Trying to quit Darvocet N

I've been taking Darvocet N  off and on for 8 years now.  For about 6 years it was one a day only because it helped me get rid of my morning aches and pains and helped the first half of my work day fly by.  That satisfied me for so long, but mostly because I knew I had to conserve or I'd run out.  Two years ago, I found a "source", and started taking two and three a day.  One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and sometimes one at night.  Any time I'd have a medical problem (mouth surgery, head injury, anything that caused alot of pain) I'd have to take two at a time to get relief because my body was so used to the drug.  

The three a day habit lasted for a year, and then one year ago, I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted, and had complications.  I was taking two at a time 4 times a day, so that's 8 a day for 6 weeks.  When the pain was gone and I tried to go back to my 3 a day habit, of course, that didn't work.  One pill at a time felt like NOTHING.  So I've been stuck doing 8-10 pills a day for a year.  A few times when I've gone out, I've taken two and then an hour later taken one more, then an hour later one more and then two hours later I've taken 2, so within 4 hours, I'll have 6 pills plus a few drinks.  It's gotten where I have to take 2 immediately when I wake up in the morning, and then I just take two every time I feel the high starting to wear off.  I don't think I've been completely "sober" for two full hours in a year.  I function okay, but once in a while instead of a euphoric effect, they get me all cranky and angry...and I know that it's just a matter of time before my 2 at a time habit climbs to 3 at a time, then 4, and before I know it, it will be even more out of control than it is already.

I want to quit so bad.  Yesterday I took my 2 when I woke up, but then I decided that I wasn't going to do this anymore.  I didn't take any for the rest of the day.  I slept for several hours in the afternoon, and woke up feeling okay. Just some mild anxiety and a mild headache. I took two advil and went to bed.  When I woke up this morning, I felt strong, like I was going to do this for sure, but I was hurting pretty bad (headache and lower back pain, racing heart, anxiety; I had mild stomach cramps too).  I took 2 advil and one darvocet, and didn't even feel like I had taken it.  The high didn't come, but it leveled out the withdrawal feeling.  

I don't want to be stupid and quit cold turkey because my husband and children don't know about this.  NO one knows about this.  I haven't ever told anyone, and I'm afraid if I did tell my husband, he would never trust me again.  We went through 3 years of infidelity (on his part), and I was completely failthful, and that was part of what helped him through it was knowing that he could trust me no matter what.  Now it's been 3 years that he's been faithful, but I feel like I've been cheating on him with these pills and he won't be so understanding even though I'm trying to end it.  So, again, I don't want to quit cold turkey, or it will be obvious that something's WRONG.  

My question is: is it possible for me to do this alone?  How often should I take one pill to taper off, and for how long?  I'm not feeling any real physical symptoms right now.  Keep in mind, up until yesterday I was doing 8-10 every day, and yesterday I had two at 8 in the morning, and didn't have another one until 9am this morning, and haven't had one since.  And once the physical symptoms of withdrawal are gone, how do I kick the psycological symptoms (I have a feeling they will be worse than the physical symptoms)?

Anyone?

[lurker]

Welcome - you can do it but it will take a lot of dedication on your part.  Do a lot of reading here, search for the Thomas Recipe which had a lot of OTC things you can use to help with the withdrawals.  FLaddict can offer a taper schedule that will help.  Post, read and Post- you can get a lot of support here.

[IBKleen]

Hi Hun!

If you want  good taper schedule, just ask. You are right though..the physical symptoms are the easy part. I also knew how to GET clean..I never knew how to STAY clean. That is the stumbling block that causes relapse.

First things first...Again, you are taking 8 a day, or where? Now you are taking 2? Is that right? How many do you have left? I will work with you on taper, or someone else can. Just provide a little info.

Hope to hear from you.

[wannaquit]

Thanks.  I'll do alot of reading.

To IBKleen

Yes, I was taking 8 a day for a year, and just yesterday took 2 only (at once).  Today took 1 in the early am and just took one, and that will be my last one today, so 2 today.  This is only my second day into tapering.

I have over 150 pills left.  It's not the supply that's the problem.  I want to quit because I want to be done with this, so whatever suggestions you have, I'd be so appreciative of, and I am very willing to listen, so be sure that I will do everything within my willpower to take your advice.  (also praying alot and I know that sounds dumb, but it's helping so far).  Anyhoo, thanks so much.

