hydrocodone withdrawal

[golgi]

Hello,

I was just looking for a litte support. I have been taking 3-4 10mg pills/day for about a year.  3 months ago I tapered down to 1/day but could never give them up and went back to 3-4/day.  Well, on friday I decided I had to stop.  I need to do this.  I took just 1/2 pill on saturday, and just 1/4 pill on sunday.  Today, I have  not taken anything.  I have been uncomfortable to say the least, but not excruciating.  I have resless arms and legs, trouble sleeping, nervous, edgy feelings. I am tempted to take a pill but know I shouldn't.  Can anyone just give me some support and suggestions about what to expect and/or do the next couple of days.  Should I continue with the cold turkey.  I really don't want to take anything today, but my body is asking for it.  Thanks for taking the time to read.  Reading everyone else's posts have been therapeutic.

-golgi-

[kissysissy]

Hi!  I am here for you!!!  I am on my 3rd day of cold turkey, from being on pain meds, vicodin, etc. for almost 5 years!  I know how you feel, and I feel the same way.  Last night I slept, and when I woke up, I was actually comfortable!!!  Hang in there!  Do what ever you can do to make yourself happy...hot showers, music, movies, reading, what ever is makes you happy.  Make a wish list in a journal, and write down your dreams....what you want your life to be.  Pain killers are lying to us.  Try to remember when you were healthy before your took them.
  I am trying to keep myself from getting more.  I need to hang in there too!  I want a better life.  It got to the point where I couldn't move our of bed without taking pain meds.  You know?  
  You can do it!  Let me know how your doing??  I will pray for you, and please pray for me!!
  I went cold turkey, and it is uncomfortable, but we both will be free of this sooner!!!!  And be healthy sooner too!
Your in my thoughts and prayers!
you can do it!
I read the Bible and pray, and it gives me hope and strength~!

[rfactor]

i am with you, you are not alone! day 2 for me c/t and temptation is there but  i will NOT use because it will be the same repetive cycle. i must get off of this roller-coaster ride and try to get myself "together" for i have alot @ stake here, loss of job, etc. just praying i will not loose my sanity!!! trying 2 do this alone is awful. hope and pray that we can overcome this! take care and keep in touch.

[rfactor]

did you take any med 2 help you sleep? insomnia is a big problem for me ambien does not work!!getting 2 sleep is not a problem, waking up after 4hrs of sleep is!!! any suggestions, tks

[kissysissy]

Hi!!  Keep it up!  I am here with you too doing the same difficult detox!  I am alone too, I really can't tell anyone.  When you get to a moment when you are struggling, think of me with you!  We can do this!  Love yourself, and do 5 really special things for yourself today!!  
  I am praying for you too!!
sincerely,
kissysissy

[kissysissy]

Yah, sleeping is sooooooo hard!  I took tylonel pm, and it didn't help.  I have sleeping pills, but I try to not take anything, ya know.  I really am making through the nights with the hope that this will be over soon, and I will be normal again!  I rented tons of movies, and decided not to worry about it if I couldn't sleep, and not to expect myself to.
Every day gets better.  Be strong, and know that pain is designed to make us stronger.  
  I am here for you, and we can do this together!  Your not alone!  Don't give up!!!!!!!

[rfactor]

thanks for the reply and being here with me, it means alot to know that i am not doing this solo. "we will survive" i be praying for us. "one day @ a time" tis a struggle but better now than later, just want these AWFUL w/d to end. again tks my friend!!!!!

[kissysissy]

Kisses to you, my friend!!  We can do this!
Keep in touch!!  Your in my prayers!

[golgi]

thank you both for the words of encouragement.  Sleep is the hardest.  I get 2-3 hours at the most and just wake up with the edgy uncomfortable feeling.  We will make this.  I wish you two the best as well.  Luckily, my wife is supportive.  Upset, but supportive.  I need to do this for her and my family, and myself.

thanks,
golgi

[kissysissy]

Keep up the fight!  Your wife will feel so loved, if you don't give up!!  I am here with you doing the same thing!  It feels like it will take forever, but you will feel better soon!!  There is so much goodness in you that will be able to come out, off of pain meds...and your life will be fuller and richer than ever before!!  You deserve to be healthy again!  Keep it up!  I have written down your name, and others on this site, and I am praying for you all, and when I feel weak, I will find strength in knowing we are all in this together!!  I wont give up!
Sincerely,
Kissysissy

[rfactor]

day 3(almost)9a.m here in alabama, no lortabs, yeah!!!!! struggling i am but we will MAKE it. how are you both doing? long row 2 "hoe" lol a suthern expression but i got myself into this situation and am going 2 get out of it, thru prayers and encouragemnt, advice from ppl like you guys, since i am doing this solo. tks for all. wishing us a speedy journey because it is not a fun one @ this point!!! clean "travels" my friends!!!

