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Stopping Cold Turkey, on 20 MG Oxycodone daily, what should I expect?

Hi everyone,

I really need any advice and help that I can get. I have read through many different posts and responses. I'm looking for some information on what to expect as far as withdrawals and timelines for when I'm about to go cold turkey.

About myself. I'm 32 years old. I have been on pain medication for years. All different ailments, from my stomach, to nerve pain. I currently take 20-30 MG Oxycodone daily (1 - 20 MG pill per day, sometimes an extra half. I split the 20 MG throughout the day, because I don't need the full 20 MG at one time) And I take Cymbalta (Anti-depressant, Anti-anxiety medication for people with nerve pain). I successfully weaned myself down off of Oxycodone completely last summer and was able to stop without any problems. I was practically taking less thank 10 MG per day of Oxycodone when I weaned and stopped. I felt no kind of withdrawal. I'm guessing because it was a low amount.

I currently work a full time job with overtime, and I support my 15 month old son and my wife that has Lupus, so any help would be really appreciated.

Unfortunately, this time around, I had to take Oxycodone for a number of pain issues that have since corrected themselves (stomach again, and carpal tunnel surgery) I don't have the benefit of weaning down again because my doctor is going to stop writing pain prescriptions on Jan 1st. With new and strict laws going into place, his practice will no longer be doing that. So at this point, it's find a new doctor or stop taking it (I will continue my Cymbalta). I'd rather just not take the Oxycodone anymore, and go back to daily doses of Motrin/Tylenol. Between now and Jan 1st, I don't have enough to wean myself. I'm looking for any and all advice to help my journey to the brighter days ahead please.

Questions I have:
I'm at 20-30 MG Oxycodone daily, is that a high amount to Cold Turkey? I've read so many different posts of people taking 10 pills a day, or more, and I know everyone is different.
What should I expect when I stop, like the first 24 to 48 hours then beyond?
I'm curious on how I'm going to feel, if you think it'll be severe or not very based on the MG I'm taking daily.

Again, thank you so much to anyone that has time to respond. I appreciate anyone that will help be during this battle. I'm scared and anxious about this. I hear horror stories of withdrawal and people still feeling it for weeks, some just a few days. It's hard to think how I'm going to feel and try to take care of my wife and son, but that's why I have come here for any kind of help and support.

I will be very active on here responding to everyone, and updating my progress. Much love to everyone!
13 Responses
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20887547 tn?1569252894
You have made a good choice Brother, I will be praying for you and your family.  The good news is that the dose you listed is not an extremely high dose and from what you have described you are not abusing it.  You may experience some discomfort for the first week such as excessive sweating, chills, trouble sleeping, restless legs and maybe even some mild irritability.  If Cold turkey is too difficult for you, I would suggest meeting with your primary care physician and coming up with a taper schedule to safely get you off of the Oxy with minimal if any discomfort.  My Mother has Lupus as well so I sympathize with your family.  Stay strong and keep your eyes fixed on your family and the love you have for them.  
Message me anytime.

Have a Blessed Day,
NPW
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hey bro how did your quitting oxy go?  I cant believe u did cold turkey on 20 to 30mg couple times a day or maybe it was once a day.  I was just c ing how u were.  I saw your homepage and that your in drug addiction group.  I hope that was to get advice on going cold turkey.  If u are still on here let me no how you are doing.  Jamhead out  " I am mine"
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I still experience my hands feeling hot from the anxiety. And a little uneasiness in my upper arms and chest. Has anyone experienced this before with anxiety? Especially the hands/palms feeling warm and hot and look red?

Several different doctors have all said this is anxiety manifesting into physical symptoms. I do get emotional too from time to time, but not as frequently. I'm currently on Cymbalta 60MG for the past 6+ weeks and Zoloft 100MG for 2 weeks now.

Thank you to anyone who responds!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
20 -30 mg. is really a low dose! You shouldn't have any WD's except for being really irritable and CRABBY....like I am right now! I have chronic pain and don't re-up for 2 weeks! If you can get some clonipin or the like, that'll help. For me, the "jimmy-legs" and inability to sleep are the worst!

Helpful - 0
8 Comments
Thank you for responding Channah! I was between 20-30, topped out at 40 mg daily. Withdrawals weren't that bad. I'm still dealing with linger anxiety symptoms. Uneasiness feeling in my chest, my arms, my hands feel hot sometimes. I've had anxiety symptoms in the past for other reasons, and felt similar symptoms. I'm currently on 60 MG Cymbalta, it's helped me in the past. Once I'm through this, I'll be good!!

