Suggest Remedies For Oxycodone Withdrawal Symptoms

Posted on Mon, 8 Feb 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 8 Feb 2016 Answered on

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I've been taking prescribed oxycodone 5mg, now reduced to 4 per day-6 pills per day were the highest amount I have ever taken. I was also prescribed 2.5mg Valium that I stopped after 8 yrs 2 months ago. The Valium withdrawals were horrible and made every very real pain much worse but I will never take it again. The oxy I have been on 8 yrs too. Prescibed for IC auto immune type pain so I can eat foods I need (damaged lining to bladder), also herniated disc, lupus, sjogrens, heart attacks from lupus, over 35 yrs lupus I have had ulcers and many infections due other medications I took for lupus ect... So oxy dazipam were prescribed because I'm out of options. Now I think I go though symptoms of withdrawal inbetween doses- sweats, diarrhea, major jittery and my blood pressure goes from normal 123/76 (with medication) to crazy high BP 189/120 just before next 5mg Oxycodon - the oxy also makes sjogrens much worse. Leading to infection like mouth thrush,vaginal yeast then bacterial as well as sinisus infections I'm so dry I wake up have painfully peel my lips off gums as tongue - lisinaprol 30mg also sucks me drier and tried benicar 20mg and it does same thing. Sjogrens rules my life now- mouth rinses, humidifiers 24/7, over counter eye drops (restasis cuased infection), I don't want heart attack or seizure as I withdraw off Oxycodon. I'm a small woman 105 pounds 5'4" never high cholesterol but just reducing oxy slowly every four weeks my blood pressure goes crazy as well as pain is unbearable. Doctors who prescribed oxycodone to me are fearful and don't know what to do- I can NOT take any medications that cuase drug induced lupus because they do trigger lupus worse- should I just go cold turkey now verses every few hours I go through withdrawal - Do others go through withdrawals between doses? Who can help me so I do t die as I withdrawal off oxycodone ? Cartioligist literally stopped being my doctor because she felt my case is so complicated- pretty upsetting and left me stranded.

Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Withdrawals from opiates

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with your medication. You can be having withdrawals between your dosing. Your body is getting to metabolize the opiates quickly and causing withdrawal. Since you are only on 5 mg tablet once daily you could do 1/2 a tablet daily for 3 days then stop. Or stop altogether and get over the withdrawals quickly. I would have you discuss this with your prescribing doctor to be sure the cardiac issues don't interfere with the weaning.

I thought completely out side of the box is have you considered medical marijuana? It may help with the pain and inflammation and is used in people with inflammatory bowel disease. It is just a thought since I have several patients you use cannabis to help with their inflammatory diseases and they swear by it.

I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have any additional questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar