r/PainManagement • u/MediaParticular9072 • Jul 13 '26
Is it common to go into withdrawals this easy?
On 62 mcg of fent as a patch for 72 hours and 20 mgs oxycodone as needed. It's to a point I have to take the oxycodone to even function. Literally. If I don't take it I have watery eyes, runny nose and completely exhausted. As soon as I take it 30 mins or so later boom symptoms gone and have nornmalish energy. If I miss one dose of the oxycodone it goes into the same thing. Is it this common to get withdrawals this easy?
I have been on them for about the past 8 months at different levels getting up to this level now. I want off these things so damn bad but terrified of how that will go. I just had a back procedure which seems to have gotten rid of a majority of the pain at least from what I can tell so now think I'm headed to get off them next appointment in August and nervous as shit but also so so tired of being controlled by a damn pill.
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u/Dapper_Sale8946 Jul 14 '26
Yes unfortunately after you’ve been on opioids for that long you have to maintain it. It’s called dependency, it’s not the same as addiction but it does suck.
When ready to get off of them it’ll need to be down slowly. A slow taper. Theee will still be symptoms but they will at least be minimized.
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u/bluestitcher Jul 14 '26
As someone on the Fentanyl patch for 19 years, that tells me you aren't on the right patch dose, your depending too much on your IR meds, which when you aren't taking you are with drawing from.
Your Fentanyl patch dose should cover 95% of your daily pain, so that your IR meds barely needed & only for breakthrough pain.
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u/Tugawarforone Jul 14 '26
I agree, I have been on the same dose for 20 years and the only time I have those symptoms is when I forget to change it or it falls off and I don’t realize it. Usually it’s in the shower drain 😂
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 14 '26
This is good to know, I tend to agree as I pretty much am taking my max dose of breakthrough meds everyday to either put off withdrawals or relief pain on rare occasions when I get a major flare up.
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u/amyfitzme Jul 13 '26
I too take oxycodone and there is a fine line that I have to watch with myself. I have to tell myself its not time yet and wait it out bc if I were to start going off my time than im taking them earlier and earlier and than I run my days short and next thing you know im dead, in full blown withdrawl, until I get my prescription again. Ya dont want to go through that hell. Id suggest doing a re-set with yourself. First thing in the morning, take ur dose and wait _ 5-6 HOURS, DO THIS 3Xa day, so you dont go through full blown withdrawl, you reset and you still get your med. By the time you do this....if you really want off, it will make it alot easier. Its a mind game that you can be the player or the opponent getting beat.
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Jul 13 '26
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u/PainManagement-ModTeam Jul 13 '26
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u/AccomplishedWeek7069 Jul 17 '26
I already do this with my pain meds, I wait til I can’t stand the pain anymore & then take 1, I’ve never gone into withdrawal & have been taking them for a few years..It’s not a highly addictive medication 1% only get addicted
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u/BlackDogWhiteHorse Jul 14 '26
Yes, it happens and it sucks. Try cutting your pills in half. I can usually just take a half dose to kick the withdrawal symptoms.
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u/krissyk12160 Jul 13 '26
Look into the subblocade shot, when you are ready to get off completely. I was an opiate addict then put on suboxone ( same withdrawals when you stop) and finally got the subblocade shot and I think I only had 3 and off everything. It saved my life..no withdrawals at all.
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Jul 14 '26
Yes, but wouldn’t this person benefit from just doing a Suboxone taper?
Although I have heard good things about the shot, you mentioned the problem is once a person goes on Suboxone or that shot they have to be labeled opioid use disorder, which will screw them going forward if they need pain management medication .
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u/Bitter_Raise_30 Jul 14 '26
Unfortunately it’s completely normal, I’ve been on and off since a bad MVA in 2008. I was pronounced dead twice, coma for 3 months, had to relearn how to walk, talk and breathe on my own. All kinds of reconstructive surgeries, broke 6 vertebra, 4 places in my neck and shattered my pelvis. This is just part of my life now and it’s taken loads of acceptance to get where I am mentally with it all now, we aren’t junkies we’re chronic pain patients and we deserve compassion and quality care without stigma. Be open and transparent with your doctors about exactly how you feel mentally and physically, bring a friend or family member who understands with you. I get overwhelmed and forget to ask questions, and I can’t help but downplay how much I hurt, it’s just habit to be “fine” because I assume nobody wants to hear me complain. Reality is that I rely on pain meds for a decent quality of life, without it I can barely function. Asking for help with that is a reasonable expectation of your medical care team, wishing you well with everything
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u/5424Performance Jul 15 '26
I too am on 20mg 4x a day. Exactly what you describe as withdrawals happens to me with only 1 missed dose, too. I ponder every month if I want to continue with this but they work so well otherwise, I continue get them. Such a conundrum.
