How do l wean off morphine

Please Can any one tell me how l wean off morphine l am on 15 mgs every 12 hours thankyou

[Hidden]

I just stopped when I had been on 60 mg slow release tablets.

I had to suffer all sorts of withdrawal symptoms, I think the leg / limb spasms were the worst, I took Paracetamol to help. but eventually got there. Good lu.

[WestSussexGuy]

This is really not a good question to ask in a forum like this as you will potentially get lots of well meaning advice but it may not be safe or what your clinician would advise. You really need to talk to your GP or a doctor about how to do this safely and in a way where you don't suffer lots of withdrawal symptoms. I think if you do, you will get much more help than this or any online forum can give you xx

[Hidden]

Please speak to your provider, there are various approaches, including ways to manage potential insomnia, muscle discomfort, etc. Don't suffer needlessly or even dangerously.

[Xene]

Yay Milly72, speaking from my own personal experience, the only safe way to wean yourself off prescribed morphine is to very slowly lower the dose by the smallest possible amount over a period of time to allow your brain to engage that it's slowly getting less and adjust to it. Obviously your GP or pain specialist will be able to advise you how slowly to do this. Withdrawal can be an absolute nightmare to deal with even though we get through it. Good luck and stay strong

Xene

[PFKAAde]

Although I totally agree you should do it with your doctor's guidance / knowledge, in my experience GPs and other medical professionals often advise a protocol that is just too quick for minimising withdrawal symptoms.

I agree with Xene that as slowly as possible is the best way. I switched to an equivalent dose of dihydrocodeine when I got down to about 30mg of morphine as personally I find it easier to reduce dhc by a half tab (15mg) every few days than morphine.

It will also depend how long you have been on morphine for and whether you can obtain it for long enough to do a really slow taper. If your doc won't keep prescribing it then that will be the key factor, if they will then take your time and remember you you can split tablets or capsules into smaller doses.

Good luck.

Ade

[Hidden]

Call your local nhs pain and addiction services and if waiting time too long go online l found a charity ADAPT who saw me straight away n got me through. I was prescribed 2x 60MG MST morphine a day 2005-2006 by pain team Dundee when l was under gynae investigations then told nerve damage from previous ops as kept ending up in A&E agony. l lived in Dunfermline so they transferred me pain team here who saw me briefly told me fibromyalgia n get off the mst morphine as no good but offered nothing else except a psychologist appt to get antidepressants (l wasn't depressed) then Gp hassled me get of mst too so l asked my chemist why getting so much hassle they told me like herion a class A drug!!!! I stopped taking it myself over 2 weeks went through hell n ended up in hospital again same abdo pain where they tried getting me take mst morphine l refused for 5 days till the same pain team man l saw Gilbert told them put me on oramorph. They found solid masses etc etc he wrote normal scan put her on oramorph n discharge. The surgeon had wrote to a gynae including a 3 page scan report of all abnormalities n said in letter 'take what she says with pinch of salt'. Since 2009 loads A&E and admissions for various things l was treated abysmally and discharged as told l was an addict and nothing causing all my signs n symptoms it was in my head but eventually even though l hated it but no help offered they had me taking 50MGs =100MLs a day just to get me out of hospital l dont smoke or drink loved exercise keep mood up n try help pain etc yet all they did was chuck oramorph at me then gp, nurses, consultants called me an addict even to my Mother one time l was admitted. I had asked for different meds as still ending up in hospital on that amount called pain team etc but no help but then l got a letter from pain & addictions team in Kirkcaldy to go to appt as Gilbert same man from pain team in Dunfermline whos never seen me in 9years and had put me on the blasted stuff that just made me nauseous (no pink clouds like uneducated painfree folk think we must be on????) He Gilbert (who l could not believe was there) and a professor assessed me and agreed l was neither dependant or addicted and my pain warranted this level and discharged me with Gilbert writing at the end he would be happy to see me ha! 4 hospital admissions and now joints n bones are breaking amongst many more signs and symptoms like ignored all asking for pain team review last 2 years l even phoned directly and still nothing. Except even though l was discharged by addictions team in 2014 and me refusing mst tramadol nefopam etc ON TOP of morphine and me refusing it everytime l was still being called an addict and pain all in my head even though 4 mental health consultants wrote to Gp and Gilbert no mental health disorders so couldn't help me. So l decided had enough n poured all oramorph down sink, called Gp said l wasn't taking it anymore as sick of him and nhs staff calling me addict n using pain get it even when l was discharged from hosp they were giving me bottles take home and l refused saying had some at home. Anyway Gp told me keep taking it see him 2weeks?!? If he was telling me l was an addict would he tell all addicts keep injecting or sniffing or whatever they do or take. So l called ADAPT for help first time lwent to an office then a follow up by same charity in hospital room. I was offered methadone but refused and l reduced morphine far more quickly than they advised but l hated the stuff. Yep pain +++++ but unless you keep taking higher amounts your body gets used to it n pain requires more. So it was a rubbishy 3 weeks a year past December but Godwilling l will not have to go through it again. I've been on pregablin gabapentin antidepressants etc etc tablets for this tablets for that and lm still trying get right meds n combinations, after changing GP, supporting letters from mental health saying lm determined n resilient, have not been investigated by various consultants due to a mental health disorder called SOMATIZATION wrongly passed through my notes. Its so bad that l have been walking on a broken leg for past year n half even nhs physios notes say l have significant mental health issues and catastrophying behaviour over my misinterpretation of my injury........ So after 6 months foot numb, ice cold, not being able bend ankle, even gp not finding a pulse l beg them for xray....guess what it said, l had an un united clear visible fracture with extensive osteoporosis ( my old gp wrote l was somatising in my notes when he sent me home with those signs n symptoms) sorry just realised this has gone totally of topic l am so sorry. In fact if someone told me even a quarter of what lve been through and whats in my medical notes l doubt l would believe them. Please believe me, my life isn't that empty that l need to make this up ha infact l couldnt make it up its so beyond comprehension n theres so much more n it's horrific scarey inhumane but l have photos and all the proof l need. They even had me ending up in mental wards in Dunfermline and Stratheden thanks to psychiatrist Beveridge putting me on and off meds too quick that l didn't want to take as didn't help but he just put them up n added more or stopped n changed.....yet both wards discharged me with no mental disorders after few days. This is where pain can take you if you don't keep pushing for the best help, get help from advocates etc if not ( l thought nhs staff were helping me especially my gp sending them thank you cards chocs etc) until 23 Aug 2015 my foot was left hanging off backwards for 2 hours and 45 mins it was ankle dislocated 2 displaced fractures in tibia n dislpaced spiral fracture in fibula ++++ injuries as my foot went numb nerve didn't pull tendons etc so l walked on it literally n fell over when l was getting ready for Church. I was marked up for surgery Sunday by AnE Ortho n signed forms etc n instead no surgery, it was plastered n made to walk on it from the Tues even plaster guy said its non weight bearing cast bad fractures no way even try put foot down. The consultant wrote on my discharge 'she fell due to herion overdose' yet bloods were taken and are normal as soon as out ambulance, they gave me morphine and then sedation to turn my foot the right way n put in back slab (weird if l had overdosed eh) He also didn't report dislocation just small fibula fracture????? (He immigrated to Australia 3 weeks after l was in hospital for 10 days being called addict, inconvenience left to wet the bed n worse but my surgery wasn't done due to me having a mental health disorder( somataform) that l didn't have and as patient services, new gp, psychologist etc say 'even if l did have a mental disorder it still should have been surgically fixed. Thats a long shocking n sad story so i.ll stop. So just remember you are not useless or a burden or should be treated any different because we have pain. Please get the help from the right people regarding morphine and prayers going up for you. God Bless all of us. Deb x

