I have been on Hydromorphone for approx one year. Prescribed by my doctor for severe muscle and joint pain.
I don't take a heavy dose of this stuff but I take 2mg pill every morning. Since my pain has let up a little I still take it as it seems to get me through the day. I have not exceeded that dose but I know I have become addicted to that small dose.
What will I expect in the future? It seems to do the same thing for me everyday and I take it with lots of natural supplements. I know the write up on the stuff is that you continually need to increase the dose to get the pain killing effect but that doesn't seem to be the case with me. I simply get a boost from it.
Side effects seem to be excessive sweating but other than that I seem to be getting through the day just fine. Better than I have for years????
Am I crazy? Is it just in my head? Or, will things get a lot worse for me?

Thanks

Ricky

Are you asking what to expect if you cease to take it? If so: Opioid withdrawals can range from minor to severe, depending on how high of a dose (or the strength of the opioid) & how long you’ve been taking it.

It can consist of sweating, hot flashes, or tremors & feeling cold or both at the same time. Nausea & vomiting can occur, as well as feelings of depression, frustration, & extreme to mild discomfort. Physical pain, such as muscle aches & headaches can arise. Diarrhea is also a common symptom of opioid/opiate withdrawals.

The severity of the symptoms & the symptoms you experience really depend on your body & how it deals with withdrawals. With a relatively small dose, you will notice something, but what & for how long really depends on you.

I’ve found that exercise, taking antioxidants & drinking lots of juice & water really help me. (I take a low relatively low dose of Hydrocodone APAP for several conditions that cause chronic pain & I routinely go off them for periods of time to keep my tolerance down, during which time, I experience minor to major withdrawal symptoms)

From what you wrote, it sounds like you might be inquiring about developing a tolerance. If you are experiencing discomfort & odd body temperature change while you’re still taking it, you might be developing a tolerance, thus these symptoms might be your body craving more of the drug.

If you’re concerned about this, try to go off the drug for a couple of weeks & if the pain comes back, your tolerance should be low again. The thing is, it seems as if your brain has a sort of memory for tolerance, so you will probably develop a tolerance faster if you stop taking it & then resume taking it normally.

If you should decide to stop taking it for a while, there are several things you can do to help relieve the symptoms of detox & withdrawal. Your best bet is to wean yourself off, cut your dose in half for a week, then cut that dose in half, down to a quarter of your normal dose then stop.

Other things you can do to help: Imodium AD is an opioid that works in the stomach, but doesn’t get you high, so it really helps with many of the stomach problems that might arise while withdrawing. Also Dextromethorphan (which is found in cough syrup) can help with many of the unpleasant symptoms. It can also be dangerous if taken in high doses, & it doesn’t really seem to help me, but others I know have had great relief with a regular dose of Dextromethorphan cough medicine (usually Robitussin).

Also, Benzodiazepines (like Valium, Xanax, & Ativan) will help significantly with the restless feelings, as well as insomnia, which seem to go hand in hand when detoxing. If you don’t have any Benzodiazepines, Benadryl works ok, but I prefer Valerian root (you can find it at most pharmacies & at health food stores). It’s all-natural & it really calms me down. All of the aforementioned things will sedate you! Please be careful if you should choose to use any of the things mentioned in this paragraph! Avoid driving, or anything that might get you hurt if you should choose to take them!

I hope this answered your question! I’m sorry for the rant, but I’m not quite sure what exactly you’re looking for, so I kind of went overboard!


Here are some links that might help as well:

http://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-conditions/thomas-recipe-opiate-withdrawal-35169.html


http://www.wikihow.com/Endure-Acute-Withdrawal-from-Opiates-(Narcotics)

Yes, that's basically what I was asking. I was wondering if the side effects would get more severe because I haven't taken a break, other than a couple of days here and there over one year period.
At that time I did experience muscle soreness and the sweating did continue.
I am a 60 year old electrician and go out to work everyday so dealing with the pain is important.
Quite familiar with valerian etc as I did much research on natural cures for the pain and it cost me thousands over a five year period. Everybody had a miracle cure for me as long as I had a wallet with a valid credit card in it.
I bought machines, supposedly miracle supplements etc. I took chondroitin, glucosamine and MSM in heavy doses for over a year with absolutely no results and a naturalpath I was working with just shook her head and said "it doesn't work for everyone," Thank you very much!
So, to sum up I guess I have to say hydromorphone is a little miracle pill for me as it gives the results I am looking for. I was never an advocate of drugs of the opiate nature but these days I have to have them for mobility and comfort.

I surely do appreciate all your suggestions and I will try some of them. The weird thing is, I haven't increased the dose in over a year and I still get the results and that's baffling to me and the doctor. However, we're both quite pleased with that fact.
I take a lot of natural substances every morning along with that little orange pill so maybe they give it a boost. Fish oil, CoQ 10, EZORB calcium, Cardana botanical circulation pills, magnesium and a strong probiotic....Who knows?

Thanks

Ricky

It's like this: there are some natural things out there that will eliminate chronic pain, I'm sure of it, but the problem lies in our medical system, & in the people who love to see that wallet of yours open!

There is no way to find this natural miracle cure, because the drug companies won't research all natural stuff (without adding their little mark) & the scam artists take one element of real pain therapy & add a trademark symbol & a few gadgets & market it. These things rarely work & when they do, it's only for a while.

I (as I mentioned before) am a chronic pain patient. I get so frustrated sometimes, because the only thing I've found that works is my pain meds & exercise. (See the post I'm posting later today, I actually wrote a post/rant on this subject, because I was sick)

I've talked to my doctor & he's laid it out for me like this: You can live with moderate to severe pain, or you can treat that pain & run the risk of becoming dependent on the pain meds.

Option A will put you in a position where you are in pain & have to deal with that pain, while going through your day & doing normal things, that can & will become extremely difficult because of your condition. Option B will offer relief, & a way for you to go about your day pain free, but you will have to deal with the chance of developing a tolerance & a dependence.

I chose Option B & I still wonder if I made the right choice sometimes, but the fact is, I"m a mom, a wife, a student, a dancer/performer & a writer. I can't do these things to the fullest extent in pain.

I can deal with the tolerance & using my "good" days to go off the pills to lower my tolerance, if it means that I can have a normal life.

I hope this helps! Check your inbox, I'm going to shoot you a PM with my E-Mail...

I really appreciate your comments and interest and I can sympathize with you 100%

Oh, by the way, I did find that accupuncture helped a little. However, I found it a bit weird and it didn't cure completely.

Take care

Rick