[lurker]

Generally when you taper, you start by taking the total you were using for the day, in this case 8 and spreading it out over a day.  Then each day, begin to spread them out farther and farther.  Your body will tell you if you're going too fast.  You have a good supply so should be able to slowly taper down to zero.  Of course, you did only 2 yesterday and today so how do you feel?

[wannaquit]

Like poo poo.  My head hurts, my back hurts, I have the sweats and racing heart, dizzy, mild stomach cramps...everything mild and just above the level of tolerable, though...I may have to take a number three before the night's over.  Thanks for the advice.  Maybe I am trying to taper a little too fast.  I am just scared.  I don't want to feel the euphoria and remember how much I liked it.  You know?

[wannaquit]

My nose has been clogged since last night.  No sinuses or snot, just can't breathe through my nose.  Is that normal?  I never snorted the stuff; always swallowed the pills...or is this nasal thing totally unrelated??

[lurker]

I'm tapering too and have that same clogged nose thing - I think it must be related somehow too.  I've never snorted either.  I've tried a few different things, saline spray, Flonase - but have to use Afrin every now and then when it gets really bad.  Be careful with Afrin though because you can get rebound stuffiness if you use it for more than 3 or 4 days.

[lurker]

also - you're tapering too fast.  If you were at 8 per day you should drop to 7, then 6, etc. And spread them out.  Instead of taking them all at once, divide the dose evenly between your waking hours.  You won't get the high, which you shouldn't if your goal is to quit.  So if you took 8 pills and are awake 16 hours a day, that's one pill every two hours.  Then in a few days, go to one every 3 hours, and eventually every 4, etc.  It should work, especially since you have a large supply.

[FLaddict]

Aw, you made me feel like I have passed the torch... reading what you wrote about tapering made me warm and fuzzy... someone has been paying attention..

XOXO

[wannaquit]

Thanks.  I was getting discouraged that I ended up taking 4 today, but I only took them one at a time, so I suppose that's what counts.  I'll shoot for your tapering plan and see how that works.  I've also had to break out the afrin; I'm careful with that, tho. I've had the rebound stuffiness before, yukky stuff.  Anyway, thank you so much.

[lurker]

I did learn and pay attention - thanks for your help Stephanie!

[troubleinohio]

wishing you the best of luck. IMO darvocets are worse to be addicted to because they have such a higher amount of acetominophen in them compared to normal hydro formulations (most have 500 mg, though some have 750).  ANyhow, just keep focusing on how much healthier your liver will be when you stop taking the Darvs.   I used them for years too and also took too many, about the same as you, 8 a day was my limit (which is way over the 4000 mg daily cap of aceto!). I did have liver function test done about.....a year ago or so and it was ok then. Im supposed to have another one done now and am nervous about it.    good luck to you and keep us posted.  

[wannaquit]

Thanks for the well wishes.  Yeah, I had liver function tests done last year, and everything was completely normal.  Then again, I had only been doing 1-3 Darvos a day for 7 years up until that point; this past year is when I've gotten out of control and even started mixing the Darvos with alcohol a handful of times, so I'm nervous about what it's done to my body.  I think one of the things that made me wake up and realize that I needed to stop doing this is the fact that for a solid week, every time I feel myself coming off of a "high", I have this increadible headache, so I have to take 3 instead of 2 for the next dose, and I ended up being in this increadible amount of pain all over my body for the entire week; I thought I may have even got ahold of some bad meds, but now that I'm tapering off, I don't have the wierd side effects, so I suppose it was just all the toxins I was putting in my body catching up with me.  Scary stuff.

[wannaquit]

So on the tapering aspect, I didn't sleep worth a **** last night, and I'm not sure why.  Is that normal?  I had 4 Darvos spread out throughout the day.  That's 1/2 my usual.  I see now that I should have done it a little more slowly, but now that I know that I can survive on 4 in one day, I don't think I should up it by one today, should I?  I basically stuck with my regular schedule of taking the pills yesterday, I just took only one at a time instead of two...my last pill was at 8 pm and it's 8:20 am, and I feel strong like I don't need one at all, but I'm afraid if I wait too long, I'll start feinding and feel like I need one.  On the other hand, I don't want to use fear as an excuse to take one when I don't absolutely need one.  Fear is what has kept me here for so long.  I don't really know what to do...

