Stopping Percocet "cold turkey"

My father is a cancer patient and has been taking Percocet for 5 years. He smoked 2 packs of cigs a day since he was 12 (he's 74 now) until they found the tumor. He quit smoking COLD TURKEY wtih no discomfort. He thinks he can do the same with the Percocet as it is making him have memory loss and trouble sleeping. He has told his doctor but his doctor feels he needs them for pain and should not be concerned. I am scared that he could have severe withdrawal and maybe have a heart attack. He is hard headed and wont listen to me. Maybe if I forward your answer to him, it might make him change his mind to just taper down. And if he insists to quit cold turkey, is there anything that can help with the withdrawal symptoms.

My mom is 81 and has emphyzima she on percoet and fentantl patches,for the pain.Your dad should stay on the percocet if its helping,and if it's not he should get something stonger,Your fathers doctor feels like my moms doctor,their old and there sick their not going to get any better just keep them comfortable ,addiction is the least of their problems!if you dad has trouble sleeping,it's not the percocet,its something else,My mom takes Seroquel for sleeping and it helps.I'm not Arguing with you just my 2 cents.
Good luck!!!!
Erik

YOUR DAD SHOULD NOT KEEP TAKING THE PERCOCET. SHOULD NOT!!!! I HAVE BEEN TAKING THEM FOR 3 YEARS AND I AM TRYING TO GET OFF TELL HIM I HAVE STOPPED COLD TURKEY AND IT IS ABSOLUTE HELL. I CAN'T TELL MY DR. BUT IT IS CHILLS, SWEATS, FREEZING, ACHES SO BAD YOU WANT TO DIE, YOU GET VERY EMOTIONAL YOU CANT EVEN SLEEP AND GET RELEIF BECUASE YOU CANT EVEN SLEEP. YOU DONT HAVE THE SAME BALANCE VISION THINGS LOOK WEIRD YOU DROP THINGS YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR LOSING YOUR MIND AND EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU CANT GET OUT OF BED YOU DONT WANT TO SEE OR EVEN TALK TO ANYONE. IT IS HORRIBLE AND YOU THINK YOU CANNOT TAKE IT ONE MORE MINUTE WITHOUT GOING INSANE OR DYING ONE. ITS UNBEARABLE AND I HATE TO THINK OF ANYONE ELSE HAVING TO GO THROUGH THIS AS WELL, I WOULDNT WISH IT ON ANYONE!!!!!

This reply goes to Renae80.

I just went cold turkey 5 days ago after 9 weeks of 8-10 pills a day (lower back surgory). I am going through all the symptoms you mentioned and have no clue when it is going to stop. Your last posting was May 19th and was hoping you could add a comment on when\if things finally improved.

Thanks

this is for renae80- honey i know how you feel. i had been taking
percocets for 3 years and also oxycontins. i was going to a pain
management center for my fibromyalgia and they called me one day
and i couldn't make to their office before they closed that day. the
office is in another town so it takes a little bit to get there but since
i couldn't make it that day i was discharged from the facility. i thought
i would die! i still struggle everyday (which it has only been 3 months).
i still have diarrhea so bad that i can't eat or even drink anything. i have
lost 20 pounds in 2months. i am so dehydrated that protein is coming
through my urine, but what do you do? nothing but suffer. there are
days that i can't even take a bath or even get out of bed. i have had
all the symptoms you talked about and its the worst feeling anyone
could ever have in your life. just know i am thinking and praying for
you. believe me i pray all the time to just let me feel better. i don't
know how much longer i can go through this without dying. that is
exactly what you want to do when you feel so bad. my doctor wants
me to go back to a different pain clinic but i don't ever want to go
through this again ever!!!! take care and good luck.
[/b]

This is a reply to everyones posts about percocet, especially to the person who was unfairly discharged from her pain clinic. Quiting pain drugs should be done very carefully, it is best to have a doctor help you. It sounds like you didn't have a choice, I know what you are going thru & I am SO sorry. PLEASE see a doctor, w/your condition u NEED pain meds! It also sounds like your pain management team do not know what they're doing-in most states it is illegal for a pain clinic or psychiatrist to stop treatment without giving you ample time to find someone to treat you. It also sounds like your pain meds may have been masking a kidney or liver problem, unless you coensidently got it after stopping the meds. Abruptly stopping these drugs can not only cause physical & emotional pain, but can cause serious complications which will need medical treatment. I've been on pain killers (including percocet, norco, fentanyl patches, vicodine, etc., for almost 10 years off & on at least 97% of the time. If you are having withdrawl symptoms related with urinating, throwing up, mental/emotional changes, etc.-GO TO A DOCTOR (or walk-in clinic or er) they can help, u don't need to suffer. There are a #of meds they can give to make things EASY-the best I know of is Subutex for 11 days (it makes the withdrawls easier & not life threatening), and then Suboxone. If you have no choice but to quit on your own, taper down by 1 pill every 3 days (if that's 2 hard, subtract 1/2 pill). I promise this will make life easier.

