Pain pill addiction

[Crosby708]

I'm a 25 year old male who has been taking a few kinds of pain killers (tramodol,oxycotdin,and hydromorophone). I have been taking tramadol for about two years and the other two for about 5 months. I believe that I'm addicted to these pills because i crave the feeling that i get from them. I always have to take them to make myself feel normal. I had a presription for the tramadol and I don't really take it anymore. I do however take the other two about three to four times a day. I just wanted to know ways i can get myself off these meds before it gets worse.
Any answers would be helpfull and trust me most appreciated. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELP.

[grievingwidow]

I admire you for realizing you have a problem and wanting to do something about it before it gets worse.  If only I had done that years and years ago.  I think most people here would recommend that you taper off  the meds.  We have some who have done it cold turkey but going into complete withdrawal is pure agony, for one thing you just about have to take off work if you do it that way.  I have experienced withdrawals from oxycontin and it is not a pretty site. I would definitely recommend tapering.  I am not sure what dosages you are on but you might post back and someone will be on here soon who can help you with a taper schedule I am sure.  Again, you are so smart to get a grip on this thing right now without letting it go any further.  Don't be like me and keep putting it off.  Good Luck.

Love, Cindy

[Crosby708]

40mg oxy tabs, 4mg hydrmorophone tabs, and 37.5mg/325mg tramodol/acet tabs are the doseage, but i have not taken the tramodol solid for about 4 months. Once in awhile i will take tramodol if i'm low on the others. I take these meds at all different times of the day or if I have the burning sensation that i need them. Sometimes its only three times a day all the way to 4 or 5. Its just that some days I have stronger urges to take the meds. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE HELP.

                                     LOVE,
                                            LEE

[stayathomemom]

I am new here but I had to respond to your issue. I took Tramadol for an extended period of time and the withdrawals from it were way worse than withdrawals from hydrocodone. I thought I was going to die and could not even get out of bed. I am on day 4 from withdrawal from hydrocodone and I feel so much better. I think you really have to have in your mind that you want to quit as I have tried to quit before and evidentally was not ready because I went back immediately. This time however I am on a mission and although I still have severe cravings I also know what my life was like on the pills and it was not fun. Good luck to you and I will have you in my thoughts.

[ohsnap]

Everyone goes about quitting in a different way.  Some taper, some c/t.  You must do whatever is right for you.  If you believe you are strong enough to taper, then do it.  If not, c/t may be the answer.  But you must prepare yourself for withdrawels.  Vitamins, rls meds, anxiety meds (herbal or prescription), lots of water, good nutrition, something to help you sleep, etc.  There are many people here who are very educated in getting off pain pills, so I am sure they will have much better advice than I.  I wish you luck in all that you do.  And keep coming here, it really is a lifesaver!

[larbec7]

What can I expect with withdrawlas day one, two three and so on.  How long do they last and what meds can i take to help.  I went CT today and just feel strange.  I picked a pill up this morning and said NO!!! and put it back in the bottle.  BTW, I am at work.

I read this article ona board from you:

I, as a 6 year perscription pill abuser would like to report an unexpected success in the area of self-treatment. I have found success in recovery with the use of clonidine. I have found that after a relapse one can actually forgoe 95% of the pain of withdrawl by careful use of clonidine. I usually will take two 0.1mg tablets before bed, leaving two additional tablets by the bedside. When withdrawl is in full effect a patient/abuser can rarely expect more than 4-5 hours of uninterupted sleep. When I wake, I quickly take the two other clonidine tablets and wait to fall back to sleep. In addition my doctor has me using the Anti-depressent/Sleep medication Trazadone. Using this method one can expect to get 6-8 hours of sleep or more. Also, by maintaining clonidine in the blood supply one tablet every 6 hours while awake will have the effects of keeping muscle spasms to almost nothing. I have found that by keeping the physical symptoms to a minimum, the focus becomes the inherent depression one feels during withdrawl. I keep my mood up by watching fun entertaining movies and eating "comfort foods". NOTE TO EVERYONE: If an patient/abuser is taking powerful doses of dangerous narcotics in large quantities this method does not help. This method is useful to pain-management patients and pill abusers that use between 1 darvocet (very weak) per day to 2 percocet (very strong) four times a day for long periods of time. This method has the best effect for patients/abusers using hydrocodone 5/500mg three times per day.

