How can withdrawal symptoms when stopping treatment with opioids (morphine, etc.) be avoided?

If pain treatment with opioids (morphine, Oxycodone, Tramadol, Percocet, etc) is to be discontinued or the dose is to be reduced, this must be done in a controlled manner and under medical supervision. Controlled means above all that the dose reduction is carried out slowly and gradually so that the body slowly gets used to it. In this way, it is often possible to keep withdrawal symptoms within tolerable limits.

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So much for the official doctrine. However, it must also be noted that, despite medical control when reducing the dose, many sufferers report significant withdrawal symptoms. This shows that discontinuation is apparently not always as easy as advertised, even with the best possible approach and the best of intentions. Of course, this does not change the fact that withdrawal usually makes sense.

No psychological addiction, but a physical one

If you do without a medical check-up and a defined reduction plan, this is called "cold withdrawal".

What you need to know: Pain treatment with opioids rarely leads to psychological dependence. This is why the symptoms on withdrawal are not directly comparable to those of drug withdrawal. However, long-term treatment with morphine-like painkillers does lead to physical habituation, which can also be described as physical dependence. As explained, this is best manageable if you reduce the dose carefully and gradually.

Common physical withdrawal symptoms

If the patient is discontinued too quickly or even abruptly, the following symptoms, among others, may occur:

With the support of medication

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In addition to the gradual dose reduction, opiate withdrawal is often supported by taking other medications. The best known is certainly methadone, which is an opioid itself, by the way. Sedatives such as benzodiazepines ( Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, etc.) are also frequently used. If abdominal cramps or similar gastrointestinal symptoms occur, there are also drugs (such as loperamide ) that have a soothing effect.