Withdrawals From Soma, Morphine, Xanax, Oxycodone - Help Please (Top voted first)

I have been in pain management for years, lost my doctor along with other patients, and primary won't fill or says she can't and messes up my progress to get in new pain management in time. Now I'm losing Soma, was 3 times a day, now I have 7 tabs left. Was on 45 mg of morphine 3 times, oxycodone 15s and xanax 5 mg 3 times a day. Which she said she can not write for. Why, if she knew or thought this pain clinic was prescribing more than standard, did she never say a word until i had to go to her in desperation for this? Your primary that has to refer you and get info to get into a new pain clinic, I have very serious health issues no one is dealing with, I feel alone and suicidal. I even told my doctor and the old pain clinic staff that left, and not a bit of help, yet they know i have a history of heart failure, bleeds in brain from pain issues. No one cares, our country is falling apart and i asked again today for something for bp and high pulse, got nothing for it but a nurse, they did not send in the info two times that could have had me in pain management by now, and in having the colostomy i had to postpone since I wont do it with out pain mgmt on board.

Today they cut me back more 1 soma for a few days then no more, oxycodone 10mg 3 times to be cut on mon again and morphine cut from 45 3 x to 3o 2 times. All i can do is cry and sleep then cry more then no food, not drinking, feel horrible, and have lost desire to live and fight. These doctors put all on others and not one seems to care or no what to do with all of us real pain patients. I just want to die at this point for i am so tired of suffering and its only going to get worse. I feel so bad for all of the posts i have seen and know im not alone. All i see is the same four walls every day, go no where and before i felt i had some reason to fight and live to fight cancer and even cancer doc can not help get you in pain mang. They said today it will take at least 8 weeks to get in and ill be dead then or out of meds in a stroke etc. That is my biggest fear. Have had 3 bleeds in brain from this and pain is no joke.

The nurse said today we all are paying for those that dr shop and are addicted and i said i thought even addiction is a matter that needs treatment. They counted my tabs. I take drugs panels, did nothing wrong and most of my pain is caused from docs that did botched surgeries and cancer and injury from accident. I dont no what we all can do or if there is hope but it does not do good to ask on this site if someone knows where to get meds. Its not just docs its insurances companies and pharmacies. It's all getting way too much and hard for even a well person to figure out. I am ready to go home to my maker and wish he would take me soon. I am so tired of the lack of proper dr care in our country and its so sad i feel and pray for you all i want to know who is going to be responsible when i die or end up in a stroke due to this. Xanax withdrawals will be the worst too for i had them before for you can not sleep to escape the torture and they only get worse with time unlike opiates most docs dont seem to know this. I guess i have heart rate of 139 now and bp 200 over 133.

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Personally I think that any doctor who just yanks someone off a medication like xanax, tramadol, oxycodone or any other drug known to cause serious discontinuation syndrome should be put in jail and have their license revoked!!! That is just down right CRUEL! More laws need to be passed so these doctors can NOT playruin the quality of or harm one's well being and life!

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Anyone in pain or having withdrawals should absolutely try medical marijuana if it is legal in your area. It will change your life! I had very minimal withdrawal symptoms. And now it is what I use to manage my pain, instead of all those awful pills. Try it and see!

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Dear Grandma Pat,
I just want you to know you are not alone in you frustrations with the doctors lack of concern for your pain. I have severe spinal stenosis, Degen Disk Disease, RA, just had surgery on disk 7 months ago. Docs took me off all pain meds now except GABA and I can barely get in/out of a car, I mostly lay around and watch TV because my back still hurts and I can't lift my legs very well. I often think about dying because my quality of life is so poor. My mother died recently of cancer, but she was able to get pain meds Percocet and sleeping meds ambien. They didn't really help much as she had been bedridden anyway. I am sad to hear you cannot get relief for your suffering. I could only suggest trying another doc. I know that is the last thing you want to do as I find it extremely stressful going to a new doctor. Please don't give up the fight Pat!

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What you were told about Soma simply is not true

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I'm sorry that you're going through so much pain. First, you need to get your blood pressure under control. Withdrawal from opioids can cause an enormous rise in blood pressure. High blood pressure is a primary cause of strokes and heart attacks. My blood pressure went up to 200/100 when I withdrew from Suboxone too quickly. After seeing a friend, who ignored his hypertension for several years, collapse outside from a stroke, I made sure that my doctor treated my high blood pressure aggressively. I don't want to go into too many details but he had to spend 6 months in a hospital and has, unfortunately, lost the use of his legs.

There is a terrible shortage of doctors in certain parts of the country. These are mostly rural areas that are cut off from major medical centers in big cities. The big cities are not affordable to most Americans. This is a terrible situation because it harms the poor and lower middle class.

