Please Help: Need Answers To Get Off Dilaudid (Top voted first)

I have been taking 3 to 4 8mg (24-32mgs) Dilaudid pills at 1 time usually around 3:00pm everyday for about 2 1/2 years now for back and nerve damage and would like to know the best way, medication, and dosage to get off this drug, also how long and how bad I will feel detoxing. The only time I have energy and feel good is the 2 or 3 hours after taking the drugs. Every muscle and bone in my body aches like I have a severe case of arthritis , i'm sleepy-but can't sleep an entire night, get a runny nose, yawn constantly and tired. I just want to feel normal again. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 50

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Pat, while I agree with you that Fifty should seek a doctor's help, you made another statement that isn't necessarily true. You said that trying to taper off of Dilaudid alone won't work. That depends on the person and the situation. I was taking 32mg of Dilaudid every 3 to 4 hours and at the same time was taking 1200mg of morphine every 12 hours and I tapered off of the Dilaudid completely and my morphine usage is down to 200mg every 12 hours. I did that entirely on my own - no help from my doctor, no help from any substitute medication, no visits to any clinic - just me slowly reducing the amounts I was taking, over time. So while I don't recommend that method to anyone else, please don't tell people it can't be done, because it can.

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I have the same problem as 50. I have been on Dilaudid for over 5 years and have been trying to get off them for over 2.5 years. I build up a tollerance and have to take more then I have to wein myself off to come back down to the regular dosage only to start all over again. This is the worst addiction ever. Nobody understands how bad I want to get off my boyfriend thinks I take them to get high but he doesnt understand I need them just to get through the day.

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i have finally weaned myself off dalaudid, i have'nt taken one for 4 days now. yesterday i threw over 100 8mg. pills in the garbage disposal. i am for the first time drug free in years, i am not achy, my head feels more clear, i just have been unable to sleep more than 3 hours a night, but hopefully that will come back soon. i can honestly say, this is the hardest thing i have ever done, i just cut back a pill every couple of weeks, the last month is hell. thanks again for all the help.

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I feel for you all,I know how you feel because I have been there.Opiates are wonderful drugs. They work so good for pain, but the side affect is tolerance which is unfortunate, but it is the price we pay for wanting to live a somewhat normal life..I was put on opiates when I was 14 years old for dysmenorrea, and I became dependent when I didn't even know what that word meant.By the time I was 20 years old, I found myself kicking dihydrocodeine cold turkey because my doctors secretary retired and she was the one calling the pharmacy for my medication, 50 capsules of Synalgos DC every 10 days, not including the ones I was getting from my friends. My doctor gave me Melleril and fiorinol and told me there was nothing more he could do for me.In the early 1970's there was no Betty Ford centers, there was no addiction is a diease. and no doctor would consider seeing me,. so I was left with my own devices, NOT GOOD. Long story short, I am a drug addict and at 54 years old I have been on methadone for 20+ years. I am not complaining and I am not blaming anyone. My doctor was incompitant for giving me an open prescription of narcotics at 14 years old, but I am responsible for my own actions since I became an adult. The reason I am telling you this, is you have so many more options today than 30 years ago. Today there are pain managment clinics, there are doctors who are addictionoligists, and there are new pain medications that may not be as addicting..Tje most important advice I cam give you is to not try to do this alone. it won't work, I had tried it too many times. I have never taken diladid, but I hear it is a very hard drug to come off of, so please tell your doctor so he/she
can send you to a pain managment clinic where they can help you get off of dilaudid and give you something else if need be. From the sound of it, you aren;t addicted to the diladid, you are dependent, and there is a HUGE difference.There is no reason for you to suffer from chronic pain today because medicine has come a long way since my day. Whatever you choose to do, find a doctor who is empathetic to you and your pain and tolerance issues.Good luck and you will be in my thoughts

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I take 8 4mg tabs of Dilaudid daily for cancer. Been on this for almost two years. How do I wean myself off these safely.

