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← Return to My Opioid Addiction
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So true. I am tapering down xanax now. Half mg tabs and I took one in am and one pm. I am at one in am and 1/2 in pm now, making it 3/4 mg. Getting ready to go down again to 1/2 daily, split in half. Done with benzos.. Now, I take hydrocodone 10/325. I have severe back issues from 30 years doing hair. My RX says every 6 hours but sometimes I need them less. I always have to move my appt out about a couple weeks. I see my pain management doctor every 2 months and he calls in the 2 RX. One is filled and one is put on file for later. I have now gone to every 7 hours. Very seldom do I need them every 4. I have been taking them for 20 years and yes they still work. Some pain is still there but that's how it is. I also have neuropathy and if I stand in one place too long, my thighs will get numb. They also get numb if I lie on back at night. I wake sometimes and am on back and both thighs are numb. I have something for nerve issues but do not take it. I was in the hospital for 2 days treated for leg pain, with dilaudid. I cried so much my eyes were swollen. Still not sure what happened there but I am terrified I'll wake one morning and not be able to get out of bed. Just taking one day at a time.
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Hello Carol, @carol1024, it's nice to meet you. 30 years on your feet...it's no wonder you have chronic back pain. I took vocational cosmetology in high school, but due to back pain I never tested to become licensed. It just wasn't in the cards.
First, congratulations on tapering down Xanax! Wanting to rid of benzos is an incredible accomplishment that you should be proud of for pursuing. Second, always taking the least amount that you need of an opioid is responsible pain management. Thanks to @summertime4 for such a profound post. So true, is right! Seeing it both ways is important to have understanding and empathy when it comes to addictive medications.
I'm wondering if you've ever considered an all inclusive pain "rehabilitation" center? Not a pain clinic or pain management facility - a place that treats the whole person, body and mind? I used hydrocodone, plus medical marijuana, injections, ablations...you name it. I tried benzos and other stuff and hated every minute of it, but never knew what else to do for myself - my pain, my symptoms. None of my docs offered up any more than meds. For me Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center ended up being my "drug" of choice. Here is who helped me -Dr. Sletten from the Mayo PRC discussing chronic pain and rehabilitation. Maybe you will find it interesting. He's a pretty dynamic speaker if nothing else.
For you to worry that one day you will wake up and not be able to get out of bed is torture to yourself and makes me sad for you. I had those days and they were miserable. Do you think you might consider trying nerve medication? Why have you chosen not to?