Please help...need a tapering plan

[Allicat0117]

Ok. So this is my story. Im gonna try and keep it short. I have been addicted to lortabs and lorcet for about 5 yrs. In October I tried to quit c/t. I had also been taking 2-3 mg daily of xanax for about a year at that time. The xanax was a success but the lortab was not. I take about 20 -30 tabs a day. If I had this forum back then and know what I know now from reading all the posts I know I could have stuck to it. Anyway, after about a week or so I started tking the lortabs again bcuz I could not handle the w/d symptoms anymore. I have a great family that supported me. My husband cared for me like a baby with hot baths and making me eat ..even staying home from work to be with me and my parents took care of our beautiful baby girl while I was sick. I just did not have the tools then to successfully quit.

I really need help with a tapering plan. I have researched subs and even went to see a dr about it and he gave me more pain meds instead!!!! I decided I didnt want to go that route unless it was an absolute last resort from reading your posts about it. So, I get more and more willpower to quit everday that I sign on to this forum. It seems like a great supprt line!!!! With ya'lls help ( ya, I said ya'll...lol...im a texas girl!) and support I think I can taper successfully. I cannot be sick for weeks like I was before. I have to be able to function and take care of my family. I just need help with a plan. I am making a promise to myself to stick to it!

This is what I have:

about 140 lortabs
Tramadol (which I dont take very often...and have learned from the forum not a good idea to start!)
Flexeril
Zanaflex which is a muscle relaxer...helps me sleep
Valium...I dont take it everyday...maybe  2 or 3 days a week

so can someone PLEASE HELP!!!???!!!!
I REALLY NEED A GOOD TAPERING PLAN AND SUPPORT TO DO THIS.

Sorry this is post so long.

Alli

[boorj08]

I have recently tapered almost 50% of my daily dosage within a week which is pretty drastic.  i went from 8 to 4 pills a day.  I've heard that the w/d is less if you do it slower though.  However taking the 20 a day that you are doing is a lot more so i'm not sure the amount you should decrease.  Since you have a helping hubby i'd advise you to do what i do, i put my amount i let myself in a little daily pill box and give the rest of the bottle to my hubby.  He hides it so i can't take more than my allowed amount.  Then every couple of days you decrease by 1-2 pills per day.  Your body slowly gets used to the decreased amount.

Good luck honey!!!

[Allicat0117]

I have actully thought about that bcuz my c/t detox failed at around day 5 or so. Someone is working on a tapering plan for me and im gonna give my husband my pills to hold so he can give me the amount needed for each day. I am DETERMINED and I know I can do it!!! As I said...did not have the tools or this forum when I tried to quit c/t. If I did even just have this forum at the tme to inform me of so many questions I had I know it could have been a success. So this is a new start with a new success story!

[kboot]

the best way to get off that many mg is to go to rehab. i know it *****, but if you really want to quit, find a rehab and detox center and stay for at least 30 days, most people cannot stick to the tapering plan, either way, good luck

[road2recovery]

Sorry i am just getting home from work...I will send you a PM....Hang in there..

[beatingthis]

You may wnat to talk to a  Suboxone doc. addiction doctor.

[beatingthis]

You have nothing to be scared of. It is like having the flu x 10 but it will pass in 5 to 7 day CT. Have you told you doctor what you want to do? Can you? If you don't have any w/d's on 10 go to 8 see what happens. Really on such a high dose you should be under a doctors care. There is all kinds of after care. NA, pastor, this form. Time for the clutch to go away. Depends on how much you want it.

T.

[hopin2]