[Jackie63]

I appreciate your honesty about your addiction.  I was once an opiate addict and in Dec. will be clean and sober for 3 years.  I just wanted to tell you that I hope the tapering method works for you.  It never did for me.  People use to tell me that addicts end up in three places, jail, instituions, or the ground.  I didn't ever believe it but, it is true.  I landed in two of them.   I also could not tell me husband, who had also been unfaithful, or anyone else for that matter. I also have a family, was a school teacher and actively involved in our church. Your story reminded me  a lot of myself.  What I wanted to tell you, and not to be discouraging, is that quitting is the easy part.  Staying clean is the hard part.  Get involved in you local AA & NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and learn how to stay clean.  You need to learn how to ward off that craving that will creep into your system later on when you have weened yourself off the Darv.  Oh, and you need to tell someone.  Like they say, find you a sponsor and talk.  They won't tell anyone.  But you really need that someone to talk too.  Trust me I know what I am talking about.  

[Jackie63]

If you don't need that Darv. DON"T take it.  Your body will let you know when it thinks it needs it.  Find you something to do.  Get online, go for a walk, call someone to talk, just DO something.  The more you sit around and think about it, the more you will talk yourself into that pill.

[wannaquit]

How did you get involved in a group or with a sponsor if you didn't tell your family?  I know that's impossible for me, because I don't drive (I had a severe head injury that caused a rash of seizures, and have scarring on my brain). My parents have hosted AA meetings for years, so I have the 12 steps memorized, and I have a copy of the Big Book, but as far as going to meetings, I don't see where that's possible.   I am also active in my church, but somewhat of a social recluse, so I don't have any real close friends aside from my husband.  Not sure who I could talk to about this who wouldn't feel obligated to out me or force me to tell my husband, and he's the absolute last person that I want to talk to about this.  I've never lied to him about anything else but this, but I admit I have had to lie to him a few times to cover this up.  He won't understand, and I'm terrified that this will undo all the progress that we've made since the affair.

[wannaquit]

In response to your last post, thank you.  I REALLY needed to hear that.  My husband just left for the gym.  I should have gone with him, but I stayed here because I felt the need to talk to someone online...so you are a GOD send.  Thank you for the advice.  I'm not inclined to take it right now, because I don't feel bad.  I'm not having any physical symptoms right now...just emotional and psychological.  Think I may go read a book or something.  It sucks though.  It's beem my habit lately to take a couple pills before I do ANYTHING.  Read, clean house, watch a movie, go out...I feel so stupid for doing this to myself.  How did I think it was going to end up???  I know better.

[3grlz'mom]

I know that feeling!!  I used to take a pill before getting my kids up to get ready for the day, getting my kids from school, before any activity w/ them, soccer game.  I guess my "normal" is about like anyone else's "normal."  Just "normal".  Blah.  Sometimes good, sometimes not.  Not always up for the kids, you know?  The pill makes you feel better than normal.  Better than the average mom!!  Who doesn't want to feel better than normal?  My kids deserve for me to be better than normal!  It's deceiving, isn't it?  What a mess it creates.

[wannaquit]

holy cow.  that's exactly why i started taking them daily.  It made me actually feel like I had more energy, more stamina.  It made me feel like supermom, superwife, superworker...plus made me feel good to boot.  What could be wrong with that, right???  Only I know better and I let it happen anyway...

[julio28]

i realy want to stop i been on darvacet 4 around 3 years and just ran out i can get more but i dont want to do it any more been doing 9 a day so i realy need help on doing it( my name is julio28 )

[GoingToMakeIt]

julio, you have posted on an old post. repost this on a new post.(post a question button)

[NoMoreDarvocet]

Hello all. I'm sure tapering off gradually is the best way. I quit my two+ year four-a-day 100-600 habit cold-turkey about 2 weeks ago. I went to one-a-day for the first 2 days and after that, zero-a-day. I was using them to manage my migraines. But while taking them as prescribed, on 03/18, I got a cluster headache from hell. So I decided that NoMoreDarvocet for me. The withdraw symptoms are really bad for about the first 5 days. I mean horrible. I feel like I am not yet done withdrawing, but do feel a hell of a lot better. If you can get thru those first 5 days, you can conquer this addiction. Good luck to you all. God Bless!

[texasgirl36]

how long does the lower back hurt after you stop darvacet? i have been on it for 3 yrs the last yr at least 8 a day. i am a mom and can't do this anymore. i have gained a lot of weight, i have no desire to do anything and i hurt all the time even with the pills. i been off it a wk and a half am doing pretty good other than the lower back pain. my dr says i have a bad back so how do i know this is from not taking darvacet or real back pain? and yes all i do is crave the pills will that ever go away?