never taken that many. I would be stuck to the ceiling. That is why I was up all night. I couldn't manage not taking a pill. Actually the ER pills work better for me having the level dose and not the extreme highs. I think I will go back on it but it would be MSContin over Oxy.

It is really not too hard to get off them. Just take it slow but there is no reason to hurt. Your body does become acclimated to them which some people wrongly think is addiction.

Good luck if this is what you want to do.

Hi Jeff,

I can guarantee the constipation problems will resolve. I wish you well . This is not easy to do. Does he want you to try something else ? Amitriptyline at bedtime may help some, andhelp you sleep. I do know that Amit works for my Neuropathic pain, plus the Effexor and neurontin in the daytime. I have stayed clear of narcotics. for the exact reason your having. They only work for so long and then you need more and more. You could try ex- strength tylenol every time you would take a narcotic. You may also need some gravol to deal with the possible nausea and vomitting from withdrawl. Good Luck

Hugs,
Janet

I am so glad your enjoying the pool. I wish you were in my town and we could become swimming buddies. I find in the cold winter very hard to motivate myself to go to the pool . We arelucky to have a pool in my town .

Hey Jeff,

If you want help with the constipation, buy some all natural sauerkraut at the grocery store. Up in Appleton, I could find it easily when staying with mom... typically have to look in the small Healthy/Organic aisle. Found it easily both at Copps and Festival.

Unsure if they have those grocers in Fond du Lac... but I assume some down your way also have the smaller organic/healthy food asile.

Make sure only has Cabbage, Water and salt... after you open need to put in fridge.

This is a life saver for my prior constipation issues. I ate a fork/spoonful every other day.

Tim

Good luck with your latest endeavor!

Since I've never been on these meds, no advice there, you've gotten good advice from those with the experience.

But I do have a lot of experience dealing with pain without these meds.

A lot of my pain is from muscle spasms, and if you have those and aren't taking a muscle relaxant at the moment, may I suggest zanaflex, but not flexeril.

I also wear the topical nsaid patch (flector) over my SI joint. No side effects from it like with the oral NSAIDs.

I'll do an Aleve now and then, but for me that can only be for emergencies, a few days at a time, due to side effects. But in a pinch, I'm realizing it can be a real life saver

I tried Lyrica for the nerve (compression) pain, but it gave me terrible headaches (at doses too low to be beneficial). But nerve drugs like that can be helpful.

And lots of ice and some heat always. I'm always amazed how much ice can help me for pain, inflammation, and muscle spasms.

And my home ultrasound machine really can quite down a bout of tendonitis or muscle spasms.

And of course whatever you take for the inflammation, that's the most critical thing of all.

Well, I'm sure you're in good hands and I've told you nothing new.

Good luck!