Hydrocodone withdrawl - how long has it lasted for anyone else?

[ginsa]

I have been clean of Hydrocodone for 2-1/2 weeks now. I had started to feel better, was even sleeping without drugs but  3 days ago I started downhill. I can hardly get out of bed, I feel dizzy, extremely depressed, some anxiety returning, but not as bad as it used to be. I was taking Norco for 3 years before deciding to detox. I tried to wean off, but the withdrawl was  3 months of torture. I finally entered detox to get it over with hoping to get my life back. Im not 100% convinced that withdrawl is responsible for how bad I feel. I started out on Vicodin 5/500 for 9 mos, then 7.5/750 for another year, then 10/325 Norco. I stayed within the rx protocol of each drug and did not overlap them. I took a maximum of 4 Norco a day for about a year until it lost its effectiveness and didn't want to move up to Oxy. I am not tempted (not yet anyway) to start using again, but feeling this bad is almost unbearable. Has anyone else had such a setback after detox? I expected to have bad days, but not to just keep feeling worse day after day. I have suffered depression off and on for years, but never this bad. I havn't been able to take anti-depressants for a couple of years as they cause worse anxiety. I see a therapist, do breathing exercises, and try positive thinking and visualization, but nothing seems to help.
Any encouraging words ?

Ginsa

[Skyhook]

Thank you for the encouragement. Today is day 28, one more day to be thankful for. Just after finding this site and reading everyones post has helped, somehow just knowing that there are people who understand and know what I feel also helps tremendously. Just for the record I don't have cravings really at all, I remember that even the few times I would take more then one Norco at a time, they really don't make you feel better, they just seem to bring you back to some kind of normal but only for shorter and shorter periods of time. I do have depression, anxiety and an overwhelming feeling of dread but I do believe in my heart and mind that these feelings will pass, I just don't know when. I have an appoinment to see my "weener" doctor on Tuesday who won't be too happy with me as I went cold turkey against his advice but maybe he can give me some relief from this sadness.. Thank you both for the advise and support..

[ginsa]

I'm glad that my posting has helped you. I had bouts of depression and anxiety off and on for years even before ever using Norco. I thought I knew depression and anxiety, but I learned just how debilitating they can be when I started to wean off. You may be feeling a little worse than I did after detox since you just went CT from a higher dose, but you sure did the right thing. I wish I had just quit CT instead of suffering withdrawl for months. BUT...the important thing is that I did quit and YOU quit too!. And each day holds the promise of being closer to a happy life. I didn't think this was possible for the longest time, but now I have that hope and it feels real. Nothing in my life is any different than it was 18 days ago ( when I started detox ) except for being clean. Oh and using the Thomas Recipe for recovery support. Make sure you eat whole foods and get plenty of high quality protein. Your body seriously needs it to rebuild your nervous system.
Hang in there...better times are closer than you think. Don't let the ups and downs discourage you. Someone else said that recovery is not a linear process. I think all of us who have stayed clean for a couple of weeks or more know this quite well.
Have patience and hope.

[Ella789]

To Skyhook and everyone.  The depression is just so agravateing and really does hurt us and out outlook of the world.  It sometimes stays awhile and drags on.  I think the best thing a person can do is to find help from their Dr. as long term depression is not what we want to deal with,  know the difference in whether you are dealing with the craves or whatever.  Your dr. can help esp. if he's a human being.    I still haves the craves even tho they are less often, they do come and when they do I get up and out of the house,  walk, go get a candy bar or energy drink.  Fight back, and keep with it!  We all have them, or have had them. Some don't crave anymore at all, God bless them!  

[Skyhook]

Wow, thanks for all these posts. I quit norco 27 days ago cold turkey after a 3 year use of 4-6 10/325mgs per day. I'm 50 years old and have lot's to be depressed about like no job just to name one thing but the depression I've been feeling these last 2 weeks just has to be from the bad brain mess the drugs created because I've never ben this down and incapacitated before. Thanks to all posters for the encouraging words I've read, I have an appoinment with my doctor to discuss this comming Tuesday.

[ginsa]

Oh yeah...theres plenty to be feeling bad about besides withdrawl. Still reeling from a divorce and the betrayal that led up to it. I just moved back into the former marital home and was served with Notice of Sale since my ex let it go into foreclosure then moved out. I'm an unemployeed homemaker at 50 years old and need to file bankruptcy. Ha ha ha ha ha. There's a lot on my plate that I need to scrape off.  But I am facing the facts and realize that what I own does not define who I am. Also, I give myself cudos for deciding to quit when I had so many excuses to keep it up..

See,trying to avoid pain was just a way of hiding from life for me. I don't know about anyone else, but that's how I see my addiction now. I have hope that there is a better future for me and that I will look back and see that making the decision to quit using was the beginning of a wonderful life!

