Day 3 off meds

[gettingoff]

I am almost 3 full days off norco 10/325 + soma 350. I had 2 spinal fusion surgeries and tons of nerve/spinal/back pain. The surgeries were very close together. I worked with a pain management doctor but he kept putting me on more and more crazy meds and I was just totally done with it. Now I am in the middle of getting off everything except taking ibuprofen to help with the pain....which only does so little. How long does it take to get this stuff completely out of the system? I have the shakes, flu like symptoms, nausea, no energy, cold + hot flashes, unable to sleep, very emotional, just plain miserable. I am drinking tea, trying to keep some food like soup down, drinking water. I DO NOT want to add any more meds to get off all this stuff....not even over the counter stuff. I really want to hit the gym or go for a walk but can't do much today but lie in bed and small things around the house. Any experience with this? When were you feeling like yourself again? Afterwards, how did you manage pain without resorting to narcotics as I can't go back to that again. Thanks for any feedback or help! Good luck to everyone out there that are suffering, may you find peace.

[Missshawn]

Hi, we where taking the same meds. After day 5 it gets better.. Sleep was crazy the first 2 weeks.. Liquid children benadrly  & Motrin was my friend.. Lol your doing wonderful keep pressing forward

[freisian]

PS I am also doing Milk Thistle for liver support and have contacted my acupunturist for an appointment to reset the energy pathways and give the liver/gallbladder/kidneys a good boost.
I think supporting the organ systems are so important and given I was on the stuff for almost 20 years, I am going to say that I am probably doing exceptionally well. I feel that a lot of the WD's that folks experience are due to the body systems being unable to deal....give it the right support for your individual self and it will re-set....does that mean that this was easy? **** no but...
And again I thank Mother Earth for the natural herbs and things and Great Spirit for the knowledge and support for my adventure here....

[freisian]

You are most welcome...thank you for your positive energy.
I have been on narcotics (early on Vicoden, Lortab, Percs, and lately Oxycodone 40-100 mgs./daily) since 1994 (yep you read that right) due to a bad horse accident with broken ankle and then post-traumatic osteo after. Ankle replacement #1 botched... #2 'successful'. During this past 19 years I have developed back issues due to compensation (crutching/limping) ...of course they want to do surgery but I am a believer that the body wants to heal and given the right environment it will move to a place of balance so I hope to put it off for a while and hopefully forever.
I have gotten clean from other substances in the past and had 11 years in NA up until the accident.
I was still feeling the effects of WD this morning (not as bad as day 1 but...)and was getting impatient so I upped my doses of a couple of natural remedies and I am doing much better...thank Great Spirit...
Sleep has been a major issue for me for years...I hope that getting off of the pills will set this right too. I use various combos of Valerian, Chammomile, Natural Calm (Magnesium supp....good one), Melatonin, Rescue Remedy Sleep (this is really helpful) and I really upped my dose of Bio-plasma today as well as the Rescue Remedy and I feel much better and feel as though I can get some sleep tonight.

The other thing for me is to take care of soaking up the massive amounts of toxins that must be in my body by using Bentonite Clay and Physllium adding back the Probiotics...and taking an adaptogenic herb...Eluthero Ginseng with some Schisandra...it makes sense to me that the more I can balance the TOTAL package, the better the sleep thing will be. I am doing the Amino Acid protocol although not as much as they say to. Other stuff too...like Spirulina, Vit D etc.
I went ahead and slept when I could...did not like napping during the day because I know that is non-conducive to nightime sleep but I figured that listening to what my body needs and trusting that and doing it was the right thing to do.
Good for you for taking a break and taking care of yourself...Sending positive energy.

[gettingoff]

Hi Freisian,

Thanks so much for the tips on both the acupuncturist and the massage. I definitely do not want to feel MORE of the withdrawal symptoms so will ask the therapist to take it easy on me. I did ask for a gentle massage on the phone as I still have the crawling skin stuff happening! I really hate that feeling...I can handle the nausea and the rest but sheesh!

You are doing GREAT too!! Hope you get off to a good start this year with being clean. If I might ask, what meds are you detoxing from? Is this your first time? I am taking a break to deal with back pain by resting on my bed for a bit. Trying to stay away so that I can sleep tonight, although not sure if that makes a difference. I can use ALL the help I can get on sleep!

Thanks again. All the best to you!

