Just starting the wd's from norco

[sissy925]

Hello everyone, i've been a lurker here for about a week now and keep coming back because the support here is amazing!!  My backstory real quick....On norco 10 for 4 years now, started out at 4 a day and of course gradually moved on up. Self medicating because they just weren't working anymore. The dr upped it to 6 a day about 2 yrs ago so of course i was up to 12 -14 at the worst. The last 6 months have been the worst though. My husband of 23 yrs has never been a fan of pills and he started noticing that i was acting diff. Started losing touch with friends because everyone just wanted to tell me to get a handle on it and i was hurting myself, well i didn't want to hear that!  Well my hubby sat down with me the other night and gave me a choice: 1. choose the pills or 2. choose our marriage...Never knew until that moment how over it he really was..:(   I have the most loving and supportive man but he has lost so many loved ones to drugs and alchohol..I never really put myself in his shoes until right then when i knew he'd rather walk out of my life than see me hurt myself right in front of him!!  Well as much as i loved those things (and i really did love them!!)  i love my husband, marriage, friends and my job more!!  When i told my boss what was going on and that i was going to need at least a week off she was so relived because i guess i was starting to screw up at work ,,didnt even know it...

Here i am pretty much just starting almost CT  had 2 1/2 yesterday and i had some stomach cramps and a horrible night of my arms and legs going crazy..took a hot bath at 2:30 this morning and also a 3mg melatonin finally got a few hrs rest. So far today, i feel sooo tired, my head just aches, a lil bit of nausea and of course the bathroom trips have started.. have nyquil day and night, have plenty of water, immodium if i need it. So what now??  Don't want to eat anything to afraid of living in front of the toilet. puking is like the worst for me and i will do anything to avoid it.....Do i need to wean down a lil more or just be done? I want this process to go as easy as possible. I have to be back at work on thursday next week....have been looking for aftercare as well, meetings to go to t help me stay clean.. My best friend wants to go along with me and i think thats great...So thats about it, any advice would be great!!  Thanks

[Sonrissa]

Hey sissy, I'm so glad to hear from you. Please make sure you follow the doctors orders and plan, to the letter. Having your husband control the pills is good. You certainly do not want to put your health at more risk. I wish you the best, and keep posting.

[sissy925]

Hello again everyone, well was at the hosp for hrs and lots of tests. I was having consistent arrhythmia's (hope i spelled that right)  Dr said that something is def going on with my heart and i need to see a specialist asap. Told us in no uncertain terms that doing this was dangerous and suggested that i go back on them with hubby controlling everything until we talk to pain dr and cardiologist. So scary to think how close i was to having another one!! So for now i'm back on 4 and doing ok today. I guess its not to bad since i had some time with none?  Will def check back in when get more news and again thanks to everyone of you for your unending support for me!!  

[ariley13]

Yes, definitely talk to your doctor. Be honest and get a good taper plan set up. This is definitely a situation where caution needs to be taken.  It sounds like you already have a good plan set up with your husband controlling your pills for you. Please keep us updated and take care.

[Sonrissa]

OK, first of all, no one will think you are a failure! Don't even go there. This heart attack thing puts a completely different spin on things! I think you are doing the right thing by seeing a doctor, now! Be completely honest with them about all your issues, and whatever they and you determine to be the best course, follow it! You will have support here no matter what! Take care, and please let us know what happens after you see the doctor! Best of luck. Hugs!

[dominosarah]

You havent let anyone down.  You have actually stepped up to the plate and are looking out for your health.  Tapering is the best thing for you due to your medical issues.  Please dont think anyone here is feeling let down.  Your safety is the most important.  Let us know what the doctor says when you can.  We never fail as long as we keep trying~

[sissy925]

Ok, time for the whole truth, what i didnt' say before was when i went thru the wd of morphine yrs ago they were so bad that i had a heart attack.  The dr's did try to help me but i was determined to never touch another one so no tapering for me. i suffered and in the process almost died. This thing with the norco, my husband is scared to death to see this happing all over again. i'm scared too. The pvc's are getting very bad and my hands have been numb since this morning, so were off to the hospital to get  checked out.  I will probably agree to go into a 6 month taper program with hubby handling everything. Hopefully it will work, I know you'll all be thinking that i'm a failure and believe me i'm thinking the same. Ashamed and guilty is what i'm feeling but more than anything, scared of another heart attack!  I'm sorry if i've let anyone down but i will succeed one way or the other i promise!!  Thanks for everyones kind words of encouragement!!

[VICourageous]

OH! I am so happy for you..I was on a bad ride since the 90s..I have a little over 13 months from 3 meds that I stopped. I will tell you that it was like getting married all over again..He has been here for the last 28 years but I was out there somewhere. You will be so happy and so in Love like you were when you first got together. I am very proud of you to be stating up some of those meetings..Stick with the Process because Recovery is a life long Journey..
Bless

[SuzzQ]

I did the tapering thing and it just prolonged the whole thing.. seemed to go on forever.. I would just stop... because you will keep going through withdrawal for such a long long time.. There is lots of help here... You will see... I don't think I would have succeeded if not for this forum... I'm glad I finally gave up on the tapering and just quit : O )  I have 22 days now.. Soon it will be a month without any pain pills!! I am excited and I wish you the best!! Its a great thing you are doing for yourself and your family!! We don't realize, when we are taking the pills how very much they are doing to us!! Keep up the good work!!

