morphine, coming off it? side effects? please

Welcome @timforrest, I don't have any experience to share with morphine or it's side effects but searching Connect I found comments from other members that may be helpful while you wait for members to respond. Here's a link to the members comments - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=tapering+off+morphine.

Here is some information from Mayo Clinic on tapering off of morphine and other opioids - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/tapering-off-opioids-when-and-how/art-20386036.

Have you discussed your symptoms with your doctor to see if you might be tapering off to fast?

@johnbishop yes, i think i may have, last few fays, i feel i've been ran over, constantly cravy, sick, diahorea, sleepiness, bit, day 4, im just starting to feel a little better, helped by medication cannabis,, which generally settles nerve pain!!!!

@timforrest I felt a little worse than covid, ran a temp, whole body ached, no sleep or appetite, nose running. But hang on, day 3-5 were the worst. By the 8th day I was feeling better.

@ld800 yup, im over it, i could not believe the horror of it, every orifice poring strange fluids was the most worrying, and the mood swings, horrendous, cold sweats, my mattress is wrecked!! but,today, woke up after a horrible night, ate some proper food, wobbled about, gently, cut the grass for an hour or so, felt great, my old pal whos been helping me, had me laughing at some of the total gibberish i had been shouting in the last few days, my daughter came see me, we had a real laugh, ad we always did, before my accident, morphine journey, so touch wood, this is the first night, ive actually relaxed, felt reasonably normal, and enjoyed company,i used to sneer at people with addiction, never again, with my knowledge, i hope i can help others, i think i may have tapered off, to fast, but im sure,now, it was total addiction, and not helping my final healing process.
i think its referred to as cold turkey, horrendous, but, touch wood, well worth it! thanks for your help 👌

I'm confused. Is this prescribed by a doctor. I was on morphine for many years. I came off of it by my doctor tapering the dose down and it worked fine. I'm so sorry you are going through a bad time. I hope you didn't just stop taking it.

@timforrest I was in the hospital 2 months ago, pain clinic had a stop put on my Hydrocodone because I refused their spinal stimulator (had one ten years ago and it spread my crps). So I got pissed and went cold turkey from 6 a day… 7th day I figured something was wrong, no food or sleep in a week. I went to er and they kept me, said another day and my low sodium would give me a heart attack! Only took a day of iv’s but it was 150$.

@timforrest you’re lucky nothing untoward happened to you while doing a rapid detox from morphine. There are many risks associated with it which is why a doctor prescribed plan would have been safer. But what are you replacing it with if you were taking the morphine for pain?

@jenatsky morphine apparently loses its pain killing (nerves) as time goes on, i fast realised i was addicted ! and tried some valium for sleep, then cannibis, and just cold turkey the morphine, dangerous yes, but it was killing my guts, and fogging my brains, i had to be drastic! its worked, i've broken the constant cycles, ive tried a tiny amount of gabapentin, 100 mg morning and same night, which is 10% of recommended, and between that, some cannibis at night, a couple of red wines,, things are finally at a point where there's a liveable life!!

@timforrest just a curios question about your morphine use. Typically doctors who prescribe narcotic analgesics keep close tabs on how much they give patients and perform periodic urine drug screens as required by the DEA. I now only receive 28 tabs of Percocet per month as a breakthrough medication. At one time I was taking 4-6 a day when I was switched to morphine. It eventually ceased controlling my pain and I was switched to buprenorphine patch. How were you able to obtain more than what was prescribed for you? Beside the buprenorphine I use cannabis THC/CBD 10mg each 3x a day. It’s a challenge to find the right regime that works before that wears out and you find another hopefully.

@jenatsky hi, now thecycle is broken, i have 100 gabapentin morning and early evening, maybe a 5mg mst to deaden any pain, then eve a couple of baby pipes, a glassor two of red wine, bingo, pretty much pai free, im fast recovering from the morphine, gaining weight, energy, alertness etc, so ive got new prescription from doctors, for some drops, and a vape, all done correctly through our health services ( uk)
p.s, for some reasons, white wine doesn't seem to work:):)