I think this is day 4 off Hydrocodone and I'm doing okay so far. I was on 4 hydros a day for severe hip arthritis, which isn't much compared to the high doses I've seen from some, but I was on it for a couple of years. Incidentally, I always obtained my meds legally from one doctor, a pain specialist. A few times I ran out of my prescription a few days before I could refill it though. Not fun. If I hadn't had a hip replacement I would be in a wheelchair right now. As for the withdrawals, I have tramadol for the aches, but I'm only taking one or two a day. I've only been taking those for a few days. Honestly, I don't think they make much difference at all. I feel very lethargic and really wanna lay in bed. My hubby will rub my back a little, but he really doesn't "get it." About a month from now I'm scheduled to have a hysterectomy and my pain specialist said I may indeed need more pain medicine than an average patient because I was on hydros for so long. Not looking forward to lying in a hospital room moaning in pain. I went through that for my hip replacement. The pain meds they gave me the first 48 hours after that surgery were totally inadequate and all I did was moan and weep.