Quitting opioids…

[Rick]

Evening all.

So tonight marks 48 hours since I last had a cocodamol 30/500mg.

This is my 3rd time coming off long term max dose use, however this was the longest period of 4 years. Previously 18 months was the longest.

I’ve made this decision to stop, not because my pain is lessening or my condition is getting better, but because I’ve come to realise I cannot sustain the rest of my life eating 240mg of codeine every 24 hours.

Also, the GP/hospital really don’t want to know anymore. I feel like I’m pestering every time I speak to a health professional. I’ve had people tell me they’ve seen people with worse scans, living good lives, and I’ve had people who tell me there’s stuff wrong, but won’t do anything because of my age, and the fact of if I were to have surgery, it would be my 3rd back surgery by the age of 35.

This time last year I was on 7 different pharmaceuticals, approx 20 pills a day, using cannabis illicitly with no steady supply. After gaining a steady (although sometimes slow) supply it’s enabled me to, finally, come off all the pills and start to try to manage my pain purely with medical cannabis.

I’ve come to realise this is probably me for the foreseeable and for that reason i wanted to try and completely stop opioids. I’m not sitting round for 5 years, eating pills, until my age is satisfaction for their stats for surgeries.

This is my 3rd time in this position, first op when I was 21, second when I was 29, I’m now 35, medically retired from the post office, and unemployed and in 24/7 chronic pain.

So far so good, really bad stomach, headaches, but not irritable or snappy and in good mental spirits. Trying to keep myself busy so I thought I’d come here with a little story time for everyone.

Any tips / advice welcome! Anybody had similar experiences?

 

[stevoknevo]

Evening all.

So tonight marks 48 hours since I last had a cocodamol 30/500mg.

This is my 3rd time coming off long term max dose use, however this was the longest period of 4 years. Previously 18 months was the longest.

I’ve made this decision to stop, not because my pain is lessening or my condition is getting better, but because I’ve come to realise I cannot sustain the rest of my life eating 240mg of codeine every 24 hours.

Also, the GP/hospital really don’t want to know anymore. I feel like I’m pestering every time I speak to a health professional. I’ve had people tell me they’ve seen people with worse scans, living good lives, and I’ve had people who tell me there’s stuff wrong, but won’t do anything because of my age, and the fact of if I were to have surgery, it would be my 3rd back surgery by the age of 35.

This time last year I was on 7 different pharmaceuticals, approx 20 pills a day, using cannabis illicitly with no steady supply. After gaining a steady (although sometimes slow) supply it’s enabled me to, finally, come off all the pills and start to try to manage my pain purely with medical cannabis.

I’ve come to realise this is probably me for the foreseeable and for that reason i wanted to try and completely stop opioids. I’m not sitting round for 5 years, eating pills, until my age is satisfaction for their stats for surgeries.

This is my 3rd time in this position, first op when I was 21, second when I was 29, I’m now 35, medically retired from the post office, and unemployed and in 24/7 chronic pain.

So far so good, really bad stomach, headaches, but not irritable or snappy and in good mental spirits. Trying to keep myself busy so I thought I’d come here with a little story time for everyone.

Any tips / advice welcome! Anybody had similar experiences?

I'd have suggested a gradual reduction rather than sudden cessation so perhaps that could be an option should you find the withdrawals start to become intolerable - general guidance is to taper at 10% of daily dose over 1-2 weeks depending on tolerance of the regime - slightly tricky to do with 30mg tabs - I'd generally have suggested reducing doses from 60mg per dose per week, next week >45>next week 30>15>8>4>0 reduction in a previous life to patients depending on how well the reduction is tolerated. Don't see it as defeat if you have to start taking them again if/when the withdrawals get too much because as a long-term user the body will have become physically dependent on them and rapid cessation can be dangerous (although less dangerous than rapid alcohol cessation in dependency!)

Low impact exercise like swimming to maintain your condition, and perhaps yoga or suitable stretching exercises to maintain your core strength if you are able to (and under proper supervision!)

 

[Rick]

Yeah, no, staggering doses doesn’t work for me, I’ve always been a cold turkey man, 2 weeks and it’s done and dusted. In 2018 I was on 2.7g of gabipentin a day and I cold turkeyd that too. I find it fairly easy especially with cannabis to help.

I swim every other day to the best of my ability. I can only manage around 500m before I have to stop coz of chronic pain. Then the hot tub starts to call my name .

 

[stevoknevo]

If cold turkey works for you and you can tolerate it then on you go I'm similar in that when I've been on long term opiates I've little issues stopping.

500m in the pool is bloody good, I have issues walking that far much of the time without using oxygen (but then I'm in the process about seeing whether I'm a suitable lung transplant recipient )

 

[Rick]

If cold turkey works for you and you can tolerate it then on you go I'm similar in that when I've been on long term opiates I've little issues stopping.

500m in the pool is bloody good, I have issues walking that far much of the time without using oxygen (but then I'm in the process about seeing whether I'm a suitable lung transplant recipient )

I can walk about half of what I can swim, using my stick, take a break then carry on. The pool is one of the only places where my pain does actually lessen.

My pain all stems from sciatica and degenerative discs, so gravity is my enemy, when in the water, and buoyant, there’s less pressure pulling down on me. It’s horrible stepping out of the pool as with each step more body comes out and is attacked by gravity lol. The pool and then the heat in the hot tub & sauna is my best friend.

I’ve been trying for a long time to up what I do but I just hit a wall each time and approx 26x18m laps in about 45 mins is my limit it seems.

But it’s better than nothing and as you say I’m able to do better than a lot of people out there. It’s enough to keep me from seizing up is how I’d explain it. Especially as 4 years ago I was walking 14 miles a day as a post man.