“How do I ween myself off of opioid medications?”
I've been taking opioid medications to deal with my chronic pain, but now I feel like I'm addicted to them. My husband pointed it out to me yesterday when I was taking more than what my doctor prescribed. And, I've been taking this amount for 3 weeks, maybe more. Is there a way to ween myself off of them before this gets out of hand? I want to change.
6 Answers
You can see a substance abuse counselor and an addiction psychiatrist. It's a grave issue affecting a lot of people in this country
I suggest substance abuse treatment in an approved treatment program.
Speak to your prescribing doctor about what has happened. You may also want to consider looking at support for addiction. SAMHSA.gov has some resources and information. It is generally helpful to work with someone on developing a plan so that you can plan out what needs to happen in the short and long term.
I'm not sure how addicted you are. You do qualify for buprenorpine, which would be the best detox. Of course, you'd need to be monitored for relapse, in which case maintenance is better. You can find doctors on treatmentmatch.org, the ASAM or AAAP websites as well.
Doing it yourself is a long and difficult process. Every 10 to 14 days you decrease your dose by 10%-15%. You will probably have some withdrawal symptoms, but try to tolerate them.
Yes, you can ween yourself from opioids. They have many clinics in the city that would help you. Health Care Choice is a clinic that has a full package for opioid-user supportive therapy and suboxone detox program: 718-234 0073
