Weaning Off Dilaudid (Page 2)

I have been taking 8 mgs. of Dilaudid 4 times a day for the last 6 months for a chronic illness. 3 months ago I had surgery to give some relief to my illness, and I have since found some stabilization to my symptoms. As such, my doctors want to wean me off of the Dilaudid. I am very nervous about the idea because I have noticed in the mornings (after not having the Dilaudid for 12 hours), I feel a bit anxious and I have joint and muscle aches and pains. Therefore, the first thing I do is take my Dilaudid. Currently to wean me off my doctor is suggesting that I taper back one pill a day (around lunchtime) each week so that I go from taking 8 4mg. tablets a day to taking one 4 mg. tablet a day. This process should take about one month to complete, and it truly frightens me. Do you have any advice?

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I hope my reply will be of some help to you./, Monkey Mom!

I am using about 4-8mgs of Dilaudid every day. I have learned that Dilaudid causes anxiety, both when using it and when weaning off of it. I would NOT advise using any benzodiazepine. One can become addicted to Klonopin, Valium, Lorazepam, Xanax, and other "benzos" within one week! If you try to get off of them, (cold-turkey), you can have VERY severe withdrawal, including PANIC or ANXIETY attacks, increased anxiety. ...been there; done that! DON'T ADD another medication. Simply slowly taper off of Dilaudid! You could start by taking 1/2 pill less per day; wait a week and reduce by 1/2 pill per day; and then just keep doing the same.

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i have been on pain killers for a little over 3 years now started out on t3s and due to the pain i was in worked my way up to taking 3-4 80mg oxycontin per day. I found that it didnt work for the pain i was having( ligements tore off bones in my hand so pain was from the bones rubbing together in my hand and a facit joint in my lower back was pintching a nerve) as well as people said it would work. i have never taking anything for pain my whole life up untill the last few years... im 39 now was 34 at time of injury.. when i decided to stop taking the oxys cold turkey because of how they make u feel witch i dont recemend any body to do... It was the worst 5 days of my life hot/cold sweats, whole body twitching, dierria, (could barely get out of bed to do that) ,throwing up, unable to eat,couldnt even keep water down, dilusional,.. i never knew how awfull going through detox was..but 6 months and 2surgeries later i couldnt go with out anylonger. so this time they gave me hydromorphone (dilaudid)..was taking 8 8mg pills a day .now its been a year since my last surgery, im still in pain but these drugs are making life unbearable. mood swings, no libido, confusion some days, irrebility, cant focus, no ambition to do anything, hard time retaining new infomation, or recalling things i know well, stiff and sore joints, major swelling from the thighs down to my toes, vision problems, hard time sleeping and wen i do fall asleep i cant tell u how many times ive woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air because ive stopped breathing..hands and arm going numb, bloating, hard to pee an poo. I've have come down to taking 4, 8 mg pills a day now. ive tried taking less than that a day but start having hot an cold sweats at this level. my dr wants me to try methadone now but going to school part time and looking after my 2 year old boy and diagnosed with major deppression disorder from dealin with the out come of my surgeries and capabilities ,while still fighting with worksafe b.c.i dont think i can handle any type of withdrawl . any body have suggestions on how to cope with all that while weening off this terriable drug....????

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Do NOT TAKE SUBOXONE. You'll be sorry ! Getting off suboxone is the worst withdrwals you will ever expierence. Also withdrawals can last over 1 year !

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That is the way addictive pain meds work, they cause more pain because the body craves more opiates, they refer to it as "ghost pain"

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I truly believe the advice given is of substantial value.nothing to b frightened about. Weaning is exactly that..you follow tge directions you should have nothing to b afraid of. But you'll surely feel better about yourself good luck

