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Author |
Topic:
Drug Withdrawal |
digtexas
Platinum Member (100+ posts)
Member # 320
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I recently weaned myself from my duralgesic pain patches.
I went from 75 strength to 50 to 25 and last week, to none.
I have been rather depressed for the last few days. Even when
I learned that my biopsy was clear and I was cancer free,
I still did not feel good due to my depression. One of my
old buddies who used to be addicted to pain pills for years
is convinced that I am going through drug withdrawal and that
it might last a while.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Danny G.
Posts:
112 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered:
Sep 2002 |
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CynthiaS
Senior Member (75+ posts)
Member # 161
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Danny,
My mother's doctor and I believe that my mother experienced
this also. She had been on Roxicet during radiation and chemo
and discontinued after treatment when she said she was not
in pain. I applaud her but there was a noticeable difference
in her persona - argumentative and lethargic.
She was off for about 2 months but is now back on for residual
pain post RND. Even though she is still lethargic, she is
much easier to live with.
Unfortunately, just another side effect from treatments.
Cynthia
Posts:
79 | From: Florida | Registered: May
2002 |
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Packer
66
Platinum Member (100+ posts)
Member # 96
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I didn`t go cold turkey from patch to pills, doc weaned me
with pills first, and that worked just fine.....the patches
are really heavy duty, seems pills should come next............Packer
Posts:
147 | From: Maine | Registered: Apr 2002
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digtexas
Platinum Member (100+ posts)
Member # 320
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Thanks Packer. I have some lortab pills as well as some lortab
(hydrocodone) liquid, and about once a day I either melt a
pill or pour a little liquid and inject it into my PEG tube.
I do seem to feel a little better when I take a dose, but
once a day seems so innocuous anyway...better than cold turkey
I guess.
I have been off the patches for about 6 days, but after having
been on that stuff for three months, I guess it takes a while
to get out of your system, thus I did not start feeling down
until a couple days ago.
Thanks for the input.
Danny G.
Posts:
112 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered:
Sep 2002 |
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Julie
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Member # 42
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My husband had terrible withdrawls when getting off the duralgesic
patches. It was aweful. He would be up all night, get in and
out of the shower and walk around the back yard. It didn't
last long, but it took a couple weeks to get all the way off.
Like you, we weined him off, higher patches, to medium to
lower. Hang in there, it gets better!
Julie
Posts:
43 | From: Mississippi | Registered: Mar
2002 |
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JetAgeHobo
Member
Member # 443
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A couple of weeks ago I was on a morphene/saline drip with
about 100mg of morhphene every 16 hours. This was during the
last week of radiation for the tongue cancer, and the pain
had gotten pretty bad.
Having same thing. Actually doc took me off cold turkey, had
terrible dreams for about a day, then been kind of "weepy"
for a lack of better term for the last week. No special reason,
doesn't take much to set it off.
Posts:
5 | From: Southern China | Registered: Nov
2002 |
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Brian
Hill
Administrator
Member # 4
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After a year on heavy-duty painkillers I did something pretty
stupid. My excuse in retrospect was that ...well I had been
on heavy duty pain killers for a year, and was probably a
sandwich or two short of a full picnic. I was living in Santa
Fe, far removed from MDACC, and I decided that things had
gotten comfortable enough for me to quit the painkillers that
I was shooting into my PEG SEVERAL TIMES A DAY AND NIGHT.
So one day I just quit. For about a week I was sicker than
Hell, the chills, sweats, nausea, really weird thoughts, and
massive mental depression. My doctors, who were now treating
me long distance over the phone, didn't know what to make
of it. Of course I neglected to give them all the information
necessary to make the proper diagnosis, I had gone cold turkey
on my pain meds, and I was having acute withdrawal symptoms.
Finally I figured it out for myself, after a week of this,
while watching a TV ad for a methadone treatment program for
heroin addicts. It all clicked in my now sorta drug free mind.
I went back on the meds, and the symptoms went away over night.
I subsequently weaned myself off of them over 4 weeks, and
the second time around everything went smoothly. Hardcore
narcotics are seriously addictive to your body!!!
--------------------
Brian, stage 3 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director.
"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.
The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a
servant."
Posts:
367 | From: Laguna Beach, CA | Registered:
Mar 2002 |
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digtexas
Platinum Member (100+ posts)
Member # 320
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I am feeling much better this week and I think that the withdrawal
process perhaps did not take as long as I had feared that
it would. I still have some hydrocodone liquid and pills and
about once a day I will melt a pill or take a tablespoon of
liquid and inject it into my PEG tube, which seems to make
me feel better. Thanks for your support and suggestions.
Danny G.
Posts:
112 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered:
Sep 2002 |
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gnelson
Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Member # 212
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Hi, I was given a lot of morphine after my first surgery and
after flap failure. I was in the hospital for so long I had
a CD player with me, for some reason, and mind you I am in
my 50's ,I came out with a big liking for Eric Clapton, Hendrix,
and the Doors. Go figure! gnelson
Posts:
73 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun
2002 |
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Donna
Platinum Member (100+ posts)
Member # 33
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Gnelson..... That is one of the funniest posts I've read on
the OCF board! Hope Eric Clapton and the boys keep you entertained
this next go round too! Thanks for keeping us all updated.
Sincerely, Donna
Posts:
129 | From: Plymouth, Minnesota | Registered:
Mar 2002 |
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