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I'm very sorry to hear about your pain and tolerance issues. If you want to truly get away from Dilaudid you need to be reffered to a pain clinic so they can help manage your pain. They can help you find ways to manage your pain your other physicians may have never considered.
Unfortunately narcotics do result in tolerance with continued use and psychological dependance. If you have tried to quit you understand the extreme anxiety associated with missing doses, it's almost like needing oxygen, your brain tells you you're not going to makeit without taking your next dose and we can't help what our brain tells us. If you held your breath for a full minute or so your brain wants oxygen and responds the same way...i won't make it if I don't get a breath.. This is obviously a poor comparison but this is the level of anxiety produced in the brain when entering acute withdrawal, trust me I know from experience. It's not anyone's fault your mind and body have grown tolerant and dependant on opiods after long term use, it's a natural response unfortunately which requires pain management professionals and possibly an addictionologist (i use one) to help manage the psychological portion of discontinuing the use of long term opiods. I hope this sort of makes sense.

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Wow, I am very sorry to hear about your problem. The safest way to get off the medication would be under medical supervision.

Have you spoken to your doctor about this?

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to be honest, i am 4 years clean from herion and methadone. I recently had my first rib on the right side removed and have been on dilaudid for 7 months. i take 2mgs every 12 hours, and am moving to one mg once a day. if you do it slowly you'll be okay after you body adjusts (roughly 3-5 days). if you can help it DO NOT go on methadone. i was on that 4 years ago, and quit cold turkey. i was sick with withdrawal for 8 months. not worth it AT ALL. if you eat well and keep hydrated and positive (and actually want it, and have the drive to stick with it) anything is possible. even if you are just physically addicted, talking to people help. physical addiction and mental addiction are a thin line. good luck

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Hi Fifty..First off, you need to talk to your doctor, don't try to taper off of these by yourself, it won't work, I have been there. May I ask you why you are wanting to quit useing this medication? Are you still in pain and if you are how you you plan to do without medication? I really feel for you because I know what it feels like to kick opiates, and it is hell..If you still have severe pain, ask your PCP to send you to a pain clinic where they can treat your pain the way a regular family doctor can't. If you aren't in pain anymore, ask your doctor to refer you to a methadone clinic or to a doctor who can give you suboxone..One thing, suboxone is not a very good pain medication. Just whatever you do, don't try to do it alone.My thoughts are with you...

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thanks mryhenrym...at least I know there is end to my pain. Today I cried at ust about everything that came my way, and was a total wimp! lol. I just pampered myself and told myself I can get through this! Maybe I am grieving this stupid habitual drug.It is an enemy yet was my best friend,,,go figure. I wrote my dr and asked her to be empathetic otherwise if she couldn't do this, I needed a pain management dr who could understand. I guess it is really about advocating for OURSELVES and instead of playing the victim card taking control and finding people that will support us rather then put us down for our addiction. Thank you all for the supportive comments. Just knowing that I am not alone really helps me. I don't want to get into a pity party game either and sometimes we can do this easily if we find way to make excuses. Bottom line is that I want and will get my life back, hope everyone here does too! God bless.

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1. Reduce (as suggested ) the dose and while taking Medicine , visualize that you are getting and feeling Healthy , Better .Pray if you are Believer.
2Start day with Meditation and repeat before going to bed.
3.Ensure light Dinner and take 80% calories by dinner.
4. Start Pranayam (Breathin exercise) & Yoga immediately.
5.Get a Good Massage.
I am Speaking from Experience after similar pains after Heart Attack.

--Kishan

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I am 25 years old and have been on just about every pain med known to man due to having an extreamly rare joint disease called synovial chondromatosis. I have had more surgeries than I can count on my knees since I was 9 and have been on the pain meds since I was 9 as well. I was taking 16-20 of the 8mg dilaudids per day, then my doctor was audited by the DEA and everyones meds got cut by a lot. I was then only given 8 of the 4mg dilaudids per day. I was one sick puppy for a very long time. After I adjusted to that huge change the same thing happened to my new doctor and i was cut again. This time all the way down to 2 of the 2mg dilaudids per day. Needless to say I'm one very sick little lady. Withdrawl is very painful and very miserable. Keep in mind I inject them due to the fact that taking them for so long has given me very bad ulcers from my throat all the way to my rectum. (asshole to appetite figurativly speaking) and I can not hold them down and immediatly begin to vomit blood. I have been doing what I have to do to not be in such bad pain and be able to function within reason, and if that means buying what I need off of the street after my script runs out which don't take very long when you are used to taking as much as I was, then that's what has to happen. I have been on methadone before and the withdrawl coming off of it is the worst feeling ever and ten times harder than any other narcotic opioid. I want to find a way to get off of this stuff before it kills me or I end up on dialysis because those types of meds kill your liver and kidneys. But I don't know how I am gona manage the pain. I have to have yet another surgerie in a couple of weeks. With all of that bing said, there is no cure for the synovial chondromatosis and prolly will not ever be a cure. There is less than 5000 cases in the entire world and only 3 are in women. Yay me lucky number 3. The dose that I am on now is not doing anything for me. What am I gona do with 2 2mg pills a day when I am used to atleast 8 4mg pills a day? Any ideas or am I just stuck taking them forever? The pain is just unreal. Without them I can't even stand up on my own mustless walk or do anything else. HELP ME!!! I need ideas on how to manage this and eventualy get off of the dialudids. I am allergic to tylenol and lortab (vicoden) for those who don't know that

