I got off all Opioid use for my pain problems in 2016 after having a bout of gastroparesis which prevented me from eating solids for a month. I had to be hospitalized and they gave me a choice between an implant in my abdomen that would stimulate my muscles of the GI tract to make food pass through me or stop using Pain medication. I choose to get off the medicine. I had a physically difficult time with it mainly because no Dr was willing to taper me down off them. As usual Drs' wash their hands of you and you fend for yourself. I had success but still had a bad pain problem. My body was happier though. I no longer had severe sleep apnea and my kidney function improved.
I tried to rehab my back myself until I had a bigger problem walking due to my hip. I had a hip Dr evaluate me and low and behold my hip had a right to hurt. For 4 years my hip pain was blamed on my bad back. In GA and NY Drs' said the pain in my hip and groin was coming from my back. The Dr in Tampa, FL said differently. I just had surgery to fix a large cartilege tear and bone spur in my hip. I am now trying to get strong and do my PT. I will let you know how much it improves my pain.
I had to back on Opioids after surgery but I never took more that 2 Percocet a day and now 6 weeks after surgery I rarely take it. In fact I took no pain medications for 4 days after the surgery because I did not wanted to avoid them and only use them if I could not bare the pain.
I am very happy I no longer take pain pills every day, multiple times a day!! I feel more alive and engaged in life. The pain levels wond up to be no different on or off them. I was building up such a physical tolerance to them that they stopped working. I find that if I only take them once in a while, they work better for my pain.

Before you make the decision to get off narcotics, make sure that you have an alternative that is, at least, equal to the drug you are quitting! I know of no group of alternative drug(s) equal in the effectiveness of narcotics. If anyone has heard of a real substitute, I would love to know as I am in a search for such drugs. It is one thing to quit, but in my case, the suffering and immobility from chronic pain far outweighs any benefits of permanently quitting. I have stopped taking narcotics over 7 times and I have done so by reducing the dosage using the 50% reduction method and the cold turkey method. Both were awful! I think the longer 50% reduction method is the worst, as you stay in the misery of withdrawal longer. The method chosen should take into consideration your individual health, both physical and mental along with the level of dosage and length of time taking the narcotic. There have been many instances of heart attacks and seizures so I would get your doctor involved before making such a decision. There is a drug (Ibogaine) that seems to be extremely effective for getting a person through the hell of withdrawal, however it is not available in the United States. I have read of two people who sought this treatment but had to travel to Mexico. The people I read about were long time heroin users and they did not experience the withdrawal we are forced to endure. I realize a heroin user is a different type of person but their withdrawal is much the same.
The times I quit were due to the drugs seemingly losing effectiveness and the total aggravation of having to defend myself from the stigma attached with use, fighting the inane arguments of the D.E.A., having to prove innocence by P-test, the insult of having to pay for it, etc.
There are 2 withdrawals you have go through. One is the physical withdrawal and the other is mental. If you make the decision to quit and can afford it, have a doctor for each.

The Best way to help anyone get off of the pain killers is to try the drug called Suboxone!! I did stop taking pain medication for 3 months,and stopped with the help of this drug!! You won't have ANY physical withdraw symptoms!! I decided to try this drug route,because of the DEA crap that is happening All Over the World right now!! I got reduced to practically no pain medication!! The doctors here want chronic pain patients to be switched over to this drug!!! It's real TRUE use is to get people that have a drug addictions,and use without a doctors prescription,or use street drugs!!! It is Very affective for it's original Intention!!!! I was told this could be a MIRACLE drug for pain for me!!! Guess what? It DID NOT WORK,not for my nerve damage,my neuropathy is all over my body!!! This drug does NOTHING for neuropathy AT ALL!! I switched back to the measly little amount of oxycodone,that my pain doctor would give me!! At least I tried it!! Some people say it DOES work for their pain,I wished it did for me!!! But,I didn't have ANY of the suffering of drug withdraw at all!!!! So,in response to the above,DocPillage,maybe he could try this and it can help!!! I just hope that with all of the petitions and letters to congress, we can soon get this DEA mess to go away!!! Doctors and patients are the ONLY people who should be involved in the care of their patients!! The government,and DEA,need to STAY OUT OF the doctors offices,and concentrate on the real Drug problems that are out there!!! I know that I am NOT that problem!!! Too Many People are suffering and commiting suicide,or going out into the streets for pain relief these days!!! The DEA and Government need to look at the statistics,and it will show where the TRUE problems are,NOT with the chronic pain community that's for sure!!!!! We ALL need to Stand Up and make our voices and stories Heard NOW!!! Before the New vote comes out,and things get either worse for us,or,maybe if we SHOUT OUT LOUD enough,we can have our stories heard!! They need to be heard,we are only going to continue to suffer needlessly,if we don't take action NOW!!!! PLEASE let's all take our stand,and NOT let government,and the DEA make our medical decisions for us!!!!!

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member

It's really a tough decision to make. I have read a few articles of people that stopped taking narcotics that either felt they didn't need them or their pain went away. I don't know quite how to process that. I think it is worth trying to reduce medication to see if they are really helping, as long as it doesn't put one it a bad pain flare. I think I have had my pump much higher than I needed it for al long time because every time it was increased I never got more relief. It was a constant argument that I had with my old PM. He never wanted to turn down the pump for me or run any other tests.

As you know, I've given much thought to why I all of a sudden stopped having pain. I think I finally have the answer. For 21 years I have been trying all kinds of new things and also adding more, different types of exercises to my routine. At the same time the acupuncturist has been going from area to area to manage the pain. In November, I found a new exercise for the sacrum. When in bad pain, while I was doing that exercise I didn't have pain. So in January, when I woke up pain free, it was 2 months after starting this new exercise and the day after an acupuncture treatment. I think it all came to a head at one time. Since that day, I occasionally have a day with pain but I know what I did that I shouldn't have done and known what to do to get back to no pain. I'm hoping to lead a basically minimal pain life after I finish weaning off of the pump. I'll always have to be very careful about how I move, but I think I can do it. I hope to be able to live pain free but I know that I will always have to be aware of what I do and how I move. I am so blessed. I'll gladly be careful for no pain. If I look back, which I usually don't like to do, I wonder why I had to do all the research to help myself. Why isn't their some kind of doctor that can help us to understand what to do. I know that is a dream, but there are many people that really don't know how to go about finding the information that might help them.

I got a little side tracked. Basically, you know your body best and you should do what ever feels right for you. Good luck. Hugs, Jean

Mentioned Users

A MyChron...

I too, tried the CBd's, but without any success, except a feeling of well being when I took mega doses. Nothing has worked for me but a regiment of morphine and Actiq (fentanyl) citrate lolly pops. This may be due to my type of injury-blunt trama-a fall from a tree. In the research I have done on CBd's, I found that it is more of a system repair and regulator for the body. On immune diseases like R.A., it might be an extremely beneficial drug. I know of multiple reports where marijuana derivatives have put some hard to cure cancers into remission and drastically reduced or stopped epileptic seizures. Sometimes, in order to survive, we must go outside of the box.