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5587604 tn?1370422748

Tramadol detox

I had an accident over 6 years ago and have been taking Tramadol, Morphine, Diazepam and more on a daily bassis a few times a day... I also get oral morphine in a bottle.. I cannot function without my morning dose.. within a couple of hours of a missed dose i am  in a rage, cold sweats, cant concentrate etc etc.. I have been on Disability benefits ever since my bike accident, i lost my job, my house and ended up divorced... I also smoke Cannabis all day every day. I sit at home alone, i have fallen out with all my family and have no friends any more. I am in a massive rut, 6 years ago i was happy, had a £40,000 a/y job. Now i have nothing and i cant afford a rehab centre which i believe is the only way to quit. left to my own devices i will just keep taking the crap. I do still suffer with pain from my accident but have decided i would rather put up with the pain and get my life back.
I have phoned a few numbers i have found on the net to get advice/help but i think they are more interested in getting cash out of you for residential rehab, well i cant afford that so what else is available? i desperately need some help with this..... Anyone???
8 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hey Buzz, that really stinks that you have to wait 6 months to get in to see your doctor.  It is obvious that you want to get free of these meds and get your life back, and you CAN.  Even if it takes 6 or 8 months, or even a bit more to taper down safely from all of these medications, it is STILL a small amount of time to invest in the rest of your life.  I think there are some really great suggestions in the above posts.  If you can just start with one of these things (the cannabis or one of the pain killers for example), and focus on reducing it very SLOWLY until you can get in to your doctor to get an overall plan in place that will work for you (for safety reasons we cant give exact tapering schedules - just think slow and steady!).  You will likely start to feel w/d symptoms as you start to taper.  If and when this happens, post here for some suggestions regarding remedies to help with the specific symptoms you are having.  There are always people here willing to offer support and help; people that have been through the exact same kind of situation.  It helps so much to know you are NOT alone.  One year ago I never would have believed that I could be free of all opiates, benzos and sleeping aids - but I am.  Still a 'work in progress'; but a clean one nonetheless - and you can be too.  Stay positive and strong and get support wherever you can - tell a friend, a family member, maybe look in to meetings; any kind of group support.  And please keep posting - we are here for you :)
Helpful - 0
1855076 tn?1337115303
Sorry to hear about your accident.  I had an injury to my cmc joint in my thumb.  Was supposed to have a joint replacement, three months of therapy and after, I'd be painfree.  That was in 2007.  Reality was the joint replacement failed.   And I developed RSD.  My pain was very bad.  I was on Fentanyl, morphine ir, morphine er, OxyConton, oxycodone, Cymbalta, cloniidine, ambien, ativan, nucynta, and more.  I foolishly tapered way too fast and caused myself a lot of pain.

While you're waiting for your pain clinic appointment, why don't you try tapering off one med that's safe.  Some you'll have to have your doctorhelpyou with.  However you look at it, you need to do this slowly.  You're on lots of meds and high doses.  It's important to go very slow and try to stay positive.  You may find your pain increases through this and that's normal.  It's rebound pain and eventually your pain will reset to what your 'real normal' pain level is.  

In the meantime, look into the Thomas recipe and stock up on the suggested supplements.  Believe me, you can do this.  Start by picking one med you'll taper from.  Go slow.  This is important. I was so anxious to get off I went way too fast.

You probably won't notice any difference for a while since you're on so much.  Even so, still go slow.  We can't give taper schedules here but the plan should be something like cut a tenthof the dose, stay on that a few days and when you're stable, drop again.  It's keytonot go backup as it reallyconfuses your body.

Drink lots of non-caffeinated fluids and try to eat as healthy as possible.  Post and get support.  If you start having withdrawal symptoms, post and you'll get great suggestions.  For every bad withdrawal symptom, you'll find lots of things you can do to minimize them.

