Weaning off of pain medication
An_223440 posted:
I am looking for suggestions regarding weaning off of pain medication. I have a couple of chronic pain conditions and my pain has been very bad for a while. I just had another surgery and the really intense pain is gone and I would like to stop taking the pain medication at least while I can. I have asked my dr and he really wasn't any help. I am using a weaker pain medication and I tried to come off quickly but that didn't go well. I am trying to do it more slowly and not really sure how to. I am currently trying to go as long as I can tolerate the symptoms and then take as little medication as possible unfortunately it is very uncomfortable and I am a parent and I work full time so I still need to continue to function daily. Does anyone know how I can do this since my dr is not helping me. I feel a little lost when I am in pain and need the medicine they seem to act like I am a drug addict, but when I ask for help on not taking it now that my pain level has significantly decreased I get no help.
26 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationI am looking for suggestions regarding weaning off of pain medication. I have a couple of chronic pain conditions and my pain has been very bad for a while. I just had another surgery and the really intense pain is gone and I would like to stop taking the pain medication at least while I can. I have asked my dr and he really wasn't any help. I am using a weaker pain medication and I tried to come off quickly but that didn't go well. I am trying to do it more slowly and not really sure how to. I am currently trying to go as long as I can tolerate the symptoms and then take as little medication as possible unfortunately it is very uncomfortable and I am a parent and I work full time so I still need to continue to function daily. Does anyone know how I can do this since my dr is not helping me. I feel a little lost when I am in pain and need the medicine they seem to act like I am a drug addict, but when I ask for help on not taking it now that my pain level has significantly decreased I get no help.
1wareaglefan responded:
Hello....I am quite surprised that your doctor isn't helping you do this. I don't understand him not telling you exactly what to do.
Since he's not helping, I think I'd talk to your pharmacist. They certainly would know the safe way to wean off the medication.
Hope this helps! Elizabeth
Since he's not helping, I think I'd talk to your pharmacist. They certainly would know the safe way to wean off the medication.
Hope this helps! Elizabeth
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationHello....I am quite surprised that your doctor isn't helping you do this. I don't understand him not telling you exactly what to do.<br /> <br />Since he's not helping, I think I'd talk to your pharmacist. They certainly would know the safe way to wean off the medication.<br /> <br />Hope this helps! Elizabeth
mofro123 responded:
I have a similar situation. I have a rare form of lupus. On some days i can barely move. But I cant take motrin because I only have on kidney. I have been on narcotics for a little over a year, but i want to come off them. I try to go as long as I can, but some times the pain is to much. I am a wife, mother to two beautiful daughters and I want to be their for them. Please help me with weaning off the medication at home. My doctor just changes the dose of the medication, but I do need something. Any suggestions
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationI have a similar situation. I have a rare form of lupus. On some days i can barely move. But I cant take motrin because I only have on kidney. I have been on narcotics for a little over a year, but i want to come off them. I try to go as long as I can, but some times the pain is to much. I am a wife, mother to two beautiful daughters and I want to be their for them. Please help me with weaning off the medication at home. My doctor just changes the dose of the medication, but I do need something. Any suggestions
mofro123 replied to 1wareaglefan's response:
I am going to try and talk to a pharmacist, but I dont want to come across as a drug seeker or abuser
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationI am going to try and talk to a pharmacist, but I dont want to come across as a drug seeker or abuser
annette030 replied to mofro123's response:
You won't come across as a drug seeker if you are asking how to taper off of the drugs.
The doctor changing the dose is the first step of tapering off. He would slowly lower the dose of the opiate until you are on a very low dose, then perhaps have you take them less frequently until you don't take them at all.
The thing to remember is that your old pain will probably come back so I am not sure what the point is, does it matter to you whether you are debilitated by pain or not? What side effects are you currently having from the opiates that make you want to be off of them?
Take care, Annette
The doctor changing the dose is the first step of tapering off. He would slowly lower the dose of the opiate until you are on a very low dose, then perhaps have you take them less frequently until you don't take them at all.
The thing to remember is that your old pain will probably come back so I am not sure what the point is, does it matter to you whether you are debilitated by pain or not? What side effects are you currently having from the opiates that make you want to be off of them?
