How to Get Off Pain Pills

Quite a few people are taking pain pills, most of which are considered to be opiates. Opiates are very addictive. The problem with taking these pain pills is that people build up a tolerance for them. Basically, this means that they have to keep taking more to get the same effect. When it is time to quit taking the pain pills you can go about it a number of ways. Most often the choice has to do with cost and health insurance coverage.

Things You'll Need

• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Over-the-counter sleep aids
• Hot bath

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Instructions

• 1

  Make a decision about which route you will take to get off of the pain pills. Some people try to kick the problem on their own while others choose the help of their doctor who can prescribe medication. Then there are those who require the help of a drug treatment center.

• 2

  Trim down the amount of pills that you are taking daily, gradually. When you have reduced your intake down to only a couple of pain pills per day then it is time to stop.

• 3

  Prepare to be sick with flu-like symptoms for a few days if you decide to tackle the problem on your own. Have some anti-diarrhea medication ready for diarrhea. Soak in a hot bath to ease muscle aches. Combat insomnia with over-the-counter sleep aids.

• 4

  Visit your doctor and explain your situation. He can prescribe Suboxone for you which is a replacement therapy that will alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Depending on how many pain pills you were taking, what type of pain pill and the length of time that you were using them, he may recommend that you start taking methadone.

• 5

  Consider an evaluation from a drug abuse counselor and see what she recommends. She might feel that outpatient or possibly even inpatient rehabilitation is the best option for you.