Roxicodone Addiction

[buzz7514]

So about 3 months ago I decided to experiment with Roxicodone and come to find out that this stuff is insanely addictive. Well today is my third day clean after admitting I was addicted (averaging about 120-150mg a day for 3 months) and deciding to quit cold turkey. I have read through a ton of forums before I attempted to stop cold turkey and I am currently following the Thomas Recipe which seems to be helping a good deal with the withdrawal symptoms. But even as I sit here at work I find myself thinking about them constantly while I am still in agony from the symptoms that are not suppressed by the supplements I am taking. Can anyone tell me how long the withdrawals last? I am a true fighter (I was on the front lines in Iraq for 15 months my first tour, in some very bad stuff) so I have no doubt in my mind I can beat some little blue pill. However, if anyone has any input or suggestions that might help me through this crazy physical and mental struggle I would gladly appreciate it. I mean when I actually do sleep, which isn't much right now, i find myself dreaming about these things. They are BAD news and I am so ashamed I let myself get to that point.

[micheleTX]

hello and welcome to this forum.  It has helped so many people!  And there are wonderful people here who can and will help you to overcome this horrible addiction/dependence to these things...All I can tell you is what I know of withdrawal and what I have gone through.  I too thought I was strong  and a good fighter, but sometimes that is not enough to turn away from these highly addictive little things!  I took all kinds of drugs growing up, you name them I did them and was able to drop them when I was "done" doing them...but the codeine is a different animal to many people!  It grabs hold and doesn't want to let go=EVER..not with me it didn't anyway.
Anyway, my withdrawals lasted a good 7 days physically.  The bad ones-shaking, cold/hot sweats, restless leg syndrome, no sleep, couldn't eat, diarrhea, runny nose, headache, body aches, etc...started getting decent sleep after 7 days.
The mental part is the hardest for alot of us.  It takes a good while for our brains to get back to "normal", that is-the serotonin/dopamine centers have not been working correctly because we have been medicating them with the pills, so they have to clear out all that mess and start to work again.  This will take time.  You may be confused and depressed for awhile.  I am just telling you this, because it took me a long time to "feel better in the head", and be happy again.  I am about 126 days clean, and feeling good!!  Just try to give your mind a rest and let it take care of itself.  Time will heal it.  It is hard to do, really hard sometimes, it was for me.  I wanted to relapse so many times, but knew what I would have to go through again, so stood strong.  You sound like you are a good fighter, and Iraq was no punk for you I am sure!  Just hang in there, time will make you feel alot better.  You will see :)  I am rooting for you and thanking you for defending my country also :)
Sleep should come soon, it may be from total exhaustion at first, but it will.  Try some hot baths if you can, they do wonders for your body and mind too, help to relax all of you.
Good luck to you, keep posting, so much good information here.

[buzz7514]

Thanks for all the info. I was the same way growing up. Always experimenting with drugs and then able to drop whatever it was without any problem. But oxycodone is different, it took me over. I never knew what addiction felt like until I started taking these. It made me feel how I thought I should feel (if that makes any sense), happy and energetic. I was more than fully functional at work and seemed to want to do anything to help anyone. I live in Florida and it seems like an epidemic down here. My highschool friend died last week from a roxi\benzo mixture. That was my wake up call. I immediately told my mother, father, and wife what was going on and they are all helping me in any way that they can, so I have a good local support system here. So here I am, sitting at work. Legs are going crazy and my skin is crawling. Watching the clock, waiting to get home and soak in a hot bath.

[vicki595]

Hi~  Wow!  I can't believe you're at work!  That's great!  Michele gave you some good advice...you should do fairly well as your abuse was short lived.  The dreams are common and become less and less over time.  Relapse is a huge problem so I think you should head that off quickly by attending NA or whatever similar to that.  You will always have to keep your guard up;our brains like to play tricks and get us to use again.
Good luck~Keep posting
Vicki

[Dafishman]

First and formost,,,,Thanks for your service in Iraq !!!

The least I can do is offer my experience to you. You can see my testimony on my profile. This is a head game now and the enemy is out to kill you so be on guard. Just keep it simple,,,, your only job now is to not physically put that crap into your system.  Here are a few suggestions I gave to a fellow sufferer yesterday.