[kissysissy]

Hi all!  I am so happy to hear your still makin it, Rfactor!!  This is my 3rd day too!!!  Yeah, we will make it!  I will be praying for you today, and know we are all in this together!  When it gets tough, know we all are feeling lousy too, but soon we will be soooooooooo happy and healthy again!
  Thanks for your encouragement, and for your honesty, and for posting your comments.  They are really helping me!!
   I went to the store last night, and bought some all natural fruit protein smoothies, and fruit n veges...I'm gonna eat real healthy today!
  Your friend,
Kissy

[golgi]

Hey guys,
Hope you all are doing well.  Things seem to be ok for me.  I am now 48 hours cold turkey, and on sunday I only had 1/4 of a 10mg pill, so really I am close to 72hours with nothing.  I feel like I am starting to turn the corner.  I don't really mentally crave anything.  Just physically still have some issues, but not unbearable.  I hope you two are hanging in there.  Try to have a good night.

-mitch

[kissysissy]

Hi Golgi!
  I am soooooooo happy for you!  Keep it up!  I have been praying for a list of people on here, and you are in my thoughts and prayers!!
  Thanks for letting us know how your doing!!  I am not too bad..I just am mentally fighting off my fears of how weak I feel.  I finally had to take a nap.  and woke up sore and weak...I hope this ends soon!
Keep in touch!
~kissy

[mram]

I know a lot of you don't want to hear this, but some of you won't be able to kick this on your own. I know because I wasn't able to. I was a heroin addict for close to 10 years on and off, mostly on. I got into methadone treatment twice and went back to using and got off of heroin and methadone twice only to be dumb enough to go back yet a third time. All the time I was slowly building myself a nice little criminal record I don't even want to think about, but it's there..
Anyway, the third time I tried to kick it was a no-go... I spent a month in utter agony. I had diahrea so bad that whatever I ate came back out exactly as it went in. It didn't change color, didn't digest, nothing. It looked just like a meal. The cramps were beyond belief and I became VERY suicidal in the process. If it hadn't been for my dog at the time I wouldn't be here today, but that's another story. Finally after a month I just couldn't take it anymore. Nothing changed and nothing got better. I had lost about 40 pounds that i didn't have to lose. I got ahold of a methadone pill and everything went away right there and then, but I was still addicted and I gave up and went back to using. I was so desparate that I finally left my home, my wife and all of my kids and grand kids and headed to another part of the country where I knew I could get in methadone treatment and I've been here ever since. The good news is I am now living a drug free lifestyle other than the methadone that is prescribed by a doctor. I never have to go out on the streets risking arrest, risking getting poisoned, robbed, you name it. I live just like anyone else except that I go to a clinic 6 days a week, drink a little liquid then go on about my day.
Methadone doesn't get me "high". It doesn't make me steal to get my "fix" and I'm able to drive a car, work like anyone else and do anything anyone else can do. In short, I have my life back.
It's not for everyone and if you can quit using pills or whatever has you strapped down or chained down then by all means quit! But if you ever reach that point where you just instinctivly know you aren't going to make it then consider going to a methadone clinic. You don't have to be there for life and you can detox off of it slowly under medical supervision. I've known many people who have sucessfuly made it off methadone.
That's my 2 cents worth..


Yours,
mram

[mram]

I forgot to mention about methadone... It has a very long half life and stays in your system a long time. 24-48 hours typically so if you miss one day you aren't climbing the wall like you do now when you miss a day... Just something to think about.

[kissysissy]

Hi Mram,
  Thanks so much for sharing your story!  I know it will help whom ever reads it...wow.  I am almost through the withdrawls, and I am on my own.  My mind plays tricks on me constantly trying to make me go get opiates, but I have really been fighting.  In the midst of my w/ds I rented a movie called Gia, about a model who died of aids, and went in and out of rehabs to get off heroin, but she never really quit for good, and she died from her addiction...It really scared me, that I only have this life to be the best I can be, and I was a heroin addict too years ago...and quit 17 yrs ago.  But the last 5 years of my life, I had been addicted to pain killers...and I finally couldn't stand it anymore.  
  Your life story has motivated me to fight hard not to fall back again...thanks soooooooooooooooooooooo much, and you sound like your doing so much better!!!  Focus on your family and think about how much they all need you, so you can get back to them soon!!
Thanks again,
Kissy!