Keep posting.  There's terrific people who will help you through this.
Helpful - 0
4522800 tn?1470325834
Wow Buzz sorry to hear that you are on such a mix of meds. You have every right to talk to a Dr & tell them you have had enough with these meds. I did a c/t from 3 meds one of them a benzo..I do not recommend it either..Do talk to a Dr because they know your health issue.. But if you are alone and can take one away slowly at a time that would be good..Most likely you can not do this alone! If you can find someone to hand the meds out as you taper that will help with not being able to get more when the mind does plays tricks and thinks it needs more. You also can hit a meeting and someone in there will surely hold the meds for you and hand them out..Kind of like a temporary Sponsor until you do find someone you want to sponsor you..You do not have to do this alone.The Big thing is that you will feel your brain, thinking and judgements come around much more clearer..It is so awesome to feel normal again or as normal as we can get! Ha! I do wish you the Best! I also would hold the benzo for last..It will be very helpful during the detox..OK
Bless
Helpful - 0
5587604 tn?1370422748
Thanks for your reply, at the moment i am taking 30 mg's of morphine sulphate  twice daily but boosted up with oral liquid as and when i need it, 10 mg's of Diazepam twice a day, 100mg's of tramadol 4 times a day most days. I also take med's for cramp's and stoumach ulsers caused from all bthe med's. I also take anti depressants and 600mg's of Pregabalin which is a nerve repair drug. I smoke the cannabis to help calm me and to avoid taking more Tram's.... I think that after reading all the reply's to my post that i should try to cut out one at a time but god im scared... I know how much i panic when ive forgotten to take my med's and go out.. I have to turn round and go home immediately.
To those that brought it up, YES i also want to give up smoking cannabiss too, i had never tried it before my accident..
I have a problem with my G.P in the fact that he will not mess with my prescription because it was set by my local Pain clinic at the local hospital, therefor i have to make an appointment to see them which can take up to 6 months before i see anyone. This has been a massive hurdle for me when ive planned a detox before, its so easy to admit defeat and carry on as you are.. I am so glad i have found this forum. Thankyou for all your supportive comments, i wish you all well.     Buzz
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello buzz1971 and welcome.  Congrats on your decision to get off of these meds; it may not be easy but it can be done and you can get your life back.  I do have experience with all 3 of the drugs that you are taking; mostly with the Tramadol, which I took for about 15 years at very high doses.  Please do not attempt to quit all of these meds at once!  The safest way to do this would be with the advice and guidance of a doctor who could assist you with a taper plan and monitor your progress to ensure your general health is not jeopardized.  At the least, I would NOT quit the Diazepam suddenly without tapering; as I believe this one to be the most dangerous in terms of seizure risk.  I also agree with the above member in that this may help a bit with the w/d symptoms from the other 2, and I would leave it for last as well.  As far as the opiates go, especially if you are taking large amounts, reducing each to a safe level before jumping off is the BEST way in my opinion.  How much of each of these are you taking on a daily basis?  At one point I was on all of these at once too.  The morphine was added as a result of spinal surgery; I was on it for a couple of months total and actually did not have any trouble taking that one out of the mix.  The Tramadol however was a different story.  I tried several times to taper and could not do it.  I ended up quitting it cold turkey from a very high dose.  The detox was extremely intense but I got through it fine.  This is NOT however the way I would recommend doing it, especially if you are taking it at high doses.  That was a little over 6 months ago and it has been tough, but every minute has been worth it.  Pills no longer control my life or determine how my day is going to go.  You can do this.  Please stay with us here; there are lots of people that have been there and done it, or are doing it right now.  Keep posting for support as you go through this process - you are not alone!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry to hear about whats been going on with you. Like atthebeach said, there is hope for you.

We have many people on our forum who have been on those 3 drugs. One of the top addiction answerers got off of Tram after being on it for 15 years.  My uneducated guess is; you'll have to taper off of each one slowly to a safe level before jumping off of the final amount, leaving the Diazepam for last. That drug, at least in my estimation, will help you along as you go thru the WDs from the other two. Never try to quit all 3 at once!  I'll leave everything to the people on here with more experience with the meds you mention. I just want to let you know you have my utmost support on here. I'm also a member of NA and AA. Those programs have saved my life. You need all the support of people in recovery you can muster. Always remember that our addiction's greatest enemy is the addict who's in recovery.

I wish you well, stay with us on here.
Helpful - 0
1235186 tn?1656987798
I am so sorry about your situation. i want you to know that there is always hope.......
It isnt safe to go cold turkey from tramadol or diazepam, both of these meds need to be tapered to prevent seizure and a long uncomfortable detox.
We are so glad you found us. We are here to encourage and support you.
Many people detox at home. Your desire to get your life back have to outweigh your desire to use.
Can you tell us how much of each med you are on?
Do you think you can do a taper plan on your own?
Can you get yourself to some support groups? They are free AA or NA?
The only criteria for the meetings is a desire to want to be clean.
Faith based programs are free maybe a small nominal entrance fee you could check that out.
Please keep talking to us,
Sending prayers, keep the faith,
Remember this is always hope.....
Debbie
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Welcome Buzz.   You have come to the right place for help and guidance, if you are ready to give up ALL the drugs you are currently taking.  Many of us on here suffer from chronic pain, migraines etc and we do it naturally. PS: That does NOT include cannabis!  I am not sure what facilites/programs they have in the UK so I will let someone else assist on that portion, but you can stop!  I would go cold turkey since you currently have the time off to do so, but I would need to know how much Tramadol you are taking and the dosage size.  I sent you a message as well with some additional guidance.  We are here for you, but we also need to know if you are ready to stop using ALL the drugs and any drugs moving forward?  You can do this!
Helpful - 0
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