Opioid withdrawls long term
I had a pain pump with dilaudid for 23 years. Due to law changes here i could not find a surgeon who would replace it when the battery died. I went thru withdrawls without help for 4 days as my pain management dr. Was out of his office for the week. The process was excruciating. I lost 20 pounds. I suffered symptoms for 2 months. It ravaged my body has made very weak. I still have certain symptoms such as
internal tremors, high BP, sweats on and off through out the day. How long will this continue and could my chemical system be off kilter?
I did connect with my doctor and some recovery counselors. Ive opted to not go back to dilaudid or the pain pump. After detoxing I realized I had no control over what happens to my body and I could no longer stand for that.
I have gone thru some medical tests to rule out heart damage, parkinsons as well as other digestive issues that can cause internal tremors. All is well there.
My problems are a continuation of withdrawls that happens in some people who have been on a drug as strong as dilaudid for as long as I have. I learned its possible I will have these symptoms for as long as nearly a year. The brain has to rewire itself and of course that takes time. My endocrine system is compromised but can possibly fix itself at a future time.
I wish I could go around the country and tell my story as I am a victim of drug companies who swore opioids were safe and had little chance of addiction. I saw an add made many many years ago where a drug company chemist promised their opioid had only a 1% chance of addiction. I know in my heart had my doctor known the truth himself he never would have started me on this path. Oklahoma was the first state to sue several opioid making companies and win multimillion dollar lawsuits for lying and deceiving the public as they did. My experience was horrific. Long term use of an opioid wound up causing me more pain than I started with. I do have heart issues bc of it but thankfully not too serious as of now. Im still suffering symptoms of withdrawl. Even tho its been going on for 4 months and likely will another 4 months I have no desire to use dilaudid for pain control EVER again.
I want the world to understand physical dependence to this drug was not my fault nor was it my design. I never sought illegal drugs or anything more than prescribed. I was a good and honest patient who did not abuse these drugs. I as countless others trusted the people making these drugs to do right by the public. Most of us were duped and we're helpless upon finding out the truth. What I went through to detox I would not wish on my worst enemy. Im not ashamed I had a physical dependency. Those drug companies did millions of people wrong. I want to remove the shame of substance abuse. After awhile you use just to feel ok. Just to not feel sick. To hell with pain control. You just want to feel normal. Kicking any addiction is hard hard hard! But it can be done. I got angry and I got through it and I want the country to know we are not bad people. That stigma has to be removed.
Thank you for your forum..
@I'm really grateful you've taken the time to share here and I can see how much you've been through over the years. Please do keep us updated on how things progress for you, especially in the midst of the withdrawal symptoms. And yes, part of our aim here is also to reduce the stigma and offer helpful resources, so I'm encouraged by your comment here. - Jake (Team Member)
Hi
- Gosh that sounds so difficult, and I imagine it was tough with your doctor not being available. As far as your question, we are not medical professions so we cannot give out medical advice but it certainly sounds like you are still experiencing a fair amount of symptoms. Have you been able to reconnect with your doctor to talk about these symptoms? If you haven't already, it sounds like having a check-up to get some medical insight on your symptoms would be helpful to get some answers and hopefully find some relief. This would also help to determine if there might be something else going on. - Jake (Team Member)