As the others have said, you have to taper off slowly, start by cutting down the amount of pills and then the frequency of when you take your pills, gradually adding an hour longer in between.  You will start to feel uncomfortable at first, but you have to increase your ability to tolerate some discomfort, there is no other way, but you can do it.  Your brain will start to recognize that it is missing the endorphins and it will gradually start to realize it has to produce them on it's own again.  But the tapering process is a combination of lowering the dose and increasing the time between doses, but GO SLOW.  I was on a small amount of this stuff, only 4 tabs/day and I tapered off over a month.  I cut the dose down from a whole tab to 3/4 tab 4x's day for a week, to 1/2 tab 4x's day, for a week, then 1/4 tab 4x's day for a week, then started increasing an hour between doses until I was down to 1/4 tab am and pm, then only one 1/4 for one day then stopped.  I too was on the benzo's, and I had to quit them first.  my advice is taper off them first if you can, and stop them altoghether as they can be as bad if not more addictive than vicodin.  Don't try to stop both at the same time.  eventually, you have to dump all this stuff if you are ever going to get clean.  the one med only triggers the desire for the other etc. etc.  your brain can do all it's supposed to do for you without the use of this ****, you need to let it.  With the amount you're taking, I'd advise a long slow taper, although I know a guy who took 50 a day and tapered and went ct in a week, but I wouldn't advise it.  Hang in there.  When you finally stop,  you need to clean the house, get rid of everything.  I used promethazine 25mg or 50mg to help with the wd's and sleep for 3 days, then stopped taking that.  I had little or no sleep a couple nights, and took lots of hot baths, and drank the green valerian tea and sleepy time tea with chamomile, watched lots of tv.  it was no fun, but I got thru it.  I am now and day 6, I had a great CLEAN nights sleep last night and am free.  If I can do it, YOU can do it!!  

[Allicat0117]

Ya I realize that 12 is alot of pills but im taking 20-30 a day right now! And yes i am scared of w/d bcuz i remember how bad they were. I have had my liver & blood work checked bcuz I have extremly high cholesterol & I am on lipitor ....so the dr checks my liver periodically. I just dont now if i can go from 25 a day to 6 in one week. I can take  10 a day if I am low on pills and not have w/d so I thought maybe I could avoid most of the w/d symptoms by doing it this way. Am I wrong? will this not work? i have never tried tapering so I dont know where to start. I am also scared of what to do after my pills are gone. They are like my crutch...ya know. What kind of aftercare should I look into? I live in a really small town so there arent many options here. I know this forum will be very helpful...it already is...but I know I will also need some sort of counsling or something. What do you suggest?

[beatingthis]

What ever works for you. Remember the longer the taper the longer you will have w/d's.
Maybe start with 6 a day. That is 2 3 times a day. 12 is a boat load of pills.
Have you had your liver checked? It's not the hydro (well it is) but all the tylenol. Blood work? Everybody is different. Are you scared of the w/d's? They only last about a week. It is staying off of them that is hard!

T

[Allicat0117]

wow..thats a really big step from 10 to 3 a day. I was thinking of cutting my intake in half weekly. For instance..

Today start with 12 a day for a week.
Week 2...6 a day
week 3...3 a day
and so on....

Any comments????

[beatingthis]

Hi, I can give you my taper. What I did. I was on 10/325 hydro for 5 years. Taking anywhere from 10 to 12 a day. Sometimes more sometimes less.
It took me 3 weeks
Week 1   went to 1 3 times a day
Week 2    went 1 2 times a day
Week 3   took 1 pill split it in 1/2 took 1 in the am and 1 in the pm
Then I just took a 1/2 in the am for a few days. Gotta tell you, you will still have withdraws. Lots of hot baths and showers otc meds for pain. Walking alot of walking even when your engery will hardly let you get out of be. You have to keep moving. Vits, trying to eat well. I am now 21 days with nothing and I still have some sleep problems but it is much better. The w/d's last all through the taper but not as bad as CT.
There are a lot of people that can't do the taper and won't work for everybody. YOU HAVE TO STICK WITH IT NO MATTER WHAT! I did take the clonodine but it made my mouth very dry. Hated that. Be good to yourself. You can do this!!

Terry

[Allicat0117]

Im sure I can get some clonodine from my dr. He knows Im trying to quit and I told him about the visit to the sub dr. He is a good dr and Im sure he will give me anything that will help. Please send me a tapering plan. I would GREATLY appreciate it!!! I will stop taking the zanaflex until I absolutly need them. Right now im taking 7.5 lortabs. Thanks for your help.

[road2recovery]

Welcome...I went c/t from 10mg (20) lortabs a day...I can send you a taper if you would like...
The Zanaflex helped me alot during my w/d's...I also think it helped avis, right avis?
But i do know with that medicine, it wears off if you take it every nite...SO if i were you, I would taper that one too now, so that it can help with the muscle aches more later..Also can your doctor give you some clonodine??
are you on the 10mg lortabs??
we will help you, and you can do this...
r2r