Help me get through Vicodin....

[Kikki99]

Ok..here goes...about a year ago I was in a bad snowmobile accident. Landed on my hips pretty hard. I have been in pain ever scince. Now, im good at taking beatings...i have been involved in sports all my life the biggest was hockey, basketball and horse back riding...let me tell you I got a lot of pain from all of them, but the snowmobile was the worst. I never took pain meds, but this made me break down.. it hurt bad. Now I first took oxy and then my doc wanted to bring me down to vicodin. I had a fuss, but I liked it better. Now ive been to doc to doc and they only thing they found was a blip in my ball and socket of cartalaige missing. Enough to cause me pain? Maybe. My leg constantly hurts, but I'm not sure how much pain i acutly have because I've been on pain pills so long. I'm up to 10mg of Vicodin taking up to at least 6 a day. My doctor finally told me no more, you need to go to a pain doctor. Which is fine, because I can recieve them there, but my insurance ran out a little after he gave me my last script. I don't have the money to see this guy and I'm sick of "running low" or "panicing" if i dont have my supply. I'm sick of these damn little pills controlling me and running my life. I think i can get by without out them, but I need to try. I'm extremely scared, I had to cut back my last refill and I went into withdrawls. They were insane. My leg wasn't too bad, but my arms were in a frenzy and I felt like I wanted to run 5 miles and couldn't sleep. What should I do...face the withdrawls...and how? How can I make it an ok transition..or should I stay? Please advise...

[leeisgettingclean]

Well you are in a tough place, however I think i speak for everyone when i say.."I have been there" , you do not have many options..1=You can not afford doc 2=even if you could you are always going to running low 3=you can//should not go rest of your life on pain meds...So that said, you ask "what should I do?" well you have to quit, plain and simple..quit! It blows, you ARE going to w/d..they(w/ds) are not going to kill you. You are going to be unconfortable for about 3-5 days, do you work? If so you may wanna take a week off. Prepare yourself mentally as if you had the flu..get some OTC pain meds, stuff to keep you out the bathroom, tyln pm or benadryl, gaterade..look up the thomas recipe get those things on there if you can..you will make it, we all have..just be prepared and do it

[leeisgettingclean]

I am sorry but i respectfully agree with nothing you said...this person does not need a specialist..and they do not need sub or methadone...may i ask why you would even suggest this to a person with a hydro addiction? If this person has no health issues (and nothing metioned so i assume not) w/ds from loratabs ARE NOT dangerous..please know what you are talking about when you are suggesting these kind of things to people..

[leeisgettingclean]

bty you dont just do methadone "untill you decide something to do" its a huge decision that changes the course of peoples lives...WOW your post really gets to me...sounds to me you were given some really bad advise but PLEASE relize what you are saying

[dominosarah]

I agree with everything lee said.  Keep posting here and we will be here to support you....sara

[worried878]

Lee speaks with wisdom..a 60 mg hydro user should think twice or 100 timnes before jumping to a bed of fire like methadone or sub....Willpower is much stronger than sub or methadone..sheer determination is the ultimate power one finds within...the person only has to reach for it...a 60 mg hydro habit is CT cleaner hands down..a taper may help if the person is disciplined/which most addicts r until it comes to their DOC/or if the taperer has a support person to hold pills for them...and even then, tapering has its downfalls//and is not pain-free

analyzing this post...we have a fairly weak narcotic in the scheme of  the narcotic world...a relatively low dose..and a short term use of 1 yr...none of these varibles point to sub or methadone for maintenence therapy..if the poster feels she/he can not make it and relapses over and over..when a plan including aftercare has failed..then down the road i may would c using a block buster narc like sub or methadone to help...physical wds only last a few days//less than a week for this dose..flu-like symptoms altho this poster has RLS it appears and is not the norm for this dose and length of use..especially for an active person as rls usually occurs with higher doses and more prominenet in people who r not active

read and learn..the health pages rock...tons of great info...make a plan...tapering or CT would be a first choice..if it were me i would CT at this dose..but I am not u..and we r all different..i was a 100 mg hydro user/more if i had more/nd went back to work day 5...felt ok day 4..it was the aftermath of fatigue and depression that hit me 2 wks later that got me down..
fear paralyzes people..and often we fear things that will not hurt us..and fail to fear the things that will

[troubleinohio]

I completely agree with Lee and Worried....sub or methadone should never be the front line of attack!!!! Those options should only be an absolute last attempt to quit when all other modes have failed repeatedly, if the person has been on their drugs for many years or are unable to quit their drug and are in imminent danger of OD'ing from liver toxicity from aceto, etc.   6 Vics a day for one year does not fall into this category, and this is only this person's 1st real attempt at quitting.

