Weaning Off Dilaudid Pain Pump (Page 2) (Top voted first)

how long does it take to be weaned off a medtronic pain pump with the med. dilaudid the pain management wants my daughter to come off it in one month is that to fast and will there be alot of side effects and withdrawal please help i'm really scared for her and they are suppose to start reducing tomorrow

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Hello fellow Coloradans! Thinking you have no problem as they legalized marijuana for recreational use and for Medical pain relief. Every time you show your lic to buy it, your info goes into a data base!!! For either Medical or Recreational. I have never bought MJ in my life and now with all the pain meds being taking away and here I was in I thought a legal MMJ state, I thought I would try it for the first time in my life and see it if would help me. So I went out to one of their stores got a tiny bit and yuck I hated smoking for one thing but the under the tongue helped some. I tried it one time, lol. I am 62 yrs old. The next week we were moving into our rental and I fell down the stairs... an no I hadn't used any at all I just tried it that time lol. But it just became fresh in my mind why I was treated so terribly at Memorial Hospital a state hospital in Colorado Springs, that day. I went to the ER as my knee had some fluid on it. ER Doc seemed really nice until he left for a moment and then showed back up at my room door and yelled at me, "Why don't you go smoke some marijuana?" and tossed an ACE bandage at me from across the room. He was very nasty to me. I of course was very upset and left. My husband and I have been trying to figure out what the problem was. It has taken me weeks to figure this out as I am on hard core withdrawals from the pain meds my doc had me on in TX before I moved here. So don't think cool its legal to smoke or ingest MJ and you won't pay for it dearly. Your reputation is at risk big time at any doctors office, hospital, etc. Anyone could know who is using it for Medical reasons from Cancer to pain. But, when you really need a doctor none of them will take you serious and they are not just making money at it, it is your good name at risk here. It happened to me!!! Their is no way any of them in that hospital could have known unless there is a data base for legalized marijuana also!!!! You know the US and Canada.... something isn't right going on here!

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I have had a pain pump for close to eight months. Every medication approved for use in a pain pump has been tried. However, I have had no improvement from chronic back pain. Rather, I have experienced more and/or new pain and adverse reactions! I had more relief when on only oral medication. Because I had to take a large quantity of oral medication I felt having a pain pump would be wise to preserve my liver, etc
I would like to know what is the process to be taken off of a pain pump?! Thanks

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Why do they want her off? She will have to take enough medication to compensate for the pain that she has the pump for. It may be more than she wants to take.

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My pump alarm has gone off sooner then it should have. The doctor I have now wants to take out my pump since I have had so many problems with it and put in a simulator. I'll finally be off all the drugs. But my concern is the withdrawal's I'll have once the pump is removed. Does anyone know what they will do for the withdrawals and how long they last? The doctor said i could go back to work in a week. I am afraid of the withdrawal's.

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She should find a new doctor. I don't know of any doctor who is competent that would choose to remove her pump due to money. There are other solutions. This doesn't sound right to me. See if another doctor can take over. Ad far as the teeth and hair, that is due to something else because no medication goes into the bloodstream at all on the pump delivery drug. There is no way it will effect the teeth and hair. Is she taking something else? Only oral meds or IV meds going in the bloodstream can cause these problems.

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Re: Debbie (# 7)

Same here. Been weaning from about 3.81. I think with baclofen I am under 1.51 but oh any help? My legs are cramping, arm bones ache, headache, stomachache any suggestions. I'm getting my pump out for fusion.

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Re: Beetlescott (# 11)

I have had 4 dilaudid pain pumps. The last one had to be removed because it got infected and my Doctors didn't believe me either. I ended up in ICU for a month with Bacterial Spinal Meningitis!! I barely survived it. I hate to tell you this....but the Doctors are WELL AWARE of the MANY problems with these pumps! However, they receive royalties from the pump manufacturers in addition to $1,500 every time they refill one....so of course they try to make you believe it's all in your head. These pumps have been subject to thirty three Class One recalls by the FDA. My advice to you would be to go to the FDA website....search "Pain pump recall"....you will not like what you see. Take note that medical device manufacturers are only required to notify DOCTORS of any recall...not the patients. If I were you....i would print out what you find and show it to your Doctor. The symptoms you are describing is the pump UNDERDOSING you...which happens to be the basis of a couple of the recalls. They were also RECALLED for overdosing patients, premature battery failure, catheters moving and breaking, etc. Etc. Please...for your own safety look at the FDA site. You can search recalls and adverse events reported by the manufacturer's name. If you have any questions I would be happy to give you more info about my experience.

