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hydrocodone and diazapam withdrawal

by mmah, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
After being on vicodin and valium for an extended period due to back and knee problems and now being in physical therapy, I have begun reducing the medication I was taking. I believe I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and diareah. How long will this last will reducing intake of these medications gradually until no more are taken work?

Member Comments (32)

by Seamstress, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: mmah
You should probably only attempt one w/d at a time.  I would suggest the vicodin first which can be done cold turkey or by tapering.  The valium will help with those w/d symptoms and once you're off that, then the valium which MUST be tapered,usually at the rate of 1 mg. per 4 days - 1 week. All of this is dependent of course on how much you are taking but on the plus side it doesn't sound like you've been taking either very long. An extended period to me suggests months rather than years?

by mmah, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: seamstress
thanks for getting back to me.  been on for over a year.  tough to tell if the butterfies are w/d or "panic withdrawal" i saw on ketta's thread.  



don't want to get another presciption.  if i'm at 5mg of valium now and and 1 vicodin,  you think i should just cold turkey the vicodin and stay with valium.  i'm concerned that i don't have enough valium to use as you suggested....have about 50 mg left (5x10 mg) and your "prescription" calls for more because it's one mg less but stay on that dose for a week.



you think i have to go back and get more, or give it a shot with what i have.



please write back.  Thanks!

by Schlub, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: mmah


If I were you, I would only attempt a valium detox under a doctor's supervision -- as seizsures have been known to occur while wthdrawaing from that drug.



That doesn't mea Seamstress's taper regimen isn't right. I'm just saying let your doctor know what you're planning and get his advice, too.



Opiate withdrawals won't kill you (although for addictions bigger than yours, people wish they were dead). But Valium and other benzo withdrawals can be dangerous.

by Seamstress, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: mmah
I have detoxed myself from opiates and benzos.  It's easy to find doctors and clinics for the opiate detoxes but very few docs know what to do with benzo w/d. I would get off the vicodin first.  As I mentioned the valium will actually help with that w/d.  I would get more valium and I would go back to the 10 mgs and taper at 1 mg per 4 days if you want to do it quickly until you get to 5 mgs and then 1 mg per week. That's after you're off the vicodin.  Valium has an extremely long half life - up to 200 hours so you can go a week and then bang! get hit with severe symptoms.  It's nothing to mess with. I've had seizures from attempting cold turkey from benzos. On the plus side, be grateful you're addicted to valium, it's a relatively weak benzo and it's long half life makes it easy to taper from...it leaves your body so gradually you hardly feel the w/d.  Email me if you want:  ***@****.

by mmah, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: seamstess § schub
thanks so much for your help. i really appreciate it.

by radioboy74, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
To: MORPHINE AND CAN'T GET OFF
I hate to break a thread but I can never post.  I am highly addicted to medication that is a Nasal spary that is reportdly 10 x's stronger than morphine and it's so easly opbtainabe.  WHAT DO I DO.  Some nights I fear that I won't wake up if I spray to much of this medecine... HELP

by vikequeen, Mar 11, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
Is your med called stadol?

by radioboy74, Mar 12, 2002 12:00AM
To: baddgirl
No why do you ask if it's that one.  Is that one to say away from?

by GOD, Mar 12, 2002 12:00AM
To: Radioboy74
It would be easier for us to help if you gave us the specific name of the medication you are on. There are plenty of people who check this board daily who can help.

by skipper, Mar 13, 2002 12:00AM
To: radioboy
radioboy:

i have a question for you. this question is based on some assump-

tions i have that i hope are wrong! most of your postings are question about identifying unknown drugs that you have come across. i myself am a recovering addict who used to read the PDR as if it were a book on the best seller list. from your posts i've gathered that you suffer from migraine head aches. this is a malady i would wish on no one. are you working with a MD whos speciality is headaches? how long have you had this problem? what praticular therapys have you tried?



see radioboy, i don't recall you ever posting anything but inquirys as to what a praticular drug is, what it can do, or if anyone has ever tried it. i've been a drug addict for 35 years. i am willing to share any knowledge i have with you, if it is a legitimate question. i am not willing however to further you chasing down a high.if that is why you post here i have a few things you should know:

1) i wish you goodluck

2) if your going to be an addict, realise that most knowledge you

will need to survive is aquired the "hard way." i can't speak for

anyone else on this forum, but i don't want to take on any ap-

prenticeships.

