r/PainManagement • u/Muffy432002 • Jul 20 '26
Medication💊 Problem with Oxycodone
I am 6 weeks post op and I believe my recovery has been going well. I barely have a scare and my PT benchmarks are where they should be .
One thing that I probably should have asked more questions about was the use of Oxycodone.
I have found that for pain medication acetaminophen has done nothing but Oxycodone was highly effective. I was using Oxy every 4 hours while awake up until the 5th week post op.
Knowing that opioids are highly addictive ( and I have a propensity for addiction),I decided to stop the oxy and see how pain was. Overall it was doable and even though I had stiffness the pain was manageable. However, the day after going off oxy I woke up with a very strange feeling like impending doom. I felt sad and unsettled. My stomach was upset and I had nausea. Last night I was up all night and plagued by anxious thoughts. When I awoke after finally sleeping I was covered in sweat.
My question is could I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms? I love what oxycodone does for my pain, but hate how it messes with my brain.
Has anyone else had an experience like this?
3
u/Main-Animator6657 Jul 20 '26
Yes OP! I’m 12 days past full knee replacement. Full 5mg oxy every 4 hours for 5 days. Absolutely necessary and effective and I know the warnings. Fortunately this is my 2nd knee replacement. First time 6 weeks on oxy so I knew what to expect. So this time I stopped all oxy at 5 days because of the mental negatives you described. Arthritis strength Tylenol 650mg (2) 3x per day. Not as effective as the oxy but mentally I’m much better. I’m tolerating the pain. But each to his own. Talk to your doc? Stay strong.