weaning off pain med..questions

fuzzy · #1 (**permalink**) 04-06-2015, 05:49 AM

I do like to add that 10mg is not very much for pain. From that perceptive you will probably be fine once you do jump. I was on 30 and it hardly made a difference for me other then make me sick so I decided to change and yes, the stuff is hard to get of off, very unpleasant and I was not on it for 13 years!

I just feel that someone cutting your dose of this inexpensive drug is ridiculous.

Maria · #2 (**permalink**) 04-06-2015, 01:19 PM

Fuzzy,
thanks for your encouraging and supportive reply. I have figured that I'd be a lifer on this med probably because I have no desire to have more back surgery IF pain medication can masque what pain I did/do have from 2 failed surgeries especially since a low dose cheap medication as mentioned. It is super cheap.. $35/120count!!!

I have had future medical coverage with the risk management company thru WC for a long time and they have tried thus far unsuccessfully to get me off their books. I am reluctant to allow them to control me so I don't think that I will sign off even if they stop sending me to the PM ... at least I don't plan on it at this point.

I have done a voluntary appeal re the medication weaning process however unfortunately they were sending correspondence to an old address I haven't lived at for 10 years and only because I know the person that owns the house he contacted me and I picked up this particular correspondence so I only had 3 days to write a voluntary appeal and 2 of those I was in great pain and couldn't sit at my computer.... It wasn't the most well thought out appeal with the type of back up information I would have liked to had at the time re weaning but it was just something that showed I was not in agreement with the plan and requesting to modify it at the very least to a more reasonable plan. I did however state that I thought the idea of pain management was to successfully treat the pain not to create more pain and I was well covered at this point with the prescribed dose (5mg up to 4x/day). Went further to state that a life of severe pain 24/7 365 to me was not a life worth living and I did not want to return to that world if it can be prevented with a low cost, effective medication with no countraindications at this point health wise.

So we will see what happens and yes at this point I can afford the 2 hour trip, the appt., the meds. Maybe in the future I won't be able to deal with it though for now I'll deal with the present.

Congrats to you too weaning off this medication. I have tried unsuccessfully in the past though perhaps it is time at least to lower the dose if not completely go off the medication.

Again I have absolutely no desire to return to a world of hurt or pursue a surgical solution to pain at this point especially unless the latter is absolutely necessary for some necessitating neurological reason.

Jim M2 · #3 (**permalink**) 04-07-2015, 07:53 PM

Wow! That's quite a reduction to take on suddenly. I can't imagine. I'm tapering down on tramadol and it's not fun. It's a medication that's marginally effective but if after years of high dosage it still causes problems. I went 48hrs without any and didn't sleep a wink the entire time. A doctor gave me a few more and a taper schedule. I still don't feel very well. Yesterday was a bad day but today I'm having a good day so I'm optimistic.

Maria · #4 (**permalink**) 04-08-2015, 04:30 AM

WC modified count reduction from 45 count to 60 count 5mg with no refills (from original 120 count 5mg).

I am not having a bad time with pain so reduction has been Ok but GI symptoms are driving me mad!!! The gas, bloating, nausea, etc is just all day and anytime I eat something I'm pretty uncomfortable.

I've been reading about weaning or tapering from a low dose and see that it's advisable to go down about 1mg every 2 weeks or so. I may have brought it down too fast re stomach issues. Most of other symptoms so far I've gotten thru.

I was planning on dropping it to 2.5mg after completion of the 2nd week of 5mg/day but will modify that plan a bit.

WC is ridiculous about their "taper" schedule with no "evidence" as to why to proceed as they deem necessary other than to get me off the medication entirely (why if it's working other than to get rid of me).

Jim wishing you the best with your reduction! Keep us posted if you don't mind. I'm very interested.

Maria · #5 (**permalink**) 04-15-2015, 06:12 PM

Am doing well at 5mg/day. Stomach issues finally quieted I think. I know it hasn't been much time since I started weaning or the taper but the symptoms can make it seem pretty long. It's difficult too being alone with regard to some of the stuff I have felt. I think I'm going to stay at this level for a while longer ...

Jim M2 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-16-2015, 02:14 AM

I'm really glad you're feeling better.

fuzzy · #7 (**permalink**) 04-17-2015, 02:05 AM

If you can do it in 1mg 2 week steps you will have little problems other then pain increases.

I recently did jump of the Butrans patch and the withdrawal is wicked. Rather deal with an on off oxycodone regiment. That seems to not be for everyone but the Buprenorphine (Subotex, Suboxone) in pain management quantity doesn't work. Right now I am living the life of Ibuprofen, Paracetamol with medical pot and it is the devil with the pot being the most effective. Problem with it is that when I medicate my mind doesn't work. I does still work on Oxy. But the dependance and tolerance problem and withdrawal issues make it a much worse choice other then isolated prn doses below the dependance level making it only one of many methods to control pain rather then being a primary treatment.

fuzzy · #8 (**permalink**) 04-17-2015, 02:09 AM

They do consider both my surgeries a failure but I disagree and it only shows how many doctors come to premature conclusions (including German ones!) rather then carefully study the whole case.

My surgeries are not failures as my low back moves better then it has since I was a teenager and the neck surgery took away the serious issue of loosing control of my lower half due to spinal chord compression. But the pain from the cervical myeleopathy spinal chord injury has been going UP and quickly surpassed moderate medication attempts and I do agree with the experts that opiates in my case are a total failure to actually *control* pain without serious harm to the patient.

Maria · #9 (**permalink**) 04-30-2015, 04:25 PM

5mg/day. Thinking about waiting till I see my PM to lower it more.. that's about a month away. While filling the script yesterday was told by pharmacist that now address must be local to the pharmacy in order for them to fill it. In little local paper in my 55 plus community there is information about changes in pain medicine prescribing re DEA new regulations.. appears to be getting much tougher. So seems like the mandate coming from WC is trying to get in line with DEA stuff possibly of course trying to force someone who is responsibly using and benefiting by pain meds to wean in a record time frame without any assistance at all is ridiculous in my estimation .. though for my own personal wellbeing I will at least be giving it a go even if not able to fully achieve the WC or DEA's goal for getting responsible prescription drug using people off their meds.

My GI tract is still trying to figure out WTF is going on half the time it seems..