Finally jumping off sub after a long taper

[Sad_Woman]

Well tomorrows the big day. After tapering from sub since June I'm going for it. Praying hard the wds don't kick my *** too bad but I guess that remains to be seen.

I'm scared though. I'm 17 weeks pregnant and I HAVE to get through it. I've jumped in the past but from high doses of oxy. I know this should not be as bad but I hate wds of any kind. Still, I have to get through this. I'll update tommorow and I'm praying I have a short, non-torture kind of detox.

[Sad_Woman]

Hi Mellie :)

Oxy wds are downright hellish. I also jumped before from high doses of oxy. Pure nightmare. In fact it was those memories that made me worry that getting off sub might be the same. I know for some it is :( I think Gnarly is right, the dice rolled my way and maybe doing a long slow taper helped avoid a bad case of Hellweek. It's not fun by any means but compared to what could have happened I'm really grateful!!

Your right about the one day at a time thing. My own screwed up head gets the best of me sometimes by dwelling on things in the past and worrying about the future. The only way to keep my mind from overwhelming me is to try and stay in the moment and stay out of my head lol.

I'll continue to post my progress. I hope maybe I can help others get off the stuff by reading my story. And pretty soon I'm changing my screenname to Free Woman! ;)

[dominosarah]

I am just so proud of you~~sara

[mellie4]

I've experienced withdrawals several times due to being unable to keep my medications down.  At the time, I was on a very high dose of oxycodone.  (I'm physically dependent because of nerve pain but I never misused anything.)  I had terrible withdrawals and wound up in the ER with dehydration.  I don't think anyone should ever have to go through it.  I cannot imagine what those poor babies that are born addicted go through!!

You must be walking on Cloud Nine knowing that you don't have to worry about that!!!  One day at a time is the way to go.  My uncle, who is sober now for over fifty years, still does one day at a time.  (He was a very bad alcoholic and went to a state hospital here to get off the alcohol.  At the time the treatment was to put them on all kinds of pills.  He said he was worse off when he got out of treatment than when he went in.)

Again, congratulations!!  I'm a little envious ... the baby days are over for me and it will be a while before grandchildren but I love newborns!!!

[Sad_Woman]

Believe me when I say that knowing I won't have a baby born addicted is the BEST feeling!!

Reading up on NAS in newborns scared the living crap out of me and my heart breaks for the babies born addicted. My God what a horrible way to come into the world!! I wouldn't imagine the pain of wd on anyone and to think of a little baby enduring it is too much.

I'm just going to take it a day at a time. I'll always be an addict. But I don't have to be a suffering one.

[mellie4]

So happy that you were able to get through this!!!  Enjoy your pregnancy.  What a wonderful gift you gave yourself and your baby!!!

[Sad_Woman]

Thanks Gnarly!!!

Yes I firmly believed the good Lord answered my prayers!! And I'm going to take that blessing and run with it! I am SO grateful that I didn't get killed with wicked wds. I'm never looking back, this has to be a once in a lifetime gift and I'm DONE with opiates. I know I cannot ever have just one. I have no control over them and that phony high just isn't worth becoming chained to addiction and the (usual) hell of coming off.

I'll continue to update but safe to say I dodged a huge bullet here!

[Sad_Woman]

Aww thanks Vicki!!!

Yes, for the first time since all this began I really feel good about it. My biggest fear was that I would get hit bad and would not be able to get off. That fear haunted me for months now. But now I can put that fear aside and start enjoying my pregnancy :) thank you so much for your help through this!! (((HUGS!!)))

[gnarly_1]

HEY GIRL im so so happy for you after having 4 kids with my wife I know just being pregnant is uncomfortable I couldn't imagine having to endure major withdrawals but thats just how sub is you ether come off it and mabe get some aches and pains a little bit of chills its like no biggy or you meet its evil twin sister and go threw 2 weeks of hell there dosent seam to be any rym to reason but the dice fell your way and im a firm believer in the power of prayer Jesus came to set the captive free and thers not much more captivating then addiction so lets just go on the record and say God delivered you .AMEN
im happy for you and wish both you and your baby well may God bless your whole family abundantly.......Gnarly    

[vicki595]

That's a MOMMY!!    

You've got this and I'm really happy for you!!!

xo

[Sad_Woman]

The best thing about finally being off sub is not feeling the physical hold it had on me. The wds would kick in every day like clOckwork when it was time to take my dose. I hated it. Now I'm not feeling awesome but I'm feeling ok considering I just got off sub. I tapered long and hard and it paid off. I escaped with some wds but nothing and I mean nothing like oxy wd.

I think that God helped me a lot. I'm not normally a religious person but I do believe and I'm sure he answered my prayers to get through this without getting obliterated with severe wds. For those on sub wanting off, it's possible. Do a taper and stick to it!! It'll pay off in the end. :) have any questions on how I went about it feel free to ask :) it's a good day, opiate free for the first time in YEARS!

