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Is your wife in real physical pain or just mental pain? Maybe you should both consult with an addiction specialist before things get even more haywire around there. Just a thought for you to ponder! Feeding more drugs to an addict is not the way to cope with the problem in my opinion. Neither is just decideding to become drug free overnight. You have withdrawal problems to deal with plus even more depression. I wouldn't fool around with your wife's health so flippantly.
Also, how long and how much etc....
I quit taking vicodin 3 years ago when I moved out of state and away from my wonderful doctor that actually cared about my pain and suffering and just stopped cold turkey after taking 7.5 mg. of vicodin and I am not talking 1 every 4 hours. I am talking 2 or 3 every 4 hours for my pain. I didnt have the courage to tell my doctor that they didnt work good enough anymore and I had to double and triple on the dose. Anyhow, I did just fine without them. Well....the pain was there of course but I didnt bounce off the walls or anything like that. I may have had some withdrawls that compared to nicotine withdrawl but I may have been lucky or just plain old not addicted. They never really consumed me. I never looked "forward" to taking them.....yet I didnt resent taking them either. If I were that obsessed I wouldnt have moved away from my doctor....(kidding!) Oh and watch that advil.......that is all I take for chronic pain and I am starting to see the results. BRUISES FROM NOWHERE!!
I know that advil is actually more dangerous for your liver with long term use. Please hang on with this forum. THere are many people that will answer you soon enough that know first hand how to deal with this since seeking professional help is out of the question for you. Check back again in a few hours and I can almost guarantee there will be more advice posted for you! I dont post much on here but I do read them alot.
Good luck!!
Also, how long and how much etc....
I quit taking vicodin 3 years ago when I moved out of state and away from my wonderful doctor that actually cared about my pain and suffering and just stopped cold turkey after taking 7.5 mg. of vicodin and I am not talking 1 every 4 hours. I am talking 2 or 3 every 4 hours for my pain. I didnt have the courage to tell my doctor that they didnt work good enough anymore and I had to double and triple on the dose. Anyhow, I did just fine without them. Well....the pain was there of course but I didnt bounce off the walls or anything like that. I may have had some withdrawls that compared to nicotine withdrawl but I may have been lucky or just plain old not addicted. They never really consumed me. I never looked "forward" to taking them.....yet I didnt resent taking them either. If I were that obsessed I wouldnt have moved away from my doctor....(kidding!) Oh and watch that advil.......that is all I take for chronic pain and I am starting to see the results. BRUISES FROM NOWHERE!!
I know that advil is actually more dangerous for your liver with long term use. Please hang on with this forum. THere are many people that will answer you soon enough that know first hand how to deal with this since seeking professional help is out of the question for you. Check back again in a few hours and I can almost guarantee there will be more advice posted for you! I dont post much on here but I do read them alot.
Good luck!!
well ... I'm really going round the mulberry bush trying to find an addiction specialist involved in opiate agonist therapy. After a little more checking, I determined that the doc I was going to see on Monday is not an addiction specialist and really just wanted my business.
I'm thinking of switching gears and looking for a pain management specialist. Certainly easier to find.
Until then just keep'n on ... hope you and your wife are well.
What you need now, Jim, is knowledge. Realize that nothing in your experience has prepared you for what is almost certainly coming. The best thing you can do for yourself and your wife is to make contact with an AA group, one for your wife, one for you (called al-anon, for spouses of addicts). Why AA? Drugs, booze, it makes no difference - I am an opiate addict like your wife and also a professional, but AA is where I really connected with my fellow addicts.
The point is, there is a lot you need to learn and un-learn before you can really help your wife. You will discover that your story is everyone's story. You are starting down a well-beaten path that has already been mapped from beginning to end. I would start by getting hold of the "big book" of AA and reading the biographies therein.
4 months into your marriage, what you do now will set the tone for how you and your wife face this problem for years to come. Save time and get smart now. Contact the folks that have been down this road of ours. Be prepared to hear things you won't like. Whatever you do, keep posting on this site. There are some good folks here, like my friend J.B., who can, at the very least, lend you an understanding ear and give you the benefit of their experience.
In NA and AA circles it's called "terminal uniqueness" because we all come into the programs thinking that we are the only ones to have suffered from addiction. You will soon learn that it hits all of us about the same. High IQ's and education can sometimes be a hindering factor here. Just try not to rationalize why you do what you do to the extent of complete failure before you even get started on the road to recovery.
The twelve step programs work wonders for the ones who stick to them and do the things suggested to stay sober. Life really does get better and better in sobriety!
It is important to achieve an "adequate dose." An adequate dose will stop cravings and withdrawals. In the beginning you may get a little high,depending on your tolerance. Be in tune and listen to your body. It will tell you when your at an adequate dose. MMT is a wonderful treatment for opiate addicts. When you reach the proper dose your cravings will disapear. It is important to not try to chase a high by raising your dose. Once you have reached a blocking dose,generally around 50-80 mgm.s everything good about MMT starts to happen. Try not to pay much attention to your dose numbers ,what I mean is do not pay much attention to your milligrams. Everyones' body is different. Do some research about methadone. Read anything by #1) Dr.Vincent Dole and and Nyswander they are the pioneers and founders of MMT. #2) Visit and read Dr.J.Paytes website. (this doctor is probably the best along with Dr. Maxwell(Marc) Shinderman.in the field of opiate agonist therapies). If you read and research Dr. Paytes Website everything you ask me about MMT will be answered. Take the time Tom, it is worth your time! I want you to know all these things, it is important to get the most out of MMT.
Most addiction specialist do not know anything about opiate agonist therapy because they cannot prescribe methadone. The DEA only allows clinics to prescribe methadone or LAAM. By the way if you decide on OrLAAM or Laam you only have to go three times a week to the clinic. I cannot tell you anything about Laam because my clinic does not offer it. ALL decent clinics offer both. Also darvon is related to methadone but methadone is completely different in the way it kills pain