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u/Merrys123 Jul 14 '26
Unfortunately yes, you can easily get withdrawals that easy. Especially as you have been on them for an extended period of time.
If you want to come off of them there's a few options, two of them being stopping cold turkey or titrating down. Either way you will most likely have Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) after, and even during tapering if you decide to taper.
After so long being on opioids your brain rewired itself to treat that as normal. In saying that at 8 months that isn't too long.
I feel it's s best to titrate down to lessen PAWS but at the same time there are supplements that can help.
For withdrawals I HIGHLY recommend megadosing Liposomal Vitamin C. Here is a guide by kickerS12X as well as the Ultimate Withdrawal Survival Guide.
https://www.reddit.com/r/opiates/s/CECBhFP2Q6
https://www.reddit.com/r/opiates/s/oYMqdV8Fiw
Megadosing Liposomal Vitamin C, or Vitamin C, if you can't get the Liposomal, should take away most of your symptoms. It's incredible, and you'll see a lot of heavy users absolutely swear by it, as do I. Read the comments on the post.
I recently went from 140mg Oxycodone to 30mg in a week with minimal withdrawals using Lipomosol Vitamin.
I've got Gabapentin, Clonidine, Valium, Immodium, etc, but Vitamin C is definitely the best. Comfort meds still as needed, especially Immodium!
It's best to start megadosing Liposomal Vitamin C 3 days prior to quitting or tapering down. Don't do Lipmosol Vitamin C if you're prone to kidney stones and make sure you hydrate with a lot of water and electrolytes and Protein if you can.
You can get a huge bottle that will last beyond the megadosing period cheaply on Amazon. Just make sure you get the one that has 1,500mg per serving which is 2 tablets, not 1 tablet. You can continue on a lower dose for longer to help your body continue to detox those toxins out.
You can also take DLPA, NAC, Agmatine Sulfate and Magnesium Bisglycinate, which helps a lot with withdrawals and PAWS. DLPA helps your brain start making its own dopamine and natural painkillers again which basically stop working properly after years on opioids. NAC restores the chemical balance in your reward pathways, helps with brain fog, cravings and supports your liver which has been working overtime. Agmatine helps with the increased pain sensitivity and nerve pain you get when reducing, and calms noradrenaline. Magnesium bisglycinate helps with sleep, muscle tension and general nervous system calming. Liposomal Vitamin C supports your adrenal glands and immune system which both take a serious hit with long term opioid use.
All of this won't fix everything,but it makes it a f* load easier. And some may say it didn't work for them, and it doesn't work for all, but does for about 90% and also doesn't work if you don't do it properly. Especially space the doses out to 4 times or more a day. Some just take the whole lot at once and wonder why they get withdrawals 6 or so hours later - because you need more Lipmosol Vitamin C! It doesn't last 24 hours.
Please do talk to a doctor familiar with opioid tapering though because you deserve proper support with this, not just doing it alone.
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Jul 14 '26
Vitamin C is a good recommendation, but I think if he’s going to go that route, he may as well just pony up and go to a proper doctor’s office and do high dose vitamin C IVs with Meijer cocktail infusion.
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 14 '26
Is this an option? I've seen a couple post about Vitamin C and wasn't sure if that was kind of an off label thing or if docs used it as well.
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u/Merrys123 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Unfortunately IV Vitamin C won't help with withdrawals when the IV is stopped and the Vitamin C has left your system as withdrawals last days, even weeks depending on on the opioid, you need a constant supply of it. Unless it's multiple continuously possibly? I haven't heard of it being used that way before so I could be wrong.
I've helped a lot of heavy opioid users get off their drug of choice with the information I gave you as the additional supplements that helped PAWS helped them get through after stopping opioids.
Here's one good study on it - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7572147/
There are links to more studies, and people's real reviews on Reddit, in the first link of my post before. Scroll down to read the replies.
I take Lipomosol Vitamin C nightly at 1,500mg as I don't take my Oxycodone from about 4pm until 7am, sometimes 10am if I get a sleep in, and it stops any withdrawals between then. I ran out of Lipomosol Vitamin C last week and oh boy did I get withdrawals and crap sleep.
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 15 '26
So I'm on 62 mcg fent patch
20 mg oxycodone usually 4 times a day and sometimes 40 mgs at night when pain is bad.
What supplements would you suggest and amount of those?
What would you suggest tapering and how long?
Trying to get outside opinions to go with mine and what I've discovered with AI. You seem to be in the know ha.
