Been on Hydrocodone 325/10 for one year... want to quit!!

[sunshinegal76]

First of all, thank goodness this forum exists! And thank you in advance for your responses... I have been on the generic Norco's 325/10 mg for a year. The highest number I took in one day was about 18 pills! I track my usage, and am ready to quit. (Well, as ready as I ever will be, anyway). For the last week I have not taken any more than 3 pills a day, which for me is a huge accomplishment. (And I feel like utter ****, anyway). I am wondering what everyone thinks of quiting cold turkey vs. tapering off. It looks like I am on my own as far as administering the medicine and I do have the drive to quit.

I feel extremely unhealthy and I can feel the pills do not work the way they once did, and I feel like a shell of a person right now. Please help. The advantage that quitting cold turkey is obviously that I can get this over with ASAP, but at the same time I am scared of the withdrawals. Last night the last pill I took was at 7pm and this morning I woke up with some stomach cramps. Any advice that you have is appreciated, thank you so much!! How long will the withdrawal and anxiety last? I have heard that the depression is very tough, and I am already really depressed as it is...

[whipped_dream]

Dredging up this thread from a year ago. This is a great forum! Just had a question about Lortab...

I take 2 10/325's once during bouts of acute anxiety. I have been very diligent about not taking too many. I never exceed two tablets per day, and only three times a week maximum - usually at work when under a lot of pressure. I am terrified of becoming addicted hence the vigilance in not taking too many. My question...what could I take that is not a narcotic that would do the same thing for me (e.g. calm me down and take the edge off of acute bouts of anxiety)?

[WAYTOOTIRED]

finishing day two.  gone from 15 to 20 a day...i started with  9   maybe tomorrow i will only have  7 or 8.  I can feel grouchey coming on...kind of anxious....I think that is from trying to fill in the time.  Do you guys seem to watch the clock, way too much?   I'm sick of watching the clock.   Anyway...day two almost done.   Other than a little grouchy and overly tired. ( I slept till noon today) somewhat anxious...its going well.  This is after 2 years of taking these horrible things...I haven't lost my ' will '  though....I'm grateful for that.

[WAYTOOTIRED]

I posted a littel earlier...then I read more...wow, you guys are awesome.  Its not a bit funny...but,  when I read all of your posts..I feel like i'm reading my story..over and over.  But, it helps...funny how we think  " we are the only one"  till you read  how some of you had someone doleing them out..(my hubby does)  or, the tapering off thing..etc....my hubby hides them...I find them...etc etc etc...I guess when you play games...you're not serious yet...I've come to learn that...I am serious now....I just feel so sick all the time..

Anyway....I'll keep reading...I know you all know how much this means to everyone...I need for my husband to read too...so, he knows hes not alone..with his efforts...I know he gets so frustrated..bless his heart...

Thank you all..sooooooo much....the time you take to help everyone...

[struggling_college_student]

I was taking norcos(10mg/325 hydrocodone).  I was on them for a little over a year the first time I quit.  I was taking anywhere from 6-12 a day.  I just went cold turkey one day when i couldnt find any and realized I was one of those "addicts" you read about and decided to quit!!  It really took a couple weeks to get over the depression and anxiety.  I used GABA any time I felt anxious and it seemed to help take the edge off(you can find it at GNC or Rite Aid.)  Others say St johns wort can help for depression and Im thinkin of trying that out cuz Ive always have dealt with it even before the pills and I think its a major reason I relapsed recently.  But trust me.....you can do this......all it takes it a desire to get back the old you, the real you and when you do youll thank yourself!!  remember when you are tempted to take a pill just think of what your throwing away....living life the way God intended!  The support is here the rest is up to you!!

Jeff

[worried878]

there is a great article on tapering in the health pages...small doses spread out thru the day...if u r a 150 mg user...then sart off ast 3 pills 5 x a day and drop a pill.weekly/well maybe evry few days..things is if u draw out a long taper u may lose motivation that u have right now to quit..handing the pills over to someone u trust is usually a must for an addict..and can often be the first step in "letting go"
I know u said u took up to 18 pills a day..and yes time of use and how much does matter...ur average daily dose is what u need to go by..unless u tool 18 pills every day/then 180 mgs/or 18 pills/ would be ur average daily dose
Physical wds for pill poper is most often a week or less..i was on 100 mg of hydro for 4 yrs and physically i felt bad for 4 days/am a nurse and went back to work day 5...the mental part can last a few mths longer and is the cause of most relapses/not the physical part/ie runs, headache, nausea etc...like a bad flu...it is the aftermath that causes relapse
U r afraid of wd..i feel this and I dot blame u/i was too and physically my wd was a breeze..physically it is not gonna be as bad as u think perhaps..but u have to prepared for the mental part and that is where some type of aftercare is crucial..staying positive is important

Dont forget that fear can paralyze u...continuing to use is a much scarier thing than quitting..where will u be in 10 yrs?  this crud doesnt get any better/only worse..think about how ur tolerence has increased since u started the pills...and it only keeps rising..some lose everything they own in the long run cos of this disease..but the worse thing is u will lose urself...the pills are talkin lots of times and u gotta take control back..letting go can be hard/and scary/but the alternative can be deadly..think hard

keep posting

[sunshinegal76]

Jeff,
Thanks for your reply! What was your average dosage before you went cold turkey? I am just afraid that the more and longer you have been taking them the worse the withdrawals. I still need to function in my life and am so scared of ripping my house mates heads off.  2 weeks and no more depression or anxiety? Many people's posts sounded like it went on for months...

