Help with withdrawals from Norco 10/325

[New_lease_on_life]

Hi everyone,

I have been on Norco 10/325 4 times a day for 18 months. I have a herniated disc, a bulged disc, a annular tear in another disc and posterior nerve displacement that causes shooting pain down my left leg. I have arthritis in my back at 33 years old and the doctor said I essentially have a 60 year old back not 30 year old. I also tore my meniscus and my knee pops so loud you can hear it across the room. Yet no one can fix it even after having surgery!?

That said I have tried countless injections, epidural and facet injections for my back pain. None have helped me enough to warrant continuing those courses of treatment, physical therapy with a very well known therapist also hasn't helped.

I decided to quit cold turkey today. Took my last pill and have no refills or meds left and it would require an in office appointment to "possibly" get more. Doctors seem to be cracking down since 2014 began. I have the early signs of the flu BEFORE I quit so I'm sure this is going to be rough. But I want my life back and I think moving on from the meds even though they have allowed me to stay active and have some semblance of a life, is the way to go. I need to find new ways to get better and deal with my pain.

Can people be available to talk to on here the next few days? I'm really anxious and scared given how bad today was and I had medicine available! I have some medicine to help with the first few days.

5mg Valium
5mg, 7.5mg and 10mg Flexeril options
4mg Zofran
?? Clondine (just got prescribed today)

I by no means am taking any of this for more than the next few days. I will only take as needed and am really thinking the Flexeril for sleeping and muscle spasms. The zofran during the day if I'm nauseous. The Clondine and Valium are last resorts.

I am overally cautious so I won't be taken these meds to close together. The flexeril in the past has knocked me out so I won't take that near the other meds at all.

Point is I have some options to ease this experience but more than anything just want someone to talk to during this. Any pointers on things I can do would mean a lot. Anyone who has a rough idea of what to expect on a day 1, day 2, day 3 basis etc would be of great help. I like to research and plan as it helps lower my anxiety, so any help would be very appreciated!

Thank you to all those who are willing to help!

[New_lease_on_life]

Sorry to hear about your mom. My aunt has been on a similar path for the better part of 15 years. Worse is she has just accepted this to be her life, never driving to see family living with my grandma who is in her 80's. Big part of why I wanted to start getting off this stuff as I'm 33 and have lots of plans in life and don't want to be a slave to these meds.

I can relate to having a significant other who is unsupportive, the first time 10 years or so ago, she had no interest in educating herself on how these things can just happen. I never set out to get addicted, but ultimately it was my fault for letting it get out of control. I'm with you that having someone not willing to research how hard this is, is really disappointing and to make you feel worse than you already do, doesn't help at all.

Regardless good for you! I'm definitely feeling it this morning as I woke up after just 2 hours of sleep. But I'm trying to just watch tv and drink some fluids. I was definitely wrong about the bathroom lol, it's really annoying!

I know the next couple days will likely be the worst as I get further removed from my last dose, but I think the random timing of getting the flu might help me. I'm trying to tell myself that this is normal because I'm sick and that it will pass. I think it's helping. Keeping busy is definitely the ticket and I'm going to try and stay in bed today and just sleep as much as I possibly can.

I haven't taken anything for the withdrawals, just zofran for nausea. I've avoided using Clonidine, Flexeril (for sleep mainly) and Valium. I won't use anything else as a crutch unless I absolutely need to. I'm taking a multivitamin when I would normally take pain meds to try and trick my brain a little bit too, I even put them in my prescription bottle haha

Whatever works I guess! So far so good, but could be the calm before the storm we'll see!

Thanks again for your support!

[BanMethadone]

*mental addiction* ooops

[BanMethadone]

The fact that you did stick to the script, and that you didn't overuse your medication bodes well for your possibility to succeed! It means you can exercise some control over the physical addiction! My mother is on everything under the sun, and for so many years... so many years, she runs out every month. I wonder if she ever gets tired of going through this terrible cycle. She can't even take them like she is supposed to and I hate to see her suffer.