[freisian]

Day 6 for me too...I think you are doing just fine...
Try to find an acupuncturist that has had their training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and that has years of experience.
Make sure the massage therapist does not do a lot of deep tissue work...this can work up more toxins and then re-produce MORE of the symptoms that you have been having. I had massage on Day 3 and she did a really nice job...I felt better...she is a healer too however.
I am into alternative medicine so if you need any advice I will share what I know.
Great job you are doing...

[gettingoff]

OK! It's Friday DAY 6 today! Last night's sleep was a bit nuts but I managed a little here and there in 2 hour increments. Had to be up by 6ish to take care of my daughter and get her off to school but managed it ok. Feeling so sensitive to temperatures both cold + hot!

Thankfully, I think some of the restless limb stuff is better and even though I feel pretty sleep deprived, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I even schedules a massage to later today thinking maybe that would help with my back pain and sleep issues.

My friend told me that acupuncture can help and thinking of trying that again. I did try that the first time I threw my back out about 5-6 years ago and it helped a little but eventually all those bulging discs became worse and then I developed spinal spondylolisthesis hence the last fusion 3 months ago. Anybody have success with acupuncture and can advise on what to look for in a practitioner? Last person was nice but I did not shop around.

One last bit-I have made a warmie with a sock full of rice + a few pieces of dried lavender. I microwave it for a couple of minutes and put it where I am feeling nerve pain. Ice is great but not during winter...burrrr. This thing helps get the blood circulation in that area.

Well, thought I might take a nap but I think I will get myself showered and moving around soon. Maybe a short nap later but want to try and get another brief walk today. Sun is out and that's wonderful!

Bye for now.

[gettingoff]

Dear Clean,

Wow! Thanks for your kindness and support. Love hearing that we have such similar backgrounds with our surgeries and med experience!

I am taking 2 (200 mg) tablets of ibuprofen twice a day for pain but still feeling it. I know it will be worse once I am working and running around taking care of my family like usual. Then I can up my ibuprofen a bit if I need to. I'll take it as it comes for sure but since my last spinal fusion was just 3 months ago, my doctor said it takes a full year to get the nerve damage to calm down. It seems like a helluva a long time but I know it's not forever and there are many folks WAY worse off than I am. Just keeping the faith that every moment bring freshness & life. Sometime full of joy and sometimes full of pain but I am alive. I am going to get better.

Thanks again and hope to hear from you another time. Have a lovely weekend!

[clean_in_ks]

You are doing SOOOO good.....5 days and you have a great attitude!

I was a hydro and soma person....also had back surgery and lots of nerve damage/pain prior to being able to get the surgery.  I find after 7 mos that my pain is not gone.....but better than it was taking pain pills/somas.  Initially that rebound pain "seems" worse, but it levels out a lot w/time.
I take two tylenol and two ibuprofen at the same time now and didn't think it helped much.....until I skipped taking it......it DOES help.  Lots of other things we can do to manage our pain after the healing begins off opiates.
So glad to hear you have fabulous support from your hubby.....that really helps!
Blessings to you~

[gettingoff]

Just saying hello out there. I am almost done with today. I think I am confused...I stopped taking everything Saturday night at 5pm so I guess I am finishing up DAY 5 not day 4. Excuse me for being so out of it.

Yay to day 5 being almost done!!

I decided not to do the Clonidine after reading a bunch of material regarding side effects and I am staring to feel sort of alive again this eveniing. I even managed a very tiny short walk in my neighborhood with my dear husband today. He has been a total trooper through all this. It was his idea to check in with my doctor to make sure what I was doing was safe. My doctor said many people have died from overdose but no one he has treated has died from going cold turkey...although many people feel like they ARE dying as it is very very intense. That is all I needed to hear.

I really appreciate your feedback though BarbRTR! My blood pressure was always a little on the low side anyway as I was runner for years and years.

I am praying for some shut eye tonight but I know I won't die from lack of sleep either so I will just do my best to relax, read a little and if I get really antsy, I will take another benadryl to help me sleep a bit.

Thanks everyone again! Good Night.

[BarbRTR]

Hey there! Glad youre still posting!

Clonidine is great. It's a BP medicine; but off label prescribed for sleep. Actually I believe it's the number one off label for teens with insomnia.

It really helps with wds too. I have been on for a couple years for my hr, it's too fast. But I don't take all the time. No wds from it. You can't take much though. .1 or .2
It will help with sleeping, skin crawling issues.

I wouldn't be afraid of it. Especially under a Dr's eye.
Congrats on day 4!

