Think I'm gonna try...

[Sweetness91]

So here I am...ready to get off these dang Vicodin. After breaking my wrist and thumb almost 3 months ago, I have been having to take them an I hate them so much! I ended up having my cast on for 9 weeks. That really su€ked! Three days before I was set to get it taken off, a lady pulled out in front of me on a state route, and I re-injured my thumb again. So I had yet ANOTHER cast. Got it off finally about two weeks ago, and the good news is that my wrist is healing, my thumb is NOT :( The thumb break was pretty severe...3 breaks at the base of the thumb, and a very large break at the joint (kinda where the webbing between your forefinger and thumb are). The doctor said the large break is a nonunion fracture, but that he couldn't keep me "locked up" in a cast. I've had more pain since getting the cast off than I did pretty much the whole time it was on. Learning to do things in a different way with your dominant hand is tough. But anyway, I think I have to stop taking these pills. I just don't want to grow dependent on them. We all know where that can lead us. I've been on roughly two a day. Today I have only taken one, and my hand has throbbed all day, so I'm trying to supplement with ibuprofen. Tomorrow I plan to only take 1/2 of one, and then I'm done!! Some encouragement and prayers would be appreciated. :)

[Jinx_777]

i think your thumb pain will override any withdrawals you may have had if you did not have any pain.
i stopped my bt meds a while ago and have not felt any withdrawals, but my back, hip and pelvic bones are SCREAMING.  they were screaming while on the meds so i figured  why the heck even take them????  

[Sweetness91]

And I feel compelled to say.....I DID NOT give in!!! I stuck with what I had allotted for myself today. One 5/325 Vicodin today. I didn't feel any actual withdrawal symptoms, which is great, but I did have a lot of pain in my hand. So I'm hoping tomorrow will go as today did. I can always deal with a little pain. And I keep telling myself that I will never know the difference between ONE...and...NONE! Fingers crossed :)

[Sweetness91]

Thank you all for the well wishes folks. If I'm not mistaken, I used those patches years ago...seriously, it's been YEARS! At that time, I was on the methadone so I couldn't really tell much of a difference. I think my body was always in a little bit of withdrawal because I refused to go up on my dosage even after 8 years on it. Even with the wrist/thumb problems, I feel better now than I ever did while on methadone. I can deal with the back problems better than I can deal with the fogginess and "high" feeling...not sure what to call it other than high, because I sure didn't feel like myself in all those years. Lol. So now that I've been off the dones for a good period of time, it's probably safe for me to try those patches and know whether or not I am getting relief from them.

I will say this though, I get confused on the ice/heat thing. I dont know which one to try at which time...(does that even make sense?? I know what I wanna say, just not sure HOW to say it. Lol).  Help???!!! Lol.

[meggsmom]

I use the Lidoderm patches and they are wonderful!!  It's nice to be relatively pain-free without all the problems I allowed pain pills to create in my life!!  I hope you find what works for you!!  All the best to you in your quest to give up Vicodin!!  YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[glassguy]

You can do it!!! All my prayers to you :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

[PurrfectlyKrazy]

I forgot to mention that the patches are good for 12 hours using Lidocaine as the main pain ingredient.  They were first made for people suffering from shingles but my doctor and I figured out several years ago that they work for a lot of pain issues.  I love the gel...but you have to reapply every few hours so the patch is good for when you need something to work longer :-)

[PurrfectlyKrazy]

I think you should give it a try.  If he said "when" then that is probably one of your issues.  Also ask about the Lidoderm patches...they are available in generic finally so not expensive for a box of 30 patches...plus when you can cut them down for wrists, fingers or toes they last even longer :-)

[Sweetness91]

After reading your post again PK, I am definitely gonna give that gel a try. I dont know if arthritis could set in this quickly???but I can definitely tell when the weather is changing. The doctor said it's not a matter of "if" I will have arthritis in those joints, but "when" I will in my career and that a change in jobs may be needed. Not sure what's out there that doesn't involve the use of your hands...but whatever!! Lol. Thanks again sweetie!

[Sweetness91]

Thanks for the suggestions PK! I think I have some of the gel around here somewhere. It's probably outdated, but might still try it :)

And congrats on the 8 days!! Time starts going faster once you have a week or so under your belt. My first month off methadone seemed like EONS! Lol. But I have 19 months now so it was worth the wait :)

[PurrfectlyKrazy]

You can do it!  You are one of the fortunate ones who recognize that you have to stop before there is a problem.  I don't think withdrawal will be an issue with you but pain will be.  Here are a couple of solutions that you can discuss with your doctor:

Lidoderm patches (non-opoid).  My husband just broke two toes...I cut them in strips and wrap around his toes.  He said it reduces the pain dramatically.

Voltaren Gel (non-opoid).  The gel is used primarily for arthritis etc. I used on my shoulders because I have arthritis and bone spurs and within an hour of starting work I'll be in agony if I don't use some.

These are the two things that I'm going to be relying heavily on so I can stay off the opoids (8 days clean now yay).

Stick around....over the evening and tomorrow you will get lots of encouragement and suggestions.

You can do it!!!!