[oxy_killer]

Hello to all,

I'm a newbie here and from reading some other posts it seemed like a good place to get somekind of help. I had a work accident on 03-03-03 that required surgery to my left shoulder and I have never completely recovered. I am in constant pain and have a lot of restrictions(shoulder). I have been taking oxycontin for about two years after taking ridiculous amounts of percocets every day. Right now i take between 160-240 mg of this ******************** everyday(oxycontin). This med worked well to control the pain for a while but now it just seems that no amount will do. Tomorrow morning i will see my doctor and ask for some kind of detox. I'm not sure wich is the best way to do it. I'm thinking cold turkey with the help of some kind of benzodiazepine.

There is no way i can taper off cause if i got 'em I'll take 'em. I have been also tagged with major depression and was wondering how much of it had to do with the oxycontin intake, if at all. I am not looking forward to the wd symptoms but it has to be done. This cant go on like this any longer, I have to do it now. Anyhow i hope that everyone else thats in this situation will be successfull in kiking this ******************** to the curb. I hope it wont hurt tooooo bad.

Thanks for reading, any suggestions would be appreciated.
oxy_killer

[mpvt]

If you still need to control pain then I would suggest methadone as a full time pain killer.You will not abuse methadone like you do oxycodone mainly because you don't get the rush buzz from methadone.It is a superior pain killer without the adverse effects of euphoria\dysphoria ect.You would likely need 20mgs twice a day at most and you will feel normal,no cravings no withdrawls.

If you plan to get off opiates all together then try suboxone(buprenorphene) in a 6 week detox at home monitored by your doctor.Oxycodone isn't a bad pain killer at first but it's mostly mind altering which is why people at first find it to be a great pain killer.It's a poor opiate for chronic pain.....Dave

[ymccormack]

as for your depression....my mental state has never been worse than when I was on oxycontin.

It made me really weird...jittery and cranky. Very moody. Keep in mind that you'll have some depression when you quit.....but it's temporary.

Good luck

YM

[oxy_killer]

hi,

thanks for the responses and suggestions. I have seen my doctor today and will begin a tapering process that reduces the oxycontin by 10mg every two days(per dose) so say 20 mg per day. In addition i have a bunch of xanax to help with the wd. I'll deal with the pain and depression after this is done. I hope it works cause i cant take it anymore its making me insane. I'll post an update shortly.

Thanks again to all for your support.
oxy_killer

[ishepherdu]

I suggest you discuss with your doctor shoulder surgery, or in home physical rehabilitation. As a conscientious rule, I will never discuss addiction with (any) doctors. I have serious reservations in the science of addiction medicine. But if you believe you are dope sick and exhausted with managing the pain in your shoulder. I strongly advise you to get a second opinion from a orthopedic doctor, and ask for corrective surgery.

Are you desiring to be pain-free or medicine dependent? I suggest you continue taking your medicine as it was prescribed. I think you can live successfully with corrective surgery and physical rehabilitation, and you will learn the true value of medicine. I broke my upper right arm, drinking and riding my mountain bike. I am prescribed 500/5mg (*vicodin) and have been taking it since 3/07, and I could discontinue using them permanently. But as 44yr old, ol' school' thinker, I would rather keep the painkillers to prevent me from having to go to the ER for pain management. I believe it is wise to ask your doctor for utility meds,(ambien,anti-nausea,celebrex,vicodin,klonopin and cymbalta) I feel properly cared by my team of doctors. I suggest you find some doctor to prescribe you benzo's,(ask for librirum) and carefully begin tapering off your high doses of oxycontin. It is possible to do so, but it will require some self-control on your part. I hope I have helped you, Good Luck!

[soontowed]

try poppy seed tea...although addictive it helped me kick a 300mg oxy habit...

goos luck the recipe can be found all over the net

[oxy_killer]

wow.....poppie seed tea i will def try it ..........thanks for the info. Ya know these xanax certainly help reduce the wd symptoms though.....The surgeon that operated on me said there was nothing more to do but i am going to seek a second opinion soon.


thanks again
oxy_killer

[fenderman44]

oxy-killer.....I don't know about the xanax dude.....my doctor prescribed the same thing (an HMO doctor) Xanax is taken by alot of addicts along with the oxy's because xanax is like a booster toward the effects of oxy(I flushed them).......you would be better seeing an addiction pain doctor.

