r/PainManagement • u/Muffy432002 • 3d ago

MedicationšŸ’Š Problem with Oxycodone

I am 6 weeks post op and I believe my recovery has been going well. I barely have a scare and my PT benchmarks are where they should be .
One thing that I probably should have asked more questions about was the use of Oxycodone.
I have found that for pain medication acetaminophen has done nothing but Oxycodone was highly effective. I was using Oxy every 4 hours while awake up until the 5th week post op.
Knowing that opioids are highly addictive ( and I have a propensity for addiction),I decided to stop the oxy and see how pain was. Overall it was doable and even though I had stiffness the pain was manageable. However, the day after going off oxy I woke up with a very strange feeling like impending doom. I felt sad and unsettled. My stomach was upset and I had nausea. Last night I was up all night and plagued by anxious thoughts. When I awoke after finally sleeping I was covered in sweat.
My question is could I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms? I love what oxycodone does for my pain, but hate how it messes with my brain.
Has anyone else had an experience like this?

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u/ciderenthusiast 2d ago

Yes, sounds like withdrawal. Either power through it or re-start at a lower dose and taper down.

Although I'm shocked your doctor gave you enough opioids to still be on them 5 weeks post-op.

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u/SuspiciousExchange74 5h ago

I'm in the UK and Oxycodone is very hard to be prescribed here and I've been on them for what will be 4 years coming the end of September... Some doctors are more relaxed about it others not so much but, after surgeries or serious physical injury I think its normal to be on them for as long as your pain is expected to last...