Just wondering at what stage you weaned yourself off painkillers - both the opioid and the lesser ones.
I couldn't take opioids but my brother did and found it tricky coming off them after leaving it too long. The sooner you start weaning the better for you.
Reduce your daily dosage first, so that you can continue to be comfortable at night. Slowly dropping and cutting back to zero. You may have some withdrawal symptoms for a short time, but doing things slowly is the key.
If you need help the GP can prescribe them in ever increasing lower dosages so it is easier, down to zero. It should be easier for you if you start now and haven't been on them for very long.
I was able to stop taking Endone, (thats the strong painkillers) at about day 7, then it took me a couple more weeks before I could stop the Panadol.
Unfotunatly at about 12 weeks then had a ruptered & bulging disc, ouccchhhh, back on Endone, for a couple of weeks, with anti immflamitories.
Still take the occasional Panadol, if I have overdone it, with my background arthiritis playing up.
But otherwise don't have to take anything.
But I'm pretty sure my pain tolerance is in the very high range.
If you have problems coming off them with increased pain, and bad stomach cramps, symptoms for me of addiction, you may have an addiction, having been there and done that, when I had my cancer hysterectomy, the only way you can come off is slowly, you have to start spacing your dosage out, every 4 hours for a week, then every 5 hours for a week, then every 6 hours for a week, even if rather than hourly step downs, you can do half hour step downs. It works, this spacing out the tablets, worked for me.
I only took two endones in the hospital, after both of my first two walks. Otherwise it was just paracetamol. They offered me an endone prescription for home, but I declined. I took aspirin for about a week at home and after that just used a gel for localised pain.
If you are taking opioid like Tramadol dont do what I did just stop taking them (I felt so ill even after just 3 weeks), cut them down gradually over a few days. I didnt take Tramadol at all for my second hip and I think that was partly because I hated the way I felt coming off them and also I had less pain with the second.
Linnet x
As soon as possible !
I just hate taking any sort of medication, and my body does not take kindly to strong painkillers.
I had Tramadol & Codeine & Ibuprofen, kicked them all out within a week.
BUT, i'm in no pain. If I had pain, I would have restarted immediately. Pain does not help you recover. - pain = no gain.
Graham
Day 1 all the strong stuff! Take paracetamol daily anyway for other stuff
My doctor is VERY liberal with the opiods. My surgery was Nov.23 and he is still writing presctiptions. It's because I need it. To sleep especially! I can lay awake all night looking for a position that's not painful. I'm not scared of them, my doctor said they are an important part of your recovery. He doesn't want any of his patients to be in pain. I think week 12 is when they want me to stop. Most addictive drugs are weaned. If it's done correctly, normally half a mg. a month. That's if you are addicted. I think right now if I stopped my Percocet 5-325 that I'd feel no withdrawal. Seems like if you aren't in pain, you'll feel a euphoria but if you are in pain, the drug goes right to the receptors in your brain that needs them, and there is no "high". I started out with morphine twice a day for the first week, then down to Percocet. The slow weaning is the best idea. I'm not sure what you mean by the lesser ones. Only the opiods can be addictive.
As soon as you can. I forgot the timings after a week or so, obviously did not need them. Have taken paracetamol occasionally if I have overdone it. I was lucky most need something for a lot longer but get of the opioids ASAP
Thank y'all for the replies.
I agree that the "asap" approach is best. I have stopped the codeine and am just on the "lesser" ones of IBU and Paracetamol. Considering I have survived the last 18 months on about 8 co0codimol a day, I am feeling fine. I do feel that I have been in an euphoric state over the last week due to the codeine, but time to face reality
For me with my first THR I was off them within four weeks. My second THR went bad so I was on them for 6 months. My revision of the one that went bad left me able to wean off at about the 8 week mark and used Gabepentin instead for nerve pain. That helped me more than the opioids.
It is different for everyone and it depends on how well recovery goes. How far out are you?
This is what scares me l have been takin co-codamol and tamadol for almost 4 months. I needed them because of the severe pain l was in before my 1st hip then l still need them for recovery and the pain in my unoperated hip which l am having dine in 2 weeks. I haves heard how additictive they both are and what side affects you get coming of them.
I am just going to try the tapered way of coming off them by slowly cutting dowm my does per day when l am going to stoo taking them but am really worried about how l will feel and what side effects l could get if any.
Right now l am just want to get my next op done an then see how l get on after that
Laura
You poor thing, Having complications after the second must have been tough! Glad the new meds are doing the trick. I had my R THR last Thursday and came home a week ago today. I tried to come off them all yesterday, but after my first 1 mile walk of the day I needed some Paracetomol. I also took some co-codimol to help sleep, but I am now (I hope) taking them reactively and not in order to keep the pain away. So from takinging them every two hours, I am now to twice a day.