First - don't listen to bad thoughts or negative feelings because they are NOT facts.  When we stop doing dope our emotions are totally out of whack. Feelings unchecked can take you right back to the dope. Run them by someone you trust or a clean person on this site.

Second - recognize that withdrawls "though they suck" are ONLY temporary. They are the necessary evil to suffer for your upcoming joy & freedom!!

Third - get out of the house. The drug dungeon is what I call it!!

Fourth-  excercise, dring lots of water, eat protein shakes and vitamins.

Fifth- realize that recovery is not an event it is a process. It will be awhile before you are better.

Sixth- take it one day at a time. There is nothing you can do for yesterday or tomorrow.

Seventh- Pray, pray & pray some more!! God has the power to get you clean. If we had the power to get clean we would have already done it.

Your sleep will come back eventually. You are on the right track & we are here to help

I just said a prayer for you.

Dafish

[vicki595]

You can get Hylands Restfull Legs at Walgreens and/or drink tonic water. Both contain quinine which helps the rls a lot.
V.

[abritt121222]

There are a few things that aren't on the Thomas recipenthat will help especially for them restless legs cause that to me is one of the worst parts of withdrawals so when u get off work head to the store and grabyou aome magnesium and potassium and start taking that I would use two pottasiums in the morning and three magniesiums  and then the same at night about 30 minutes before bed they also sell something called hymans restless legs at walmart that will help I used all three things it might not make it go away but it will help alot also get some meletonin it's also with the vitamins it promotes sleep and I used that and also An over the counter sleep aid well hope that helps and feel free to ask me anything and I will be glad to help any way I can because this is a hard fight bit like u said u can beat it u just have to really really want to because YOU are the biggest part of this process because the final outcome is on you all the vitamins and whatnot are just side notes because if YOU don't put all you have in this fight all the suppplements in the world won't help
good luck and Godspeed

Abritt

[buzz7514]

Wow, you guys are truely amazing. I am so happy I decided to join this site. Thank you for all of the support and information. Dafishman, I agree with you that the physical part is only temporary. I mean the way I see it is just like infantry school, the pain and suffering has to end sometime, time to buckle down and get through it. Vicki, thanks for the RLS suggestion I will pass by there when I take lunch and pick some up there. I'm glad I came to work today, it's helping me keep my mind occupied, even though i'm in a crazy amount of pain. Oh well, pain is just weakness leaving the body right? lol Just kidding. Thanks for everything so far everyone.

[buzz7514]

abritt121222, just saw your comment as well. I will try the supplments you listed for the RLS, as I can see it is one of the worst parts as you mentioned. Thank you so much for your post. I WILL get through this!

[micheleTX]

see I told ya, there are wonderful people here like Vicki and Dafish!  We have all been through this sh-- and can only offer you our "cyber" support system :)  but it's all I have right now.  My husband does not understand this.  He thinks I am just bored and need to be fishing all the time lol...anyway, you will soon feel physically better trust me.  Take that hot bath when you get home!  It really helps with the shakes, twitches, whatever your body is doing right now,  also, get some vitamin B-12.  I say this all the time, but it really helps me everyday.  It gives you energy, something I know is really hard to come by when w/ding.  It was all I could do on day 3-7 to get up to use the bathroom, that's how bad I felt, ugh, just thinking about it makes me shiver.  So glad that is over with...
Dafish is right too, pray to God for help.  He really does if you ask him.
Meanwhile,  get you an OTC sleep aid for help with sleep.  Maybe that will help.  Some people swear by natural Melatonin, which you can buy at any drug store.  That didnt help me, but everyone is different.  You have to work, I did not, so I could lay around and moan, but not many people can do that.
Just wait, it will be so much better.  Eating is wonderful and you will get hungry soon enough too!
Stay strong, fight that good fight and you will be so much happier.  I know this.

[buzz7514]

Yeah, it's going to be nice when I can stomach food again and get back to the gym. :) I will keep posting throughout the day. Oh and if it has any relevance to my WDs. I am currently prescribed Lexapro (for anxiety/SSRI) and Lorazepam (Benzo for attacks). I just didn't want there to be any contraindications with anything suggested.

[buzz7514]

Oh and by the way, the mornings have been the biggest struggle of all. Getting up at 5:30 to go to work, ugh. Thank God for coffee, and a lot of it! I just looked over my first post and I forgot to mention that this is my third day clean.

[buzz7514]

Oops, I did mention sorry for the typo.

[vicki595]

Yes...there are some things you shouldn't take : L tyrosine,Sam e, St.John's Wart because of the ssri. But all the vitamins are fine and,also,bananas!  Stay well hydrated.
Keep asking questions !!

Vicki

[abritt121222]

Nope it's actually a good thing to have the benzo for the first few days of withdrawal for the anxiety u will face but no longer than 5 days for someone who is not prescribed it for other reasons but since you are already on it no there's nothing wrong with that but I will say I have heard horror stories about coming off benzos to everyone who has been hooked on them said the wd's are worse than pain pills but I'm sure you have a good reason to have them I'm just guessing from your time in the service and I'm not gonna say of even ask about that because that's not any of my buisness as to what happend if that's why u take them so I'll leave that right there and I hope me just assuming that's why u take the benzos doesn't upset u because I have NO intentions of it being like that

good luck and Godspeed

Abritt

[dominosarah]

Cant really add much more to what others have already told you.  Congrats on day 3 and i am really glad you found us!!!

Thank you for what you have done for our country~~~~~~sara

[micheleTX]

I also had some valium or xanax, i can't remember when I had my first w/d from opiates.  Looking back now, I am glad I did because I was in horrible shape mentally along with the physical too.  I just cried all day, cried for it all   lol...but they did help me at the time to stay somewhat calmer..just try not to use them too much (just my opinion of course) because the w/d from them was no picnic too.  And I did not abuse them at all.  Maybe 3 a day of the 10mg valium and a couple 1mg xanax.  But I do remember not being able to sleep for a couple days after coming off them.  Just to let you know.  I know at that time, if I would have had a whole bottle of them, I probably would have taken more.  Just my addictive personality coming out ;)
Anyway, great luck to you.  Do keep us posted, we are all trying to help in any way we can.  I am supposed to be cleaning house today, HA!   hehe....i am, i am...

[buzz7514]

I don't mind you asking. Yes, I have them for my PTSD from when I was over seas fighting. I hardly ever take them sense my panic attacks are few and far between, thank God. If the pain and anguish gets out of control i'll take one but at this point I can deal with the WDs without having to take them. Thanks for the advice.

[buzz7514]

Thanks Michelle, I will most likely just use them to sleep. I will keep you all posted. Thanks!

[vicki595]

LOL   Michele:  Me,too!  Laundry etc..But,I'd rather talk to Buzz!

Buzz...this is where we hang out to avoid the mundane.  Reaching out is much more rewarding.  :)

Vicki

[buzz7514]

Vicki, put it this way I AM SO glad that I have an easy desk job. Today I am not getting anything done but it doesnt matter because there is really nothing to do lol. I'm glad i'm the only one here today, it would be bad if my co-workers saw me like this.

[vicki595]

I hear you...That's why I was so surprised you were at work!  But,if no one can see you
then I understand. And at least you're getting paid!   When I was withdrawing and feeling so badly,I wouldn't even go out to the mailbox!  I didn't want anyone to see me!
Ohhh...never again!!!

Vicki

[Dafishman]

Yes use the site to get you thru,,, I did. the people here are amazing! Thanks to all above.  Also be careful about using any form of pills. You have already proved to have an addictive personality and the benzo's can be just as bad. We need to let our brains God given natural pharmacy to get back online so you might want to do it all at once. Coming off the benzos later may produce the same w/d's that you are experiencing now,,YUUUUUUUCKKKKK

Keep talking it out bro !!

Dafish

[buzz7514]

Just an update since ill be leaving work for the day here in about 2 hours. The WDs have been pretty consistent throughout the day. But tomorrow will be a better day and i'm looking forward to leading the clean life again. Thanks again everyone and i'll be back on again tomorrow to nag you with more questions and fill you in on my progress. I have to get prepared because, after all, it's going to be another LONG night.

[buzz7514]

Thanks man, i'll only use the benzo's in EXTREME cases if they arise. I will most def keeping talking it out as this this is helping soooo much.