Getting Off of Painkillers

I started seeing a pain management doctor about 4 years ago for severe lower back pain. One of the first things she did was put me on 5 mg Hydrocodone four times a day and gave me a steroid injection. Over the years, I have had several radio frequency ablations and a handful of steroid injections. The prescription for the medication has changed over the years but the dosage has stayed pretty much the same. My current prescription is 10 mg twice a day. I’m not quite as active as I was just a few years ago so I haven’t had severe pain for a while but I continue to take the medication. Now I want to wean off of this stuff and wonder what others have done to do this. I’m guessing that cutting down the daily dosage is a start. A bit of history: I had total kidney failure 6 years ago from Vasculitis and I can no longer take any form of NSAID. Acetaminophen doesn’t work well so that’s why I searched for a pain medication replacement. I’m also wondering if there is a pain rebound effect after cutting back or stopping completely. Like, does every little part of your body start aching even without any activity? Let me read your experience with what I’m wanting to do. TYIA!

[Madlegs1]

First off- you are on a very low dose of opioid, so there would not be an issue if you wish to continue for pain relief.

If you do wish to get off it, then it must be done slowly and by small amounts.

If it were me, I would get back on to the short term 5mg . If they are capsules, they can be broken down and divided up into smaller doses.

I'd be inclined to see if you can stretch the day into 3 doses.

If that doesn't work, then take 3 doses, and make a smaller dose for the fourth part-- maybe middle of day?

You can get clear empty capsules from pharmacy or inet-.

Hope you can make sense of this garbled info, - I'm in a hotel breakfast meeting 🤕

[Hidden in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you for the reply. Your suggestion is kind of what I had in mind. Even the low dose has an effect on my libido and at my age I need all the help I can get. Love to hear more about your breakfast meeting! 😊

[Bartz]

Please invest in a portable tens machine.I purchased one and it helps my pain no end.

I injured my knee back in September and with 9be thing or another just found out what the injuries i sustained were.

Fractured knee and injured Meniscus.

Fracture has healed still get some discomfort from Meniscus when i have been walking about too much.

Upon resting discomfort disappears after 5/10 minutes.

Hope this is reassuring for you.

BTW when i was first using the tens machine back in Oct/ 2023 i didnt know my knee was fractured.

So if it cured the pain from a fracture they myst be good.

Let me know how you get on.

[Hidden in reply to Bartz]

Hi Bart’s, I’ve had a TENS unit long before seeing a pain management doctor. I’ve had back problems most of my life and I’m 72. If I’m careful and not too active, I’m in pretty good shape. But, I’ve been remodeling our house over the years and I do some car work in the driveway so I aggravate the spine and muscles. That’s when I need some help.

[Bekindtoyou in reply to Hidden]

Heat packs may be just as good on tired, stretched muscles. I have 2 tens machines - they helped many years ago but have no effect on my current health and at times they aggravate it. Stretches are also a good way of easing tension in tired muscles.

[Bartz]

Does resting ease the pain?I absolutely love my Tens machine. Best money i have ever spent, not too expensive.

I have the Kinetik dual channel pain reliever.

12 different programmes and upto 20 intensities.

Paid £35.00 @ Argos

[Hidden]

Yes, rest does help. My TENS is IRelief brand. It has pretty much the same amount of function as yours. Thanks for replying.

[Bekindtoyou]

Have you considered alternative therapies? By that I dont necessarily mean meditation or yoga though I'm sure they have their place. Turmeric, black pepper and ginger as a supplement and a combined multivitamin you may find supportive as you slowly reduce the dose of hydrocodone. These are all natural products but can sometimes have an effect on the current medication you take so I would advise you to consult your health care practitioner first. Ginseng is also good as it helps with circulation, sleeping and has other health benefits too. A healthy dose of movement and relaxation are also good. Movement shouldn't be things like shopping or heavy lifting but gentle stretches and smooth transitions such as those in tai chi and yoga. Any change may be challenging at first but persistence will reap rewards. You may not feel this initially but the more you do the better the outcome. Most of all take time to 'listen' to your body - pain is its way of telling you it doesn't like something.

