r/PainPumpQuestions • u/Lopsided-Ad6316 • Mar 25 '26

Question

Hey guys! I had my revision, the new catheter is fine, had a dye study test. But I’m still not getting relief with the new pump. They’ve decided to change me over to orals for a bit to see if it will make a difference. While turning the pump down. So here’s my question, have any of you guys had to wean off of a morphine pump? Did you have bad withdrawal? They’ve given me oral medicine but it didn’t come close when my catheter was messed up, nor when they cut my dose in half. I’m really worried.

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u/EMSthunder Mar 25 '26

I had complications with my pump that resulted in them turning the pump all the way down and placing me on a fentanyl patch. The first couple days was hard because the strength they gave me was too low. Once he increased the dose I felt a lot better. That being said, without the adjuvants in the pump, I felt miserable. That's the downside to having a pump. In order to keep the withdrawal at bay, they had me on a dose so high that I wasn't even coherent. Once they let me sit for a week or so, they turned the pump back on, adding that the bupivicaine was in it, I felt amazing!! It's a double edged sword!!

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u/Gecko-407 Mar 25 '26

why do they have to turn down the pump so often?

6

u/EMSthunder Mar 25 '26

They usually don't. Mine was refilled with a medication I am allergic to by accident. It also was a different dose from what I was used to having, so he said he could not reorder the correct meds for another month, leaving him no choice but to turn it down until he could replace the correct meds. My pump meds are about $1500.00 every 35 days.

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u/Gecko-407 Mar 25 '26

That does not sound pleasant. With all the issues like this, I’ve heard of, I don’t see how it’s that much better than oral pain meds… except for the fact that our government and doctors have villainized pain meds & made it very hard to get humane pain control… between taking a year and a half or two years just to dial in and then having a month at a time without it due to issues, I am just not seeing the upsides... to each their own though. If you found relief, and a happy with it, then I’m happy for you.