Kikki- you said you are "extremely scared" and thats normal. Fear is what causes most of us to delay quitting! You have to disarm your anxiety by educating yourself. Learn about WD's, what to expect, how to handle them, and make a gameplan for yourself. Fear of the unknown is much worse than having a little anxiety of something you understand. So do your homework, set a quit date, have yourself prepared and then GIT R DONE!  The WD's should only last 3-5 days on the average...get yourself some Immodium or Pepto for the diarrhea, maybe some Gas X for stomach pains (I always used this combo and it helped me so much),  get some Motrin or whichever OTC pain reliever you use for the pain (Remember, when you first quit, your original pain you had that started this will come back and be EXAGGERATED!! Do not think that this will be your normal daily pain level without meds! this is a big mistake a lot of us make (I did myself many times before realizing it was a trick!!). THis exaggerated pain is your brains way of screaming out GIMME BACK MY DRUGS, I WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU TAKE THEM AGAIN, and it makes you hurt worse.......but only for awhile!! Once your brain realizes its not going to get its fix, it will finally let up and your pain will go way down!! You just have to deal with it until it stops, trust me on this!     If the RLS/sleeplesness/anxiety becomes unbearable for you--see your family doctor- and get an RX for either clonodine, a low dose benzo (usually xanax or its ilk are used SHORT TERM) and maybe a sleeping aid just to use for a few days until the worst of the physical WD's are over.    You can do this!! Just be sure to educate yourself and it will make this transistion much easier on you! Read and post here as much as possible, too. GOod luck, and we are here for you anytime!

[febninthgirl]

Wow. I can't believe what apple person said. I don't there story from what you posted you can do this. Trust me when I tell you I know first hand what pain is and what methadone is. I was 15 norco for about six years. Then my pain doc put me on the done to come off. Hugh mistake I jumped off all of them on my own. So my wds were from both. Your pain more then likely be less then what it is on the meds. You are not that bad in pill popping to not be able to come off on your own. Pls do not take the advice of the apple person. They are so freaking wrong.

[leeisgettingclean]

atleast most of us are on the same page, I really hope that this person does the right thing. I as well hope the "apple" person will educate themselfs on maint drugs.
YOU CAN NOT ESCAPE W/DS!!!

[febninthgirl]

All I can to that is right on. Apple person pls don't give advise when it comes to an addition. All that is ,is going from opiate to another. Do some homework.

[nuredshuz]

I agree with the above ppl about NOT going to something like methadone or sub.. also if I were you I would NOT go to the pain management doctor... i  was exactly where you are... i started at 7.5 vics, then 10s.. then sent to a pain management doc who prescribed me a compound of 20mg hydro/200 acedamin 3x a day... then 4x a day... then 40mg hyro.. then 50mg hydro... 4 1/2 year ride... I thot I hit the lottery when I got those meds!!! but little did I realize what I was doing to myself... Im finally OFF that merry-go-round... realizing that at the end of that long grueling ride.. i could still feel my physical pain, but could not participate in my life!!! I could not even be myself anymore! I was numb I was a spectator in my life and my family's lives!!! Im a mom of 4 beautiful kids and have a great husband.. Im a Christian who homeschooled my kids up till I couldnt do anything any more! I wasnt made to go into a "slow fade" and be nothing and probably die young and YOU ARENT EITHER!!!!! please get off the pills and get yourself back b efore you spend the next "how ever many" years running in a circle... I told my husband, my kids, my church family and my extended family... I went to a detox/rehab center and got off the meds... I quit going to the doctors who gave me the scripts.. I got a NEW doctor who does REAL stuff to help my pain.. I have a buldging disc pressing my spinal cord and sciatic nerve pain.. all I take is aleve and ibprophen...  I go to a chiropractor, got a 10s unit and I walk a mile every day even tho I feel like crumpling in to the couch... (which I do also!) Im not taking care of my responsibilities the way I want but Im looking at it this way, whats a few months to get the rest of my life back?  Im only 17 days clean and Im not feeling 100% yet... but its so much better than being in that slow fade... Im getting me back and my family is getting me back too!!! please listen to these posts and do yourself a HUGH favor... DONT take a stronger opiate and DONT go to a pain management doctor.. they mean well but you are the one who will have to eventually be where I am and the sooner the better!!! God bless you and I hope the very best for you...