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I am presently taking 8 ml of hydromorphone three times a day. For about 10 years or more I have been on a narcotic. I was on 4 ml of hydromorphone every 3 hours for about 1 year and without notice I find my new prescription last week it was changed to the 8 ml 3 times a day. Taking 4ml every three hours didn't get rid of my pain but it allowed me most days to get into my scooter and go shopping. I was very angry at my doctor for the error in my prescription and after three phone calls and no response I decided to take myself off this med. I have a very chronic (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) breathing problem and while finally looking up this med on this site I find I should NEVER have been put on this med with my lung problem. My pain began with a horse accident at age 16 with my father. The horse went down in a full gallop and so did I. Back, neck and knee problems plagued me all my life I am 71 on Jan 11 2014. I fear the pain and inability I will experience when I go down and off my meds. Question: how is the best procedure? I have requested an appointment with my resperolagist? My old resp. Retired and a new man took over his patients. I hope he can also help. Please any info from you will help. Ken

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at that low of a dose you should be fine, as long as you don't have pain, tell your doctor if you have pain because once your off the pills he's not giving you anymore, so if need that one a day stay on it. the pill itself will not hurt you, but it's nice to have if your in pain 1am and you can't sleep

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Please get with me going cold off hydromophone 4mg times 6 aday

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Please see trigger point injections ,from Chinese medicine, like you I had back pain,I wanted to end my life ,24\7 then I found out about this from a friend ,,I went got full injections into my back,,not acupuncture the next day ,I swear to god I was 100 pain free for the first time in years!!I layed in my bed and cried !!!!now I go once every 4 months or so,,good luck

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Tramadol 50 mg 4-6 times a day will help you taper off without withdrawals. Contact your doctor, some don't even know that this will help. It will keep you from getting sick. It is available in every pharmacy and you'll have no trouble getting it.

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I recently (Feb 10/14) came off of 30mgs/day of Hydromorophone.(Which I had been taking for a couple of years) My doctor provided me with a weening schedule that took FOUR months. Along the way he changed some of my pills to a smaller dose to align with the schedule. It worked well. I had a few shaky days, but nothing I couldn't handle. I can't believe your doctor is trying to do this in one month. There is another method, similar to methadone for H addicts (I can't remember its name) be it also addictive, but a more manageable weening process. I opted NOT to do that, as I didn't want to go from one addiction to another. I know how difficult it can be. So, good luck

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I was also taking 8 mg of dilaudid up to 5 x day. Went off cold turkey! Just 50mg tramadol and 2 Aleve, zanaflex for temp muscle spasms. No withdrawal symptoms other than a bit of fatigue the first week. Don't replace narcotic with another narcotic. Do this way!

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Do NOT take Methadone!!! I am trying to wean off myself. Got a little greedy and did most of my per. 8x4mgs a day. I don't see my Dr until next Tuesday. I have two # 4's a day until then. So I feel some comfort hearing you are doing good on 1 # 4 orally I just came off Methadone. I was on 200 Mls a day for two years. In 8 months I came off it. Dilaudid helped me. I am also on valium. I'm going to be doing 2 Dilaudid a day until next week. Exactly 7 days. I don't want to come off completely...but I want to come down to 2x4 Dilaudid a day instead of 8 a day. 8 is way too much. Thanks for the read. If a Dr can taper you off at one 4 a day that gives me great hope. Thank you..The reason I suggest you pass on Methadone is because it gets into your bone marrow and is really hard to kick. Worse than H. Don't do it! Seriously!

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Keep trying. I was on dilaudid for many years. I fell to hell while taking them. I'm a nurse and nearly lost my license over them. I've had experience on the legal and non legal ways of trying to battle the withdrawal. Although it is a very strong schedule 2 narcotic I was able to make it by having my dr put me on hydrocodone and decreasing from there after I had stopped the dilaudid. When all my previous attempts had not worked with all I knew of meds this worked very well. It was a godsend. Best of luck and remember if your doctor won't prescribe them you can choose another but never two at once or you'll b reported dr shopping. Just keep that in mind. Best of luck your post caught my attn. not to be mean but that dose is not very high and you seem u may have a addictive personality, nothing to be ashamed of, but keep in mind by asking pharmacists and your dr about any narcs prescribed. If u experience muscle cramps misplaced helps me with that, mostly my legs but it has more uses that those women days we dread every month.