Take care, Annette
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationYou won't come across as a drug seeker if you are asking how to taper off of the drugs.<br /><br />The doctor changing the dose is the first step of tapering off. He would slowly lower the dose of the opiate until you are on a very low dose, then perhaps have you take them less frequently until you don't take them at all.<br /><br />The thing to remember is that your old pain will probably come back so I am not sure what the point is, does it matter to you whether you are debilitated by pain or not? What side effects are you currently having from the opiates that make you want to be off of them?<br /><br />Take care, Annette
Thank you all for your input and mofro it is nice to hear that I am not alone in this. I understand also as I cannot take motrin either. I have looked up some information on the internet and other discussions and am just doing this more slowly. It is difficult because at times I am still in a lot of pain, but I feel that if I take enough medication to help then I will interrupting the process of getting off of it. I am trying different methods to help me treat my pain I have been to physical therapy and continue with what I learned there as well as I purchased my own tens unit which helps with my pain. Some people ask why come off of the medicine if it helps. Personally I am 31 and I don't want to be on medication all the time for the rest of my life. I also don't like the way people act about me being on pain medication. People don't understand my pain unless they have what I have and unfortunately I am not responding to the medication like I should be so my symptoms aren't improving.
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationThank you all for your input and mofro it is nice to hear that I am not alone in this. I understand also as I cannot take motrin either. I have looked up some information on the internet and other discussions and am just doing this more slowly. It is difficult because at times I am still in a lot of pain, but I feel that if I take enough medication to help then I will interrupting the process of getting off of it. I am trying different methods to help me treat my pain I have been to physical therapy and continue with what I learned there as well as I purchased my own tens unit which helps with my pain. Some people ask why come off of the medicine if it helps. Personally I am 31 and I don't want to be on medication all the time for the rest of my life. I also don't like the way people act about me being on pain medication. People don't understand my pain unless they have what I have and unfortunately I am not responding to the medication like I should be so my symptoms aren't improving.
MaMaTwig responded:
Good Luck and God Bless, I hope you can do this successfully on your own without to many side effects. That is wonderful to here that your pain has decreased by that much that you do not need any pain meds......I do not understand why your Dr. isn't trying to help you, that just totally throws me for a loop.
Please remember having Chronic pain, means it could possible come back, I don;t know exactly what problems you have been dealing with, but I wish you nothing but the best.
I am dealing with chronic pain and have been for over 6 years, and I can honestly say that I could not possible stop my pain meds, that is something that I do not feel as of right now would be feasible for a long period of time or if I ever could.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!, keep your faith you are a strong person to be able to go through this...please keep us posted as to your progress
Please remember having Chronic pain, means it could possible come back, I don;t know exactly what problems you have been dealing with, but I wish you nothing but the best.
I am dealing with chronic pain and have been for over 6 years, and I can honestly say that I could not possible stop my pain meds, that is something that I do not feel as of right now would be feasible for a long period of time or if I ever could.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!, keep your faith you are a strong person to be able to go through this...please keep us posted as to your progress
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationGood Luck and God Bless, I hope you can do this successfully on your own without to many side effects. That is wonderful to here that your pain has decreased by that much that you do not need any pain meds......I do not understand why your Dr. isn't trying to help you, that just totally throws me for a loop.<br /> <br />Please remember having Chronic pain, means it could possible come back, I don;t know exactly what problems you have been dealing with, but I wish you nothing but the best.<br /> <br />I am dealing with chronic pain and have been for over 6 years, and I can honestly say that I could not possible stop my pain meds, that is something that I do not feel as of right now would be feasible for a long period of time or if I ever could.<br /> <br />GOOD LUCK!!!!!, keep your faith you are a strong person to be able to go through this...please keep us posted as to your progress <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0">
I am a hard head and about once every year, i stop all my pain med's just to make sure that i still have justification for my med's and inevitably i find my pain level is as bad as i remember and then i restart my med's and even though i know it takes time for them to work, i lay and pray for somebody to just shoot me and get me out of this pain.
It is an awesome responsebility taking care of our body and mind and chartiing a course through the rocky waters of life. And i when a child was severly abused it left a alot of physical scars but left even more of mental scar I Have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- Concentration Camp Survivor Syndrome. Because of these experiences i chose for my life a path of heart rather than one of ease and it's been tough at times keeping true to that, and it never included becoming disabled with rare neuromuscular disease's and chronic pain in my mid thirties .
