Thread: Taper from oxycodone - round 3

Hey There

Well. now.... a big "Atta Girl" to you!

NP, pointing out a lesson here to you.... we can get through the uncomfortable times. It may not be the best feeling as it occurs, but riding out a symptom does much to make some endorphins flow with our happiness in meeting the challenge. The brain heals a bit more with each success. It also teaches us slowly to stop reaching for a pill at the slightest provacation. As this habit forms, we are so much better prepared not to reach for them anymore as we walk off the drug. Instead of finding reasons why we should use, we begin to get greater joy by not finding excuses to use.

Remain steady and true to your taper plan. You are moving along so well. And honestly, you have already faced the worse symptoms and are handling them. There will not be any more surprise symptoms along the way. There is a rhythym of ups and downs to a taper...begin to recognize them with a practical eye. Understanding the pattern makes it much easier to deal with it.

So proud of you
reach

Keep going NotPerky! If you read my thread I started today about my taper update, you will see I made it to the end of my taper 3 days ago and WOOHOOO! it feels so good. I had some darvocet, and it was just sitting there, looking tempting, but I had a rush of willpower and I just grabbed them up went to the bathroom, dumped and flushed. You could do that with all but tomorrow's dose of hydro while you are feeling the strength maybe?
Congratulations on making it so far. I am amazed that already in 3 days I don't think too much about the pills and when I do, the craving feeling passes quickly. I am glad there are none here to tempt me in my weak feeling moments because most of the time, I feel ecstatic that I don't have to have them anymore!

You are worth SO much more than that poison powder! You have been doing the hardest part in trying to maintain the taper with the pills sitting there tempting you. That 1 mg will not even be missed by your body, and when you can feel that, your mind will follow!

Hey there RR, yes I do understand what you're saying, but as you know, the pain is greater during the withdrawal process. The body is used to functioning only when it has 5 mg, then 10, then 40, then 60, etc., of opioiRAB. Start taking them away, and the body becomes incapacitated. The pain is worse because the body doesn't know how to deal with it without the support of narcotics. I don't think I can make any future pain-management decisions based on how I feel now. I'll have to be oxy-free for a few weeks to really assess where my pain level truly is. The fact that I've had some days, during the taper, in which I had little "bursts of energy" gives me hope. The other thing is, I have to get my stomach and appetite back to normal. Can't live on water ice forever.

Hang in there. I have hidden away with books the last week. No one to yell at but I live alone and that is lots easier than you have it. Try and do what relaxes you. You'll be back.
rr

You might want to try taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, aspirin, or Aleve to see if that might help some of the bad aching pain. It would be worth a shot right? That would also help to get you off the oxycodone quicker if you didn't have the bad aching feeling and stiffness. You should also take a multi-vitamin with high doses of b-vitamins. The drugs have a way of completely sucking the nutrients and vitamins out of our bones so when you are starting to withdrawal this is why your bones hurt so much. Also, there are alot of natural juice drinks out there like 100% juice that would provide you with alot of vitamins and natural antioxidants.

Keep up the good work and soon you will be completly off the of the oxycodone. Just keep making baby steps forward and don't go backwarRAB.

brian:wave:

Hi all -- just a quick update. I'm on "day million" of the taper. Just kidding....I am still tapering, but I really don't know how many days it is, nor do I want to know. I've had a really bad last few days. Couldn't move, stiff, pain, depression, despondent, couldn't eat, crying, blah blah....same ole' story, different day. But the good news is, I'm somewhere under 7 mg. I'm now at the point where I would be absolutely insane to go off the taper. I wish I could just stop entirely, but I'll still prod along with my little teeny bit at a time....

Maybe in two weeks, I'll be entirely off! But again, I'm just taking it one day at a time. Actually, I'm taking it one dose at a time. I do not want to jinx it by "counting my chickens"....know what I mean?

(Brian, about NA: It's more of an issue of feeling too lousy to get dressed and go anywhere, much less an NA meeting. And believe me, I've tried to just "shake it off" and go out anyway. I end up being in kind of a fog....not able to function right. Luckily, I do have days when I feel a teeny burst of energy and am able to go out, do erranRAB, even socialize a little. Tomorrow I have a commitment to go somewhere, so I am going to have to suck it up and just do it.)

I think the whole forum was down for a few days - I'm finally seeing posts again.

Tapering like you are doing is a good idea by just reducing a little each day. So long as you have enough pills to do it, it will be the easiest on your body to adjust. From what I have read and seen on the forum is to taper 10-20% at a time with some time period, usually a week or two. but, I like your idea of measuring out a little less each day. Keep us informed how that is working once you get down to the lower doses.

Good Luck to you!!

Hey Redrock, our posts just crossed. Thanks for the kind worRAB. As you can tell from my last post, my head is still in the "right place" with the taper, but my nerves are so frayed I'm about to explode half the time. Besides all the of the physical and emotional upheaval of the taper, it's also due to a family situation (with my son and my mother) that has me feeling alternately mad, depressed, guilty, despondent, or all of the above. I just feel like such a b****....and then I get more depressed because I hate myself for being this way. (Yes, I am on Wellbutrin, have been for years.)

Sorry, I sent that before I meant to. Anyway, all of this just reinforces my decision to get off the narcotics, because I know they were already ruining my relationships. I'm telling myself that the frayed nerves are due to the taper, and I'll get back to normal soon.

Hi Denon -- yeah, I figure I'll gain weight once my system gets back to normal. I really hope I get my desire for food back, because eating toast and water ice is getting old.

I'm varying my taper plan a bit from what you recommended. I'm using a corabo of "stretch the schedule out" AND "reduce the dose". So today, for example, I'm dosing every 5 hrs. but trying for 5-1/2. Instead of 3.75 each dose, I'm doing 3.75, 2.5, 3.75, then 2.5. It was really important to me psychologically to get under that 5-mg-per-dose level (since 5 mg represents one big-a** Percocet each time, which is not insignificant). I don't really map out the plan any further than a day or two.

(BTW, I still think your writing is fine :-).)

Notperky:
You are doing really good. I am very proud of you for sticking to the taper. I know that tomorrow is going to be a big temptation and "may" set off your cravings. Is there any possible way that you could take someone with you to the doctor appointment. This would just help you so much right now because you are in a slippery spot at the moment. Even if you are worried about telling someone that you are taking pain meRAB, screw that. The most important thing right now is that you stick to your taper and not to pick up another script. It's too bad that you don't have support in a 12-step group or you could have taken someone from that support group.

Anyway, let's just focus on today at the moment. You are doing a really good job and you will be up and down emotionally for quite awhile. Obviously you are going to feel like crap with dropping 20% over the last couple of days. However, you are getting out and having fun and that is the most important part. Have you been talking to anyone else besides this board about what you are doing? Do you have anyone else that will support you (and also keep you on track). Please don't stay in and isolate because that is the worst thing to do as I have found out. It really plays havoc with my depression and also I start to get cravings if I stay home for too long. So keep up the good work and post back tomorrow about the doctor appt with the PM doctor.

So what are you doing now to manage the pain? How is your pain at the moment (on a scale of 1-10)? Just curious. I am also a chronic pain sufferer so I know what that is like.

brian