Reducing an opioid doseage by half withing 5 days is a bit fast. I usually like to recommend reducing by 15% every two weeks (depending on the opioid). Withdrawl symptoms can be partially treated with an anti-nausea medication and clonidine (a type of blood pressure medication).
Now that I have been trained to prescribe Suboxone ( which means I have a special license), I prefer to convert someone to Suboxone for a softer landing. The conversion process is a bit rough because you have to be in partial withdrawls from an opioid before switching to Suboxone. But, once stabilized on a doseage, tapering off is gentler than what you are experiencing now. You can learn more information about Suboxone on www.turntohelp.com.
What ever your reason for weaning off OxyContin, you do not have to do it alone. Your doctor should be able to guide you through the process or you can find a doctor trained to handle chemical dependency issues.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD