Won't someone please answer?

[freisian]

I have been struggling with making the decision to get off of narcotics for a long time now. I am ready to try now. I plan to go CT but have been on various narcs since 1994...yes...1994. Is this going to be dangerous for me? I am taking 40-70 mgs. per day. I do have pain management issues that need to be addressed but I have to try!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been looking for the kind of information on this site for a long time and feel lucky to have found you all. Thank you...

[freisian]

I was looking for answers to the same type of questions. I am first going to plan a couple of weeks where I don't have to work or be with people and can just stay home and hunker down. Then I am going to get the ingredients for the Thomas Diet and get started on this and then get the rest of my plan in place and then I am thinking that I am going to try a "quick taper" over a period of a week to a week and a half or so to see how I do before I finish cold turkey because I have been on narcs of one kind or another since 1994 and I am not sure how safe it is to do it all at once. If I am not doing the taper thing very well then I am going to go CT at that point. I plan to have a support system in place as well as my Dr. on board. I also plan to use some herbs to support the organs during the detox and Bach Flowers to aid with the mental/emotional component. My dogs will walk me so I will be moving and I plan to have good food to eat and movies to watch.
PS...at least your Dr. gave you something to tide you over and give you a chance to line up a new Dr....I once had a Dr. that totally cut me off...now THAT"S abandonment...too bad  I had to go back on the meds for the pain (which at the time was pre- ankle joint replacement so was still legitimate at that time) but it is what it is...

[freisian]

Thanks otoh! I am going to work on the grocery list for the Thomas Recipe this week, get started on it  and start to plan for a couple of weeks...get them scheduled and try to go for this.

[vicki595]

Lee-   Go to the top of this page and click on "post a question".  Then you can share your story and perhaps get more responses.

It looks like your doctor in Hawaii did what he could to assist you. This is not his fault, it's your fault. You needed to line up your medical care as soon as you found out you were leaving Hawaii.

[helpmehawaii]

hi my name is lee and today im starting the thomas recipe. im new to the site and for 3 yrs struggled with percocet addiction and failed every taper. unfortunately i just moved to texas from hawaii for my husbands work. my dr in hawaii sent me with refills only for me to find out i need a triplicate. so he helped once by calling in norco 10/325, and told me find another dr. he was helping me on a taper and i pretty much feel as a dr, he should have never just said here ill call in 60 norco. now find a dr. may sound cruel but ive got it in me to turn him in to dea cause any dr is suppose to not cut you rite off. well anyway. i need support and got no one

[helpmehawaii]

look up the thomas recipe. print it up and go get all its asked for. today for me is day one of the thomas recipe and im scared. but its better then having withdrawls every day of my life. hope you feel better, as im going thru the same thing. we can and will conquer this man made drug, that we take for a real pain related reason, then we get fd if you know what i mean. the law should be passed where no where but being in the hospital as a patient can, should or will an opiate form of pain meds be given. but then again. the drs and reps will prob go bankrupt. get better and look up the thomas recipe, have a huge and understanding support system with friends and family or here or other sites. unlike me, i have only the online support groups. take care, lee

[helpmehawaii]

aloha , my name is lee and im new to this site. today is day one of me using whats called the thomas recipe for opiate detox. i am a member on a few other sites and that was one of the recipes people swear by. i began taking vicoden 5, 7.5, percocet 5, 7.5, 10/325, all for tmj problems caused by an old break and the dr who rewired my jaw screwed up royaly. well here i am 3 yrs later and want off so bad. my husband and i who both were born and raised in hawaii, oahu, just moved to texas for his job offer, mind you i hate it here. by no choice of my own, i had to do a very rapid detox to get me to a low dose of opiate. and boy was it hell. its still hell. im very scared cause i know how bad the withdrawls, resless arm and leg is, and just body aches that makes me wish i was dead. i can feel the pain, and tiredness, headaches and all the other great stuff with opiate detox, but most of all its the mental part. making my mind go and go and go. so my question is anyone use the thomas recipe? a taper plan? any reduction and detox? help i need all the advice and support i can get. mahalo , lee

[otoh]

PS believe me your colon will cleanse itself in withdrawal

[otoh]

you have a great attitude ,looking foward to hearing your progress. it is so funny that us addicts TRASH our body's day in and day out for years, and than we wonder if we'll hurt ourself going thorough withdrawal. go for it . I'm 55 yrs. old and work in a crisis, recovery center fo 15 yrs. none of us are immune. you have a good foundation. keep posting. good luck, we'll be here for support.... whatever you decide

[freisian]

No problem :) although I have to say I am looking forward to getting rid of this s**t! Literally and figuratively! It has been a pretty big issue and I am assuming that once the colon is cleaned out the pain in the joints etc. will reduce. I have already experienced that kind of relief after having a couple of colonoscopies (sp?). After the procedure, even though the preparation fluids were not much fun, I felt so much better!

[freisian]

Thanks for your motivation...
May I ask...how much were you taking and for how long?
I am wondering if I can follow a taper regime too. I have been successful for awhile in the past and then I have a bad pain day and it all goes to h**l...ya' know?

[nursegirl6572]

LOL, sorry to have confused anyone with my "colonic" advice.

I was seeing comments from the OP that concerned me.  One of the big beliefs in alternative medicine is that many ailments, and just a person's basic state of health is directly affected by how much stool remains in the intentines.  As a result of that theory, colonics and cleanses are popular.  MANY alternative med practioners believe to be the picture of health, there should be little to NO stool remaining, which of course, is impossible.  While I won't get into the basic argument as to why colonics are not only not necessary but how they can be harmful...I was REALLY concerned about something like that during detox, where the GI moltility is already at max capacity.

I just became concerned with the couple of comments similar to that.  Just wanted to clarify!

[akitagurl12]

Hi & welcome!  What helped calm some of my fears in the beginning of detox was just learning what to expect from opiates. I had to do it cold turkey because i couldn't follow a taper very well.  It really is just like a flu, & if you can, I would plan to expect not to feel very good for two weeks, the worst is over within days though.  But after that, it really starts getting better.  Its uncomfortable, but really, so is being an active user.  Drinking lots of gatorade & water helped me alot.  And just keeping myself as motivated as possible, and reminding myself that I was doing something GOOD for myself, even if it didn't feel like it at the time.  Taking it a day at a time & just focusing on getting through 24 hours at a time works wonders too.  Theres tons of advice on here to help navigate through those first weeks.  You can do this!!!

[freisian]

I will only be doing SUPPORTIVE alternative treatment I.E. milk thistle for liver support, Bach Flowers for emotional/mental support etc.
Thanks to everyone...I am getting hopeful!
I am going to hit the sack...I have a horse to do in the morning. I will continue to be on this site and perhaps share what I am doing as I go along and maybe I can eventually give back to others as you all have given to me. Thanks...

[freisian]

Thanks! No! I know better than to do that! I was just saying that after not p**ping very well for years and years that it may happen whether I want it to or not!

[freisian]

Ok Vicki I will...I agree, our bodies are very resilient. I am only 52 and have been through a lot already and have some alternative health skills so am hoping to draw upon those too. Also I already eat pretty well and am on some whole food supplements and whey protein and other stuff for the pain. I will be taking a closer look at the "plans" listed on this site and start my shopping list. I just need to schedule a week of down time too it looks like. It will be hard to do if my horsey clients need me ( I am an equine massage therapist) but I will do my best to plan and I guess let folks know i am 'going on vacation' and will not be available for a week or two?

[vicki595]

Did I miss something?  LOL.  Colon cleansing?  That got passed me....

[nursegirl6572]

NO offense to your non-western medicine advisors, but there is just nothing factual to back up that kind of claim.  If you get a medical check-up by a medical doctor, and tell him/her what you're planning, they will tell you if there are any risks for YOU specifically.

Detox/withdrawal from opiates is not something for MOST people that is medically dangerous.  Sure, it is a shock to the system, and you'll FEEL horribly, but without an underlying medical condition, it won't harm you.  

Other meds, like benzodiazepines (ie Ativan, Xanax) CAN be dangerous  to w/d from abruptly, with events such as seizures causing risks to health and safety.  It's a common misconception that opiate detox is very dangerous, not true...AGAIN, if there are no major preexisting medical conditions to consider.

PLEASE do not accept any kind of alternative forms of treatment, specifically dealing with the colon, during this detox process.  W/D's usually cause a lot of GI symptoms, such as nausea, dairrhea, and sometimes vomiting.  If you treat those symptomatically, and ensure your fluid intake is sufficient so you don't get dehydrated, that won't be an issue.  Many alternative therapy practioners are big on colon cleansings and things like that.  Combing a colonic with the GI symptoms of w/d COULD exacerbate the GI symptoms of w/d something terrible and lead to some problems.

[vicki595]

Our bodies get beat up with substance abuse and at the same time they are amazing and resilient.  I doubt that something as you described would occur. Our bodies just pace themselves. You need to help though. As Rick said, stay hydrated and nourished. You may have diarrhea and it's common. You may or may not want to take Immodium and you may get dehydrated so fluids like Gatorade are important to have on board. You need to be sure you move around, as well. Staying in bed, in one position is horrible for circulation.  These kinds of common sense things will help you greatly.

[freisian]

Thank you Rick...I already feel better just knowing that there are folks here that have already done this and I don't feel so alone now...

[freisian]

A healing crisis might be like if I have 3 inches of muck on my intestinal walls (from being constipated for years) and it all lets go at once, the system could be overwhelmed with all of the toxic material and so make me really really sick and then this could be so overwhelming for the body that it goes into some kind of shock or something resulting in a heart attack or something like that.
I will try to get someone medically on board that knows what they are doing. I think that is sound advice...I really appreciate the help...thanks...
What's the longest you have ever heard of someone being on the narcs?

[quitinoxys]

You have come to the right place as you can get alot of info and support here. Before you start CT you should go to your doctor and let him/her know what your doing. They can help you through this and check you out before you start just in case their are any underlying medical problems. When you do go CT you will feel like you have the flu for 5-7 days. Vicki told you about the Thomas Recipe I used it through CT and it worked great for me. Remember to keep yourself hydrated and nourished. You will soon have your life back free from the evil pills. I will pray for you God Bless---Rick  

[freisian]

WAS a dependency counselor and was in NA for about 11 years (until the accident) and hope to use the principles and support once again...just need to find meetings now.
thanks vicki...I will try...have to...

[vicki595]

No...that didn't mean anything to me. A healing crisis? Once "things" get going?   Maybe I know what you mean...no one can predict what could happen to you during a detox...that's why it's best to have a medical person on board to supervise or advise.  Many people do this without anyone so you wouldn't be the first....

[freisian]

Thanks so much for your support. This site really rocks and I have a feeling it is saving lives too!