Morphine patch withdrawal symptoms

This was NOT my decision to go thru this cold turkey. I was told by my doctor that the medicines he left me on were going to help me thru the withdrawal. NOT… any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!! I have been on morphine sulfate mg for 10 years. My doc just dropped my dose to 30 mg. Oh my my. I have been without my meds for 4 days. I will say that the first 2 days were The worst. I have nocturnal back pain so the pain is bad. Thank god for my wife she was there for me. I have tried to get my night back pain fixed but every doc says sorry.

So come tomorrow I get my meds back only to be trapped in this vicious cycle again. Please think twice before taking this drug. Yes, that is a very high dosage…but that is what it took to relieve my pain to a level where I could function a somewhat normal life. I told her if he wants me of this medication, he has to taper me off, not cut me off cold turkey. After waiting for almost 3 hours, I finally get called back… another 30 minute wait before the doctor walks in, opens my file that I filled out in the waiting room, saw how much morphine I was on and… get this, he laughs.

He then ask me to go to the methadone clinic and he would call to inform them I would be there soon. I told him thanks, but no thanks. I was not going to lower myself to that level all because he refused to taper me off all that morphine that HE kept put me on.

Well… after we hung up, in less than 30 minutes, I had a social worker at my door to do a well check on me. Man ole man, was I about to blow my stack at that very moment when she told me why she was there. I told her I was not going to live with the stigma of becoming a methadone addict, just because my doctor is running scared from the new guidelines the CDC sent out to every medical board in the country. I then politely ask to leave because I was not feeling very well, as expected.

Yes, the 1st week had me thinking of putting my 9mm to my head… after the 13th day, no withdrawal whatsoever. Morphine has a very short half life, so the 1st week of detoxing is your body resetting itself. I would not advise anyone to do what I did, but rather seek help if it is available.

I tried but all the beds were taken in my area and outside my area… which goes to prove how big of a problem this addiction issue has become. Look it up, then you will find out what is going on in this country.

A little hint, when it was first invented, it was call Dolophine… year ! Whatever you do, stay away from that methadone if you can help it!! I currently take 60 mg 3x a day morphine extended release, up to 6 50mg tramadol, and a handful of medications for other issues. Not that I am on a stable medication and dosage, there are a few things I do to ensure I am not going to run into a forced abrupt withdrawal situation.

First: I use the same pharmacy every time. My physician knows exactly where I will pick up my medication each time, and I make sure to communicate with them on a regular basis regarding pharmacy and formulation issues. I tend to get fog-brain due to the fibromyalgia, so I keep notes on my cell phone as I think of them during the month.

That just works for me. A couple days before my appointment, I call the pharmacy to confirm they have dosage and quantity on hand. It just makes life easier. Pre-planning also keeps me calmer at the doctor office and the pharmacy. The potential of being in an out-of-medication situation can cause anxiety and panic. All that said, I have still found myself in abrupt withdrawing situations. Especially if I am withdrawing on my own without medical support.

Any medications I list is not meant to be medical advice. It is always best to follow physician instructions. People can be allergic or have unexpected reactions. Take it with a grain of salt — this has helped me in the past and it might not work the same for you. It has has what seems to be a calming, maybe slight muscle relaxing property at about 3x the listed dose. It helps wash off all the icky-sick sweat and will help regulate your temperature. Figure out what shower temp feels best for you, and know it will likely change hour by hour while detoxing.

As a rule, I always use a laundry detergent with aromatherapies, even when I am not sick. I hate cold, but in those situations I keep the temp colder than normal. That way, I can also wear light-weight yoga-type pants and a long light-weight t-shirt. The skin creepy-crawlies get worse when things tough my skin or blow on me, so it allows me to have a light barrier that is consistent and not irritating me.

Also, when feeling bad, it is always easier to cover up with a blanket than be too hot. DO NOT take more than suggested amount — they can be very hard on your system. Too much aspirin can cause bleeding, tylenol can shut down your liver, etc. Free, natural, non-toxic pain relief! It also helps increase your metabolism to speed up the process of detox a little. If you have energy, go swimming. That helps activity and temperature regulation like showering. Stay hydrated as much as possible.

