oxycodone withdrawl help needed please!

[lookingforhope10]

Please help if you can!

I am trying to taper off of a 3-year opiate addiction.  I take 30mg oxyccodone up tp 12 a day or more.  I am now taking 7 or 8 a day and will try 6 a day then 5 a day... I am sure you get what I am saying.  I am trying this slowly for a month to escape severe withdrawls and totally be free of this drug.  I am an addict, I know this, I by the grace of GOD overcame a 20-year addiction from cocaine and then crack,.  I have been clean from crack/cocaine for over 6-years and am planning on going to12 step meetings starting tomorrow. I had surgery for a total ACL replacement and this is how I ended-up with an opiate addiction.  Really stupid with hind sight being 20/20, I do not know what to do about the withdrawls because I had never abused opiates until now and have very minimal experience with this drug and getting off of it for good.

Does anyone know if "escaping" severe withdrawl is possible by tapering?  I expect some symptoms of sweating and cramping, etc. but pray this will last only a month or so of mild withdrawls with my plan of action.  This is my decision and I know this will be the fight of my life...I am prepared and willing to do what I have to to get clean again.

Thank you in advance for your help...if you can.

[lookingforhope10]

Thank you all for your support, good advice, and caring words.  I will start vitamins ASAP and I am trying to detox my body through a natural supplement I purchased at GNC.  I suppose I will be heading out tomorrow and purchasing more vitamins and stocking-up on Power Ade.

Truth be told, I am terrified and feel so lost with this one.  I know all I have done since being free from cocaine/crack and know that I am ruining all of this and any future I may have.  I finished my Associate Degree and earned my Bachelor Degree as well. This is serving me no good, as I am currently unemployable because I am in active addiction again.  My almost 7-year-old daughter has been with me through all of this and she deserves a mom who does not plan her days and evenings around pills.  I am so embarrassed and very few people in my life are aware of my current situation, I keep it hidden.  However, I keep telling myself if I could do it before I can do it now.  I hope I am strong enough to win this because I know I am not strong enough to lose.  I cannot continue to live like this, it is going to blow-up, and I feel this impending doom every day.  Trying to stay positive, as I know what lies ahead.

[FourChickens]

Even if you taper, there is no guarantee that you wont detox just as bad when you finish the tapering. I am with justneeddtotalk, I went cold turkey and got it over with.  Something to think about if you just want to get on your recovery road. Best of luck

[justneedtotalk]

I too tried to taper.....Sometimes I was successful and other times I would just gobble up what ever I had and go cold turkey....Me personally like the cold turkey method....It is kind of like ripping off a bandaid....Quick and painful or long and painful.....You will experience withdrawals as you taper and for me it was horrible....Going cold turkey means 3-7 bad days but then you are well on your way of getting better or 2-3 weeks of tapering having to experience drawn out withdrawals....If one had gone cold turkey they would be 2-3 weeks sober and almost completely out of the woods in regards to physical effects....Sarah gave you some good advice....Take a look at the suppliments and vitamins and start taking them right away even if you are still using.  These need to build up in your system to work properly.  I would also recommend protein drinks.....Drink one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Your body is going to need all of the lean protein in can injest and they have tons of essential amino acids.....Do some research about withdrawal and make sure you plan this out....Good luck and God bless!

[dominosarah]

Tapering will help ease some of the wd's.  Check out the health pages on the bottom right hand side of the page.  Taking some healthy supplements will help also.  You sound like your head is in the right place so that is good.  The mental part is the hardest so am glad to see you are going to be involved in some recovery care.  That is very important.  You can do this!!          sara

[NoOC123]

Unfortunatly there is no sure way to avoid withdrawal. A taper can help ease withdrawals a little, but for me I could never actually last on my taper. If there were drugs in front of me I would do them, I didn't have the ability to look at drugs and "save" them :)

But if you can do a taper then by all means do it as I am sure it will ease your pain.

Besides the taper, you've got to mentally prepare yourself for an opiate WD. It will be 3-5 days of physical pain. Sweating, cramping, chills, naseua, headaches, restless legs, achy body, etc.

You can get through this though. Like you said you overcame a twenty year cocaine and crack addiction. You're a strong person. Fight through the physical WD. Drink lots of water, eat bananas ffor the restless legs. Take hot showers. Melatonin may help for sleep or advil PM or valerian root.

It is the mental that is the hardest in my opinion. The tired, depressed, lethargic, lack of motivation that carries on for weeks. It makes you think you will never have happiness again without pills, but you know thats not really true. Its just the drugs talking. FOr this it is so essential to have after care. You know that, like you said you are in recovery and youre planning to go back to AA. That will offer you so much support and help you so much.

I am 20 years old and was at a similiar dose as you. I was snorting about 300mg sometimes more a day. I went through the WD and it was hell, but you can get through them.