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Re: Peanut (# 15)

I've had one for 15 years. I had another back surgery. It left me in a mess. I can't get any relief. I am having 5% of the meds cut off about every 26 days. I can't tell any difference. If things still work out I'm going to have it cut off. I know several that have done this. Although it's no good after being cut off, you don't have to have it removed unless you want to.

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I believe them to be tramadol, a pain med with antidepressant properties as well as for nerve pain. These can be as addictive opiates are and more dangerous to withdrawal from, so be careful!

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I am my mom's caregiver. She has dimentia. She also has had high level of dilaudid (via Medtronic pump) for 11 years due to pain from failed back surgery. We've decided to try minimizing the amount she gets to see how she tolerates the pain or even if there is any difference. I think they must have turned down the concentration amount too much on her last visit because she for the next week she was extremely irritable. During this lowering of dilaudid time, she hasn't appeared to be in any less or more back pain. My question is once she gets to no more Medicine in her pump, should it be left in with saline or nothing at all? I don't really want her to go through the surgery to remove it because she is 87 years old.
Thanks

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If the dr is doing it, they know how much to reduce in order to get your daughter off the meds. He can also prescribe other meds that can lessen the effects

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I am also being weaned from backlogs and dilaudid with Medtronic pump. Went down 27% then this week 17% pumps coming out for spinal fusion surgery. I live alone. It's just the confusion and new pain. Anything help besides got Epsom salts baths. Meditation and my ativan? HELP

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Hi. I need help to make my doc realize the drug combo in pump (5) meds [dilaudid, fentanyl, bupivacal, baclofen and clonidine] are no longer helping me, it's hurting me. I have fluid retention in both legs, not sure what from. I think it's fentanyl since this just happened when I was switched to a home health care provider to do our refilling. The other thing is, my kidneys are damaged and I'm not sure what caused it. And my other meds interacted with the pump meds, so the more I push the more f*** ups are done to my other half. He did check my husband's catheter to see if his Ace inhibitor was not broke, ect. Well his had been broken for awhile with a 1 1/2 piece catheter in his spinal canal. They can't remove it safely. So that said, I want my pump meds reduced and the pump turned off. Would going down 1.5 mg a week help? I am at 5.4mg per day of dilaudid and want to go to 4.5 mg and so on until they can just turn it off for me. I have till like November to get it done cause when my lease up and without housing in Chicago I don't wanna be with it and have no housing. I know Chicago sucks. Does anyone have advice on how to get him to reduce me & hubby without killing us? All ears. Scared here.

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Re: Patsy (# 29)

Good for you Patty. Yeah, my Dr is pissed because Cleveland clinic said it has to come out for fusion (pain doc not with cc) - He's being rude, mean & nasty. I feel bad. I think I'm down 70% but he fights giving me a printout.

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Re: LINDA (# 10)

I have had the dilaudid pump since January of this year. I'm wanting to take it out and my PM Dr is reluctant. They say I have to have decrease beforehand, but my pump has been out for a week and a half with my alarm going. I'm going through withdrawals like hell. They want to refill and go from there. What is your suggestion on this?

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I got mine out last February after they overdosed me while doing a refill. Never never again, these pumps are bad news. I almost died and after having it taken out I went to a very dark place. I’m lucky I didn’t commit suicide because I was so close.

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Re: Patsy (# 37)

Amen Patsy. My Pm doc got mad that another hospital asked him to drain and flush mine. He gave me no thing although Cleveland clinic was to hospitalize me to do it as I have major depression. It's going into 6 month horrible

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Re: Beetlescott (# 11)

Hello, I would love to ask you a few questions. I know that it's been years since you posted here but my I am going through the same exact thing as you were. Please respond here if you can.

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Hello there when I was put on the pump I had some of what you havave been through but my doc did not five up I am not on a nerve block with my back and it is in my pump i was having side effects to the pumpain meds

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