If you like hot tea, herbal teas can be handy. You can often find herbal teas which are easy on your stomach and help with nausea. Try to stay away from caffeine and alchohol, which can leave you dehydrated. Although, alcohol in moderation can be relaxing and make you forget how bad you feel. Detoxing is a hard enough process, and supportive people can go a LONG way toward helping the process be as painless as possible.

I had back surgery 3 months ago. I have a low tolerance for pain and since it was severe the doctor put me on muscle relaxers, nerve meds and morphine 30 mg every Based on other posts this seems to be a low dosage? I am running out and so tried to stop taking the morphine for three days I was only taking it at night to help me sleep because of the back pain.

I decided to take a pill last night to see if it was the morphine and guess what… slept like a baby. So now I know! I am not an addictive type person but this has proven me wrong.

I had to go find a new doctor and explain that I have been taking a high dose for 6 years and wanted him to wean me off them. I was on 60 mgs Morphine a day and mgs of oxycodone also and 12 mgs of dilaudid too. I just pray that I will be strong enough to get the hell off the things and not be too sick and give up and just be a slave to them!

So here I go yippee!!!!!!!! I severely injured my spine at 32 years of age. Before this I never had to take any pills. After many back surgeries, machines, physical therapies, and all kinds of different pain pills plus anything else they could think of to give me to keep me out of the hospital constantly from mind boggling pain I found a pain doctor that put me on 90mg Avinza and 30 mg a day of morphine sulfate fast acting.

This only took 13 yrs to put me on something where I could stand to survive! Then my pain doctor for quite a few years suddenly quit me for no reason. It took a long time to get into another doctor. Only could feel pain so severe I wanted to die. I walked limped out bent over as usual and crying. He called me back and said he would put me back on meds and ween me off depending on pain levels.

All he did is switch one opioid for many that even kill your liver. I have had 2 failed lower back surgeries in the year I have been on mg morphine per day for about 15 years. My doctors want me off this stuff. They only gave me 3 weeks of there wean-off program which was 30 mg twice per day. After that was done I was taking nothing. The addiction is very strong. The sleepless nights straining my muscles from withdraws was so terrible.

I am starting my 4th week and I feel worse. This is evil in its purest form. I will say more after I am clean until then I hope I am helping someone.

I was run over by a foot motorhome. I had severe leg and knee injuries, almost lost my leg and had a shattered pelvis. I have been in a nursing home for 3 months. I have been on time released 25 mg of morphine — twice daily. The order lapsed and a paperwork mistake was made and so I went 3 days without.

I had about 6 of the symptoms. At that point I wanted off them. I was so sick. The doctor said he would rather me come off gradually. I am now taking 25 mg once a day for the next 6 days. Now I can relate to what an addict goes through!! After the 1st week at home, they hit me. Will keep you posted. I also have arthritis and other things. It made me think. Am I just expected to be on opiates until I die? Where does it end? Will there be a point when there is no pain relief at all that takes the edge off?

I halved my dose for a week and felt a little rough but nothing major — just more pain. I had no idea that I was addicted. I know everyone is different but will things get easier from here? I want to do this so badly. Will these withdrawal symptoms ease off soon? Puking my guts out and just trying to get something done… eating is difficult.

My immune system practically died and I was constantly fatigued and sick. I was practically going through withdrawal symptoms before I even started withdrawing. Well worth the effort to get off. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Note: The author of this site is not engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader.

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You, as a reader of this website, are totally and completely responsible for your own health and healthcare. Factors that influence Morphine withdrawal Many factors play a role in determining the severity and duration of morphine withdrawal symptoms. Time Span How long were you taking morphine? Addiction Are you addicted to the effects of morphine? Cold Turkey vs. Tapering How did you withdraw from morphine?

Anyway, pain clinics have all kinds of help, I was referred and my pain specialist is wonderful. I have a nerve block in my neck every 6 months and where is doesn't take away all the pain, it makes life a little more bearable.

I was sent on a 3 week pain management plan at Salford hospital which was ok while I was there, it was exercise, CBT and relaxation with other people with similar conditions.

It was like being in a 'little bubble' while I was there, no work or life stressors every thing was calm and relaxed but as soon as I finished and went back to work the stress and tension was back. They talked about making a plan and setting goals for the day, resting at the onset of pain and avoiding conditions that cause the onset of pain. That is fine if you can do that but not everyone is able to do that and life isn't ideal all the time. When I got my feedback through the post I was so upset because they virtually said the same to me, that I need to address my problems in other words I do it to myself!!!!!

They kept saying rest, pace yourself but I need to work and don't want to rest all the time, I want a life and at the moment I don't feel as if I can have that. I am going to see my GP and talk to him before I do anything x. That's what my GP sent me to in Bradford. It's completely different to a Pain Clinic where they offer proper treatments, you're meant to go to that before the PM place I was told!

It isn't my head that needs sorting out, no amount of CBT and relaxation techniques are going to mend the discs that are out or the nerves that are damaged! Sheer stupidity. As for the Morphine, please do see a different GP if you can and ask to see someone else. Look up pain clinics in your area, mine's at the Yorkshire Clinic Dr Kahanna, he's wonderful. The nerve block is fantastic, not pleasant to go through, but once it's done the effects last for 6 months.

Unfortunately I can't work, but I understand the need to. I am also on Butrans patches. You think about the side effects. If it is just loss of appetite then you could see a dietitian. That's what I did and they gave me fortasip drinks. For sickness I am on ondansatron.

The last thing you want to do is stop a painkiller with nothing to replace it. The patches will be dropped to 15 for 6 weeks then 10 for 8 weeks and so on. If you stop them, cold turkey, you could end up having seizures and other life threatening side effects.

You should still be on the pain specialist's books so try phoning their secretarys and asking for a new appointment. If they say see your gp explains they are fobbing you off. Hi Jonny thank you, it was a doctor on a pain management plan that put me on the patches and I have finished the plan and I won't see him again now.

I won't go cold turkey, after reading the symptoms I am not brave enough. I need to put something else in place first hopefully to run alongside the patches as I am dropping down the strength of them.

If I have no pain relief I won't be able to get out of bed in the morning and I will be fit for nothing! I am seeing my GP on Tuesday so will talk to him then. If I get no help from him I will contact my neurosurgeon to see if he can help me x. I hope you somehow find a way to manage your pain and get a better outcome. I am now looking for something to replace the anti inflammatories any suggestions anyone?

Hi l used patches for over 2 yrs and because these patches are slow release it's impossible to become addicted therefore coming off them you need to cut down the different strength each week till your on the lowest patch 5 is the lowest then it's done. For me it was the itching around and under the skin of the patch,but doc took me off them so lm back to taking lots of pills every few hours.

Hi Ithe side effects I get are like you itching around and under the patch when I change it the skin is red and inflamed I sweat like mad when I'm asleep waking up physically wet and it has taken all my appetite away to the extinct that I not eating and losing weight very fast i will seek gp before I do anything x. My Dr gave me Novosone cream to use the night before applying the patch and it stopped all the itching. If I were you I would ask to be referred back to pain management.

Please do not try to bring yourself off the morphine as the withdrawal will be worse than the side effects. At Priory rehabilitation centres around the UK, our teams are able to provide round-the-clock care and support to make sure that all traces of morphine are removed from the body in a safe and secure manner.

Our experts can also make use of appropriately controlled medication to help a person be as comfortable as possible when experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms. Following on from detoxification, we recommend entering a residential rehabilitation programme for your morphine addiction.

Through workshops, group therapy sessions and individual key working time, a person has the opportunity to learn about the causes and triggers of their drug abuse, discover ways to improve their self-worth and confidence, and develop strategies for life going forward.

All people who undertake a residential addiction treatment programme at Priory then receive a personalised continuing care plan to help them to navigate a life in recovery.

For professionals looking to make a referral, please click here. Managing morphine withdrawal symptoms. Home Blog Managing morphine withdrawal symptoms. They typically reach their peak somewhere around the third or fourth day. Within 72 hours of the start of detox, patients begin experiencing the most severe nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and drug cravings they will experience throughout the entire process. How long do these withdrawal symptoms last?

It depends on the individual. While peak normally occurs within 72 to 96 hours, it generally takes longer for the symptoms to completely subside. Some patients continue experiencing symptoms for about a week.