[Kikki99]

ok guys...I do not know who applecinnimon is or what they wrote?? It's not on here. But anyways..I apreciate the good advise and the bad. It might seem like a "little addiction" or not that "long" But to me it is. It has been almost two years, not one I'm sorry. 2010 will make it two. I was tired. But whatever. I was taking much more...depended on the day. As far as today it is 6, it was ten. I HAD to cut back because of the rules and doctors and no scripts early and junk. I was getting yelled at, but my doc knew that I neeeded them. I'm looking for support in this matter, not to be critized..I get plenty of that. My pain was/is existing. I did not take it for the hell of it. But not it's a "crossroad" ?I need to face. My only fear besides withdrawls is how much pain will I endure when they are gone? Should I just forget it? Move on, and deal with the pain? I just don't want to feel the pain forever...but at the same time I know im abusing the system. Call me dumb, and tell me that my questions are stupid, but whats wrong with thinking about the future from both sides? Thanks guys.

[Evacrednow]

It's really hard when you're in pain to want to get off pain meds.  It's super hard.  What's also hard is giving your life over, little by little, to opiates--who will rob you of your motivation, your memory, your sense of humor.  I know pain robs you of those things, too.  

I am also a chronic pain sufferer--I suffer from chronic nerve pain and it *****.  But, there are other avenues of pain management that you should try and that do help. But first, I recommend getting clean.  I also agree with the general consensus that you shouldn't move from a 60 mg hydrocodone habit to something like suboxone or methadone (which are far more addicting--super-duper addicting, it's crazy).  But you're right--to you, and I've been at your level before and tried to jump off, jumping from 60 mg of hydro a day won't be pleasant--you'll sweat, shiver, get chills, and generaly feel like you have the flu, but it will subside--and the symptoms I've discussed are way easier than withdrawing from suboxone.

As far as long term pain management--I don't know what type of pain you suffer from, but there are many therapeutic options besides opiates.  I deal with musculo-skeletal pain, as well as neuropathy, and I've been opiate free since mid July.  If you want specifics for pain management ideas, you can ask me, and I'll go into some detail.  

You can quit.  If you think about it, quitting later will only be harder.  And really, if I can quit, you can.  

[nuredshuz]

I am also a cronic pain sufferer... I dont think any one meant to be mean to you.. just trying to help you see down a road that some have been down... when I started down that road i had no idea what opiates did to you in the long run... I took them for pain management... I have bad neck pain which I feel like crzy now that I am off the opiates.. I am going to a chiropractor and using ibprofen... the opiates did numb my pain.. but that cost to me was not worth it! they also numbed ME... when you go to pain management they put you on something that will numb your pain 24/7... sounds good, but when you are under the control of a substance for 24/7 and it stretches over years, you WILL loose yourself.. I read a few articles over on the Health Pages.. one said using opiates is like using a credit card... you have to pay for it sooner or later.. Im paying now... I have no energy and im just staring to sleep regularly.. it can take a up to a few months before I start to feel normal energy.. but that energy is going to come from my body not from hydro! I am "recoverying"... I am exercising my body which has been controlled by hydro for 4 1/2 yrs.. its a harsh road.. eventually it comes to an end.. u will either end up going thru what Im going thru now or your going to go into a slow fade, loose yourself and be a patient with doctors poking and proding you until that mentality gives you a big bag full of all sorts of health problems.. I hope you reconsider viewing these posts not as critisim but as ppl who have gone where your about to go and reaching out to tell you its not what it looks like! Its really not.. its much different that what the doctors tell you.. they are trained to help you with opiates, but they have never put their own bodies and minds thru this ride.. they have book knowledge and dont fully understand when what happens to someone being numbed 24/7.. its not good and it gets you old real fast... good luck to you!!