[ariley13]

Hi there! I just wanted to add my support. First off, congratulations  on making the decision to quit the Norcos. It sounds like you have a great support system in place with your husband. That will help you so much. So important to be accountable. Now, have you cut your sources yet? (I may have missed it if you talked about this already. Sorry!) This is probably the most important step in the quitting process. Tell your doctor that you have a problem. Be honest. I know it's hard, but it is necessary. The reason that your withdrawal symptoms seem mild is because you are still taking pills. Even though you have dramatically reduced your intake, you still have them in your system. In essence you are really just dragging the detox process out at this point. If it was me, I would get rid of any remaining pills and just jump. Get it over with. You will have a rough few days, but it is so doable. I would imagine this would be less intense than your detox with the Morphine. Keep in mind though, that the more detoxes you go through, they tend to get progressively worse with time. That's good incentive to never pick up again, huh?! Get rid of those pills and get going on your new, clean life! Otherwise it becomes very easy for us to keep making excuses and using. Stay strong, and be very proud of yourself. We are here for you and will be cheering you on every single step of the way! Take care and keep your head up.

[sissy925]

Thank you all so much!!!  I have to be honest at this point, i did break yesterday and had a 1/2 around 7 last night..:(   don't know whether it was that or that combined with the nyquil but finally got some rest.  wondering though what''s going on cause it's not as bad as i thought it was gonna be?  I had a small very quick (2 months) problem with morphine tabs about 9 yrs ago and the wd's from that were 10 days of the worst h*ll ever!!!  throwing up and diarrhea constantly, there was no relief and i never wanted to touch another one again after that. they were my mother's and since she lives with us they were in the house for at least a yr after that episode and i never touched a single one!!  This go-around with the norco seems to be just ALOT of rls all over and sooo tired and a few trips to the bathroom but no vomiting and nothing you can really call diarrhea??   Still not wanting to eat but forced myself to eat a 1/2 piece of toast. Surprised it stayed down.  Alot of hot baths too..those are the best  :)    You all are great and i appriciate the confidence!!  check back later today..

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome to the forum sissy!!  I get so excited when a newbie arrives on the MH scene...LOL  Another life being changed by getting clean!

Your history, timeframe, patterns and drug of choice (DOC) is pretty much mine too.  Although I had two other drugs added to the hydrocodone.
Since you've been lurking and reading....you way ahead of me already..LOL
I was 55 days clean before I even found this forum.  

Sounds like you have a plan, have accountability and determination and are willing to get some aftercare support, too.  Is your doctor your only drug source?  I'm sure you've already read that we need to cut off and eliminate ALL sources to ensure our success.  How blessed you are to have a hubby like you do....one that loves you enough to set boundaries for you.  

The first 100 hrs are probably the "s*ckiest"....and having off work until next Thursday is a HUGE blessing, too.  Just ask whatever you need to....there is a wealth of help, support and love here...as I'm sure you have already discovered.  Go Sissy......cold turkey at this point will speed things along if you're in "ok" health.  I jumped off at 10-12/day.  If you only took 2-1/2 yesterday....you might as well "let the detox" begin!!!  Rootin for you~

[Rubber_Duck_Dog_Bone_in_the_pool_WhyNow]

Welcome aboard! I wish you success. Stay with us, there are some (many) wonderful people on this site that know EXACTLY what you are going through. Buckle-in and get ready for the ride of your life. I wish you the very best in recovery!  :-)

[Sonrissa]

Hi sissy! and welcome to the forum! It's great that you decided to post. As you've seen, there is awesome support and advice here. I'm so glad you are putting your marriage first. I would just quit cold turkey at this point. You should be feeling much better by the time you go back to work. You will have a rough few days, but you can make it through. Keep a positive attitude. Also, try to get some mild exercise and stay as active as possible. Fresh air, outside, does wonders! As far as eating, try very light foods. Soup, crackers, toast.... That kind of thing. You can also try some Ensures or Boosts for nutrition. I lived on those the first few days.

I wish you all the best! Keep posting,and let us know how you are doing. Take care!

[sissy925]

Thank you so much for your words! My husband will be VERY involved in the recovery process. Since i chose to do this i'm going to make it work! 23 yrs of wedded bliss with this man of my dreams is not going to come crashing down because of these DAMN DRUGS!! Right now the worst part seems to be the headache. stomach is actually not doing to bad right now. Just feel like hell, even with the dayquill..don't know what to think?? Is it gonna stay ok or is this just the beginning of real hell??  Guess we'll find out soon..

[OxyTired]

Good to hear you have moved forward! Weaning or tapering can be difficult, because when you start feeling awful it is so easy to "take one just this one time." If you have someone trusted to hold on to them it works much better. Perhaps your husband would like to be actively involved in your recovery? Or a very good friend. We cannot give you a specific schedule here due to Forum rules, but perhaps your doctor, or some Internet research can help with that
The Thomas Recipe listed on the bottom of this site is very helpful to some. Stay hydrated, take hot baths with epsom salts, watch a lot of favorite Tv or listen to favorite music.
If your health is reasonably good ct gets the detox over with the quickest. Only you are your doctor would know if that is best.
I went cold turkey. 3-5 days are kinda rough but doable. I just kept my mind focused on "When its over, it is OVER" I am at 100 days off oxycodone, and I can not bear the thought of doing detox again.
Most of the worst physical symptoms is over for many people in the first 3-5 days of the "flu." After that it is primarily a mental battle with the addiction beast in your head that will try to tempt you. Just keep your guard up.
In the weeks to follow many people have sleep and low energy issues. Be prepared to be "OK" with that (just happens as part of the process)
Other people will post with their advice and perspectives. Keep checking back. Very caring, supportive, knowledgeable, and loving group here!
Best to you!