But it sounds like you need immediate emergency attention. Can you afford to travel to a large hospital with good reviews? Consumer reports ranks hospitals by state. A web subscription to their service is inexpensive. In any case, you need to find better medical care. Don't let anyone label you a drug abuser. You were obviously given pain medication for a legitimate medical condition. Your current doctor does not sound good. Even if you were a drug abuser, any competent physician should know that labeling a patient is psychologically harmful and likely to cause an increase in drug abuse.

Several years ago, The American Medical Association issued a directive for physicians to treat pain as a primary illness. It is outrageous that your untreated pain has has caused you to contemplate suicide. Sudden withdrawal from opioids causes severe depression. Please try to remember that you are a good person who deserves a good life. I assume that there are people in your life who care about you. Try to be around supportive friends and family and keep in mind that you will eventually find a better physician.

There are some medical insurance companies that allow you to have a web consultation with one of their physicians. This may be an option for you.

You have, unfortunately, been caught up in a Federal crackdown on the prescription of opioids. This ill thought reaction was caused by an alarming rise in overdose deaths by people using these drugs to feel high. This crackdown is adversely affecting people who have a legitimate need for pain relief. In some states, physicians are afraid to prescribe these drugs. Politicians should not interfere with the physician-patient relationship. This is a violation of your Constitutional rights. By enacting regulations that create a climate of fear in the medical community, they are indirectly affecting your right to privacy. Only physicians have the education and knowledge to properly treat their patients. Their treatment decisions should not be affected by public policy decisions that are created as a remedy for social problems.

Note: I am not licensed or trained in medicine or psychology. My advice comes from common sense.

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The nurse is right , the DEA made it virtually impossible to get pain meds now and it's because of the people that abuse them .

They really screwed it up for everybody, DEA recently recommended all physicians to only prescribe a minimal amount and only for a two week period then they are to cut you off .

It's terrible.

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What a tragedy. Get everyone hooked on legal drugs...yank them away. Let us find a natural pain relief source, that there hasn't been one verified o.d. from, and they think they have the right to ban it! I'm so angry! Just B.S.!

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Wow I feel so bad for you and I understand, going thru the same thing myself, but not as serious as you. I would go to the hospital and tell them you're suicidal and they will keep you for 72 hours and hopefully get you the help you need, but please don't take your own life. There is help out there. I know it's hard and you're getting the run around big time and that sucks, but don't kill yourself. Please let me know what's going on. I care. God bless you.

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Missy, I am on Valium for anxiety. I have to see a psychiatrist to get the script, then every 3 months a therapist, my suggestion is to deffinately go to a psychiatrist for Xanax, your primary doctor probably won't prescribe that drug, most don't. I hope this was helpful, I have been through the ringer for years, and yes the dr shoppers have totally ruined it for us legit people.

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Margie, 10 Somas a day and Alcohol is a prescription for Liver disease. Yes you might live in an area, especially the South where it is impossible to get but there will always be doctors who will write them for you. Soma is a medicine that is highly abused and there are better muscle relaxers although I like Soma yet would NEVER take 10

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I was taking Soma like candy and I got really out of hand. My speak would slur and I would shake. From an outsider basically you look worse than drunk and then pass out. By this time you just want that feeling to stop so I would take more. My doctor still is prescribing them but I haven't went cause I don't want the temptation for them. As far as the withdrawals for me it was easy yeah you want some the next day when you are out but as soon as that passes and you stop thinking about them. Physical withdrawals none. I would think I can go back to being normal again. Then I would get mad this medication had me acting out if character. Something a lot worse could of happened if I did not choose to take care of it. Good luck.

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Wow I feel so bad for you. That's so so terrible. I would guess you have been to all kinds of doctors (specialists), heart doctors, cancer specialists. Have you had an mri and an eeg brain scan and how about a therapist? You might need physch. meds. If I were you I would just stay on top of all those doctors, drive them crazy. Who the hell cares. You need help and that's their job!!! Make them do their job. I know how depressed you can get. I suffer from depression, panic attacks, etc...I wish I could help you more, but one thing I can tell you is please don't give up. You have people that care. I don't even know you but I care. Please keep me posted, don't quit. Hang in there. God bless you. I'm praying for you.

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Stef,
Sounds exactly like me with the soma, the slurred speech , shakiness, I will tell you that my entire family could tell when I was taking that and my friends. I tried to be normal, I just could not be at all, I honestly am surprised that I am still living with all I put my body through with meds but especially somas . Good think we both made the decision to stay away. When I get tempted, I just think of everything I put my family through then I snap out of my delusional thinking I can handle it when I KNOW I cannot.