[JT78]

Originally Posted by fenderman44

oxy-killer.....I don't know about the xanax dude.....my doctor prescribed the same thing (an HMO doctor) Xanax is taken by alot of addicts along with the oxy's because xanax is like a booster toward the effects of oxy(I flushed them).......you would be better seeing an addiction pain doctor.

Without question you are correct that seeing an addiction pain doctor is the right way to go. So many doctors do not know the first thing about this or how the take the proper steps to finally ridding yourself of the addiction. That is why there is a specific addiction specilaity within medicine to aid those w/ addiciton problems. These are the doctors to see. And you are also correct that Xanax will not help you with the w/symptoms (tried it the first time around), an addiction pain doctor just as you mentioned should know this.

[JT78]

Originally Posted by oxy_killer

hi,

thanks for the responses and suggestions. I have seen my doctor today and will begin a tapering process that reduces the oxycontin by 10mg every two days(per dose) so say 20 mg per day. In addition i have a bunch of xanax to help with the wd. I'll deal with the pain and depression after this is done. I hope it works cause i cant take it anymore its making me insane. I'll post an update shortly.

Thanks again to all for your support.
oxy_killer

Was your doctor an addiction pain specialist? Tapering down...does not work. Nope. If you are in the addiction stage where the body and mind crave and seek it on a consumable level then the tapering can, and most likely will make all the symtoms worse. Been there big time, HOWEVER , I was rescued by an addiction specialist doctor not even 72 hrs ago as I write this, and I was saved me. I went from hell and back. Please read the excerpts under "how long does it last." I think you may be able to find some possible answers within there that can truly help you during this ordeal if you feel or know you have an addiction problem. I hope this reaches you and reaches you well, and that you are beginning to feel better. Please feel free to ask if you shall have any questions. I hope you were or that you plan to be seen by a doctor within the addiction specilaity. All the best.

[oxy_killer]

thanks again,
well so far all is well, i went a little faster than the doc suggested (just to see what would happen) and in 4 days im down from 90mg 2x a day(sometimes more) to 20mg 2x a day and the xanax completely removes the wd symptoms.
However my doctor(gp) suggested that if this didnt work that she will gather the info for the addiction doctor cause as some of you said, she knows sweet f**k all about addiction.
Right now I'm feeling confident that I will be rid of it soon. Oh! I'm also gonna be seing a psychiatrist today about the depression thing, maybe he will have some insight into addiction????
I've seen this shrink once before and he said i was bipolar, I think hes a nut.

I'm glad that there is this place where folks can help eachother out with past experiences. although we are all perfect strangers, there seems to be a certain level of caring for oneanother..........very cool and thanks to all.

[mpvt]

Be very careful with the xanax as it has a very shrt halflife and people tend to take it to often.Xanax and any other benzodiazepine were meant to be taken only for short term (2 weeks max).You don't want to get addicted to these type of drugs as the withdrawls can actually be lethal.You're better off to just stop your opiates and use the xanax for no more then the first 5 days.Good luck......Dave

[oxy_killer]

Hi,
Today is the worst so far. Every inch of my body hurts. The wd symtoms are peaking and my first reaction is to gobble as many oxycontin as possible but I'm not. I'm gonna tuff it out no matter how much it hurts.

As far as the xanax goes my intention is to use it only for the worst periods and am hoping for no more than two weeks. Trading one addiction for another just dont make sense to me.......but then again who really chooses to be an addict.

I seen the psychiatrist today and he seems to think that its an ok way to detox. He also recommended a new batch of depression and bipolar meds.I guess we'll have to see what happens with that. I've tried many different cocktails of meds but nothing seems to work, maybe this will do it.
Anyhow thanks for reading my ranting and raving.

oxy_killer

[lyds]

Hi, Oxykiller. I pray you're doing better today than you were on the 8th. If you're out there reading this, please let us know how you're doing.

I looked up Poppy Seed Tea and found something that bothered me a bit. I am posting it below.

Blessings to all!

This site is dedicated to the memory of our beloved late son, who died at the age of 17 from an overdose of poppy seed tea.
Poppy seed tea contains different opiates in various concentrations. Typically morphine and codeine are the main ones. Morphine is recognized as one of the most addictive substances known to man and is, for this reason, also one of the most tightly controlled.
Overdoses of morphine can be lethal. The main cause of death for morphine overdose is pulmonary edema, where the lungs fill with fluid passed from the blood stream through the alveoli in the lungs. That was the case with our son.

