I'm still new to this site and just got your reply regarding the friend invitation - thank you - and thank you for 'being there'.
I've taken 1.5 tablets today but have kept a journal. My lower back pain is actually doing well - considering I just took two laps around the frozen lake in 41 degree windy weather (nothing like freezing your tail off in lycra).
I've thought about my next RA flare-up and hope not/commit not to use narcotics for it. It's a chronic illness and I've had it for 7 years - my Vicodin problem started earlier this year in April. The normal progression of RA is that it will become more and more painful (although I'm on injections for it now - Humira which works wonders). Anyway, if my disease is chronic and the pain is chronic - I still don't want the use of narcotics to be chronic. I want to 'live' while I can fog-free.
Thank you so much for posting - and the invite. I'm going to fix dinner here in a little bit and will be back on later. I'm also going to read another chapter of 'Jane Austen's Book Club' - a pretty good book (although I've never read Jane Austen....weird....). :-)
I sent you a friend invitation . I actually detoxed the first few days in of April . I cold turkey ed. It was a rough week. I used supplements and i exercised from day one . By day seven i was doing very well.
things went great until July 14 when i had a root cannel .The root cannel it self went fine however it set off a VERY big jaw problem .I made it for a month in lots of pain without touching pills .However by Aug 11 the was no end in site for the pain . I used pain meds for three weeks ,one week ,eight a day and as soon as we found a muscle relaxer that was helping I tapered off. I used for a total of three weeks.The fact that i tapered made withdrawal much more bearable....That was sept 3 so far so good.
I take it one day at a time ,i still deal with pain everyday...... that is my story in a nutshell.
avis
Thank you all so much i feel better about it now! i appreciate you all for your input and will get info like you said! Thanks again!
Wow - how encouraging!!! Three months off the meds - that's incredible! You should write a success story on how you did it. Those of that are going through the withdrawal process need to hear the successes as well as the failures - both keep us going on the right path. Thank you so much for posting! Marie
you can get a good taper plan from 'FLaddict'....drop her a messge. She helped me loads. She has a good article on it also. Give her a shout.
I don't have a thing against a deck of cards. I even enjoy playing. Don't even think that they are the devil's tool like my grandmother tried to convince me. I am notriously lazy but I will post a profile before long...you folks all seem like people that I could chat with.
Hi, i posted on the other side, i noticed the question you asked, about will they treat you if you have your d.o.c.. in your system. the answer is they usually like to see you in actual wds, even minor ones such as yawning constantly, runny nose, teary eyes, goosebumps. You don't have to be too bad off but there must be some sign of w/ds.
i agree with your post LOL... i deal with lots of pain as well , but the pain was worse when i was on the pain meds then it is now almost three months off the meds...not to say i dont have flare ups becuase i do . I take advil everyday ,zanfalex helps me as well.I would rather live with some pain then be a slave to a bottle of pills .....
avis
I too get the medication prescribed for the pain - but, and please don't be offended, but how much pain are you really in? Right now, I have lower back pain (RA) - but am thwarting the use of V until I absolutely have to. And to be honest - really honest - this lower back pain is nothing compared to an entire body flare up (which I've obviously survived). I have a slight headache also - but nothing Advil can't handle. I know the scary part - how much drug use will 1) suffice me so that I am not in pain vs 2) how much am I addicted? It's a hard line - one that only you can draw for yourself. But, from experience, I can tell you this - that although I might be in pain from a chronic illness, the crappy way I feel every morning (dopey/foggy) and the guilt are far worse. I don't want to live like that - I don't care how super human I become by taking V. I need to find the inner strength in myself to be the super human being that I am without taking V. I'm not sure if I'm helping - but I'm here to talk with if you need. Take care. Marie
Question,Totally having nothing to do with addiction, but you sound so familiar. Do you play party poker, texas hold em? You sound familar to me, thats whay I ask Cathy
Try knocking off 1 or 2 pills per taper for a week or even 2 at a time. See how your body responds and react to that accordingly. I incorporated some benzo's (valium,ativan,lorazepam,etc.) to help with some anxiety. Use as directed. I used benadryl for sleep (up to 75 or 100 mg) at first. Maybe someone else has a better plan to taper. I am sure that they will share this knowledge with you. I never thought that I would have occasion or need to commit my personal experience to the public and I really paid less attention to it than I should have.
