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What Causes Sleeplessness, Leg Tremors And Nervousness After Reducing Oxycodone Dosage?
Question: I recently had total knee replacement and was sent home on 40 mg oxycodone/day. Surgery date was July 14. I cut back to 30 mg/day about 3 weeks into recovery but when I tried to cut more I couldn't sleep, had shaky legs, nervous and feelings I've never experienced. Told dr. he said I was addicted. His rx for me is as follows: 5 days 10-5-10mg; 5 days 5-5-10mg; 5 days 5-5-5 mg: 5 days 5-5mg and then Tylenol. I am at the 5-5-5mg period and feeling extreme w/d symptoms. I speeded dup the process and am just 10 days since the beginning period. How long will I feel these shakes, sweats, shivers, sleeplessness, nausea and will the program he suggested actually work? I am a 70 year old woman with high bp and my heart is feeling this.
Brief Answer:
really? 30 mg total per day?
Detailed Answer:
This is not at all common. It is very likely an effect due to age causing increased susceptibility to the drug. 5 mg is acting like 10-15 mg in a younger person.
Currently you imply you are on about #6 5 mg pills a day? Oh, I see, 10 mg, 5 mg 10 mg for 5 days (25 mg). It isn't a bad schedule. but you might find that 3x a day for a 4 hr drug is not enough frequency, in which case a more common dosing is 5 5 5 5 , 5 2.5. 2.5 5,
2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5, 2.5 three times a day, then either off or twice a day then off. These are not very much. Indeed, you might actually have a bit of a placebo effect going and plain 2.5's right now would work fine, then switching to 1.25's after a week. Most of my suboxone patients when they are down to amounts that I seriously doubt do ANYTHING (1 mg 2-3 times a day) still have your symptoms and they need to take, something, even if there isn't any drug in it.
If it is drug withdrawal due to age producing increased drug susceptibility, then the usual peak at 3 to 5 days and dwindling of symptoms by 7 days might be spread out by an additional 1 to 2 days. Tapering will really lower the severity; and if there IS increased susceptibility, then 2.5 mg will seem like more than it would without increased susceptibility.
1) lower dose more than frequency.
2) taper
3) might be some placebo effect
4) and I don't know why people haven't suggested this, there is also drugs that lower the symptoms that are NOT narcotics. clonidine is a strong blocker of stress hormones it lowers shakes and sweats. A very mild sedative like over the counter benadryl and an over the counter diarrhea medication are helpful and quite safe. Zofran as an anti-nausea medicine is also quite safe.
really? 30 mg total per day?
Detailed Answer:
This is not at all common. It is very likely an effect due to age causing increased susceptibility to the drug. 5 mg is acting like 10-15 mg in a younger person.
Currently you imply you are on about #6 5 mg pills a day? Oh, I see, 10 mg, 5 mg 10 mg for 5 days (25 mg). It isn't a bad schedule. but you might find that 3x a day for a 4 hr drug is not enough frequency, in which case a more common dosing is 5 5 5 5 , 5 2.5. 2.5 5,
2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5, 2.5 three times a day, then either off or twice a day then off. These are not very much. Indeed, you might actually have a bit of a placebo effect going and plain 2.5's right now would work fine, then switching to 1.25's after a week. Most of my suboxone patients when they are down to amounts that I seriously doubt do ANYTHING (1 mg 2-3 times a day) still have your symptoms and they need to take, something, even if there isn't any drug in it.
If it is drug withdrawal due to age producing increased drug susceptibility, then the usual peak at 3 to 5 days and dwindling of symptoms by 7 days might be spread out by an additional 1 to 2 days. Tapering will really lower the severity; and if there IS increased susceptibility, then 2.5 mg will seem like more than it would without increased susceptibility.
1) lower dose more than frequency.
2) taper
3) might be some placebo effect
4) and I don't know why people haven't suggested this, there is also drugs that lower the symptoms that are NOT narcotics. clonidine is a strong blocker of stress hormones it lowers shakes and sweats. A very mild sedative like over the counter benadryl and an over the counter diarrhea medication are helpful and quite safe. Zofran as an anti-nausea medicine is also quite safe.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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