Need help -preparing for withdrawals

Hello
I've been reading quite a few different articles and posts on going through withdrawals from prescription drugs, and I am scared to death.  Some say the worst is the first 2-4 days, yet others say it can last for 3-6 weeks.  I cannot afford to go into inpatient as I do not have any health insurance, nor can I lock myself in my room and sleep for 4 days and claim its the flu.  Please help!  I have Clonodine at home, but I do have a kidney disease which causes high blood pressure, so I am already taking another blood pressure medicine.  I went and looked on the Drugs.com website to make sure there were no drug interactions between the two, and supposedly it is safe.  My question is, how much of the Clonodine should I take?  And is there anything else that can help me?

[Kevin_Bacon]

Clonidine is actually more dangerous than most think -- it's hard to get even from an addiction specialist ... if you take too much, your pulse can disappear.

I'd advise medical monitoring, esp. with the other BP meds -- in rehab, they check your BP and pulse regularly -- when your pulse drops below 60bpm, no clonidine.

So, you can check your pulse a lot, esp. before a dose (use the carotid artery on either side of your neck), but read up on the makers' sites, and, again, go medical if you can.

You get past day four, you're usually turning the corner.

Good Luck

[candothis247]

I’m 13 days clean off oxys and I used clonodine very sparingly, I have a script for .02 mg, I took little bites off one for 4 days... not sure if it helped, me w/my withdrawals, it definitely lowers your BP, but I agree, you have to be careful with that med, it made me super tired and maybe as a side effect too some anxiety away. Good luck. Keep posting. You can do it.

[Enna80]

thank you for your comments. i havent decided what i am going to do yet.  i think the mg i have at home are either 5 or 10.  but i already seem to be feeling awful. i am super shaky, sweating, and cold, my head is killing me, and i just want to feel better. 4 days seems like forever from now.  i've read that suboxin or methadone really help, but i just dont have the funds to get it from a clinic.  And is it bad that I am scared to call my doctor and tell him?  My problem is, I have a disease, and I really am in pain, and they do help me, but I've gotten to the point where I need to take more than the dosage, I need to just get myself back on track.  And what happens when I get my next fill?  Do I just stop altogether and deal with the pain?

[road2recovery]

I think with you already being on a blood pressure med, that you need to be very carefull with the clonodine..Is this the one you normally take for your blood pressure?/
I really think that you need to be honest with your doctor...first i would think with kidney disease, he would have you on a pain med that is safe, maybe without tylenol?
I am not a doctor or nurse, but I think when someone has an underlying medical condition, then it is not too safe to detox on your own...That is just my opinon...How much do you take a day, and for how long...I wish you the best of luck, and honestly, detox is bad, but not as bad as staying off...We are all here to support you..
god bless
r2r

[whitie]

methadone and sub are nothing but replacement drugs(opioids)

I got hooked on methadone and it was a nightmare to get off, the worst by far.



a few days of no sleep and a couple weeks of draggin butt, will be worth a lifetime of joy vs a lifetime of opioid addiction.

If you want it bad, then you will fight hard for it. nothing like this is ever easy and people differ.

[Enna80]

well that is questionable. my meds have quite a bit of tylenol in them, and several family members have mentioned this to me before. i am just about due for a checkup, so we'll see what happens. i may just bring my father in law in there with me.  and i know that you say that i shouldnt detox on my own, but what else is there to do when i am out of meds?  i feel like i have no other options here.  oh and in answer to the chonodine, no that is not my normal bp meds. i normally take lisinoprol.  thank you so much for all of your support

[Enna80]

oh. i didnt know that. i thought suboxin wasnt habit forming at all. i've heard that methodone is, but i thought that maybe just taking it for the first few days would be alright, but. i dont really have that option either, so here goes nothing.  i just wish that i could sleep through the next week, wake up, feel like a brand new person.

[road2recovery]

I would talk to my doctor for sure about the issue of tylenol and him knowing about your kidneys....I know i have worried myself sick about the damage i have done to my liver and kidneys..i take milk thristle every day, and hope that makes a difference...

oh, you didn't say how many and what you are taking a day...I went c/t off of 20-10mg of lortab a day...I did take clonodine, but very little, mine were .01mgs, I didn't know they made 5 or 10mg?  that is alot..I checked my BP constantly though out my detox..
r2r

[Enna80]

when i got home i checked. i was wrong. they are the .1 i dont know why i thought they were 5. maybe because i used to have to split them in 1/2.  and to answer your question. it depends on the day, how much i take. so i cant really answer that one.

[whitie]

yeah, I started taking methadone to shake off a major norco/vike habit. at first I was like wow, this is the perfect drug !!! no crappy side effects and I feel better in the morning............well I soon discovered that it was even worse to shake off. I could not understand why? I thought it was for addicts and I noticed it had no side effects at all. so whats the problem???


well after reading more about it, I discovered its nothing but another opioid made by nazi scientist as a wonder drug, for warfare use. basically a new analgesic, that is cost effective to make and works great for pain too.  well, the fact remains also,sub(although safe,under DR. care) is an opioid too. so the problem is ones body is addicted to an opioid still. it was really tough beating the methadone,it really clings to the body and mind much longer. I hear sub is just as bad to shake off.

In the end, it just was keeping me addicted to oipioids and then I started mixing them. my mind and my body still required pills, and I was so sick and tired of them.  I never felt right on them, and its so obvious why. like any other opioids,you bottom out and require more to feel good. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be taking 60- 100mgs of the done, sooner or later.........which is insane.

now I am glad I quit when I did, and as you can tell, I am very anti-replacement opioid !!

[123456m]

Chondline is not at all that dangerous but you need to know how to use it.
Now if your on another med for your blood pressure do not take Chondline also.
Chondline works fast so as long as you can montior your bp I would switch to Chondline. It will not make your pulse go away please you would be dead what it can do is make your pulse very weak to detect. When I quit a 2000 mg of Trams per day habit I was taking 2mcg 4 times a day my pulse went down to 63 which is still ok my bp went down to 88/65 for a while and my bp is usually 120/80.
If your concerned about the pills then get a Catapres TTS2 patch good for a week. Cut the patch in half and see how it works if you need more stick on the other half. This med has been used to stop smoking for thousands of folks and has a high safety level. You just do not want to take it with another bp med already in your system.
Peace
Randy

[posiepoppet]

Hi.  I posted about what to expect from withdrawals but have got the most information from reading your post and replies.  I have made the decision to start a 3 week reduction programme on Monday.  So I am psyching myself up for that and I was wondering how you are doing? Mine too is prescription drugs used for chronic pain in the past but I no longer have the pain to justify taking them anymore but need to take them to feel 'normal'.  I am now misusing them and taking over the recommended dose but the more I take, the more I seem to need.  One person has said to me that codeine is not that hard to get off and I wondered what you have been taking and if this is the case.  I know it's different for everyone as different people react differently to different drugs.  Am I worrying about the prospect too much?  I hope you are managing OK and would be glad to hear from you.