Peace
It is an awesome responsebility taking care of our body and mind and chartiing a course through the rocky waters of life. And i when a child was severly abused it left a alot of physical scars but left even more of mental scar I Have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- Concentration Camp Survivor Syndrome. Because of these experiences i chose for my life a path of heart rather than one of ease and it's been tough at times keeping true to that, and it never included becoming disabled with rare neuromuscular disease's and chronic pain in my mid thirties .
Peace
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationI am a hard head and about once every year, i stop all my pain med's just to make sure that i still have justification for my med's and inevitably i find my pain level is as bad as i remember and then i restart my med's and even though i know it takes time for them to work, i lay and pray for somebody to just shoot me and get me out of this pain.<br /><br />It is an awesome responsebility taking care of our body and mind and chartiing a course through the rocky waters of life. And i when a child was severly abused it left a alot of physical scars but left even more of mental scar I Have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- Concentration Camp Survivor Syndrome. Because of these experiences i chose for my life a path of heart rather than one of ease and it's been tough at times keeping true to that, and it never included becoming disabled with rare neuromuscular disease's and chronic pain in my mid thirties .<br /><br />Peace
Well I have been working on getting off of the pain medicine. I have significantly reduce the amount. I only take the pain medicine twice a day at this point. The problem I am having now is that I have been having a lot of pain. My pain from endometriosis and fibroids and scar tissue is gone since the surgery, but my pain from my interstitial cystitis is not and according to how my bladder looked at surgery there is no improvement since I have been taking medication that is supposed to help. I am having insomnia bad at first I was getting up at 5 am then it turned to 4 am and the last couple days I have been up since 3 am. I am still going to work and I do go to bed as soon as my son goes to bed. I am also having anxiety I really want to be pain free and pain medicine free but I am not getting there. I go back to the dr in a couple days because my pain is not decreasing. I am getting really discouraged. Does anyone else feel this. I am feeling defeated by my pain.
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationWell I have been working on getting off of the pain medicine. I have significantly reduce the amount. I only take the pain medicine twice a day at this point. The problem I am having now is that I have been having a lot of pain. My pain from endometriosis and fibroids and scar tissue is gone since the surgery, but my pain from my interstitial cystitis is not and according to how my bladder looked at surgery there is no improvement since I have been taking medication that is supposed to help. I am having insomnia bad at first I was getting up at 5 am then it turned to 4 am and the last couple days I have been up since 3 am. I am still going to work and I do go to bed as soon as my son goes to bed. I am also having anxiety I really want to be pain free and pain medicine free but I am not getting there. I go back to the dr in a couple days because my pain is not decreasing. I am getting really discouraged. Does anyone else feel this. I am feeling defeated by my pain.
annette030 replied to joy_123's response:
Personally, I do not tell people what meds I am on or how often I take them. Then they won't act any way about me being on narcotics.
If you can get off of them without significant uncontrolled pain, great, but if you cannot, you cannot.
Take care, Annette
If you can get off of them without significant uncontrolled pain, great, but if you cannot, you cannot.
Take care, Annette
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationPersonally, I do not tell people what meds I am on or how often I take them. Then they won't act any way about me being on narcotics.<br /><br />If you can get off of them without significant uncontrolled pain, great, but if you cannot, you cannot.<br /><br />Take care, Annette
annette030 replied to joy_123's response:
Don't feel defeated. Do whatever you feel you need to do. Discuss it all with your doctors, and with a therapist if need be.
Take care, Annette
Take care, Annette
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationDon't feel defeated. Do whatever you feel you need to do. Discuss it all with your doctors, and with a therapist if need be.<br /><br />Take care, Annette
omahaglenn responded:
I have the same problem with Lyrica, at age 56
I have cluster headaches but try and take 1 to 2 times
a day to get rid of eye, headache pain.
I need 20 min. walking each day 7 days a week
I hope for a west Omaha, NE support group
I have had headaches for 3 yrs, and work in bright
flour. lighting for 7 hrs ___it is bad
I have cluster headaches but try and take 1 to 2 times
a day to get rid of eye, headache pain.
I need 20 min. walking each day 7 days a week
I hope for a west Omaha, NE support group
I have had headaches for 3 yrs, and work in bright
flour. lighting for 7 hrs ___it is bad
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationI have the same problem with Lyrica, at age 56<br />I have cluster headaches but try and take 1 to 2 times<br />a day to get rid of eye, headache pain.<br /> <br />I need 20 min. walking each day 7 days a week<br />I hope for a west Omaha, NE support group<br />I have had headaches for 3 yrs, and work in bright<br />flour. lighting for 7 hrs ___it is bad
Caprice_WebMD_Staff replied to omahaglenn's response:
Hi Omahaglenn and welcome to WebMD,
I hope you'll start a new discussion to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. This is a great board with lots of good info and support to be had.
