You and your doctor will make a plan for you to reduce or stop an opioid. Your plan will take into account your own goals and concerns as well as your doctor's goals.
When you reduce or stop an opioid:
After your dose has been reduced, taking a higher dose again can be dangerous. It can cause an overdose. It can even cause death. Talk to your doctor if you are having a hard time adjusting to your lower doses or if you are feeling depressed.
Opioids are strong medicines. They're dangerous when they aren't used correctly. Even when you use them the right way, they have side effects. And they may not work for everyone.
You may decide that you no longer want to take an opioid. Or your doctor may decide that it's important for your safety to reduce your dose or to stop taking the medicine. For instance, you or your doctor may decide this if:
Most of the time, reducing an opioid dose is done with the end goal of stopping the medicine.
Your dose will likely be reduced bit by bit over a period of time. This happens until the dose is safer or the medicine has been stopped. This is called tapering.
Tapering plans aren't the same for everyone. How long it takes to taper your medicine depends on why you need to taper it. It also depends on what your dose is now and how you respond to lower doses.
Your doctor will watch the way you respond to lower doses. Your doctor will adjust the plan if needed. In some cases, a doctor will prescribe another medicine to limit symptoms of withdrawal and cravings.
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