3)i (or any other forum participant) am very reluctant to share

knowledge with you, that may unintentionly lead you to hurt your-

self. i've got enough blood on my hands already.



i hope to god i'm wrong about all of this. i don't mean to judge

you, as i have been well down the road i think you are getting

started to travel.



keep an angel on your shoulder

kip

by jennyfla, Mar 13, 2002 12:00AM
To: Radioboy
Listen to Kip, he knows all the horrors that drug use can bring.

Drugs destroy everything you've ever had, worked for, dreamed of, and the worst part is it robs you of your soul!

The sadness and emptiness you are left with after the 'fun time' is over are almost unbearable at times.  To look back and see the damage that was caused along the way if something that you have to face and get passed, but know that a life with drugs is a disaster waiting to happen, no one can escape it's inevitable destruction!!!

Good luck, and like Kip says, keep an angel on your shoulder! :)

Lv Jenny

by OxyDout, Mar 13, 2002 12:00AM
kip I agree as well.  I hope I'm wrong in my assumptions as well, however, I know plenty of people (my brother included) that stole any and all drugs and did the research later.........I hope that isn't the case, either way, we are all here for you.



GWH

by OxyDout, Mar 13, 2002 12:00AM
Is it me or does anyone else see a problem with a "Nasal spray" pain killer.............. ok, no governing body wants or likes drug abuse, so lets make it easier on them so they don't have to crush up any pills......???

by Unwise, Mar 13, 2002 12:00AM
I see that Kip's questions went unanswered thus far, which may bolster his suspiscions.  As someone who has been referred to as a "Walking PDR"--I often know more about the meds than the docs do--I will run the risk of sounding ignorant here by saying I've never heard of a pharmaceutical nasal spray version of morphine (which was the title of radioboy's post) nor of any opiate nasal spray.  There is a nasal spray that was available from overseas that gave you more of a rush of energy, but that doesn't seem to be the drug in question and I am not about to name it.  



To get back on topic, I would like to ask this question again, as my original query apparently went unanswered and was then bumped off the current list of threads.  Sorry to be redundant.



I currently am taking xanax as prescibed, namely .5 mg three times a day.  Occasionally, I take four.  This has been prescribed for severe anxiety and panic attacks.  My biggest problem right now is vicodin, which I am abusing and trying my best to taper off of.  I know that the xanax will help with some of the withdrawal symptons and I am also on prozac now to help with a depression that had led me to become suicidal.  Since vicodin is the biggest problem, I want to attack that first.  Assuming I get off of that, is 1.5 mg of xanax a day something to worry about in terms of tapering down, or will I require doctor's supervision?  It certainly doesn't seem like a lot, I don't take it to get loaded like with vics--which now only make me feel normal instead of high--but it is a concern that I want to start addressing now.



Incidentally, I was also abusing soma, ran out, and did not suffer any noticeable withdrawal other than wishing I had some every now and again.  This has given me a degree of hope regarding the other addiction, although I know vicodin is a much different, more dangerous animal.  Just a thought.  Thanks for listening.

by OxyDout, Mar 14, 2002 12:00AM
To: unwise
I'm not sure how many vics your taking in one day, but I was up to about 160mg of oxy contin a day, and If I could get vikes, I have taken about 20 a day, it gets ugly real quick. I recently started to take valium at night to keep me from buying oxy. But since you have been taking both I don't know what to recommend.  Your taking a minimal amount of xanax so I would think staying with that would be fine.  See, I took methadone to come clean and it worked great, but I don't think methadone (wafer not liquid) with xanax would be a great combination, or maybe it would be ok, I don't know, thats a question for kip.  In any case, Its a tough situation because I"m not the most knowledgeable person, I only speak from experience.  The methadone didn't get me high, but it can still be very addictive for someone like myself because it made me feel "normal" like I did before I popped any pills.  I wish you the best of luck, but my advice is to DO THIS UNDER A DOCTORS SUPERVISION, if you can......... good luck, keep posting



GWH

by kdog, Mar 14, 2002 12:00AM
I can't recommend that anyone "play" with