Aa
Lortab abuse
Ive been abusing lortabs for about two years now.
I really want to get off of them , my family has no idea and my fiancee think i quit long ago. I feel if i dont stop soon i will have to tell everyone my secret, and i dont want to enter rehab because once again i would have to tell everyone. Is there any advice anyone can give for me trying to kick this on my own?
I really want to get off of them , my family has no idea and my fiancee think i quit long ago. I feel if i dont stop soon i will have to tell everyone my secret, and i dont want to enter rehab because once again i would have to tell everyone. Is there any advice anyone can give for me trying to kick this on my own?
So after coming to the form and pondering what everyone had told me i felt that it was right to tell my family , and i confessed to my mom that i had been taking around 5 loratabs a day for the past 2 years. She was super cool and understanding, it worked out well . Everyone thanks for your words and wishes :)
I guess it comes down to your feelings on addiction. If you believe addiction is a disease like any other then ask yourself,,if you were diagnosed with cancer would you keep it a secret ? As with any disease support is very important and the more the better.Your family may be more hurt by your secrets then your addiction. I can understand not telling your husband right now.Also when someone has the disease of addiction quitting is the easiest part. Recovery is a daily process and if you work your recovery to your best then changes in your life will happen,little things will change as well as big and it would be hard to keep your recovery a secret. I"ve found that in most cases a person is suprised by the understanding and support that comes with being honest. Remember that lies,secrets,etc are part of addiction,,honesty is essential to recovery,,gl to ya
I know i dont take just a whole hell of alot , but thats because i cant get my hands on anymore. I think im finally reaching the mental state where i want to stop. I may be forced to use cold turkey rather then the taper method because of availability and perhaps my inability to control myself on them. Im really starting to think im going to try cold turkey. Its not that "im not ready to mentally stop" its that once the drug is in my system i just want more. So i think tomorrow im going to wake up , and just stop. As far as telling my family , no not yet. My fiancee is in the marine corp and getting ready for deployment , i dont want to add another worry to his already overloaded plate. I know i sound devious and look bad , but id rather just not worry anyone with my problems (that i know in the real world , not the digital one :)
Being honest is very important here. I ended up telling my husband about my addiction last week, and he had no
clue. Originally I did not want to tell him b/c in my mind I thought if I ever do want to use again then he won't know. But now that I have told him it has been much easier. They say in A.A that we are sick as our secrets. I don't believe that you will need to go to a rehab, you can for sure do this on your own, if you really want it.
clue. Originally I did not want to tell him b/c in my mind I thought if I ever do want to use again then he won't know. But now that I have told him it has been much easier. They say in A.A that we are sick as our secrets. I don't believe that you will need to go to a rehab, you can for sure do this on your own, if you really want it.
Another taper note. If your initial taper is giving you a 'high" you NEED to adjust the start of your taper to a dose that does NOT leave you feeling high. Else you are setting up for a failed attempt. You CANNOT get high from the start. The idea is to wean your body off.
Ok,
2 years ago, approximately, I was taking exactly the same dosage and medicine.
I had access to 120 Lortabs/Lorcet plus a handful of Vicodin ES every Month for a while.
So, I was popping around 6 a day, (100mg more or less).
I convinced my Dr., to write me a script for Clonadine? And An, anti-anxiety medicine, Ativan. Later I learned Ativan is a horrible drug to get off of too. But luckily for me I was Never Dependent on this drug. I do now believe a large part of w/d is mental. Since I was Never "attached" to Ativan, quitting 2,3,4 mg a day was absolutely nothing for me.
Back to the story...
At your dosage, I tapered 2 times. Each time I tapered, it was not hard. The hard part was NOT taking more than the taper dose for each day. If you don't have self-control, you NEED someone to dole them out to you. But, IF.... If you need someone to "dole" them out, then you are probably not mentally ready to quit. Just being realistic here. And speaking from personal unique experience.
If you taper from this dose, and you experience the w/d's I did, you will NOT miss any of your life. I did the taper and was fine. If you have adequate supply,
...then here is the taper (give or take) that I used. It's a bit fast and doesn't require much pill-splitting. Also, I am sure you can find more elaborate taper schedules here from others.
I did have 1-2 Ativan to help, but I don't think it made much difference, since your body is dealing with the Hydro w/d.
Day 1-5 take 1.5 morning - 1.5 afternoon -1.5 evening. This dosage is on the low side of what you were taking, so you shouldn't feel any different physically.
If you think you can taper quicker, then try it by lowering your mid-day dose. The idea here is to try and gain sleep so tapering your evening dose is left for last.
Day 6-10 take 1 in the morning 1 in afternoon and 1 in the evening.
Day 11-15 take .5 in the morning, .5 afternoon, and .5 or.75 evening.
Day 16-20 .5 mid-morning, and .5 late afternoon.
Day 21-25 If you can cut them, .33 mid morning. .33 late afternoon.
After that, if you don't feel bad, then quit.
You can adjust the taper to what keeps you comfortable, but ALWAYS ether stay the same or lower.. NEVER take more.
Good luck..
You can do it. I did. And then work hard to stay off!!!! The real hard part!
2 years ago, approximately, I was taking exactly the same dosage and medicine.
I had access to 120 Lortabs/Lorcet plus a handful of Vicodin ES every Month for a while.