If you have strong problems check out the archives on this site and use their advice. Hot/warm baths or showers helped me. So did yogurt smoothy type drinks. Benadryl for sleep. Read a book or stay occupied in some form. You nare lucky to have found this forum, use it.
How did you taper, if you have any tips to help, I would gladly appreciate it!
You are being given toxic waste as far as I am concerned. After a moderately long term struggle I made the taper!! I wouldn't recommend my method to anybody though. It took waking up in the emergency room for me to develop the "soldier on" approach that I use...if you ever have occasion to regain consciousness in the emergency room you might relate, today I can tell you that yes, my back is killing me right now, but it is really just a reminder that I am alive and that I haven't quit breathing again!!! Stick with the life choice and keep it up.
Thank you for all the information! I get my medication prescribed for the pain, I'm just feeling like I'm going more and more up the ladder with this stuff to keep the pain i have managable so I feel like I need to do something and i don't know what and am afraid of the pain on top of the pain when quiting then being in physical pain after but I really have no choice, the doc's say i need it to function because of the pain but i feel im just being fed toxic waste, and i really am scared and confused about what to do about pain in general!
I agree with avisg - you're just trading one problem for another. Like you, I am going through hydrocodone withdrawal (10-12 tablets daily - just vicodin instead of lorcet). I have Rheumatoid Arthrtis throughout my body and have 'acquired' a taste for the vicodin via a prescription from my doctor. I started tapering off Wednesday when I realized I was taking 1.5 times the 'daily recommended allowance' and got scared. The holiday's are already tough enough - but I figure if I can kick this now - it'll go away. My suggestion would be to follow the advice of some of the more experienced writers on this forum - perhaps Suboxone. My other suggestion - which is working for me - and this sounds really stupid - but make a huge list of 'things to do' and occupy your mind and body with the tasks at hand. All the things you've been putting off (even though we probably know that the use of hydrocodone makes us super human and we've got quite a bit of it done already) and start getting them done. I've found a sense of 'resolve' by putting a line through each and every one of my 'to do's' and have noticed an improvement in my life (even if it's just cleaning my home office). I'm also trying to stay away from the TV - too depressing for me right now. Take care and know we're all here for you - all here - all the time - kind of like Polka (all Polka, all the time). :-)
Lots of people speak very highly of the sub experience. My only background there is that I got about thirty of them from an internet (thai) pharmacy and thought they were a buzz - obviously I was still taking the other doc's so I don't have input there. I also did try the methadone thing once...they generally start you out on 25/30 mg or so to start, and then you can escalate the dose if you need to. Most people think that 120 mg is about as high as anyone should go with the methadone. I had an attitude about the medicine people at the clinic. Mine seemed to think that I wanted to trade one problem for another and I wasn't into that! I quit the methadone, but the wd's were terrible. Then I put myself back on the old standbye hydro's and tapered from there. I could not reccomend that anyone ct from a maintanence dose of methadone. But that is just me. Everybody can be different on this stuff. Just as we all might have a different doc...personal preference I suppose. My clinic saw me one day when I still had hydros in my system...then initiated the program the following day. It does the job, but its just another thing to quit, and it is worse than anything that I have quit (and I have quit morphine, hydros, methadone, heroine, and coke - and I flirted with everything else...you would think that I might be a slow learner!) I am currently quit clean and I thank this forum for some of that. Best of luck to you..this group thing is really nice..I would heartily encourage you to use it.
did you get on methadone from a pill habit? And if so did they start you on the methadone right away or did you have to detox from the pills?
find you a sub doctor..its more forgiving..i have expereicne with methadone..its a ***** to shake..some people have went on it for a short term maintenance program and still on today..its a power narcotic..SUBOXONE is your ticket...Brian
I am sorry i don't know much about methadone , From what i have been told you will be trading one problem in for a bigger one. I would say talk to some of the people on the board that have been on methadone they will be able to give you the pros and cons of using it .... Welcome ...we have two forums this one and an addiction forum you might want to post a question on the addiction forum .
avis
im sorry i accidentally posted twice and didnt realize because i hit the back button!