FLaddict

[Sher36]

I want to thank you for your support..........the tapering off seems to be working MUCH better than cold turkey!  I am feeling so much better than yesterday..........I only hope I can continue on this route.  So, I should try this dosage for how long, a week?  Or longer?  Then go to what dosage?  I am really trying to do this and think that I will have much better success the way you suggested!  You are truly a blessing to this forum.........I hope you know there is a special place for people like you.  Thanks again!

[FLaddict]

Deal with the addiction first, then deal with the pain. Trust me. your pain may be less than you think it is. Due to the pills trashing our natural pain receptors when you are off for awhile they will start to kick back in and the pain will be less, trust me. This was my fear as well. I was petrified that my pain was gonna be greater without pills, it seemed it was at first but then it leveled out and I got a clean and sober idea of what my pain was really like. I do have bad days I am not gonna lie. I have Fibromyalgia and I have days that I don't wanna get outta bed. But i have found other ways to deal other than pills. I take muscle relaxers. I use heat. I go to the chiropractor 2x per week. I get massages every other week. I do specific stretches.  There are natural supplements that help with pain. Increasing your Omega 3's. taking DLPA glucosamine it all depends what your pain is being caused by there is something to help that is non narcotic. Drugs like lyrica neurotin and others that are now being used for pain. Have faith that it will work out. And if you go a few months and you feel like hell and the pain is too great, then go back to pills.. at least you tried and you will know that you cannot control your daily intake and you can ask someone to help monitor you pill use. but at least try.. try and see..

[Sher36]

I know it seems as if I am trying to talk myself out of detoxing, but that isn't that case.  I am just very very very very afraid of being able to deal with the pain and hoping that I physically can do it.  I am praying hard, really hard to have the strength to do all this and continue to be strong and make it thru the pain without having a relapse............
SO SCARED!!!!

[Sher36]

I thank you so much. I have to ask you something, or tell you something......... I was talking to my mother tonight and did touch on the fact that I was tired of taking the pills and have been on them so long that they make me feel anxious and nervous sometimes.  Then I went on to tell her that I didn't take any for a day and 1/2 and she said well I bet you were reaching for them by then, she said you just can't put yourself in pain like that,there is no reason to, you have legitimate pain and that is why you have the pills.  I said well I don't wanna get like my aunt..........she said well I don't think there is a chance of that, you are a little smarter than that........my aunt is almost 70years old  (who is wacked out on the patch, hydrocodone, xaniflex and xanax.......and whatever else she can get from her Dr.and her son)  
Mom says the Dr gives them to you for your pain, the rx companies make them FOR pain........you should not be in pain when there is something to keep you from it.  
I said well I can't believe how many years I have actually been taking these, then she informs me that I will proabably have to stay on them, with all my problems..........OMG.  I said well I wish I could handle another surgery when I get insurance again, because I think I would just go in and tell them to replace my shoulders and fix my back all in one swelt sweep and then I could get everything over with NOW.  She said well hun don't think they are gonna do that and besides you can't be taking off work right away with starting a new job.  (I did have 12 years in at the last job when I had to be off 3 separate times on Short Term Dis. once, for pregnacy, and 2 times for surgery on my head)  
It makes sense that I need the medicine and don't know how I will be able to function without it.  Is it possible that people stay on this shyt the rest of their lives.  It isn't like I have any good days with Pain, some better than others, but never NONE.  So, what the hell am I gonna do for the pain, I know u said there was other stuff out there, but I am very afraid of having to deal with the real pain I have.  

[FLaddict]

You can deal with the pain when you are off.. There are options out there to help that are not narcotic. I deal with pain myself so I know how scary it is, but it can be done. There is chiropractic care, acupunture, water therapy, there a new drugs now that are used off label for pain depending on what kind of pain you have. I have Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain. So I do a little bit of everything depending on how bad I am that week or whether like right now I am in a flare up.
Tomorrow take them the same way, except take them every 4 and a half hours. Do this for 2 days. Then go to one pill every 5 hours. Do that for 2 days. Then 5 and half hours. ect.  This is a steady way to get your body adjusted to lower doses.Right before you get to taking one pill every 6 hours, break those pills in halfs and take one half every 2 hours. This will allow a small steady stream of the medicine in your body so that the drugs levels do not spike or go low. You will start the spreading out dosing again. every 2.5hours every 3 hours every 3.5 hours and so on. What will happen is as the doses get further apart doses will just "drop out" of your intake. THis is much easier on the body than dopping pills out once a week. This way your body is constantly adjusting to less of the drug slowly.  Everyone who has tried this way has been able to get their doses down quickly and without much discomfort.
I think being a only child and having had a previous addiction early in my life I have been able to figure out ways to beat thing thing. I was always very independent.

[Sher36]

Yes, I did as you said, 1 every 4 hours.  I am doing well.......I tried to sleep late today so I wouldn't have to take as many though.  as of in a few minutes I am set to take another will have taken 4, (have went an hour over this time)  I feel good, not high.  But my pain is not there now.  I seriously had some major pain last night.  I thank u for suggesting the tapering, cause I think I would've just said screw it and went right back to my old ways.....really.........how stupid!  And probably would've been too ashamed to tell you guys here, so would've just left here and went on with my addiction........I don't want to do that.  I am just really scared of my back pain and how in the hell I will deal with it once I do try to completely be off these pills!!!!!!!! I will await your advise as your knowledge of this beast is great, even though I have several years on you, I feel like you are smarter than I !!!!  Thanks again, you are admired by many.............I prayed for you last night and all others on here!  Thank you again!

[FLaddict]

Hey honey so you decided to do the taper.. How many did you do today?? Did you take them on a time schedule like I said last night?? How often did you take them?? There are several ways to do this I will explain them when I hear back from you.