The dosage problem
The morphine content in poppy seeds can vary enormously depending on many factors: the exact type of seeds, the harvesting time (even seeds picked a few weeks apart), and others. Poppy seeds sold in bulk in supermarkets are not controlled for the amount of opiates in them, but rather for their flavor and appearance, as they are meant to be used for baking. When you make an infusion from these seeds, there is no telling how much opiates your solution will contain. You are truly playing a potentially deadly game of Russian roulette.

A recorded case: our son
He had taken poppy seed tea several times, always using the exact same amount of seeds and same preparation (3.5 lbs soaked in hot water and lemon juice). The last time he took it, it resulted in his death due to morphine overdose. The autopsy revealed a morphine concentration in his blood and urine that was higher than the lethal levels (click on Coroner's Report, above, to see details). The coroner's lab also analyzed an infusion of poppy seeds prepared with the same batch of seeds and confirmed that the concentration of morphine was extremely high and had tha same morphine-codeine signature detected in the autopsy (see lab report, above). This ruled out the possibility of morphine also having come from an additional source other than the tea, like pills or injections. How could this happen? Clearly, the supermarket had received a new and different batch of seeds, with significantly higher morphine content in them.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH POPPY SEED TEA

• You can never know how much morphine it will contain
• It is very addictive

Why do we have this site?
When, as parents, we realized that our son was taking poppy seed tea, we saw it as a "natural herbal tea", prepared with an ingredient sold openly in supermarkets without any restrictions, and thought that it was acceptable for him to do this. When we looked on the Internet for additional information on it, we did find several sites that talked about it, but none stated clearly that this tea contained morphine and that these levels could potentially be lethal. Even after our son's overdose accident, we were surprised to find out that even within the medical community, the fact that the morphine content in poppy seed tea can be very high is not widely known.
The purpose of this Web site is to hopefully have it show up in Internet search results for people researching the subject. Mostly for curious users experimenting with it, like our son was, but also for concerned parents looking to understand the risks that their children may be undertaking. We can only wish that we had seen the information provided on this Web site when we did our Internet search trying to understand what the risks were. Please share with others…

[Billangee]

1st of all: all opiates (percocet, vicodin, oxycontin especially) are MAJOR depressants. They usually make you very angry and agitated too.
I was on them for 4 years. Your tolerance level is getting really high and will continue to get higher if you don't do something.

People don't realize that eventually you can build up a resistance, so your eating all those oxys and they aren't very affective anymore. Theres probly enough getting into your system to keep you from withdrawing. I would definitely get your liver enzymes checked to make sure that isn't the reason the pills aren't working. The fact that your dose is getting so high and not working could be a warning that it may become fatal without warning.

(Oxys are unpredictable and a persons body will shut down (death) spontaneously and it doesn't matter if you took half your nomal dose or just took your regular dose. It does not matter what your age, race, weight, tolerance level, gender or anything else is. It happens to ANYONE.

[oxy_killer]

Thanks for your prayers lyds and everyone else also. I'm sorry for not giving any details the past couple days. I had a friend come and spend some time with me and my daugther. Ivive. may have forgotten to tell you that I'm a single dad.
Now i am down to 20mg 2x a day and I am in soooo much undescribable pain. It hurts so much sometimes i actually cry.The solution to my pain remains in a little pill bottle in the cupboard. All i have to do is take one little pill and this hell will cease but there is no way in hell I'm gonna do it. I feel that i have come to far to give up now. I have just a few more days of torture left(I hope). You know it hurts when the only thing you're affraid off is that you will actually survive.
Thanks again to all for letting me ************************* about this sstuff and reading and responding, it is greatly appreciated.

oxy_killer

[oxy_killer]

Hello All,
I'm still in tremendous wd but i thought i would let everyone know about a couple things that are helping me get through it. This may sounds a little primitive but it helps.