With love,

Ginsa

[worried878]

i agree...not every bad feeling we have is due to our addiction..and it is easy to think so...u may be feeling bad for some other reason that has nuttin to do with ur addiction...glad u r posting tho...keep moving forward

[ginsa]

Thanks for your encouraging words. I'm preparing for the long haul and determined to stick it out. So far I haven't had any cravings to go back to the Norco, but I know that can  happen at any time. I'm trying not to fall into the denial trap.  

I felt good enough in detox to attend classes for the residents and I really learned a lot about addiction. It was really humbling to see myself in all the peers in there. For clients in detox classes were optional but if I had not attended I would have been unprepared to cope with ongoing withdrawl.  These words really stuck with me...          

" Relapse is in the thinking process...using is the end."

I might still be thinking that what I'm feeling has nothing to do with addiction. Thats what I was thinking when I was slowly withdrawing for 3 months. I didn't realize that you can still have withdrawl even if you titre down off a drug. I didn't accept that I was an addict
because " my drug is prescribed and I don't take more than what the Doctor said I can". I couldn't have started to heal until I came to accept that I was powerless over that drug. It didnt matter why I started taking it...the drug doesn't care why.

It helps so much to know that things will get better. I keep reminding myself that if I could survive that 3 months I can surely get through the next few weeks. Thanks for sharing your insights and experience with me.

Ginsa

[worried878]

tommy said it well..there will slowly be more good than bad days..then not many bad days at all...and then when u have a bad day..u gotta stop and remember that everyone on this earth has bad days..and we just gotta learn how to deal with bad days...and not cope with our old coping mechanisms..and this is learned//takes time//main thing is giving ur brain a bit of time to heal...keep posting..cos it helps

[tommyp1]

I went through some of the same severly bad depression after about 2-3 weeks off, I too hit a sort of high for the first few days and then would get hit with bad mental breakdowns were I couldnt control my thinking, just hang in there Ive been sober for about 2 months now and things will continue to get better and better as you start to find direction in life again you have to be patient it takes time to see results but its so close you can almost touch it, you might check out PAWS post addiction withdrawel symptoms they kind of put me at ease to know that the depression is normal, exercise everyday it will to great things for you, just remember your not alone, no matter how bad it may seem others have been there and beautiful days will come your way....good luck

[worried878]

I had the same thing happen after hydro wd...felt good and excited after a not so bad detox off of 100 mgs of hydro after 3-4 yrs of using...then the nrg/depression thing...was awful/plus i kept getting sick..every bug that flew by i would catch...it was a true struggle..rocket shots to get out the door to work each day...i do not know how i kept my job...when all of this happen i took a long look at the thomas recipe and upped my doses of the supps to the recommended ones..specially tyrosine///tyrosine rocked for me...and i got my fanny off the couch and hit the gym even if i felt like a blob..and it worked..i went to meetings as much as i could cos my excitement was slowly turning into depression....and the reasons i quit were becoming dim///not so important anymore..only thing that seemed important was how i felt which was awful!   this is prime time for relapse and i hope u see this...this is the reason people relapse...the physical part is a piece of cake compared to how u r feeling now...realize this and know that u gotta take care of this///or u will not make it/make a goal to make it 90 days..u can do that?....aftercare and making a plan to stay clean is so so so important right now..keep posting

[ginsa]

Hi Ella,

After finally getting a couple of good nights sleep I started waking up every hour or 2 again. Having RLS as I doze off too. I've been waking up with the worst depression for 3 days and struggling to get out of bed. The anxiety isn't as bad as it was before I finished detoxing, but worse than it was 5 days ago. I also have dizziness when I try to walk outside and my left leg and both feet go numb.

The physical pain isn't so much a problem...manageable with Motrin 800 and TENS units. It's the horrible depression that really has me concerned. I don't know how I will be able to hold on to a job if I can't get better.
.
I've taken both Cymbalta and Lexapro in the last 2 years and both caused worse anxiety. I took Xanax with the Cymbalta for a while, but as soon as I stopped it the anxiety became too much. I'm willing to try an antidepressant again tho' because the depression is so crushing. I'm still taking Vistaril and Buspar for anxiety.

You mentioned experiencing "mind games" yourself. What was that like?  I'm really hoping that my body will re-calibrate and all these problems will just go away.

Congratulations on being clean for 3 mos. !

Ginsa

[Ella789]

I took them for 5 yrs and yes, I seemed to need more and more to keep me level and pain free.  I detoxed last Feb. and am now almost 3 mos clean.  What a trip it has been with the mind games.  What I need to ask is, are you in pain or are you suffering from anxiety,depression ect.  I think if that is it  then you need to ask a Dr. to help you with it.  I take Cymbalta, it seems to work good, I take 60mg twice a day.  I started out on 30 mg for 2 wks and my dr. increase it to 60,  a couple mos.later I was still rather down and my dr. then increased it to twice daily.
It maynot work for you but I wouldn't stop till this prob. is addressed.

:)
Ella