What were you taking before you went cold turkey? I hope you are feeling better now! Take care!!

[struggling_college_student]

basically i agree with the others that the best idea is to go cold turkey....I know I dont have the willpower to only take a set amount as I always want to keep that high going!  Ive read that the wd's are still as bad so whats the point of delaying the inevitable.  Im on cold turkey day 2 and it sux but ill make it.....I have before and hopefully this is the last time I have to experience this.  Last time I quit I flushed 180 10/325mg down the toilet and was clean for 6 months til i slipped.  5 days and youll be feeling fine....about 2 weeks till you feel normal and the anxiety starts to fade!!  Trust me you can do this.....if i can you can!! This board is an invaluable resource and many nights I find myself with tears in my eyes after reading encouraging notes/messages/posts etc!  We are all rooting for you and now its time for us to take back whats our......our lives!!

Jeff

[sunshinegal76]

Anyone still there? Thank you again, your support is so much appreciated!

[sunshinegal76]

Hello all and thank you so much for your input!! Yesterday I had 4.5, and am feeling a little guilt today. I am not in denial that I am always seconds anyway from swallowing two or three so I can go to la la land. But I ache for a real life. It's sad and funny how easily we take in foreign substances without thinking of the serious repercussions.

So, I have decided to go with the tapering method. I know at some point I am going to have to give them to my boyfriend to administer because if I am going through too much discomfort I have no doubt that I will just pop a pill. It is too easy. Yesterday when I had taken about 2 I felt pretty high and that's when I popped another to keep that feeling going. Clearly I was not in my right mind. What is the "formula" for tapering? Could you guys give me some advice on the mental withdrawals? I am terrified of that more than any physical WD. So a week maximum of physical withdrawals I can handle, but a month of feeling psychotic? Oh no!

So, my plan is to taper and today I am going back to the gym for yoga and cardio, which I plan to do daily as I am tapering. Then when it is time to go off completely I hope that work I did at the gym will pay off, cause I don't picture myself exercising during that hellish period. I also am on fluoxotine (generic prozac) which I just upped to 20mg a day. Hoping that helps too. I have xanax too and don't abuse that... anything other ideas?

I just want to thank you all for your amazing support to a complete stranger. You are inspiring wonderful people and I am here to listen to your stories and be here for you as well as heed your advice. Love to you all!

[worried878]

hope u post again

[troubleinohio]

i would just jump off now...youre already feeling WD symptoms anyways...why not take a big deep breath and JUMP now. I wouldnt prolong the inevitable. Youre going to have to suffer full blown WD's no matter what, so why not get it started now. The sooner you start, teh sooner it will be over. Good luck to you and keep posting and reading!  PS make sure you have immodium/pepto and gas- x  as basic things if you dont already because you will need them

[Lisa034]

Gosh you went from 18 a day to only 3 a day wow I think you should just jump now.  Just think in about 5 days you will be free sailing and pill free.  Tomorrow is Sunday, just think by next weekend you could be over the wors of it.  You have to do what is right for you. You have to listen to your body.  What ever you do we will support. You are not in this alone, we are all here for you.  Please post and let us know what you are going to do.  

BTW~~~Good job going from 18 down to 3 wow that takes a lot of will power. Give yourself a pat on the back. You are doing good.

Lisa
Jacksonville,FL

[bmdad]

I have tapered and have went cold turkey in the past. I honestly think tapering is the way to go if you have the willpower to do so. It sounds like you have done a great job over the past week. Have you thought about dropping your dose to 2 1/2 pills a day? But, since you have went from around 18 a day down to 3 and it has been a week, you may just be able to go ahead and go cold turkey from here. When I tapered I just let my body due the talking. At the time I was only taking about 60 mg's a day so I did a taper over about 2 weeks. I felt little to no withdrawals. The time I went cold turkey I was taking around 20 or so of the 10 mg's a day. I felt bad for about a 5 days or so and was feeling much better after that. Many people will say tapering will just drag out the withdrawals. I didn't really experience that although everyone is different. But if you decide to continue tapering and ever finding yourself not sticking to the taper plan you just have to get rid of what pills you have left and go the cold turkey route. All of this is just my opinion and may not be what's right for you. Our bodies all handle things different so you just have to find out what works best for you.
I would check in to the amino acid protocol as this will help whether you taper or go cold turkey. The vitamins and supplements help our bodies get back on track after being on opiates. Also, you have to prepare yourself mentally. Once we are clean for awhile we tend to forgot about how bad our lives were while on the pills and we are very vulnerable. It's easy to say how we'll just take one pill and that's it. Then before we know it we are right back to where we started. I know I've done this a time or two! I luckily never really experienced the depression but did have a bit of anxiety although it wasn't overwhelming. After a couple weeks I felt great. Exercise will help more than you can imagine. It's hard to muster up the energy but even a short walk around the block helps. You have to force yourself. Just stay strong and you will be able to put all this in the past very soon! Let us know which route you decide to go. Best of luck!
Brian