They gave me a patch so I can stop taking them and it has helped alot so if you are having a problem just tell a pain man. Dr and he can help you. Just so you know My back was hurt in a car accident and I was taking 4 to 5 oxycontin (80mg)a day plus 4 to 5 oxycodone (5mg) and when I tried to come off myself (taking less everyday) I got sick so he gave me a patch to put on my arm it made life a lot better. Good luck to you all and if you are taking 80mg at a time ask your Dr. to give you 20mg pills so if you want to try you can take 3 of them and then you will only be taking 60mg and see if it takes away your pain and if it does then then try taking 2 (40mg) and see because you might just find out that you are taking to much and when you wake up in the morning see how your body feels be for you take them and ask yourself am I taking this out of habit, pain, or because I feel sick because I am hooked on them and if you are tell your pain management team because they will help you and no if it is a good team they wont leave you in pain and on a side note don't depend on your regular Dr. to help you with this because they are not trained in this area you need to see a real pain management team. My regular Dr. is one of the best general Dr. around and he never screws me over and he is the one who told me this he said that all Dr. have a thing that they are good at and he told me that he is not good at this kind of thing only a pain management Dr. can help you and he did.

I was on 200MG patches every two days and used percoset for breakthru pain. This was for severe neck pain and residual migraine headaches. I also had "Lolipops" fentynal sticks you roll under your lip to give relief for terrible headaches. 20 per month. They were like a demerol shot but I could administer them myself.
I went to the doctor and told him I wanted off. The medicine would only last in my body about 60% as long as it should have. I would wake up every morning feeling like a drug addict needing a fix.

I was told that by checking into a hospital they could give me drugs to ease these terrible symptoms you are referring to. 7-Days in a hospital and then back home to wait it out. This made it easier for the withdrawels up front, but the effects lasted about 6 weeks. Everyday gets better so stick to it. Eventually after about 6 weeks I could finally sleep more than an hour at a time.

They really do mean take it a minute at a time if you have to.

This was three years ago and I have learned to deal with the majority of the pain. I still use a couple of percoset a day that was started a month ago. Never again back up to the amount I was taking.

Im sorry, but I just have to say this. Those of you crying about your withdrawal problems are a bunch of thumb-sucking babies. Did you not research what you were taking? Have you never heard of pain killer addiction or the saying "heroin withdrawal won't kill you, just make you wish you were dead?' Do all of you think the pills you are taking are any different than heroin? Do you guys know why heroin was created? Heroin was created after the civil war to help wounded soldiers get morphine. Methadone was created to get people off heroin, subutex was create to get you off of Methadone.... Do you see a pattern here?
Who ever commented that the old man with cancer should get off the pills is asinine! Who are you to recommend what a dying man should or should not take. Just because a little pill withdrawal rocked your tiny little world and taught you the true meaning of pain, doesn't mean you should be giving anyone advise.
I was in a series of accidents over three years that left me with several dozen broken bones and 5 major surgeries. After one surgery, my inept and very "green" pediatrist did not up my pain medication and on top of that within two days I developed a staff infection. After speaking with the Dr. office and finding I wouldn't be able to get an appt for a week, I got on the phone and within and hour had a dose of Heroin.

I had gone thru detox before from previous accidents and from over using heroin recreationally when I was young and was perfectly aware of what I would have to go thru when It was time to get off it.

I have gone thru it all, the shaking, crying, cold sweats, sleeplessness, desperation, you name it and I would take that any day than go thru the pain of a bad staff infection in a unclosed surgery wound that quickly spread through my body.

Withdrawal is a mental battle. If you can make it through it you only come out stronger. It will take you to the end of your universe and hang you over the edge, but it is far from the most miserable horrific situation one can go thru. & I have had a complete facial re-construction, Three fractured back bones, a fractured skull, multiple ribs, arm, and feet fractures, two acl replacements, and a couple of really botched surgeries.

Nothing is that bad. Except trying to be a know-it-all medical expert giving people ill advise because your a little baby and couldn't take your medicine.... Whaaaaaa.a.......

To Mr Guest, that was not a very nice post. Coming off of painkillers is awful. I have had two kids and I would rather go thru labor again then to go thru these withdrawal symptoms.
They never tell you exactly what you go thru when you take medicines.
You are obiously not a very sympathetic prson. At least people want to quit and are trying and I know what they are going thru.

I think you are just a forum troll trying to cause trouble.

Quote:

Im sorry, but I just have to say this. Those of you crying about your withdrawal problems are a bunch of thumb-sucking babies. Did you not research what you were taking? Have you never heard of pain killer addiction or the saying "heroin withdrawal won't kill you, just make you wish you were dead?' Do all of you think the pills you are taking are any different than heroin? Do you guys know why heroin was created? Heroin was created after the civil war to help wounded soldiers get morphine. Methadone was created to get people off heroin, subutex was create to get you off of Methadone.... Do you see a pattern here? Who ever commented that the old man with cancer should get off the pills is asinine! Who are you to recommend what a dying man should or should not take. Just because a little pill withdrawal rocked your tiny little world and taught you the true meaning of pain, doesn't mean you should be giving anyone advise.