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This is an older post but back in the day that was the pm recipe... Long-acting and short acting Soma and Anti-anxiety...those days gone. U can still get pain med for legit need... Long-acting and short acting and any muscle relax and just not Soma and maybe if you're lucky I handful of any anxiety meds ... But if I'm not mistaken previously soma was not even a scheduled medication now I think it's a three... But now pain doctors prescribing psychiatrist prescribed psychiatric ...drs not supposed to let patients play doctor or pharmacist regarding what works best for them or what they've been on for years it may not be the right recipe but you just believe it is ...hopefully the reduction will stave off cold turkey wd but u need to see it as a blessing in disguise...i use to love soma... And had a similar recipe but I don't now and I'm thankful for it much more energy taking some also clouded the hypothyroid diagnosis everyone including myself thought it was the soma slurring my speech and making me fatigued was actually hypothyroidism!! Decide what is most important to you being able to get pain medication for pain or Dr. shopping to get your "recipe" filled which you will never find again by the way and one doctor and the pharmacy might look at you cockeyed if using 3 drs to get all those meds!

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I have been on every medication there is including everything you just listed your on & thinking about changing to & I promise you will regret changing! Hydromorphone has a maximum availability of 3-4 hrs per IR tablet of all and the ERs are 8-10 hrs max. Then you only get somewhere around 10% of the actual pain ingredient, you can look up every medicines detailed specs by just googling it's name. Everybody is different but the majority of people will agree that you should stay where your at on the meds. Hope this helps. And you never have to have your meds taken away like I did, I moved from Cali to Mississippi & down here they don't even give terminally ill peoe he of what you get! I have MRIs, and every test you can imagine proving my medical conditions & they just want to give me 3 norcos a day with 15 mg of morphine at EVERY doc office within 100 me's of Biloxi. I'm moving back to Cali & having to relocate my 3 children who have lived here there entire lives because I can barely get out of bed every day.

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While withdrawing from opiates, it is essential to work with a sympathetic physician. People have died from unsupervised cold turkey withdrawal.

My own Suboxone withdrawal produced a case of hypertension severe enough to cause a stroke or heart attack. Even while slowly titrating, my pressure shot up to 198/98. I'm now on a low dose of 2 blood pressure meds. My pressure is finally in the normal range. I also walk on a treadmill a half hour a day. This completely relieved the muscle spasms I was getting at night. I urge anyone who is coming off an opiate to watch their blood pressure. It really is a silent killer. You get no symptoms and have no idea that your life is in danger.

I've read many stories about so called drug rehabs that have no licensed doctors and no idea of the medical issues involved in drug withdrawal. You can't come off most drugs, safely, in 28 days. And who has the money for long term programs?

Another blood pressure danger is vaping. Nicotine raises blood pressure but the way some people vape, they take in an enormous amount of smoke with nicotine levels that are much higher than found in cigarettes. Young people may be able to get away without a catastrophic event, but it's still risky. I would be willing to bet that they are getting a huge jump in blood pressure. I'm not advocating more restrictive laws. I'm appealing to the individual to just use their common sense.

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They are trying to make kratom illegal for some odd reason. But, this was also a miracle that this stuff works as well as it does! I use the red vein now for pain mgmt and can lead a normal life! Happy for you!

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CINDHY: Yes, withdrawals from Benzos can actually kill you if they are bad enough. Any doctor who just lets a patient go off of Benzos without some medical support should have his license pulled.

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Dear Grandma Pat,
I was just getting on my laptop and your story was the first one and i read it. You put me to tears and can only pray that you are alright. Only one person answered your plea, and it sounded just like the one my sister Dee said to my husband. She finally took her life due to back surgeries that only left her in severe pain. No one would help her medically. I had learned after the fact what she had told my husband. Had i known I would have jumped on a plane and demanded someone help her or i would take it to court. But, instead I jumped on a plane to only be able to see my sister in ICU blown up from the pills she took. TYLENOL was her only option. She couldn't even get pain meds to take, it was that bad.
She has been gone since 2003, and i miss her so much. I cant imagine what your going through, I am just praying that someone came to your rescue. I just wanted to make sure you are alright and got the help that you very much needed. You should go to another town or city and tell your story. If your in that much pain I cant imagine no one would help you. They would legally have to take you in if your suicidal actions were sincere. Its the law. So, with that said i pray your getting the help you so desperately need. God Bless

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CHRIS: The people who "have no business taking opioids" are usually taking illicit drugs, which wouldn't affect whether or not you get prescriptions. And the ones who are taking opioid PRESCRIPTIONS likely got them from a doctor. So your comment is a bit confusing.

And it is MOST DEFINITELY the "doctors' fault", at least in part. In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000's, doctors were handing out opioids like candy. Well now there is a huge backlash to that, and these same doctors are cutting everyone off. And who are the ones who will suffer? The legit pain patients like yourself. But saying that doctors bear absolutely no responsibility in this mess is inaccurate. If they had been prescribing opioids responsibly in the first place, we may not be in this opioid crisis now.

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