Expert: Crystal - 7/5/2007

Question
QUESTION: I am taking under prescription about 200 mg oxycontin a day. I do not believe I need it for pain anymore and want to get off quick. I get sick if I just miss a dose by a few hours but I don't care. I stopped drinking over twenty years ago and stopped smoking 6 years ago. I am motivated. I do not want to involve my family doctor. They do not really seem to want to take responsibility anyways. They want to send me to a pain management doc but I just want to get clean. The doctors always ask "How much pain are you in?" How am I supposed to know that when I am always on pain killers?

Should I go to a hospital? I have insurance ...I work as an engineer have kids , am married, do volunteer work, go to church etc so physicians seem to think its ok..."sure we will give you meds". Trouble is my tolerance keeps going up and I am just tired of people having control over my life or else I face the alternative of being sick. I am not worried about relaosing because I know that 12 step programs work and I also have a therapist. I do have high blood pressure and I am prone to anxiety attacks but I take meds for these conditions. What are your suggestions? Some recommend Ultra Fast Detox, other graduated withdrawal, others suboxone, some methadone etc etc. I can't do the graduated withdrawal...I have tried on my own already....as soon as my anxiety kicks in I go back to the dose or even more. I know it will be rough but that is the price I elected to pay...to be honest I don't want to die from the withdrawal but I am desperate...I want my freedom!

Please what do you recommend?

ANSWER: Lets go over a few things first. What meds are you on exactly? Anxiety meds? I need to know all of them. What are you doing if you miss a dose; meaning, are you shaking, tremors, seizures?
If you have EVER experienced any of these then you need to go to a medical detox because it is UNSAFE to do alone. Especially if you have high blood pressure. You can't detox without being monitored and you have to prepare yourself for the anxiety that you are going to experience even with the medical detox, you have to tell yourself that it will happen and that you have to just let it be what it is, just anxiety. Find something mentally that helps you cope, you seem to be very motivated and you need to use this as a growing time for you. But do so with caution. Don't put yourself in a position that can hurt you and put more stress on your body then need be.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much...you are so kind to take your own time and turn it into something positive for others. I take per day 120 mg of oxycontin 60 to 100 mg of oxycodone IR, 12.5 mg hctz, Lotrel 10/40 and Lexapro 10 mg. Occasionally I will use about 5 mg Ambien to sleep. I want to get off all the narcotics...I know it will be nasty but I need to do this if for no other reason then to at least know if I am in pain or not (other than withdrawal sickness and pain). 22 years ago when I stopped drinking I had panic attacks, vertigo, sickness like nausea,ached all the time etc. I expect this to be worse. However 22 years ago I had no idea what to expect...I am expecting anything and everything this time.I stopped drinking back then on my own on the street and worked the whole time (looking back on it I was truly insane..I would have "heart attacks" once a day....floors and walls were always moving around, I saw Jesus (that was positive)it was pretty crazy and I felt terrible 24/7 and craved alcohol for 30 days without letup....then all this stuff began to fade...also had a psychiatrist help me with the panic attacks. He told me I had "garden variety alcohol withdrawal " and that he was the one with problems (his 3rd bout of cancer). A truly great man he was.

Answer
Brian,
So you take a water pill which is also used for blood pressure, you take lotrel for anxiety and Lexapro for depression, right? Then there is the Oxycontin.
The thing is that with withdrawal when you are taking so many different substances for such a length of time and then stop taking them your body goes into shock. We know that if we drive our cars and don't service them they eventually run out of all fluids right, and then it cracks something or overheats because it can't take it, it can't run that way. The body works the same way and it wears out. If you take away all these meds, which is not advisable, you will go into shock and there is no telling what your body will do. You need to get into a medical detox center for yourself so that you can detox the right way, the safe way. It sucks I know but you have to do what is best for you so that tomorrow will come and you will be thankful.
If you were able to stop drinking you can do this, relax. Take a deep breathe and it will be ok.
Let me know how it goes.
Stay on the rest of the meds and maybe ask the doctor to adjust some of them so it will be easier for you to transition.