getting on the right track

hi, i am a 21 year old girl from canada. and i too am able to get tylenol 1's at any pharmacy. i started out by taking a few here and there, then i got into taking them everyday. and now it has been a year and i can't stop taking them without being terribly sick. i wish i never started.i used to take 24 a day. then cut down to 16. and now i am serious about stopping. So i told my boyfriend about my addiction,since he was not aware. and now i am more determined to quit. i have almost no urge to get a buzz anymore, but i still think about it sometimes. i am now down to 10 pills a day and am cutting back by one each day. i have had some withdrawal symptoms, but not as bad as i imagined. i cant wait for it all to be over and i can start a new life without this horrible dependancy. it was making me crazy and moody. i only have a little ways to go, then i will be clean

[ILoveLukey]

I have vacationed in Bermuda every April for the last 8 years. I could not believe that, as Canada, you can buy codeine's over the counter.  When I was there last year, I stocked up as much as I could. It was a low dose pill with codeine but nonethless it blasted me that you can buy it in the pharmacies without a script. Doesn't that cause major addiction problems in places where you can buy codeine over the counter? Keep up the good work of cutting back like you are doing. Don't let them run your life. I think it is so great that you are able to do this. Hang in there and keep on keepin on.

[newmanagment]

even with the slow taper, you are gonna experience minor w/d's at the last step. prolly not too bad, but they are gonna be there for 4-7 dayz. just be prepared,and dont let it trick ya into using again!! stay focused, and when it starts to get bad, just member that if ya walk 100 miles into the forest, ya gotta turn around and walk out....

[mr.lucky66]

That's a h#$l of a lot of tylenol to get a little codeine. I know this drug and it can get you addicted but your liver is getting the worst of it. Too much tylenol for the liver can shut it down. all the best

[worried878]

at 500 mg a pill..hefty dose and a motivation to quit but sounds like you have a plan...keep posting...do you have your taper mapped out with a quit time that is a relaxing time for you...like a weekend off or something?  make a plan...keep posting...have u gotten the thomas recipe from the health pages?  also there is an article on tapering that is very good

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

It is sad to go through so much to obtain so little codeine....I have had experience with those things - thats the reason many post here asking for cold water extraction techniques and such - to minimize the amount of damage possibly done by the acetaminophen......being down to 10 per day is a good thing - by the time you quite entirely it wont be so hard on you. Look up the Thomas Recipe on this forum and follow it - it explains a lot - and there are many other little tricks that people will share to make your experience as comfortable as possible.......it shouldnt be too bad for your length of use...........but it wont be a picnic either. Read other posts on this forum - but dont let them scare you too much - these hydros are equivalent to between 3or4 of those codeines and people taking 15-30 hydros per day are successfuly being able to kick their habits - it takes time and discipline........but there are many on this site ready to help you out. Best to you - eagle

[cp530]

thanks for all the help guys. i am now down to 6 pills. and i am having terrible muscle aches and am extremely tired but at least i dont have a terrible migrain like i used to get when i couldn't get any pills. i used to wake up in the morning and have a killer headache, due to my body withdrawling the many pills i took the day before. but now, i find the less im on, the less intense the symptoms are.i am surprised to find that i havent even had one headache. i just hate the nights because that is when my body aches the most and its very hard to be at work when i just want to relax. but i will look at that Thomas Recipe, thanks for suggesting it. and again, thanks for your support

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

Use a heating pad or electric blanket for muscle aches and restless legs - hot showers/baths help also. Use the calcium/magnesium supplement for RLS also. And believe it or not, 800mg of ibuprofen will help the aches also.

[mr.lucky66]

cp you should get a blood test to check your liver out. You were taking a lot of tylenol. all the best

[rob8080]

i kno people who died from taking less tylo in a day..thats crazy ur lucky to be alive,,doesnt tylo 1 hve less codeine then tylo 5,,,,ur better off bein addicted to percs..there are alot harder to get off of ,,even though they have tylo in them its 325mgs compared to 500mgs...ull take less to get ur 24 tylo 1s buzz..but u wont need a liver transplant in the next yr if u dnt need 1 already..& addicts hving more trouble gettin transplants then people who arent

[rob8080]

i kno at least 4 people dead from taking 20 vics in 1 day & it was the tylo that killed them

[cp530]

the sad thing is my uncle recently died from liver problems because of percs and other pain meds. he was only 41.and i still continued to do this day in and day out. but i am so determined now. i have been taking muscle relaxers once in awhile to get me through the day at work. i only work at a tanning salon, but i'm just hurting so bad that it doesnt matter where i'm working. anytime i walk even a few steps i feel so light headed and my body is just giving out...so tired. but im excited for a new life where i dont have to revolve my life around this terrible drug. thanks again guys.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

I had a long post, but lost it to the ether!!! Listen to this advice that you are getting - my liver is about shot - nothing short of transplant will help - much of the damage done by repeated large acetaminophen insult......got that along with the hydro's I was taking. You have already taken more than a lethal amount for a normal person on any given day....4,000mg is absolute tops - considered lethal - although your liver is quite flexible, you can kill it. And you dont have the physical signs to let you know until the damage is done. Think of that along with your Uncle and your desire to take such large amounts will wane as it all sinks in. Just please try and make those right moves in time. Oddly enough you will probably hurt less the further away from the pain pills you get.....my back is also trashed in three places and I was really surprised at how things worked out as I quite the narc's and the pain responded to things like ibuprofen, Bowen Technique Therapy, and chiropractic - - there are other answers out there.....