[RAYJAYC]

Hi Milly72

You don't say why you want to wean & stop the Morphine? Some folk may wonder why I'm asking as it may seem obvious but maybe you could elaborate? Also, what are you taking the Morphine for? (yes I know it's for pain!!)

It's just that without any other info we might not be able to give any advice/experiences other than the usual wean off slowly & under medical supervision!! 😕

Is it slow release tablets or Oramorph?

RJC x

[johnsmith]

Speak to a pharmacist. They have training on how drugs behave. This is in comparison to a GP who has very little training in how drugs behave.

[RAYJAYC in reply to johnsmith]

Maybe I'm just lucky but my GP is excellent & very knowledgeable about weaning off medications; what he doesn't know he looks up in the BNF and if that doesn't tell him he speaks to the pain specialist. He's has even sought information from a pharmacist directly on my behalf. Saying GPS don't know much about it is a very sweeping statement!

We don't know what the original poster has already tried as they haven't replied to anyone yet but nudging them to see a pharmacist first, therefore bypassing their GP/Consultant/Pain Specialist, could potentially be harmful.

Just trying to ensure everyone is safe ☺

RJC x

[johnsmith in reply to RAYJAYC]

You are right to have concerns about what I said. What I have said is true and not many people realise that. I am of course referring to the trained pharmacist who must be present at every shop which hands out prescription drugs.

A GP is very knowledgeable about diseases and proposed treatments. The GPs study on drugs would only have consisted of one or two lectures if the GP was lucky. A pharmacist spends at least 3 years studying drugs and their side effects at degree level. This I think would make them many times more knowable on drugs than a GP. I have been to many conferences where the concerns about the GPs lack of knowledge on drugs have been raised.

Hope this helps

[RAYJAYC in reply to johnsmith]

....but they may have studied/enhanced their knowledgeable since their training plus there's anecdotal evidence and reasoning. I suppose it's pot luck as to whether your GP has a specific interest or has specialised in the drugs you're taking and/or your condition!!

RJC x