Aa
Day 5 withdrawal
Hi, My husband is 67 years old and for over 20 years addicted to dyhydracodeine. Has been as high as 540mg a day but for past year about 360mg taking 3 or 4 30mg tabs at a time with a couple of beers. The doc has frightened him by pointing out how difficult it would be to medicate him if he needed it now for pain relief.
He is now on day 5 of a detox at home. He is following the Thomas recipe and has been prescribed 20mg diazepam for a week. He is really struggling and keeps asking how much longer will it last and is getting close to quitting. Restless legs is particularly bad.
Any advice for him or how I can help him.
He is now on day 5 of a detox at home. He is following the Thomas recipe and has been prescribed 20mg diazepam for a week. He is really struggling and keeps asking how much longer will it last and is getting close to quitting. Restless legs is particularly bad.
Any advice for him or how I can help him.
Hi, Thanks for the replies. He did try to taper off and that was the docs preferred choice but he just couldn't do it. We went through months of me keeping control of the tablets and having to hide his midday dose then text him where they were so that he wouldn't take them ahead of time. He also uses alcohol, several cans of beer or cider a day. We separated 10 months ago after 31 years together as I got to the end of my tether with the effects of the addiction. We now live in different houses and spend about half of our time together. He has refused to try a residential rehab unit and insisted he was going to cold turkey this. I have him at my house to try and help him through it.
It is far harder than he thought it would be! He is in good health (for an alcoholic opiate addict) and he is eating well. Blood pressure and pulse are fine, am checking daily. We will be going back to doc tomorrow. I hope that he is doing the right thing by trying to get off the drug.
It is far harder than he thought it would be! He is in good health (for an alcoholic opiate addict) and he is eating well. Blood pressure and pulse are fine, am checking daily. We will be going back to doc tomorrow. I hope that he is doing the right thing by trying to get off the drug.
First I would like to Welcome you to our Community. Maybe you should have your Hub come on here and talk with us.
Now I do NOT want to scare you but his Age & how many yrs, and how many MG he got up too, is going to be a tough one. WE are not Drs on here but we have had w/d experiences more then once.
Why is the Dr NOT tapering him off these??
I came off of 3 meds at once at the age 56 and today I am 60 yrs old. The longer and older we are the pills, the harder it becomes to detox these out. How is his Health and his Heart?
The reason why the Dr said what he did, is because all opiates change the Chemical makeup of the Brain. They block up your Endorphin which are your pain receptors. It is like having a baseball glove with a ball in it, and throwing another one and trying to catch it with the other ball in it. They stop working and also we build up a tolernce quick on these pills. There are many other neurotransmitters that get knocked down along the way. ALL of these brain chems have to balance back and this is the part that will take some time. NOW as far as the physical goes, I really think he should go back and taper off these slow and easy. To me he is to old to just stop these and he has been on them a long, long time. OH!!! I sure do feel for him.
Make sure he drinks tons of water and other fluids. He needs to have a healthy immune system build up too. Get some Protien powder and make some shakes and add fruit. Eat very healthy and pick up some good vit/min. This will all take time to kick in too. There is so many more tips we can give you and add more to that recipe. They do sell some stuff for the RLS but I had never tried it. Some vit/min are good for anxiety, sleep and muscles and some for energy etc... He will want to stay clam by staying away from coffee and Booze. This will only make it worse. Pick up some Epsom salt and have him take tons of baths. The Magnesium in the salt will help draw the toxins out too..HOWEVER, he will still go through w/ds but maybe not as intense. I really think he needs to do a Taper. Get back to the Dr or find one who knows alot about Addiction and Tapering. He does NOT need to be suffering at his age. Plz stick around and keep us updated. Maybe read some older postings on here and look up Addiction and the Brain. This will help you out a bit more to understand. He might need to hit some kind of outside Support. It is a tough road to work on staying clean, but it is SO worth it in the long run. I will send out a Prayer.
Plz get back to the Dr. ASAP..It will take some Time to taper and some Time to feel better. Hang on tight and try not to hurry this. It took yrs to get up there, so it will take some time & patience to come off.
Vickie
Now I do NOT want to scare you but his Age & how many yrs, and how many MG he got up too, is going to be a tough one. WE are not Drs on here but we have had w/d experiences more then once.
Why is the Dr NOT tapering him off these??
I came off of 3 meds at once at the age 56 and today I am 60 yrs old. The longer and older we are the pills, the harder it becomes to detox these out. How is his Health and his Heart?
The reason why the Dr said what he did, is because all opiates change the Chemical makeup of the Brain. They block up your Endorphin which are your pain receptors. It is like having a baseball glove with a ball in it, and throwing another one and trying to catch it with the other ball in it. They stop working and also we build up a tolernce quick on these pills. There are many other neurotransmitters that get knocked down along the way. ALL of these brain chems have to balance back and this is the part that will take some time. NOW as far as the physical goes, I really think he should go back and taper off these slow and easy. To me he is to old to just stop these and he has been on them a long, long time. OH!!! I sure do feel for him.
Make sure he drinks tons of water and other fluids. He needs to have a healthy immune system build up too. Get some Protien powder and make some shakes and add fruit. Eat very healthy and pick up some good vit/min. This will all take time to kick in too. There is so many more tips we can give you and add more to that recipe. They do sell some stuff for the RLS but I had never tried it. Some vit/min are good for anxiety, sleep and muscles and some for energy etc... He will want to stay clam by staying away from coffee and Booze. This will only make it worse. Pick up some Epsom salt and have him take tons of baths. The Magnesium in the salt will help draw the toxins out too..HOWEVER, he will still go through w/ds but maybe not as intense. I really think he needs to do a Taper. Get back to the Dr or find one who knows alot about Addiction and Tapering. He does NOT need to be suffering at his age. Plz stick around and keep us updated. Maybe read some older postings on here and look up Addiction and the Brain. This will help you out a bit more to understand. He might need to hit some kind of outside Support. It is a tough road to work on staying clean, but it is SO worth it in the long run. I will send out a Prayer.
Plz get back to the Dr. ASAP..It will take some Time to taper and some Time to feel better. Hang on tight and try not to hurry this. It took yrs to get up there, so it will take some time & patience to come off.
Vickie
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