[mram]

I wouldn't give a whole lot of credence to what Hollywierd has to tell you. They screw everything up for their own gain anyway. Ever see that waste of air time on HBO called methadonia? That was garbage. It didn't portray reality or if it did it was reality for only a very small segment of the thousands currently using methadone. Hollywood can make anything seem tragic and for that matter could turn the public against apple pie and motherhood if they really set their minds to it.
You want to see tragic and have something scare the bejesus out of you? Take a short trip to the county jail on any Saturday night and watch the addicts going through withdraw... that could scare even the toughest of us if we let it. It scared me, but then again, I was one of those addicts in the county jail.. YUCK!
Anyway, stick in there, but don't get it into your head that you are above getting help if you need it.
Willpower is one thing, they wrote a few songs about it, but in reality willpower doesn't mean squat. We all like to put ourselves down because we don't have enough of it. The truth is we'll NEVER have enough willpower. It';s kind of like money or sex.. Never enough..Even if we're getting to much anyway.

mram

[kissysissy]

Hi there!
Ya, your right...Hollywierd!  Not the realist place, huh??
Thanks for sharing how your feel, and for keeping in touch!  Your words helped me alot!  I am feeling better, but still am really fatigued, and I am fighting depression....I feel like just laying down all day, but I am keeping myself moving!
  Your friend...your in my prayers!
~Kissy

[karlrichii]

hey hey folks, 25 y/o male. I've been taking 7.5/500 hydrocodone for over a year (cancer treatment). I've weaned down from 2 tabs every four hours to 1.5 and now just one pill every four hours. On monday january 1st i will quite cold turkey with the help of the Lord,.. anyone got any idea what i have to look forward to?

[mema3]

Read through all the current posts - and you'll see - it is no cup of tea.  But there is a lot of support on this forum - and don't be afraid to post.  

You'll find someone you can relate too - as most of us have - not everybody's theories jive with what you can relate to - but there is a lot of understanding, compassion - and support - especially if you have no one close by who can understand.

Biggest thing I have seen - you have to be mentally ready.  Physically it is a beeyatch - mentally - it is frustrating - all the mind games that go on just to get one more pill.

Sounds like you've been through some tuff stuff already - you've survived cancer - you can do this.

Read through the posts - see what helps during withdrawls (hydrating, vitamins, bananas) - and come back to this forum for support!

[newo171995]

just stopped taking vics 2 days ago after 8 months of taking them and cant sleep at night can anyone help me and give some info on how to help myself get some sleep at night? thank you so much.

[BWillhite]

Hi, there! i see that the last time you posted a comment was in January so hopefully i am too late and you have already broken you habit. In the event that you have not, my advice on sleeping is too take tylenol pm or muscle relaxers if they are available to you. i am currently dependant on Lortabs and have been for the better part of 2 years. my husband shares the same addiction. We both are very aware that this drug has taken control of our lives and desperately want to quit taking them, but, as you all know it is easier said than done!! We always say " this is it, the last bottle, so let's really try to ween down" but, unfortunately we fail every time. Our lives revolve around these things. Family vacations are planned around when his or my refill is due and we both are soooooooo damn tired of living this way! We will spiratically go without due to timing and refill not due yet and those times are extremely tough! the longest we have gone without was 2 1/2 days. We couldn't sleep, obviously, and experienced the restlessness in limbs as well as being very fatigued during the day. I had a severe anxiety attack that scared me to death!! Worse one i have ever had but luckily i had Xanax, which i had to take 2 of and was still up and walking around normal. As aweful as i felt for those 2 days, I still told myself that if it meant I never took another Lortab as long as I lived, the pain is worth it. Of course all i could think about was how good i would feel if only i had one and on the 3rd day our refill came in. I was weak, tired, hurting and depressed and i made the dicision to take one b/c after all, who are we kidding, if they are there......you are ganna take one, right? It's nice to hear that some of you out there sound as if you actually did it!! you broke your addiction successfully and are clean and living the life you thought you wouldn't get to. As for me and my husband, it seems only like a dream right now.

BWillhite

[THE COACH]

Hi, my prayers to you all. Ihad a kidney transplant in 2000. Iam trying to kick the hydro habit.Today is my first day without. What do I have to look forward to and how long will it take? I ask all to pray for me pls....THE COACH

[Spacemonkey]

Congratulations on taking a big 1st step and daring to face withdrawl.  Alot of people never quit taking painkillers just because they are AFRAID of the withdrawl period.

If you've been taking painkillers at almost any level for the past 7 years, you're not going to enjoy the 1st 7-10 days.... I'm sorry to tell you that it's an insomnia laden, bed-covers-kicking, puking, weak, sweaty nightmare from the pits of purgatory if you go cold turkey like I did.... Be alot smarter about it than me:  SEE A DOCTOR FIRST !!!   I found out afterwards that the withdrawal from painkillers can actually KILL you!  Talk to your doctor and tell them flat out that you are trying to get off of Hydro and what would they recommend to help.  My guess is that they will prescribe Clonodine (it's a "milder" tranquilizer that will keep your body from flipping out and your skin from crawling off your body) or MAYBE Suboxone(but please, PLEASE be careful with the Suboxone, it can be very addictive too!)  Both of these meds have helped alot of people get through the worst of the withdrawal period, but there is no easy way out and even with medication it is not something you'll end up saying was "fun".

Good luck and STICK WITH IT !!!  You know you have a problem, so now you have to DO something about it.  Be smart about your choices of how to go about quitting for good and don't be a hardheaded wise@$$ like me and try to go it alone without medical supervision.