[Sad_Woman]

I think I'm going to be ok! I had the worst fear of wicked wds but seriously I think "paying my dues" so to speak with a long taper helped me now. I've been through sheer living hell coming off oxy before and was terrified to endure that again. This was no picnic by any means but nowhere near oxy wds. But again, tapering (and spending the summer feeling like crap for the most part) allowed me to get off sub and not have all hell break lose. I'm lethargic yes, I have chills and some sweats, sneezing but nothing severe. For the first time I'm able to breathe a sigh of relief. My worst fear was not being able to get through wd and needing stay on this and risk the baby going through wds. Now I know I'll be ok and what a huge relief to know that fear that's hung over my head for weeks is gone . I am never looking back!!

[Sad_Woman]

I just took a looong walk and I think it did me good. Just getting out moving and getting the heart pumping made me feel better. I think this is gonna go ok..

[Sad_Woman]

I was up every couple hours last night but thankfully fell back to sleep not too long after. This morning I'm really achy and jumped in a hot tub right away, it did help a bit. I'll update again a little later.

[gnarly_1]

how goes it now......it had to say with a low sub dose when it going to hit how are you feeling and judt a thought you may want to go up to the pharmacy and check you blood pressure it can spike when your in acute withdrawals .....just thinking of the bay here anyway good luck and God bless........Gnarly

[donewitis]

"doing good, not great but ok" is all any of us could ask for in the first couple days. I sent you a note earlier, just to let you know I'm thinkin of you...and praying that all will be well with you very soon.

[vicki595]

Hey Sweetie!!

You'll be fine. So much of this is mental! Keep drinking and moving around. Anything you need is in your prenatal vitamins!    Only take what your doctor has suggested,okay?   If you have ANY problems, call him. For anything!!  Oh...and with the baths...no Epsom salts.

Keep checking in!!!

xoxo

[Sad_Woman]

Thanks so much!! So far doing ok, not great but ok. I have Tylenol for the aches but hot baths seem to help the most. The RLS and sweating gets bad at times though. Getting through it though, no looking back!!

[gonna_make_it]

I just wanted to tell u great job and good luck...we're all cheering for u!

[gnarly_1]

HEY GIRL you did a fin job tapering off the sub......that and you werent on it that long your withdrawals should be mild......dont expect anything for a few days sud has a long 1/2 life I just wanted to take a minute to encourage you your doing the right thing at the right time .....do your best not to let fear into the equation its always worst in our minds then it turns out to be......this is all about attatude go into this with a positive attitude will make the difference between discomfort or having to suffer that choice will be yours get use to the saying ''you just got to be ok without being ok for a wile''....your not going to be yourself for a wile but this is very doable we have lots of success storys of people jumping off at 2mg with little to no withdrawals I wish you all the best good luck and God bless.....Gnarly.....if you need to talk just p/m me anytime  

[snakejones]

Actually, naproxen isn't what you need during pregnancy. Talk to your OB doctor to find an alternative. I know they recommend Tylenol, and that's fine.

[donewitis]

Thinking of you...praying for you and the baby

[snakejones]

If you get achy tonight, take Aleve (naproxen is the chemical name) if you have it and can safely take it (make sure it doesn't interfere with any medicines you take or any physical problems/ailments you have). I am forbidden from actually telling you how much to take, but if you Google search Naprosyn, which is the prescription strength form of Aleve/naproxen, you'll see the strengths given in milligrams, and you can figure out how much of the OTC to take to approximate an average prescription dose. I'd take it at bedtime for sure for a couple days. You don't want to take it every day over a long time, because it thins the blood and make you more likely to bruise or bleed. Naproxen is superior to Tylenol because it is both a pain medicine AND an anti-inflammatory. I'm sold on 'em! Think about it, anyway. I wish you a restful night with a guardian angel at each corner of your bed.

[Sad_Woman]

Yes my doctors worked closely with me through this. My last dose was under .25 (hard to be accurate at those doses) but down to very little.

I'm going to make sure if the symptoms get severe I get to the doctor or hospital if it's after hours. hoping I won't have to but you never know..subs a funny drug like that. I'm just going to do my best and pray it goes ok. I'm scared though..it all comes down to this and I hope it goes ok.

[snakejones]

Hi there---
Could you share how many milligrams your last sub dose was? Just curious. Are your doctors aware of your plans for quitting? Do you have any sub left if the worst happens and you are having a horrible time? I'm primarily thinking of the baby; you want to keep stress to a minimum as best you can. Babies are tough and have been born to physically stressed mothers for thousands of years, and I know you are tough, too---but just keep an eye on yourself and any symptoms you might be having. If symptoms get severe, have a backup plan in place---and with a doctor that knows about you and your history. I wish you all the very best, and post often so we can help, yoo. Good luck!