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Yep. I generally suggest a cold turkey vacation in the bathroom for 3 - 5 days. A little clonadine (not clonopin!) and some Valium will help with some of the first few days of feeling very ill. A bottle of Imodium is handy. Keep some Kleenex or paper towels around. Maybe a small supply of some types of snack foods and a few of cans of soup... you won't be hungry for a few days. Some bottles of water. Take a multivitamin. Curl up in bed with some cable TV, a laptop, and a phone charger or something and be prepared to stay there for at least three days. Be prepared to stay pretty close to your bathroom for at least another 2 or 3 days longer. Simply accept that you're gonna feel like crap for about a week and there will be light at the end of the tunnel. PAWS... can last a little longer... but you'll be fully functional. Sleep will start to re-regulate itself after about a week. Don't count on much it it before a week unless you can find a decent amount of Valium.

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I know it can be done....Im tired of being dependent on this crap. I started off with 3 8mg dilaudid a day now I am down to 1 mg 3 x a day. I will continue to chop and chop til I can safely step off of these god forsaken pills. I hate them with a passion. I have to admit each step I done It was difficult for a few days but I was not in full blown withdrawls. I would rather feel alittle icky compared to sicker than someone with the flu. It can be done if you really want to get off of this stuff. I myself dont consider methadone or suboxone a good substitute its trading one drug for another.
Screw that.....Im getting off the crap

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a scene from dilaudids hydromorphone

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Hi: I had a laminectomy in Jan and have Dilaudid was the only pain medicine I could use after surgery. After 8 weeks on 10-12 mg every 24 hours, for the last 6 months it's been 2-4 mg a day. Had a disagreement with my pain doctor. He's telling me to try Lyrica and I can't be tired at my job so I terminated my relationship with him 2 weeks ago. For the last two weeks I've been cutting my pillis in 1/4's and I have only 1/4 of a 2 mg pill left for tonite. I still have pain but am taking 2400 iburprofen, 1000 tylenol, 4 Robaxin a day, and 1 -2 Darvocet a day, but not every day with the Darvocet. Will I be okay. I was having sort of a panic attack this a.m. but I feel better. There is no way I can afford to go to a pain clinic. I feel okay, but still have the pain. I will probably call my regular dr. on Monday. Any thoughts? Thank you

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I have been addicted to pain meds for 3 years i mean really addicted to them.I would snort 15 2mgs a day but the sad thing is no one knows about my addiction. i want to get off of it so badly but dont know how i should special since i am being prescibed them for back pain. Every morning i wake up crabby and have bad stomach aches just for wanting them, i just dont want to let my mom an fiance down. If anyone has any ideas about how to tell my love ones about my addiction that would be sweet.

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Laurie
Let me know how you do. I am down to 11 pills which I cut in half/ 1 mg x 2 times per day. I know the panic feeling. How are the other drugs working for you/ darvocet and robaxin. I am taking robaxin too but it doesn't seem to make a dent in the pain and withdrawl. curious how the other meds all work when you go without the dilaudid. Thanks! from Miabella

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Pat;
It is a sad story that you have. I feel for you and feel your sadness and guilt. It is never too late to come off drugs entirely. You have life ahead of you and clearly have desire to live strong and happy life!
Don't give up! Let go and let someone else help you out. Many prayers....

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been there, done that, i did it not by choice but was behind bars and had no choice but it worked, i was rescued, it took about 14 days for the feeling to go away.

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