Drying out

For the past 8 years I have been dependent on a strong, very strong, narcotic medication. Recently Kentucky passed a draconian drug law that makes it harder to obtain prescribed medication and has scared doctors so much they are afraid to make any changes, even though there is another medication that is not as strong and without the side effects more applicable to my situation.

Eventually it got so that the pills had no therapeutic effect and put me to sleep. So I decided to just stop. It has taken me three weeks of hell but I haven’t had a pill in 10 days.

I did this totally alone with no help. There were days that I probably should have been in the hospital and days of crushing depression.

What I didn’t realize, though, was how weak this would leave me. I can barely walk my dog a block, the grass hasn’t been cut and I read a lot. Even sitting here typing is tiring me out.

But I have one thing to tell you-

Yippee!!! I did it! Hooray for me!!

I'm really glad for you. Do what you can to get active again a bit at a time. I know that weak feeling. It is your body easing off after the strain of coming back on line. It'll pass. Make sure you eat right.

I know how you feel.

I spent 6 months in cancer chemo treatments.

Tired is the word.

A year after a clean bill I'm still slightly affected by the drugs.

Dennis

I wish you well, Terry.

WC

People rarely know just how strong they can be until they put themselves to the test.  Congrats!  It's far easier to be weak than to be strong, but FAR more rewarding and satisfying to be (and REMAIN) strong.

Thanks-

Had a bad day today...shakes, crawling goose bumps, some depression. I can't wait until this is finally over. Alright, I can. I've made that decision.

Oh, did I mention that I lost 10 pounds?

You might look into taking St.Johns wort for the depression. I can recommend it.

75X11 wrote:You might look into taking St.Johns wort for the depression.  I can recommend it.

I've heard that. I have a friend who distributes supplements. I'll ask her.

MAJOR breakthrough! For the first time I woke up with a clear head. I'm still VERY weak. After making the bed I had to lie down.

Glad to hear it and I think the medical laws have gone off the rails...and not in a good way.

I think that my continued weakness is from sudden weight loss. There were days when Poweraid was my only meal. I've gone from 178 to 167 in three weeks. The problem is I haven't been to the store because until today my head was full of cotton. My friend is going shopping tomorrow for some sandwich stuff, fish, fresh vegetables, stuff like that.

In a way this is good, (really?). My doctor wanted me at 165 for my BMI, (Body Mass Index). I need to keep my calories at 2,500 a day.

P.S. 12 days

It's probably a combination of the decrease in nutrition and your body adjusting after the withdrawal symptoms. When you get your vittles, eat right.

75X11 wrote:It's probably a combination of the decrease in nutrition and your body adjusting after the withdrawal symptoms.  When you get your vittles, eat right.

Right-
Thanks

Good for you Terrydec !!!

Good for you!
I am on a relatively low dose of pain med, myself, as needed. I have noticed the government has recently started a campaign to keep people in pain though..."for their own good" I suppose.
I limit my intake, but certainly sometimes would like to locate the government officials responsible for the red tape and cause them permanent and painful injuries. It would be an unpleasant learning experience for them, but after all, it would be for their own good.

Right!
Thanks.

I heard on the radio a few days ago that there is a movement afoot to get doctors to be MUCH more cautious about prescribing opiod pain medications for chronic conditions (e.g. fibromyalgia, diabetic nerve pain, migraine headaches, etc) where they aren't really shown to do much good, and have a greater chance of causing addiction or overdose for the very reason that they aren't very effective treatments for those conditions.

The radio report also mentioned that older folks (anyone over 45) who has a long term prescription for stronger pain meds is at a higher risk of dying of overdose than younger folks who switched from pain medications to heroin. The reason is because the folks on long term pain meds don't necessarily see the risk in what they are doing because the meds they use are prescribed by doctors, and they assume the doctors wouldn't give them anything dangerous. Obviously, not a safe assumption.

Finally, the report noted that death from opiod overdose is up 900 percent over what it was back in the 1970s - 1980s, due almost entirely to prescription pain killer abuses.

In the end, the industry is moving toward a model of using the opiods less and in lower dosages. It's a big problem, and many patients have been taken by surprise wondering how they will manage their pain without the meds. I don't think there is a clear answer yet, and until less addictive alternatives are found we are likely to see more of this problem before it tapers off.

I read in the latest Discover magazine that a control for neuropathy (?) pain has been discovered- Cannibus Medica or medical pot.  Hey, it can't be worse than opiods.

BTW- I am STILL having side effects from the withdrawal  - Shakes, feeling either too hot or too cold and admittedly some depression.  However I no longer have double vision and don't need a laxative.

Medications can be wonderful or a curse. Some are over-prescribed or prescribed for the wrong reasons. My wife had back surgery in 2007 and got hooked on Oxycodon. I thought I was going to lose her before we got her back on track. I hope you continue to make progress. I will keep a good thought.

WC

Thanks.

Sorry about my rant. I am just mad at the government for their red tape. The doctors should be the doctors. I just had 8" of colon removed and am convalescing at home now. I don't know if I will need a pain med refill or not, but if I do, my wife will have to take time off work and go downtown to the hospital to get a hand-written refill and carry it to the pharmacy. No good reason for that.
However, I am very proud of you for doing what you did. There are medicines available to help get off opiods without getting so sick.

Yes, there are medicines but doctors won't prescribe them. I asked.

By the way- yesterday I was in the worst pain that I ever felt. I couldn't stand up straight. I went by ambulance the the emergency room. Turns out I have a kidney stone, (ouch!). Yep, they prescribed Norco. But only for a few days- I hope. I didn't even fill the prescription because I still have a bunch left.

Time to hit the cranberry juice...

I have to drink 3 liters of liquid a day, half water and half Power Aid, and pee through a strainer. I'm spending most of my time in the bathroom.

The doctor said it was small, only 4 mm. That doesn't seem small to me.

Hope it goes well.