I consider myself lucky that I do not appear to be addicted to co-codimol.
Michael
Two weeks and counting :-)
I am sure the doctors will have a knack of helping reduce the meds in an orderly fashion. That and the power of the mind will work wonders, But first things first. Second THR o 6 months is quite something. At least you know thatthe pain will be taken away :-) Hippy Days.
Laura - slow down Darling, lets get you through the surgery first, you know what is coming, so you won't be particularly looking foward to the surgery bit, but will be looking foward to being in a lot less pain from your hips.
Having been there and done both hips, I know where you are coming from there.
Then after you are home a few weeks you can start dealing with the addicition problem, if it arises. Hopefully not.
You will have read my previous post where I said I was addicted to Opiod pain killers, I was, and the symptoms were extreme stomach cramps, and feeling sick enough to go back to the hospital I had just been discharged from the same morning, after a 9 day stay.
Funny or not, after my hip replacements and weeks on Opiod painkillers for extreme pain, and inability to walk without those painkillers, I was able to stop taking the pain killers with no problems whatsoever.
So what happened the first time, Hysterectomy, Traumatic Change of Life (due to ovaries being taken out) extreme sweating doesn't even start to describe what happened at about day 3, as fast as the nurses were changing me, and the dressing, I was soaking wet once more, they resorting to making my bed up with a pile of towels, and even that only lasted a short time before that was soaked.
My body objected to losing its ovaries, they lost my IV port to veins 17 times over a few days, as I dehydrated, sometimes they only lasted a few minutes, before they closed off, I believe it came close to being life threating, they were talking about having to take me to theatre to give me a port to a really big vein.
Eventually they brought their best vein finder onto the ward, from oncolgy, she found a nice deep vein that held for days, and they pumped me with fluid, and stablised me, also put me on huge dose of HRT, that took me working with my local GP 2 years to step off a few Mgs at a time.
If you have any problems come back to me, I still have my step down regiem from Opiods, in my medical file I keep at home, and can give you the exact details.
Addiction is such a great fear among those who are not addicted. In truth, we need pain medication for better faster healing. I think the fine line between addiction and truly needing the meds, is the reason why we take them. Are we taking them for pain? Or are we taking them to emotionally feel better.
As long as it is truly for pain, no worries. I had to take pain pills for a long time and it was difficult to wean off of them. It was miserable in fact, but I managed it. Not once since then have I wished for one of those pills.
My adult daughter however, developed and addiction to pain pills and she did not even have a prescription! I look over at her and her husband and wonder why on earth anyone would want to stay in a mental fog all the time! I found no fun in pain meds. She even stole my pain pills from me!
Hi Hogtog and Lors,
I am in the same position, Lors, 1st hip last June and second hip due in 2 weeks (12th).
Hogtog, in the last 18 months I have used various painkillers to combat the chronic pain of OA and hip surgery. I have changed pain relief regularly and have battled with the withdrawal from some of them. Addiction is not really a case (I think) of you craving the drug as we assume in heroin addicts for instance but more that your body gets used to a different chemical balance. When you disrupt this balance the body reacts with headaches, shakes and flu-like symptoms in varying degrees. I got quite severe headaches dropping my doses of co-codamol but it was manageable (tramadol was a different story!).
As everyone says - do it slowly and you'll be fine but don't be brave. You'll know if you need something and the body heals way better with some pain relief support.
Good luck, Lors, they can re-build us!
Thank you Kate
That sounds like (and is) very sound advice and I thank you. I had been under the misconception of addiction withdrawal must be the same as "cold turkey" illustrated on TV.
Good luck with February 12th!! I hope it goes amazingly well and that you will be bounce back in no time. I have been told my left hip will need doing in 10 years or so. I do not know how you all manage to do it in such quick succession - you must be very strong people.
Michael
The worst symtoms I had, Hogs, was 3 days of fluey aches coming off tramadol but because I was in a muggy blur I decided to just stop (idiot me). I am on heavy doses of co-codamol again but don't worry about it - I'll come off slowly when I need to and as someone pointed out when you're not looking at the clock for your next dose then you can start to reduce your doses (I am a clock watcher!).
As for having a second done - not a case of being strong at all, just neccessity. The pain drives you mad! I will go as far to say that I am looking forward to it but maybe suffering from 'childbirth syndrome' - that is you forget what it was like the first time around - hah!
At 3 weeks, I have no need of painkillers for the hip any more, but last night I needed Codeine for the pain in my shoulder - from walking so much with one walking stick in that hand. Anyone else have this?
Graham