Others can go two or three weeks. The important thing to note is that, regardless of how long the symptoms linger, they eventually disappear. They may peak at 72 hours, but that peak is followed by a gradual decline. That may result in a more gradual approach that utilises more medication than would otherwise be used. Facilitating a more gradual withdrawal can be safer and more comfortable for the patient, but it also prolongs the detox process. If it takes longer to detox in order to keep the patient safe, medical staff are willing to go that route.

A medical protocol is a detailed plan that lays out exactly how treatment will progress. Despite the generally rigid nature of medical protocols, they do have to remain somewhat flexible to account for patient reactions.

This is especially true when you are talking about morphine detox. Medical staff come up with a treatment plan that gets things moving in the right direction. The treatment plan may have to be modified along the way, depending on how the patient responds. The first step is to stabilise the patient. The withdrawal process is the second step of a morphine detox protocol. A doctor will prescribe a regimen of medications that will slowly wean the patient of morphine or the substitute drug.

As the patient progresses through detox, the protocol calls for lower and lower doses. The next component of a morphine detox protocol is to utilise additional prescription and over-the-counter medications to control withdrawal symptoms. For example, diazepam is a benzodiazepine that may be used to treat insomnia.

However, it cannot be used on patients with a previous history of benzodiazepine abuse or dependence. While this is normally not a problem, it is important to understand that the two conditions are separate and distinct. Simply put, physical dependence and addiction are not the same thing. Your body could be dependent on morphine without you being an addict.

Physical dependence is a medical condition diagnosed as a result of observing how the body responds to a given substance. Where morphine is concerned, physical dependence is established at whatever point the body is relying on having morphine in the system to maintain routine function.

Dependence is normally associated with long-term tolerance. Tolerance occurs when the body becomes used to a certain level of morphine in the system. You can recognise tolerance by having to take more morphine in order to experience the same effects. As tolerance to morphine increases, the body is relying on it more and more.

This eventually leads to physical dependence. Addiction is an entirely separate matter. You can also be psychologically dependent without being addicted. So what is the difference? What makes addiction separate and distinct? The answer is encapsulated in a single word: compulsion. It may be extremely uncomfortable to do so, but the person still has enough control over mind and body to refuse to take the next dose. A morphine addict no longer has that control. Rather, he or she takes morphine compulsively; the addict cannot help him or herself.

An addict will compulsively continue taking the drug despite knowing that doing so is harmful. It will not matter that morphine use is causing physical and mental harm. The addict will show no concern over a lost job, failing finances, and even the need to engage in criminal activity to pay for morphine. We do not want to give the impression that being dependent is better than being addicted.

It is not. Both are serious conditions requiring comprehensive medical treatment. Moreover, it is entirely possible for untreated dependence to eventually lead to addiction.

The big difference with addiction is that the addict has abandoned all concern for his or her own welfare. This makes addiction the most serious form of drug abuse for reasons that should be obvious.

Morphine overdose is rare in a clinical setting. Every dose you are given is monitored and tracked by your medical team. Your prescription is such that the amount of morphine you are given is kept at a minimal level.

When you go home from the hospital, you might continue using morphine until the pain subsides. Again, overdose is unlikely because you are following the instructions included with your prescription to the letter.

The prescription has been written in such a way as to prevent any chances of overdose. Morphine overdose occurs when a person takes too much morphine in too short a time. It is recognisable by a set of symptoms that include breathing difficulties, blue lips and fingertips, loss of verbal and motor skills, and even loss of consciousness.

The biggest risk of morphine overdose is hypoxia. Hypoxia is a medical condition that occurs when the brain does not get enough oxygen. Because morphine slows down respiration, hypoxia is a very real concern in an overdose situation. This could lead to brain damage as a result of the brain being starved of oxygen.

People who lapse into a coma as a result of a morphine overdose are at significant risk of hypoxia. There have been cases where patients have lapsed into a coma and never come out of it. Also distributed under the brand name Narcan, naloxone is a non-selective and competitive opioid receptor antagonist. In simple terms, it reverses the effects of morphine by binding to opioid receptors and preventing any further activation by the morphine.

Once it is injected or inhaled, it works within minutes. Activated charcoal can be administered in a number of different ways. Rather than reversing the effects of morphine though, it prevents the body from absorbing any additional morphine.

Activated charcoal essentially interrupts the overdose and gives the body a chance to respond to the morphine already in the system. It would seem as though naloxone would be the obvious first choice for treating morphine overdose.