I am so glad you have people there waiting to help. That makes a HUGE difference. The two times I tried CT, it was so painful bc my husband at the time was so cynical and blamed it all on my bad behavior... he didn't get why I just didn't quit hurting him and the family and it just made me want to isolate and then use more. It hurt too much emotionally and physically and there wasn't anything positive to look forward to or anyone cheering me on. He never educated himself one bit on addiction. He made me feel as if I was this weak person, when really I needed real help and support.

Now I have so much positive support and I love it. This site adds to that support. It's setting yourself up for success by reaching out like this, and I for one, am pulling for you!!!

We can do this! It won't be easy, but in the end we will have freedom from having to be beholden to any doctors office or any pills for our everyday survival.

I wish you the best, and ofc I will be here :)

[New_lease_on_life]

Thank you very much for your support!

You are very right about having supportive people around. I have told all those close to me, no secrets, so they have all been very concerned but willing to help in any way possible. That alone helps me tremedously, we sometimes take for granted how much our friends and family care for us, this is one time I was taken back by the fact no one was judging and simply asking "what can I do to help"?

You are so right about the bodies ability to stop helping itself when we medicate. I went through this 10 years ago after major surgery and a lengthy workers compensation. I did it alone and was miserable, I abused them that time though and that was a big part of it. I was given 7 refills of 100 norco AFTER knee surgery? I should have known better that trying to just use them.

I have been more responsible this time around asking to go month to month on meds, no refills. I haven't run out early once or used more than directed, however as we all know that doesn't change the depednace issue.

Anyways thank you for your support it means the world to me! I know today will be the easiest of the next few days, but I feel good about knowing in a week or so I can be past the physical stuff and on the road to repairing the mental dependance this has no doubt caused me.

Thanks again!

[New_lease_on_life]

Thank you very much for your support. I definitely feel the flu symptoms today but not to bad. Thank you for the tips I sometimes undervalue the importance of fluids so this is a great reminder to be proactive.

Luckily the bathroom issues are going to be ok I think. I don't have a large intestine so I never had constipation effects from the norco. I already go a lot as it is because I don't absorb as much water through digestion. Sorry if that's to much info! lol

Thanks again for your support, I feel I am at a good point mentally to do this so with everyone's help it's just making it even easier. Thank you so much!

[BanMethadone]

Hi and welcome. I agree that the fear and dread of w/d is worse, but I also feel that the experience is made so much worse by those very negative emotions. You have something going for you, in that you WANT to be free of the drugs. Some are forced, and when you're forced it is so much harder. Just keep that positive mindset that you're going to beat this, and get through the physical part, but more importantly make sure you reach out to others. Doing it alone is so much more painful and scary. You need supportive people around you.

As a person addicted to opiates, when you feel pain without your opiates, it will feel a lot worse than what you are likely to feel when your body does recoup it's own pain relieving and comfort systems. You have been introducing things artificially that your body already can do naturally when it's needed. Although you may not have thought this was true, bc you were already in pain from your injuries, it is. Our bodies have natural ways to release reward, pleasure, and comfort chemicals, but once you introduce it with opiates your body says "screw it... I don't need to worry about that bit, it's taken care of now" So when you quit, you essentially have nothing on board, not even your own natural ability to feel comfortable. It's the very definition of extreme discomfort.

In time your body will be able to do this again. With your pain issues, however, you may need to take something like NSAIDs daily, but no one can take opiates over long periods of time and not pay the terrible price.

I am glad you're here, and I want to congratulate you on the step you're taking. Just read through this site and soak up as much info as you can to get you through it. You probably won't be able to sleep and may have RLS, but that is all part of the process and you can do some things to sooth those symptoms. I blv clonodine is a huge help, although I've never tried it.

Good luck, I'm pulling for you

[ROSYouralright]

Hi, WELCOME! CONGRATULATIONS on taking your life back! I MEAN THAT!! This is an amazing thing you are doing for yourself.
Often times the fear of WD'S is worse than the actual experience.. Just brace yourself for the "flu", ride it out & take each symptom as it comes. STAY HYDRATED!! That is super important...
Imodium is a wonderful thing to have on hand as 99% of us experienced"bathroom issues." Stay close to the site and post as often as you would like. We are all in different stages of recovery & some are on day one as well so we've been there and are here to walk with you through this. You CAN do this!! I'm rooting for you!