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I hope you'll start a new discussion to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. This is a great board with lots of good info and support to be had.
To do that, hold your cursor over the orange Post Now button on the upper right and choose 'Discussion' from the drop down menu which appears. Fill in the subject line, the body of the message (you can ignore the poll part unless you want to do one) and click Submit.
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Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationHi Omahaglenn and welcome to WebMD,<br /><br />I hope you'll start a new discussion to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. This is a great board with lots of good info and support to be had.<br /><br />To do that, hold your cursor over the orange Post Now button on the upper right and choose 'Discussion' from the drop down menu which appears. Fill in the subject line, the body of the message (you can ignore the poll part unless you want to do one) and click Submit. <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0">
annette030 replied to mofro123's response:
If you need pain meds, you need pain meds. I understand not wanting to take them, and taking the least possible, but why eliminate them altogether?
Take care, Annette
Take care, Annette
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationIf you need pain meds, you need pain meds. I understand not wanting to take them, and taking the least possible, but why eliminate them altogether?<br /><br />Take care, Annette
cweinbl responded:
If you no longer have chronic pain, then take a slightly lower amount each day for a couple of weeks. You might need to endure some withdrawal discomfort. But, after that, it will be gone. I've done it several times. The discomfort lasts only a matter of hours.
On the other hand, I am amazed by people who continue to have chronic severe pain and wish to stop their narcotic medications. WHY? If you need it, then use it. It can't hurt.
Opiates possess no danger to humans, used as directed. You can take opiate pain medications literally for a lifetime and do no harm to your body. They are a natural substance to humans (otherwise, why would we have opiate receptors in our brain?).
The chance of becoming addicted to pain medication is less than 3% (in fact recent studies put it at under 1%). So, there is no real fear of being addicted, unless you have a prior addiction disorder.
You can safely use narcotics for a lifetime without fear of being addicted. I've done it for more than 40 years. I am not addicted and I've experienced no discomformt or physical ailment at all. If your pain is gone, then wean yourself slowly. If your pain remains, then continue to use narcotics with the secure knowledge that you will incur no deleterious reactions or addiction (unless you have a prior addiction disorder).
On the other hand, I am amazed by people who continue to have chronic severe pain and wish to stop their narcotic medications. WHY? If you need it, then use it. It can't hurt.
Opiates possess no danger to humans, used as directed. You can take opiate pain medications literally for a lifetime and do no harm to your body. They are a natural substance to humans (otherwise, why would we have opiate receptors in our brain?).
The chance of becoming addicted to pain medication is less than 3% (in fact recent studies put it at under 1%). So, there is no real fear of being addicted, unless you have a prior addiction disorder.
You can safely use narcotics for a lifetime without fear of being addicted. I've done it for more than 40 years. I am not addicted and I've experienced no discomformt or physical ailment at all. If your pain is gone, then wean yourself slowly. If your pain remains, then continue to use narcotics with the secure knowledge that you will incur no deleterious reactions or addiction (unless you have a prior addiction disorder).
Report This| Share this:Weaning off of pain medicationIf you no longer have chronic pain, then take a slightly lower amount each day for a couple of weeks. You might need to endure some withdrawal discomfort. But, after that, it will be gone. I've done it several times. The discomfort lasts only a matter of hours. <br /> <br />On the other hand, I am amazed by people who continue to have chronic severe pain and wish to stop their narcotic medications. WHY? If you need it, then use it. It can't hurt. <br /> <br />Opiates possess no danger to humans, used as directed. You can take opiate pain medications literally for a lifetime and do no harm to your body. They are a natural substance to humans (otherwise, why would we have opiate receptors in our brain?). <br /> <br />The chance of becoming addicted to pain medication is less than 3% (in fact recent studies put it at under 1%). So, there is no real fear of being addicted, unless you have a prior addiction disorder. <br /> <br />You can safely use narcotics for a lifetime without fear of being addicted. I've done it for more than 40 years. I am not addicted and I've experienced no discomformt or physical ailment at all. If your pain is gone, then wean yourself slowly. If your pain remains, then continue to use narcotics with the secure knowledge that you will incur no deleterious reactions or addiction (unless you have a prior addiction disorder).
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