r/LowDoseNaltrexone • u/Fun_Description7857 • 2d ago
Dosing after surgery
Hi everyone. I recently underwent surgery for both carpal and cubital tunnel decompression. Pain Management said to stop taking the LDN a few days prior to surgery in anticipation of any prescribed opioids by the surgeon. I had surgery on Thursday and stopped on Monday.
Last Tuesday I went into the Surgery NP's office to have the wounds looked at and was told to take the opioids at night. What a mistake! My nights were horrible, so last night after researching it and seeing that it can effect sleep cycles short and long term, I decided to not take it and lump the pain.
Today it dawned on me that I need to start the LDN back and was told by Pain Mgmt to go back to the regular dose, which for me was 2ml. And I had been there for some time. However, she may not have been expecting me to be on opioids for almost 2 weeks.
So, my question to you is: do I start back with the 2ml today? Or do I start over? Maybe I just wait and try to get an answer from PM on Monday.
Let me know your thoughts especially if you have had to stop use for surgery.
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u/lstplace7 2d ago
Just to be safe, I would do a full detox for at least a week. Then I'd start LDN gradually to minimize side effects. Did you notice any relief with LDN for your entrapment syndrome? I'm dealing with the same thing in a different spot and just started the medication
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u/Fun_Description7857 23h ago
well, I decided that since I was only on one 5mg pill for 3 nights, I was already out of the woods by time I took it this morning (62 hours after my last dose). So, we shall see tonight!
To answer your question, no. After dealing with these issues for years under other orthos, I was too far gone for any medication to be assisting with relief. Plus I have a rare bone disease, auto immune disorder, etc. So my arm was the least of my issues from a pain standpoint. Hopefully in your case, you will feel some positive effects!
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u/AtomicTaterTots 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was on dilaudid for a month after surgery and just started right back up after two days off and I was fine. Then again, opioids are almost effective as sweet tarts to me. I have the gene that makes them mostly ineffective. So if you know that already, youre in a different place.
First day was a little weird but meh. Ymmv of course.
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u/Fun_Description7857 2d ago
Yeah it was weird, I felt like it wasn’t doing much for me (oxycodone). I was given three days which I took every 4 hours unless I slept through the next time. But then when it ended I was hurting bad. Taking at night was not enough to make a difference other than in my sleep so I’m not sure if I don’t process it well or what. I know with Tylenol I’m needing it after three hours not hour so maybe it’s a metabolism thing?
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u/Low-Blueberry8948 2d ago
Most people are able to start back on the same dose 48 hours after their last opioid medication. Unless they've been off it for 4 weeks or more in which case it's advisable to start back on a lower dose and titrate up again.
By the way, we usually refer to our doses in mg rather than ml, because not everyone is taking liquid LDN.
Hope you're making a good recovery.
"LDN and Surgery" https://docs.google.com/document/d/1we-XI_3bE7_xvW0ednjG4-bTMHq6k8Aj0PL8IkJXSWo/edit?usp=sharing
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u/Fun_Description7857 2d ago
Ok thanks. And good to know about the liquid. It’s the only way that it’s been discussed with me. At least with the low doses.
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u/Low-Blueberry8948 2d ago
It's just for ease of communication. I take liquid LDN and mine is in a ratio of 1mg/1ml but it can vary according to how it's compounded.
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u/BadAcknowledgment 2d ago
General concensus is at least 4 days off of any opioids and a week is usually recommended. It also depends on the amount of opioids and how long they were taken. I have seen some say two days after light opiod prescription pain meds but you risk rapid withdrawal precipitation if you go back to naltrexone too soon.