Many doctors I have spoken with feel that an abuser should feel the pain of withdrawl so they are relunctent to make the same mistake twice. I understand the logic in this, but I can't help but feel this information would benefit doctors that have patients that become addicted through no fault of there own.


I have what is needed and want to quit.  I have been on Hydros for 4 years 6 pd 10/325 under pain management doc.  I have noticed I am getting shortness of breath for the past 9 months and went for a stress test.  They say everything was good but my Xray came back "it coule be abnormal" so they want to do a cardiac catho on me next week.

Do you know, an the Hydros cause the shorness of breath?  My doc says no but I think different.

If I do as you suggest about the clonodine, will I have any withdrawals, can I work.  I used them before to help me sleep and they did great.  I went off off the hydros after a facet.

Thanks

[pookiee]

I am trying to get off oxycontin 10 time release pill. I have let my self down on several occassions by relaps when i had been clean for 2-3 weeks. Something happen or goes wrong and i turn back to the pill. Hear recently i took more than i usually do and wanted to know if anyone knew what the limit was before OD on this drug. i found myself wondering why i allow myself to take so many a day and my side has cramped before i know becasue of the drug, so why do i let me self down. I am in a process of turning this into a life changing event and never picking one up again. i am strong and will do this somehow. i know it, but i am 33, 230 lbs and want to know how close i came ? I do have problems that cause me to take them ( medical ) 8 years, but feel i have taken to many at times and soemtimes notice i am not hurting this bad it just takes more now. how many pills of oxycontin will make you OD? i know everyone is diffrent and you are kinda od when you go off the doc precribed amount but in real numbers how many... and what advise do you have when your side hurts, what to take, and sleeping patterns change for soem reason when i am getting off of them.. i cant sleep, i almost want to take one to go to sleep when i am tryingt to stop it is a visious cycle.

[larbec7]

Okay, I called my doc and he gave me some clonodine and it helps you sleep.  This is a drug that lowers your blood pressure.  I take 4 .1 mg before I go to bed (about 30 minutes) then go lay down and I am at ease now.  Will let you know if I sleep all night but the hemie gimmies are gone

[Crosby708]

Thank you so much for your support. I know i have a long road ahead of me and today was day one. I was at work all day where i'm really busy all day long so it was'nt to bad but now that i'm here sitting at home i really want to just pop some of the pills. I'm trying so hard not to have my mind on the things i crave so much so i got some sleeping pills to try and help me threw some of this. They are just some Lunesta but hopefully it will help a little bit when i get further into the withdrawls. Again thanks so very much for everything,
                                                                
                                                               Lee

[Crosby708]

I would need to know how many MGs you are taking to know if it is too much. In my mind right now any of them are too much. So if you post back the MGs you take i'm sure me or any of the other very smart and kind hearted people on this blog will be able to help you with this. Good luck with everything and we are here for you.
                                  With lots of care,
                                                        Lee

[Crosby708]

Thank you so much for all the info. I can use all the help I can get. Let me know how it goes with you. Right know i have some LUNESTA but i'm not sure how it will work so switching to something that will can and will be great for me at this point in time. Thanks again for all your help.


                                             With lots of care,
                                                                   Lee

[Crosby708]

Thank you for the very helpfull info. Even just sitting here typing I think about those pills and how abnormal I feel without them. I did everything while i'm on those things. Go to work take some, go shopping take some, etc... I just have to believe that this is a battle i'm going to win cause if I think pesimestic for a second, I think I may fall back into thinking that it is ok to take all these pills foever. Thanks again for all of your support and kindness.

                                       With lots of care,
                                                            Lee