[PorVida]

Great job on day 3.  Sleep is usually the hardest symptom for most everyone.  The fact you got 4 hours is pretty good.  I use valerian root, melatonin and 5htp to help with the sleep.

Don't be so hard on yourself right now.  You are really doing great, take this one day at a time.  Some days will be better than others, but I promise with time this will get better and you will get back to normal shortly

[gettingoff]

Hi everyone!

It was a very rough night!  I took a over the counter 1 tablet of generic Benadryl out of desperation....which did not really help as I feel like my skin is crawling and I am either too hot or too cold. I could barely sleep and think I might have clocked in just 4 hour total in very small increments. Pretty tired today. I am not going to guilt myself for the Benadryl because I need to stay focused and kind to myself through this process.

It is day 4 without any Norco or Soma though and that makes me really glad. I am hanging on here!

My pain management doctor gave me a prescription for Clonidine 0.1 mg (21 tablets) when I went to see him on Monday to discuss me going cold turkey as he was concerned about the withdrawal period. Does anyone have any experience with this medicine and know what the side effects are? It is suppose to help my symptoms for anxiety and the chills, skin thing etc. I really don't want to take it, but the skin thing is driving me really mad. I can handle the nausea, depression and all the other stuff but I need sleep pretty badly! I normally sleep 8-9 hours and my body is feeling like a zombie from sleep deprivation.

I would really appreciate any advice especially if you have tried it. I am willing to try it to help me through this week but won't go there if it is going to mess me up as I have come too far to throw away my recovery.

As you all can tell, I am pretty reluctant to take any medicine at all even with recommendation from my doctor. I guess I'm crazy stubborn or something.

Perhaps there is a natural substitute. I guess I should look at the Thomas recipe I keep reading about.

BTW-my stomach is better and I really like the ginger idea. I had tea made with fresh ginger before so maybe I can try that at home. Not sure I can make it to the store today though...been holed up at home all week.

Hope everyone else is doing well today! Thanks again for your awesome support.

[BarbRTR]

For upset stomach, I would take Ginger Root, but since you don't want to add anything.. A person could drink Ginger Ale, but make sure it has real Ginger. A lot of brands use fake Ginger now.
It really works, and you must eat to get well.
3 days is good, keep it up! :)

[toothfairie]

you got it!  one min..one hour....one day at a time!  i have legit back pain and i'm taking ibuprofen or aleve when it gets to hurting....i haven't had surgeries like you have, so i can't imagine how painful that is.....just know that it does get better day by day!  and when you're free of the pills after a bit, you will know what your real pain scale is.  Hang in there! you can do it!  

[gettingoff]

Thank you both so very much. I will get some Immodium this evening.I'm not sure what to do about aftercare, maybe NA but not sure if that is right for me. I am also worried about dealing with pain issues and trying to get back to work and my life, etc. I definitely hope that I can get there without going back on those meds! I know I can do it as I just can't go there anymore. Thank you for the hot bath idea too! I am actually taking a ton of showers as I have lost so much weight that my bones just hurt in the bath tub...ouch! I really appreciate the support and I hope you two are doing well in your recovery! I will write tomorrow to keep you posted on how it's going. I hope I can get some sleep tonight...I was tossing and turning all night but did not cave in. I also didn't nap or drink any caffeinated beverages after 7am (black tea) so that I might get some rest tonight...one minute, one hour, one day at a time, right? Thank you both again! Have a good evening.

[toothfairie]

just wanted to give my support!  take hot hot baths with epsom salts....they helped me SO much with body aches and anxiety....relaxes the mind and body.....i was taking 2-3 a day in the beginning...just keep posting for support here!  this site is an awesome place for info and support!  couldn't have made it this far without the people on here!  good luck and keep posting!  

[YesLife4Me]

Hi & Welcome to this site!    Look up on the bottom of this page (or to the side) for the Thomas Recipe.   It is chocked full of natural herbs, vitamins, dietary needs and more to help ease your withdraw symptoms.   A must is Immodium.   It not only helps with the bathroom and tummy issues but does ease some of the other wd symptoms too since it binds in your intestines similar to opiates but does not cross the blood brain barrier.  The worst of it should be over in 3 to 5 days and then each day after that you will start to feel better.   The mental aspect is the hardest part once you get the opiates out of your system.   Aftercare and support is very important after the initial withdraw.    Keep posting and reading to help pass the time and get support.    It's hard, but you can do this!