The speaker, Travis Reeder, recounts his experience with opioid therapy after a serious motorcycle accident that resulted in him nearly losing his foot. He describes how he was prescribed a high amount of opioids by his doctors, and his initial nonchalance about it. However, his doctor expressed concern and advised him to consider tapering off the medication.
Reeder followed an aggressive tapering regimen, which led to severe opioid withdrawal symptoms. He describes the physical and emotional suffering, including nausea, insomnia, and crippling pain. Despite these experiences, he and his wife persevered, seeking help from various medical professionals who, however, were unable to provide the necessary support.
Reeder eventually resorted to going back on the medication, believing that it was the lesser of two evils. He emphasizes that opioids are crucial pain therapies and that the crisis can be managed by judicious prescription and proper management of the medication. He concludes by expressing the need for physicians to be well-informed about tapering regimens to avoid such severe withdrawal experiences.
1. The speaker, Travis, was prescribed a high dose of oxycodone for pain management after a serious motorcycle accident.
2. In July 2015, his doctor expressed concern about his high intake of opioids and suggested he consider getting off the medication.
3. Travis was given a tapering regimen that he found too aggressive, leading to acute opioid withdrawal.
4. The early stages of withdrawal felt like a bad case of the flu, with symptoms including nausea, loss of appetite, increased pain, and trouble sleeping.
5. As the withdrawal symptoms intensified, Travis experienced a deep sense of jitters and uncontrollable crying.
6. His wife, Sadia, called the prescribing doctor for advice, who suggested Travis return to his previous dose.
7. Despite the pain, Travis decided to stick to the tapering regimen and dropped another dose at the beginning of the third week.
8. His condition worsened significantly, with insomnia and depression becoming unbearable.
9. Travis and Sadia tried to contact pain management teams from previous hospitalizations and independent pain management clinics, but were unsuccessful.
10. After being turned away from a rehab facility, Travis admitted defeat and decided to return to prescription opioids.
11. He started with the lowest dose possible and took only as much as needed to escape the withdrawal symptoms.
12. This approach resulted in a dramatic reduction in the severity of his withdrawal symptoms.
13. Travis argues that proper management of prescribed opioids is crucial in combating the opioid epidemic.
14. Despite the importance of opioids as pain therapies, he believes that doctors should be more careful in prescribing them and managing tapering regimens.
15. Travis emphasizes that helping patients transition off opioids is a step towards progress in addressing the opioid crisis.