Nights tend to ease up for me with the anxiety symptoms. It's hard with a 15 month old and a wife who is battling Lupus. The pain pills helped me get through the day but that is not a way of life. Just hoping for this anxiety to go away and not worry when I wake up each morning about feeling like this.

I hope you're doing well too, please respond as often as you can. Thanks again!
The anxiety can hang on for awhile but it should subside.  Takes our bodies time to adjust so keep moving forward like you are.  You are doing great!
Thank you dominosarah! The anxiety is still here unfortunately. They also put me on Zoloft to go along with the Cymbalta. Mostly still feeling anxiety symptoms that are manifesting through my body, feeling like my hands are hot, uneasiness in my upper arms, and throughout the chest.
It takes a few weeks for the Zoloft to kick in so hang tight. You will get thru this.  Try to get out and get some fresh air. The more you are up and moving around the better you will feel.  I know this is tough but brighter days are ahead!
Thanks! That's what I do almost every day. Keep moving, driving to run errands with the wife and kid. Then go to the gym around 3pm. Knowing I get to the gym, my body eases up a little bit at that point with the anxiety. Then night time is a little bit easier and I can relax a bit without my hands or chest bothering me.

Have you heard of anxiety manifesting like this in the hands? My hands feel hot every day all day, until it eases up a bit at night. It's frustrating and can't keep my mind off of it.

Thanks again for your response!
I still experience my hands feeling hot from the anxiety. And a little uneasiness in my upper arms and chest. Has anyone experienced this before with anxiety? Especially the hands/palms feeling warm and hot and look red?

Several different doctors have all said this is anxiety manifesting into physical symptoms. I do get emotional too from time to time, but not as frequently. I'm currently on Cymbalta 60MG for the past 6+ weeks and Zoloft 100MG for 2 weeks now.

Thank you to anyone who responds!
Hello .....
It's been a little while since you have posted, I'm just curious how's journey going for you? I've been dealing with a lot of different issues in my life as we type. Life can get tough but I'm one hell of a fighter. Please let me know how you're doing. If you respond to my comment I'll go on about what I'm going through at this moment.
Have a blessed day.
Sending you positive vibes and prayers.
Hi Bamame,

I'm dealing with mostly anxiety symptoms right now. Still have symptoms in my hands and an uneasiness feeling. How about you?
1235186 tn?1656987798
How are you feeling?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Mostly anxiety symptoms, weird feeling in my arms, chest and hands. My hands feel hot sometimes. These last throughout the day and ease up at night
Avatar universal
How are you doing today?  Personally I would throw away any leftover meds you have.  Taking it here and ther will hurt your detox..  You can do this.  It’s gonna suck for a little while but your gonna pull through.  I wish you the best
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I started last Saturday 12/15, I panicked Sunday night into Monday and broke up 1 pill only. Since then I have not taken anything! So if you count this as day 6 today (12/20) I have taken only 1 pill. I see that as very successful. I no longer have any sort of pain medication on me.

First few days this week, my anxiety hit me hard. That is starting to calm down.

The only symptoms I'm experiencing besides the lingering anxiety, is my stomach just keeps tossing throughout the day and night, and haven't gone to the bathroom normally yet. My legs bother my a little bit, but nothing too bad. I use a heating pad to sleep with.

Here's the brighter days ahead! And hopefully my stomach returns to normal!!

Thanks for checking in
1235186 tn?1656987798
Hey how are you doing?

Thats Great your doc gave you clonidine.
The cymbalta will also help.
Debbie
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
I'm doing ok. I'm on day 2 right now. Last night was a little rough, had restless legs, anxiety creeped up, and the "crawlies". ,Didn't get much sleep. Just trying to battle through. Tomorrow will be Day 3. I'm hoping this is the worse of it. I haven't had an issue with sweats or chills or going to the bathroom. Mostly my symptoms center around my anxiety and the feeling throughout my body.

I guess because it's the fear of the unknown. If this is the worst of the worst, or if it's going to get even worse. That makes my mind go in loops and its hard to avoid. I've been trying to keep busy all day.

The problem I'm having with Clonidine, is that it makes me pretty dizzy and tired, and I'm only taking half a pill. The problem is, taking care of my sick wife (lupus), 15 month old son, and having a full time job, I can't just sleep this off, have to continue to push through hour by hour.

I know I'm in for a rough night tonight, I already feel anxious, and the "crawlies" are creeping up again.

The CRAVING is absolutely there. I have my medication, and there is the temptation of taking just a 1/4 of a pull so give me some kind of relief, but I'm fighting through it.

