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Is Hydrocodone Effective At Treating Chronic Pain?
Question: Is taking hydrocodone for very bad chronic pain and then taking clonidine to lessen withdrawal good or bad?
Brief Answer:
There are several questions this brings up.
Detailed Answer:
It is rare to have withdrawal on hydrocodone simply because over 80% of those on it are on low to very low doses (30 mg or less a day). Generally at least double and really more like 4x that amount is involved in dependence/withdrawal.
So, do you know you will have withdrawal?
Next. Clonidine is not sold over the counter. It would have been prescribed for a particular reason by a particular doctor for a particular patient. Then you should already have had an opinion about this.
Third, there are a tremendous number of particulars about these drugs that are predictably different for different patients. The dose of each. The other medical conditions. The age and size of the person. Why they want to get off the medicines.
It's pretty standard to STOP the opiate and see if there is withdrawal BEFORE starting anything for it. This is especially true if the person might have problmes from clonidine and if they are UNLIKELY To have withdrawal.
There are several questions this brings up.
Detailed Answer:
It is rare to have withdrawal on hydrocodone simply because over 80% of those on it are on low to very low doses (30 mg or less a day). Generally at least double and really more like 4x that amount is involved in dependence/withdrawal.
So, do you know you will have withdrawal?
Next. Clonidine is not sold over the counter. It would have been prescribed for a particular reason by a particular doctor for a particular patient. Then you should already have had an opinion about this.
Third, there are a tremendous number of particulars about these drugs that are predictably different for different patients. The dose of each. The other medical conditions. The age and size of the person. Why they want to get off the medicines.
It's pretty standard to STOP the opiate and see if there is withdrawal BEFORE starting anything for it. This is especially true if the person might have problmes from clonidine and if they are UNLIKELY To have withdrawal.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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