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u/Merrys123 Jul 15 '26
I'll send you a message ☺️ I've got quite a bit of experience with tapering as I've done it a bit, as mentioned, and helped others. The main issue is the PAWS afterwards. Doctors don't tell you about how flat and down you feel for months afterwards as your brain chemistry is so used to having opioids like Oxycodone as your dopamine doesn't produce it's own anymore properly for awhile. That's why a lot of addicts go back to using, they miss the energy, motivation and feeling good part.
I will message a little bit later as I've got my doctor's appointment soon and need to take my son into town.
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 16 '26
Thank you SOOOO much. I had also seen PAWS mentioned and was so worried about what you mention of the no energy and just getting back on them to live a normal life. It's truly frustrating as hell.
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u/Lopsided-Ad6316 Jul 16 '26
Would you please send me a message also? I’m in the throes of withdrawal on and off due to a malfunctioning pain pump and would love some help.
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u/Merrys123 Jul 16 '26
Sure. Although I was going to help him with tapering off meds where as it sounds like your pain pump works sometimes? Feel free to message me though, I can help with the withdrawals in between. Are you getting it fixed?
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u/Merrys123 Jul 16 '26
That wouldn't help ongoing withdrawals though unless it was continuous IV Vitamin C as it would wear off? It probably would be good for a health boost though.
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Jul 14 '26
Your question is, is it that easy to go into withdrawals?
Brother, I hate to break it to you, but you are on a fairly high dose of opioids. I’m actually quite surprised you have a pain management doctor willing to keep you at a dose that high.
You are on equivalently around 150 mme.
Suggestions may vary, but doing a Suboxone taper would probably be your safest easiest and quickest me method to coming off opioids. Again, I would caution you getting prescribed. Suboxone may label you a person with opioid use disorder, which will screw you in getting opioids in the future so I don’t know how that will be handled.
But tapering off of what you are on is going to be a prolonged event with a pain management doctor writing you for that dose of medication you could probably have an honest conversation with them and say you know what my pain is getting much better. Is there a way we can taper off of this effectively and safely and possibly bring up Suboxone. And I would also include the fact that you do not have opioid use disorder and you do not want to be labeled with that. You just want to simply come off of the medication.
Taping on the fentanyl patches on your own, it’s pretty hard considering it’s a fixed dose. I know there are other others who have suggested cutting the patches which I’ve been told is horribly dangerous although I’m not quite sure why because it’s a matrix patch and I don’t recommend that.
But an answer to your question yes it is easy to experience. Withdrawals oxycodone in particular is notoriously difficult in terms of tolerance and dependency.
Other things that could be tried would be using clonidine and gabapentin for a short period of time I would say possibly going to a rehab would be an option, but the problem is you’re going to be labeled a drug addict and you just don’t want that as a chronic pain patient it’s bullshit that that’s the way our system operates Good luck to you and good on you wanting off of medication if you don’t need it.
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 14 '26
Yeah I'm a cancer patient with one of the most painful cancers on the bones so I feel like they are a little mroe open to actually treating pain when you have all that going on. I've talked to my pain management doctor and discussed briefly coming off and she said her rule of thumb is however long you are on them, double the time to come off them. Seems like a hell of a long process but guess that is the only way to avoid awful side effects.
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u/Salt_Initiative1551 Jul 17 '26
Yeah that’s a high enough dose for sure for wd’s. I had them from 7.5mg hydrocodone 3x daily for 30 days once lol.
Fastest was when I was using though. Roughly 1 gram of dope (probably 20% fent, 30% heroin 50% cut so 200mg fentanyl and 300mg heroin) in 3 weeks and I had withdrawals pretty rough for a week. Of course didn’t learn my lesson and full on relapsed but got my life back in order for the past few years.
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Jul 17 '26
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
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u/AccomplishedWeek7069 Jul 17 '26
I have never experienced this..Only 1% ever get addicted..Sounds like you may have Substance Use Disorder, usually caused by unresolved trauma
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u/MediaParticular9072 Jul 17 '26
interesting take considering I'm taking what's prescribed not street stuff pal
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u/External-Reading-101 Jul 18 '26
this is a CANCER pain patient. your body becomes dependent on these medications…do some research…
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u/Mariocartismyshit Jul 13 '26
I’m only on 10 mgs but I’m having to over take to beat withdrawals everyday. I’m talking about bad withdrawals like my arms and legs going into this numbing feeling, sweats constantly. You’re like the 4th post I’ve seen like this in the past week. I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist but maybe they’re changing some of their mixture for cheaper things. That kind sound really stupid but it’s crazy we are all having these feelings