Based on your experience, and from people you have helped, should I expect this to get worse? Is this as bad as I might feel and its a slow climb up from this point?

Any information would e greatly appreciated at this time. Thank you for checking up on me and PLEASE continue to do so, if you have the time to. It's people like you that help me get through the bad times in my life. THANK YOU.
taking sn epsom salt bath will help with the crawlies & anxiety.
How is your appetite?
Make sure you are eating. Soups, yogurts, smoothies, puddings.

Yes get rid of any pills you have left.
1235186 tn?1656987798
You could gave cold like symptoms, sneezing, stuffed up nose, sore throat.  Possible bodyaches, headache, nausea, diarrhea.   Decreased appetite, trouble sleeping, restless legs.

Those are all possible signs of withdrawal. Do you have your age in your favor 32. You are active,  you are on a low dose.
Try not to get too anxious about stopping because many times the fear and the anxiety is worse than the actual detox.

Do you feel you were just dependent on them? If you don't take them to get cravings?

The first few days in the week or two after you stop it's very important to stay hydrated. Especially if you're going to have stomach issues you need to replenish what you're losing. We can take Imodium for that also. And take allergy medications for the sneezing.
What day are you going to stop?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you for responding. Very helpful information! I actually pushed it to tomorrow (12/15). I'm stopping completely. I did talk with my doctor, because I was concerned just stopping, he prescribed me Clonidine, which he said would help with some of the Withdrawal symptoms. He absolutely does NOT want me on Suboxone.

Honestly, I know my body was just dependent on them, for which the pain I was originally taking them for, has gone away (surgery). So I know at this point I'm dependent/addicted. I have never taken more than I was supposed to, I have never tried to chase that high like some people do by taking more. I've always maintained the 20-40 MG daily dose throughout the year, closer to 20 MG now.

One of my main concerns, and you hit it in your response, is my anxiety. I do worry too much, and recently when I tried to just stop one day, I did feel minimal withdrawal, so I know I will feel something. Then you read these things about people having anxiety issues for a lot longer. Luckily I have been prescribed Cymbalta, which my body is now used to for the past year. So I believe that will help prevent me from falling into any sort of anxiety or depression issue.

Again THANK YOU SO MUCH for responding. It means more than you will know. And I hope to continue this communication going forward with you and anyone that continues to respond. Wish me luck for tomorrow! Day 1 starts then!
Avatar universal
Hi...
I just wrote a whole book and it disappeared.  What the heck. LOL
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Try posting again? What were you CT on if you don't mind me asking? What was your daily MG when you stopped?
Avatar universal
I should have read the whole article first u cant wean off them.   your dr. should have a plan off care to get off them proper but they just take them away n leave the person filling horrible and that's when they go to streets looking for anything.  I guess atleast u got a month but u are gonna feel what is really hurting in your body, joints proabably gonna ache causing rls.  gonna have lack of appetite  eyes water or sneezing a lot cold sweats  hot and cold like flu sypmtons  and anxiety. everyone is different so eating healthy will help even if u have to force it and motrin for the aches.
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2 Comments
Thank you Jamhead for responding. My doctor feels that I'm on a low enough dose that going Cold Turkey is the best bet. He said I would only feel bad for a few days. He said he had patients on much higher doses that wanted to cold turkey and were successful. I wouldn't think of taking Suboxone or any kind of substitute. I heard bad stories about those meds as well. And I wouldn't look to try and buy either, I have to much going on in my life caring for my wife and son, and working full time, to consider taking any more of this medication.

I'm looking to start cold turkey tomorrow and have been trying to gather as much information as possible so I know what to kind of expect the first one or two days then further.

Thanks again! I'll be here if you continue to respond
Hi...
That's how I did it cold turkey. Not good. Not good at all at least for me it wasn't good. I did it but it was oh so bad.  But then again everyone's different. I'm so proud of anyone that can fight the good fight.  

Keep up the good work.
Avatar universal
how is it going with your withdrawal?  you should have weened down to a lower dose before u quit cold turkey.  don't take suboxone or anything like that u don't need it and u will b back were u started trust me.  if u got any ?s feel free to ask I was in that game for 20 years and its gonna cost me a liver.  ive been clean for 3 years now .
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Avatar universal
Yes I agree there are beautiful and brighter days ahead of you my friend. You'll see. Life is good.
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1 Comments
Any advice you can share? Timeline? Anything would be appreciated! Thank you for responding back
Avatar universal
Hello....
Sending prayers and positive vibes. Wishing you the best...
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you Bamame!
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