Get Off Painkillers

Getting off opioids

Also called Opioid withdrawal, Painkiller addiction, Opiate withdrawal

2 min plan49 min with every studyUpdated Sep 28, 2026

Who it's forA man who started opioid painkillers for pain or an injury and now cannot stop, or has moved on to street opioids.

When to see a doctor

Someone will not wake, is breathing slowly or not at all, or has blue lips: give naloxone, then call 911.
After naloxone, stay with them until the ambulance comes. The overdose can come back as naloxone wears off, so they should go to the emergency department.
On methadone, fainting or a pounding, irregular heartbeat needs a doctor urgently: methadone can disturb the heart rhythm.
Yellow skin or eyes on buprenorphine or naltrexone: call the prescriber today. Both labels call for liver checks.
After a detox, a hospital stay, prison or any break, tolerance falls. A usual dose can then kill.
Opioids with benzodiazepines, sleeping pills or alcohol can stop your breathing. Tell the doctor everything you take.
Pills not from a pharmacy can hold fentanyl. Treat every street pill as if it does.
Injecting, or ever injected: ask for HIV and hepatitis C tests.
Drinking every day as well: the alcohol detox usually comes first. See Safe detox.
Keep every opioid, methadone and buprenorphine locked away. One dose can kill a child.
Driving on any of these medicines: not until you know how it affects you.
Low mood that stays after you stop: see your doctor, and see Low mood.

I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. No dose on this page is a home schedule: these medicines are prescribed and dosed by a doctor. Never stop daily opioids suddenly without medical help. Talk to a physician who has your history before anything in the With a doctor group.