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Keep trying. I was on dilaudid for many years. I fell to hell while taking them. I'm a nurse and nearly lost my license over them. I've had experience on the legal and non legal ways of trying to battle the withdrawal. Although it is a very strong schedule 2 narcotic I was able to make it by having my dr put me on hydrocodone and decreasing from there after I had stopped the dilaudid. When all my previous attempts had not worked with all I knew of meds this worked very well. It was a godsend. Best of luck and remember if your doctor won't prescribe them you can choose another but never two at once or you'll b reported dr shopping. Just keep that in mind. Best of luck your post caught my attn. not to be mean but that dose is not very high and you seem u may have a addictive personality, nothing to be ashamed of, but keep in mind by asking pharmacists and your dr about any narcs prescribed. If u experience muscle cramps midol helps me with that, mostly my legs but it has more uses that those women days we dread every month.

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What type of prayer? I am in ICU... been here for what feels like forever. I'm about to start weaning off deluded. One day I didn't get my meds until very late the pains in my joints were unbearable. So, me? Yes I'm scared. Just curious though... how long will it take to get out of my body. If its short than cold turkey may be the way to go and just be done with it. Let me know your thoughts...
Jackie

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It is possible and it is possible whether Iv abuse or RX it is called willpower I have weaned off numerous times each time taking about a week! You just go from iv use to oral reducing by 2 mg a day it isn't as bad its mostly a mental thing!!! Mind over matter guys it f***s with Ur opiate receptors so u will THINK your in pain and THINK you need it its called withdrawal u will have some regardless when coming off any opiate or benzo!

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I've done withdrawal twice- not taking a whole of Dilaudid the first time, maybe 12-16 mgs per day, it was hell for about 4 days before I felt better. I abstained for a few months and went back to it for pain for almost 2 years and this time was up to some days 20mg. I am on day 8 of cold turkey (I did wean for 10 days) but it has been horrendous. If you are going to detox at home, make sure you have a friend or family member there to help you get through it. I have been so sick, that if my girl wasn't here, I feel like I am at death's door. The doc suggested "island therapy' which is a small amount of opiate during the withdrawal (very small) but I declined. I am going to push through. I am 3/4 of the way through the river of blood and turning around now will be a long swim. I might as well swim straight to sobriety at this point. Good luck to all.

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Withdrawing from dilaudid is not as bad as Methadone or Suboxone. The mental aspect of the withdrawal make the process a lot harder than it really is, not saying it is easy at all, but the mental post acute withdrawal is the worst. I've experienced withdrawing cold turkey only because then I was 22 and in an accident my South Florida doctors over-prescribed my pain meds, and my mother being the clueless square she was, went along with it and made sure I was taking them as prescribed and also offered me more when I was in pain because my doctor also prescribed extras or "breakthrough pain meds" in case I doubled up on dosage for extra aleviation. I was taking more pain meds than most cancer patients in final stages receive but only because my doctor was a corrupt one and ran a couple of pill mills. He is no longer in practice

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THE HARDEST PART OF WITHDRAWING FROM OPIATES IS THE LOSS OF SLEEP AND THE RESTLESSNESS. IT REALLY TAKES A TOLL ON YOU MENTALLY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU REQUEST SOMETHING FOR MUSCLE RELAXERS (only help minimally for restlessness but helps none the less). MORE IMPORTANTLY MAKE SURE THAT YOU RECEIVE SOMETHING STRONG TO KNOCK YOU OUT AT NIGHT. SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWING ONLY SEEM TO GET WORSE WHEN UP ALOT AT NIGHT AND CANNOT SLEEP. IF YOU GET SOMETHING FOR SLEEP YOUR WITHDRAWAL EXPERIENCE WILL BE OVER BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

The meds I took to help me through it were.... Subutex (taper), clondadine (blood pressure, also helped me sleep) , Roboxone (muscle relaxant). And I also had Xanax to help but very little. Only took 7 days of strong withdrawals the rest was mostly mental.

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