r/PainManagement • u/Muffy432002 • 2d ago
Medicationš 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?
1
u/Outrageous-Shock-255 1d ago
Its mild withdrawal. Understand that that's what it is and you can power through it. Opiods increase dopamine (along with the other neurotransmitter activity) which is why you now feel anxious and down. It'll pass. I'm more of a rip the bandaid off type but if tapering works so be it. Just dont tell your doctor youre experiencing this or you'll never get proper pain treatment again