Green tea and honey seems to help relax some of the aching as well as sea salt baths. I know its a little girlie......but it does help.

oxy_killer

[mpvt]

Hi Oxykiller!! I hope you're feeling a little better as you adjust to the new dose.I'm wondering though what you plan to do if you still have the pain in your shoulder that started the opiates???
If you have chronic pain that requires painkillers then you shouldn't deny yourself that.When people abuse their opiates is when the trouble really starts.As long as you're not abusing your meds then you should only be worried about being comfortable without being stioned.Your quality of life should come first and if taking a controlled painkiller as prescribed works then why would you or anyone deny themselves that.
If you are abusing the opiates then by all means you would need to come off them but you would still have to deal with the chronic pain.
I know people that get their meds weekly instead of monthly and I even knew one guy who picked his pain killers up daily.Just my opinion but I don't believe people should deny themselve painkillers just because of the stigma or to make other people happy.I'm not saying that's you it's just how I feel..Good luck......Dave

[oxy_killer]

HI Dave,
well I'm not quite sure what I'm gonna do about the pain yet but although i didnt really abuse the oxycontin its just that the past few months I have seen myself take extra doses during the day 'cause it wasnt helping the pain anymore. So days that were not so bad (pain) and I didnt take the extra dose i would get extremely anxious, nervous and a case of the shakes. It just felt like I was no longer in control of it but it controling me. My doc was not impressed about increasing the doses all the time either as I was at a rather high dose already.
I seem to have a large tolerence to meds and require larger doses. I guess the fact that I'm built like an NFL linebacker dont help with that......lolll

I will meet with my doc this friday to discuss what options are available to me for pain control.

thanks for sharing your thoughts
oxy_killer

[lyds]

Originally Posted by oxy_killer

Hello All,
I'm still in tremendous wd but i thought i would let everyone know about a couple things that are helping me get through it. This may sounds a little primitive but it helps.

Green tea and honey seems to help relax some of the aching as well as sea salt baths. I know its a little girlie......but it does help.

oxy_killer

Oxy, doing those things aren't girlie!! If it helps, DO IT.

Thanks for checking in with us!

[oxy_killer]

Hello to all,

I DID IT! My first 24hrs without oxycontin and im doing good. The last 4 days of wd are the worst, even, if you allow me, it was hell. There is no words that can define the feeling of detoxing its just horrible.
I would like to thank everyone whom responded to my cry's and lent a helping hand to a perfect stranger. I will most certainely try and help other here with the same problem.

may your God bless you.
oxy_KILLER (Ron)

[mpvt]

That's great news Ron,just hang in there as your going to have some tough times ahead.Eat as high a protien diet as you can and walk at least twice a day.Drink gatorade to replace electrolytes and energy.Way to go....Dave

[oxy_killer]

ok, I'm starting my 6th day without the bad stuff. I still have strong cravings but I refuse to give in no matter how much it hurts cause let me let you in on a little secret if you dont already know. Quitting oxycontin hurts of all hell. Thats not meant to scare anyone but be advised and prepared. All I have to do to relieve the pain is go to one of the pharmacies i do business with and get some, i have a whole months worth of oxycontin just sitting there waiting to be picked up. I'm just too stubborn to do it though. It would relieve me so much but would make all this suffering for nothing.
Anyhow I'm hoping that this is the last few days of the "big hurt" and that i can soon begin to live somewhat of a dissfunctionnal life again. I can only hope that this will inspire others to be courageous enough to go all the way.

oxy_killer

[jojo33]

Originally Posted by oxy_killer

Hello to all,

I'm a newbie here and from reading some other posts it seemed like a good place to get somekind of help. I had a work accident on 03-03-03 that required surgery to my left shoulder and I have never completely recovered. I am in constant pain and have a lot of restrictions(shoulder). I have been taking oxycontin for about two years after taking ridiculous amounts of percocets every day. Right now i take between 160-240 mg of this ******************** everyday(oxycontin). This med worked well to control the pain for a while but now it just seems that no amount will do. Tomorrow morning i will see my doctor and ask for some kind of detox. I'm not sure wich is the best way to do it. I'm thinking cold turkey with the help of some kind of benzodiazepine.

There is no way i can taper off cause if i got 'em I'll take 'em. I have been also tagged with major depression and was wondering how much of it had to do with the oxycontin intake, if at all. I am not looking forward to the wd symptoms but it has to be done. This cant go on like this any longer, I have to do it now. Anyhow i hope that everyone else thats in this situation will be successfull in kiking this ******************** to the curb. I hope it wont hurt tooooo bad.

Thanks for reading, any suggestions would be appreciated.
oxy_killer

hi. I'm 36 hours going into methadone withdrawal. does anyone know how long this pins and needle-y feeling in all the joints last?The mental depression and sorts don't scare me, but this feeling is terrifying...help!!

