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Oxy withdrawal

Hi. I found this site on my phone when searching on withdrawal symptoms for Oxycodone.  

I am 43 years old, live in NE Ohio,  I am a web developer, graphic artists, etc.  I work from

home.

In early 2010 I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and polyposis.  My options were few, I had to have my entire large intestine (colon) and rectum removed.  I would be getting an ileostomy (poop bag).  Before this, I did chemo 7 days a week, and radiation 5 days a week, both for 5 weeks straight.  Towards the end of my 5 weeks of radiation, my insides were burned to a crisp and it was EXTREMELY painful to go to the bathroom (#2).  So I was prescribed vicodin or the pain.  Well,  I took it, but it didn't help with the pain.  I stayed on vicodin (5mg) until my surgery.

After my huge surgery I was brought back to consciousnous in EXTREME pain.  They shot me up with a bunch of dilaudid until I woud quit complaining.  So I am admitted to the hostpital for 6 days.  First 3 days I am on a pain button of dilaudid and I was loving the stuff.  Then they took me off the pain button and gave me percocet.  I would get 2 5mg percocet every 3 hours.

I was released on the 6th day.  I was still in much pain and had percocet prescription to bring home.

After 2 weeks I was readmitted to the hospital due to a staph infection in my pelvic area.  So I continued to take percocet every 3 hours.  I was released after 5 days.

After being home again, I resorted to taking my percocets.  Even after I was mobile and not laying on the couch 24/7.  I called them my happy pills, because when I went without them, I felt like sh*t.

Couple months later, I go on post-op chemo.  This is where they surgically put a port under the skin on my chest, that has a catheter that runs directly to my heart.  This port is used to pump in the $20,000 a liter poison they call chemo.  I did 3 treatments out of 8.  I couldn't stand the side effects.  STILL on pain pills at this point.  I switch to Oxycodone because I don't like the hydros having APAP/tylenol mixed in.  I've read that it's easy to do major liver damage with that stuff, so I told my oncologist to change my script to oxycodone.  He agreed.

Now, I see the light and decide I am out of pain, I don't have cancer any more, and I need to stop with the pain pills.  So I quit.  The week after I quit I really didn't have too many physical withdrawals, but massive depression.  I was a mess.  I hadn't shed a tear over anything in the last 20+ years, and there I was blubbering out of control.  After about a week, the depression wore off.  I wasn't a miserable self-hating piece of sh*t anymore.

Things went well for a couple months, until one day, I notice my feet starting to hurt, and my neck hurting allot more than usual.   I sit in front of the computer allot, basically immobilized for hours at a time.  When I would go to get up, it HURT BIGTIME on my feet.  The neuropathy in in the bottom of my right foot was now also in my left foot!  When I look down at my feet, I feel an electrical shock shooting down my kneck and spine, down the back of my legs, to the bottom of my feet.  The pain is unbearable, I cant work, or even get out of bed because it hurts so much more after periods of inactivity, like my work, or sleeping.  So I go back on Oxycodone again.

I had an EMG test by my Neurologist, and mri's of my neck, back, and spine, and am still awaiting her diagnosis of my issues, I will find out later this month.

So here I am back on Oxy to help with this pain (she also gave my Lyrica, which does help, but it makes my joints feel swollen and painful).

I was only to use the Oxy for breakthrough pain, but I was taking 2 pills a day, right when I had to get motivated to work and get the bills paid.

This was working ok(in my mind).  I wasn't really abusing the pills and I was getting my work done without too much pain, things were starting to feel normal (as in pre 2010 without the cancer).

I don't know how many days it was later, but I ended up braking my leg on my dirtbike riding around in my yard.  A tibial plateua fracture.  I had surgery for it a week later and I am slamming pills left and right.  I am in the most pain I've ever felt, and I've been through allot in my life.  The pain was unbearable and I was in need of more pills more pills, I couldn't stand the pain.

It is about 10 days since my surgery and I am told I won't be walking for 3 months!!! I am so upset over this.  I live alone in a house with stairs.  I have friends and family, but I dont like relying on other people.

So 10 days after the surgery, and the pain isn't that bad any more.  And the doctor doesn't want to give me anything but vicodin (which I hate due to the tylenol).  But if I use them correctly, for breakthrough pain, I should be able to stay away from abusing them.

For the last 3 days (basically this whole completely miserable weekend, starting with Friday)  I've been weening my self down from the oxys.  I was taking 4-6 5mg pills every 4 hours,and worked it down to 2 pills every 6 hours.  I could already feel the depression kicking in.  Today I took 2 pills at 8m and lasted the whole day without more pills.  I am not in pain, so I don't need the pills.  But I am SO DEPRESSED, I can't explain the things that go through my head when I am in this state of mind.  I think about all I've been through and how it just keeps getting worse and worse.  I had accepted the cancer and having to use a bag for the rest of my life, but now I have something major going on neuropathically, and have a long-term broken leg.

Sorry for the long post, but how does anyone stay positive throughout all of this, and at the same time, shed their addiction to painkillers.  I also take Ativan for anxiety (not too often tho, but it is an addictive drug), and Ambien for sleeping issues.  And lastly theres Lyrica for my nerve pain in my feet and neck.

Oh yah, lastly, I am also a 15 year alcoholic.  I am nowhere near as bad as I used to be, but I stll drink way too much.  I have 50lbs of beer fat on me.  I gained 60lbs after my surgery in 4 months from beer.

So, about my Oxy withdrawal.  I plan on sticking to my guns and quitting for the long run.  But if i get hurt again, I am afraid of falling back into the same habits.  This really scares me, but I guess I will have to face those demons when I see them.

Thanks for reading.  This is the first time I've posted anywhere about my personal hell of a life.  I read through plenty of other threads and saw compassion and mature people answering and offering nothing but good solid advice, and seemed to really care.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your reply.  I plan on quitting all narcotics, as I have in the past.  The addiction just appears when I have a great deal of pain.  This time it was started by the neuropathy in both feet and then my neck.  I was on 10mg of oxycodone a day, which I thought wasn't too bad, and I should be able to ween off it realitively easy.  But then I go and break my leg!  Huge amounts of pain, it took over 20mg of oxy at once just to make a small difference.

As far as alcohol and ativan, the beer is something I've enjoyed my entire adult life, and has never got me in trouble (no dui, no fights, never lost a job, etc), and ativan I do not take reguarly, and when I don't take it for weeks at a time, I feel no withdrawal.

I am cutting back on alcohol, actually, since I broke my leg almost 3 weeks ago, I have only had about a 6 pack all together.

I been out of oxy since Sunday, and have only taken 4 vicodin since then.  The depression I am feeling is crushing, I don't see how I am going to last 3 months without mobility.  I mean I already have life changing conditions, and now this?  I live alone with my cats and they're about all I have.  My roomate helps, but he's never here, and I go days without eating (haven't had a meal since this past Sunday).

People offer to help, but I am missing company, not the food and groceries people drop off and say they can't stay long ...



  
Helpful - 0
932659 tn?1332118704
Hi,
Well you got a lot on your plate here and I am sorry to hear so much has happened to you.  Way to go on beating the cancer and being a survivor!  Like you said, let's not worry about the next time you get hurt, you can worry about it if and when it happens.  I take it you are going to quit the Oxy first, then the Vicodin, or just the Oxy and use the Vicodin for your pain?  What about the alcohol and the Ativan?  Any thoughts on how you are going to quit those as well, if you plan to?  The biggest thing I can recommend for you here is to get into some type of recovery program and an alternate way to deal with your pain issues.  Keep posting here as well and we can offer you support and advice :)
Helpful - 0
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