It's day 4 cold turkey and I still think I'm going to die.

[bobbyjean]

Thanks to all of you that posted yesterday with suggestions.  I just want to feel better and I only feel worse.  I can't handle this much more, or I'm going to give in.  For those of you did withdraw from oxycontin, what day did you start feeling better.  Thanks, Bobbyjean

[slowlybetter]

Again, I really wish Yoda99 was here.  She did the exact same as you.  I think it took her a couple of weeks (I could be wrong though) to feel a little better.  I think that oxycontin is one of the hardest meds to come off of because of the amount of oxycodone in it and the fact that it is extended release.  I know you said you can't wean and you can only go c/t but could you ask your doctor for a med to help with w/d symptoms?  Do you feel comfortable talking with them?

I can't remember do you work, have kids?  How are you managing w/ your responsibilities?  It is going to take a while for your own endophins to start working again.  Can you take a short walk?  Excercise is probably the last thing you want to do but it is one of the few things that helps you produce your own endorphins.  Have you tried the hot showers or baths?  Have you gotten any of the stuff that the Thomas recipe recommends?  It might help just a bit, a little help is better than nothing.

Are you planning on not taking any more meds even when you can get a refill?  I couldn't remember.  I was thinking you said you wanted to quit now.

Keep us posted on your progress.

SB

[Marce4]

Yoda or Construction would be a great resource...they were both oxycontin users and they sounded a lot like you. Day 4 is still early but your physical symptoms should start to get better soon. The mental is probably the toughest part at this stage of the game!  Do you have good support at home?  I have also heard that oxycontin w/d's are really tough (I was on hydro and that was difficult too!) but you need to stay focused and remember how you are feeling....you will feel better but if you go back to the oxy's you will have to go through this again. Hang in....vent and post!  Lots of support here! So many of us can relate to how you are feeling and I really would never wish it on my worst enemy.  You should be proud of yourself for having the strength to fight!
Marcie

[fishmeal]

Suboxone ----- I had to ----  because I usually relapsed after 3 or 4 days.  I couldn't even get to 5!  If you do my hat is off to you... I always got to the "screw-its" and just gave in....  I simply could not do it alone and went to a detox that is known for their "easy" way down.  If you do decide detox, check them out by calling them and point-blank asking the nurses... they are all different and a year ago, I tried the same thing at Northridge hospital in CA.  All they gave me was one adevan every 6 hours and I AMAed after 3 days, (against meical advice).  I was climbing the walls.  When Brotman "Exodus" program called me to see if I had gotten help I told the person what had happened at northridge and she said, "Oh gee, you shoulda come here cause we are a lot better with the meds than they are."  So true as I remembered that and went back almost a year later....

They will tell you things like that so if you do go... SHOP!  It was so comfortable and they were so professional that it made all the difference in the world... most of the staff and even the doctor was "in"  the program of AA and NA!  

[bobbyjean]

I am a divorced woman with two boys, ages 13 and 15.  But they are staying with their dad for the lst part of the summer.  So all I have to do is worry about me.  I would not share my addiction with anyone anyway.  I'm just that way.  So this forum has been a godsend to me.
I have definitely made up my mind and told my dr. so, that way I can't get anymore  
oxycontin.
I can barely walk from the bed to the bathroom, much less go out for a walk.  I am extremely weak.  I really feel bad.  I hope tomorrow is not this bad.
Thanks for all your suggestions, Bobbyjean

[lazarus]

it's sad reading about your ordeal. after being a heroin addict for 14 years and going thru cold-turkey withdrawals for hours, days and even weeks, only to fall back into it, never getting any better, i thought it was a hopeless situation.

what's bad for you is that even if you get past the worst part of the physical sickness, you still will not feel well for weeks. there's just no way around it.

what has worked for me is a methadone program. it has been neither difficult nor particular demanding -- and it cost a fraction of what my addiction did. it entailed several months of going to the clinic 7 days a week for dosing, but gradually one earns take-home medications. i'm on the cusp of having to go to the clinic only once a week, in my 12th month in the program.

this has made my life bearable again. but i must add that i was so fed up with how things were going, i was determined there was no going back -- and that's been my attitude towards compliance with the program. i made a decision to do everything that was/is required, and it has been worth it.

but then, never waking up sick and never having to worry about it used to only be a dream, and now it's a reality.

i'm at the point where my counselor is encouraging me to detox off methadone, which is done very gradually -- you can take 6 months if you wish -- and it's with medical supervision, so it's not like you're facing it alone or on your own -- like you are now.

i only wish i'd tried it years earlier. but then, who knows. maybe i wouldn't have been ready then. and maybe YOU'RE not ready now. but if you are, and you're serious, you should check it out.

i think your chances of coming through this are a hell of a lot better IMHO.

[slowlybetter]

In your post you mentioned something about telling your doctor so you can't get anymore.  That is great....does that mean you have already told him/her?  If so, can't your doctor give you some medicine to help you through the worst part of the w/d's?  Things like mentioned on the forum in the past?  I have read a lot of people mentioning clonidine, valium, and things for RLS and sleep.  I think you are going to want to sleep as much as possible, at least that is what the Thomas recipe says.  And I hate to say it but you are going through worse w/d's than most people on the board can relate to.  As I have said, I don't have personal experience, I just am pretty sure because of your dosage.  And what about the original pain, how is that?

I am glad you are here.  You are in my prayers.  Do you work?  I am glad to hear that your children are away with their dad for a while.  Hopefully you will be feeling better when you see them.  Yoda and construction will surely be on here within a few days or so and they will be able to give you examples of what they went through and help you know more about time frames.

SB