[oxy_killer]

hey jojo,
I dont know much about methadone but after 6 days of stopping oxycontin my legs are still killing me. It keeps me awake for days at a time. It IS hell. I have no idea how long its gonna last but i can tell you that a hot sea salt bath for an hour is relieving for a while. Hope it can help.

oxy_killer

[vduda]

Detox from opiates is hell. And even worse for Benzos. Try detoxing from both at the same time. I was on quite bit more of opiates than you, but I know what you are going through. To give you an idea I was on every prescribed opiate known to man. In excess of 3,500 mg a day. Died several times from overdose. This was my second time through Detox for opiates and benzos. I have been clean from the opiates five months. Still feeling rough, but I did it. It was literally a living hell. I see you haven't posted for a couple of weeks. How are u doing? Like to hear from you. God Bless

[jojo33]

Originally Posted by vduda

Detox from opiates is hell. And even worse for Benzos. Try detoxing from both at the same time. I was on quite bit more of opiates than you, but I know what you are going through. To give you an idea I was on every prescribed opiate known to man. In excess of 3,500 mg a day. Died several times from overdose. This was my second time through Detox for opiates and benzos. I have been clean from the opiates five months. Still feeling rough, but I did it. It was literally a living hell. I see you haven't posted for a couple of weeks. How are u doing? Like to hear from you. God Bless

well, I'm now about 2 weeks into coming off methadone and oxy's. The pain has subsided quite a bit, but the depression is overwhelming. I didn't expect it to be so bad. Still not sleeping very well, but klonodine and seroquel seem to help some. Thanks for all the advice. I sure am looking forward to be done with this. Staying clean, and trying to stay positive

[vduda]

Hey Jojo,

I am so happy to hear u are hanging in there! It is tough. Emotionally, I was a mess the first couple of months. Bad depression. But the fog clears when the sun comes up. How is the seroquel working for you? That antipshchotic turned me into a zombie. The Detox doctor gave that to me. I did not like it at all. Are you taking Klonopin (benzodiazepine)? It does help especially with sleep and anxiety associated with withdraws. Other meds they prescrible is Colodine (blood pressure med) for withdrawals. Some reason it helps. I don't like the antidepressant meds, but if you feel suicidal get help immediately. Your doing great! God Bless.

[jojo33]

Originally Posted by vduda

Hey Jojo,

I am so happy to hear u are hanging in there! It is tough. Emotionally, I was a mess the first couple of months. Bad depression. But the fog clears when the sun comes up. How is the seroquel working for you? That antipshchotic turned me into a zombie. The Detox doctor gave that to me. I did not like it at all. Are you taking Klonopin (benzodiazepine)? It does help especially with sleep and anxiety associated with withdraws. Other meds they prescrible is Colodine (blood pressure med) for withdrawals. Some reason it helps. I don't like the antidepressant meds, but if you feel suicidal get help immediately. Your doing great! God Bless.

thanks so much, at a time I thought the pain would never go away. I'm not feeling suicidal, really, just lethargic still, that being one reason, I feel so depressed. The guilt of being in this mess in the first place, is what is pushing me through. Hate being in this situation and admitting this, but I am a mommy of three-the youngest being 4. I push myself to spend much time outdoors, and try to read stories aloud as much as possible. The first few days, the kids thought I had the flu, and somehow I've managed to be not too irritable. The guilt of putting them through this has been difficult to face. But, I know there is a light at the end of this hell-road...why, even a week ago I didn't have the energy even to type out words. One small hurdle at a time, I guess. Your encouragement(and that of others) has been unbelievably touching and motivating. again, thanks so much for your kindness. If I could just shake the fear of being weak and winding up in this mess again, down the road.

[vduda]

Hey Jojo,

It is tough. I am a single parent, but my kid was great when I was in the grip of withdrawals. She knows everything about me. I don't keep anything from her. My mother has been the greatest. If not for her I wouldn't of made it through this whole thing. It will get better. Remember you didn't get addicted to morphine and oxy's in one day. So go easy on yourself. I know what you mean about guilt. But don't feel guilty. You have taken a tremendous step in your recovery. I don't know you personally, but we share something in common. I am proud of you. After you feel better, it would be good to go to meeting, talk to a counselor and build a good support system. I went to over 120 NA meetings in the second and third month. First month I was bedridden. Now I switched over to a christian based group. Also I go to counseling. And I am going to go to a pshchiatrist for my Anxiety disorder. Stay positive your doing great.
God Bless