Help for tapering a loved one off pain killers

[[Wh...]]

Hi,

 

I signed up here months back and am looking for help to try to get a loved one off pain killers.  Their doctor wanted them to taper but we believed the taper was too steep, so for the time being we haven't yet tried to do this (doctor is aware of our concerns and agreed to forgo tapering for the moment).  They also take benzos but it's not very likely they will manage to get off them and I realize it's best to only taper one pill at a time too. 

 

Is there a kind of Ashton Manual for pain killer tapering and withdrawal that we could take to the doctor to push for a slower taper?  Or forums for pain killer tapering?

 

Thank you for any help, and I hope everyone is getting on as well as can be expected given our reasons for being here!

 

 

[[Wh...]]

Bumping this up as I'm hoping someone here may know of a pain killer withdrawal forum.  Thanks for any help!

[[Pa...]]

I don't know of any forums but I don't see why your friend wouldn't be able to use any tapering method.  What taper rate did the doctor suggest, if it was too fast then your loved one can slow that rate down to something more manageable.  Tapers are all about experimentation, adjusting rates to minimize symptoms, slowing down when symptoms get overwhelming or speeding things up when its going well. 

 

I encourage you and your loved one to educate yourselves about the half life of the medication to help with designing a taper then decide on a method whether it be pill spitting or making use of other methods such as dry titration and figure out a method that will work for them.  Here are some Titration FAQ's that will explain the different methods.

 

If you'll give us some specifics about your loved ones situation, we can offer some suggestions.