Be kind to yourself and good luck with your onward journey.

[Emma2017]

I was on a very high dose of pregabalin and dihydrocodeine. I was starting to think the pregabalin had the opposite effect, i.e made the pain worse by if I was not taking it my body was screaming for it. So I decided to come off all of it. I did it by slowly reducing the dosage. When I was down to your level I halved the tablets and kept on reducing them until I was free of them. I found that the tens machine did very little. So I got myself a theragun which is different but it does help quite a bit. The tens machine works too but in a different way. I had 5 spine ops but feel much better now and will never go back on those drugs.

Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to Emma2017]

Thanks for your reply Emma. There is a condition called Hyperalgesia. I Googled it and read a good article about it. It talks about opioids and the effects it has on the body. One of the things it said was that if you stop taking the drug, pains that you had in the past will start coming back. I've experienced that even on the small dose I'm taking. Although I haven't been properly diagnosed, I'm almost certain I have Fibromyalgia so I get these random pains all over my body even when I'm taking the pain medicine. I'm kind of on the fence about this. Being 72 and having body wide osteoarthritis, and not being able to take any NSAIDS, I feel better when taking the drug but it does cause me to be lethargic.

[Emma2017 in reply to Hidden]

Yeah I know what you mean and that was exactly why I wanted to get of them plus I don't think it is good to be on meds all the time for your liver and kidneys etc.

[waylay in reply to Hidden]

Hyperalgesia is... a fraught subject. Most docs who do opioid pain management think it's very rare. It's only been proved in rats. If you start decreasing your opioids and the pain gets better, great! If it stays the same, good! If it gets worse, you have a decision to make: do the med side effects outweigh he benefits?

Either way, do it very slowly!

[arvine]

can I ask what is causing your lower back pain , and what is hydrocone, Im in Canada and am not familiar with that med, Ive had spinal decompression treatments and were helpful last year, but severe degenerative discs, spinal stenosis and osteo now at 75 yrs old, on prednisone for over 7 yrs for pmr diagnosis , tapered to 5 mgs currently, cant take anti inflammatory, mornings are very painful , limited mobility

[Hidden in reply to arvine]

Well Arvine, you sound a whole lot like me. My X-ray and MRI showed Severe DDD, stenosis, Scoliosis, displacement of lumbar intervertebral disc without myelopathy, and lumbosacral spondylosis without myelopathy. This what my pain mgt doctor has in my notes. If you've heard of Oxycontin or Oxycodone, they are opioid pain killers. Hydrocodone is similar only not as strong as the others. I also take 5 mg Prednisone daily. I have stage 4 CKD so I cannot take anti inflammatories either. Not long ago, I was same as you getting up in the mornings. I recently had another steroid injection and it helped a lot. I'm 72 years old so I feel your pain.

[arvine in reply to Hidden]

Oh well thank you, I have been considering steroid injection but hearing pros and cons about that, but chronic pain in mornings and when walking , standing for even 10 -15 min, gets me down,

[Hidden in reply to arvine]

I don't know of any Cons to the injections and they will definitely make a difference. Don't be afraid. You will feel much better. The only thing they (medical field) cares about is having too much steroid so taking prednisone and getting the injections needs to be monitored. I am taking 5 mg prednisone a day and that is not an issue. I still get the injections.

[arvine in reply to Hidden]

Ok can you tell me , are you getting ultrasound guided steroid injections?

[Hidden]

I’m not sure if it uses ultrasound but she has a machine that she hovers over my back and there’s a screen that she looks at. I’ve seen the still pictures that they capture on a large screen when I’ve gotten up off the table. She gives me small injections of Lidocaine first in the spot she’s going to give the steroid injection. It’s not painful but you feel some pressure when the fluid is going in.

[1vern0n]

Hi, there has been lots of useful suggestions but personally I would speak with my GP or pharmacist before weaning off any medication.

[Hidden in reply to 1vern0n]

Oh I agree with you full heartedly. This forum is useful to see what other people have done, not to get marching orders.