So, I was popping around 6 a day, (100mg more or less).
I convinced my Dr., to write me a script for Clonadine? And An, anti-anxiety medicine, Ativan. Later I learned Ativan is a horrible drug to get off of too. But luckily for me I was Never Dependent on this drug. I do now believe a large part of w/d is mental. Since I was Never "attached" to Ativan, quitting 2,3,4 mg a day was absolutely nothing for me.
Back to the story...
At your dosage, I tapered 2 times. Each time I tapered, it was not hard. The hard part was NOT taking more than the taper dose for each day. If you don't have self-control, you NEED someone to dole them out to you. But, IF.... If you need someone to "dole" them out, then you are probably not mentally ready to quit. Just being realistic here. And speaking from personal unique experience.
If you taper from this dose, and you experience the w/d's I did, you will NOT miss any of your life. I did the taper and was fine. If you have adequate supply,
...then here is the taper (give or take) that I used. It's a bit fast and doesn't require much pill-splitting. Also, I am sure you can find more elaborate taper schedules here from others.
I did have 1-2 Ativan to help, but I don't think it made much difference, since your body is dealing with the Hydro w/d.
Day 1-5 take 1.5 morning - 1.5 afternoon -1.5 evening. This dosage is on the low side of what you were taking, so you shouldn't feel any different physically.
If you think you can taper quicker, then try it by lowering your mid-day dose. The idea here is to try and gain sleep so tapering your evening dose is left for last.
Day 6-10 take 1 in the morning 1 in afternoon and 1 in the evening.
Day 11-15 take .5 in the morning, .5 afternoon, and .5 or.75 evening.
Day 16-20 .5 mid-morning, and .5 late afternoon.
Day 21-25 If you can cut them, .33 mid morning. .33 late afternoon.
After that, if you don't feel bad, then quit.
You can adjust the taper to what keeps you comfortable, but ALWAYS ether stay the same or lower.. NEVER take more.
Good luck..
You can do it. I did. And then work hard to stay off!!!! The real hard part!
if you feel you can stick to a taper, you should do JUST FINE....you're not on a super huge dose....you can do a slow taper and probably be just fine with minimal side effects....or, because you aren't taking THAT much, you could also just go cold turkey and get it over with quicker.....it depends upon if you think you can stick to a taper....if you REALLY REALLY want to get off these things and feel you have the mental fortitude to do it, then doing a taper will do it for you and you won't feel the sting of withdrawals very much....do you have enough lortabs to taper with??
Ive been taking around 4 or 5 tens (when available) daily , maybe more give or take. My birthday is friday the thirteenth (ironic !) and it marks the passing of at least 2 years of abuse. I really appreciate everyones advice and am going to research more. I think the taper method may work best for me. I know im not ready to confess yet to my family for professional help , and ive tried cold turkey and have yet to be sucessful. Once again thanks for everyone being so nice. I feel guilty that i can confide in strangers and not my family , they are very good people , its just i dont want to worry my mother and family with something im hoping i can solve myself.
You said my magic word. SECRET
I still call my past that. I did it on my own. I think you can too.
I love your screen name! I too was horrified that someone may find out who I was. I was so embarrassed of my problem.
You'll feel comfortable here. So can you give us more information?
I still call my past that. I did it on my own. I think you can too.
I love your screen name! I too was horrified that someone may find out who I was. I was so embarrassed of my problem.
You'll feel comfortable here. So can you give us more information?
If you have access to the computer often this forum is great for venting and for support. Many are or have been where you are now. You can do this and although I am not a huge fan of the Thomas Recipe, I personally think that the Amino Acid Protocol helps a ton. It is also in the health pages. Read and post. You CAN do this.
You didn't say how many you take. But if you want to try and do it at home with the least noticeable effect, I think tapering is better. But I alway say it worked for me, and you have to be able to stay on track with the taper schedule. If you try to "get high" at any point during the taper, you will have a tough time.
I was, more or less forced to go Cold Turkey, this time around, and this time for is the worst by far. I am in 8 days, and still do not feel well. Still not sleeping which makes it worse during the day, as I zombie around waiting for nightfall.
I don't want to paint a hellish picture for you. Depending on your dosage per day, will depend on how you might taper, and if you just quit, and are taking several a day, then be prepared for the worst "flu" you have ever had. That's what I felt like to me, and others it seems. You can pass off the flu for about 5 days, and then you might start getting the " are you ever gonna get better questions " that I got!!!! Just say, " I can't help it". And keep on fighting..
Good luck and congrats for quitting.
I was, more or less forced to go Cold Turkey, this time around, and this time for is the worst by far. I am in 8 days, and still do not feel well. Still not sleeping which makes it worse during the day, as I zombie around waiting for nightfall.
I don't want to paint a hellish picture for you. Depending on your dosage per day, will depend on how you might taper, and if you just quit, and are taking several a day, then be prepared for the worst "flu" you have ever had. That's what I felt like to me, and others it seems. You can pass off the flu for about 5 days, and then you might start getting the " are you ever gonna get better questions " that I got!!!! Just say, " I can't help it". And keep on fighting..
Good luck and congrats for quitting.
How many r u taking each day? many taper and many CT...alot depends on the dose u r taking and everyone is different...it is possible to quit at home...go to the health pages and read the thomas recipe and also the article on tapering...keep posting
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