Aa
wanting to stop percocet
hello everybody im new here and my first time posting. im glad i've found somewere i can talk to people about my problems and that i seek help with my drug abuse... im not the best with grammar but i hope you guys can still help with any advice. its been since april 2007 since i've been using opiates.. i started out messing with lortab 10's (about 2 a day) and now ive kicked it up using percocet 10/325 and im eating about 6-8 a day.. im 24 years old weighing about 110lbs (small guy i know)....
it finally kicked me in the face the other day i ran out of percocets for 2 days and i found myself sweating and feeling like ****, i couldnt work and did not have the motivation to do all the things i normally would... i thought i was sick and coming down with a flu.. till i realized i was going thru withdrawals and it scared the hell out of me.. then i knew i had a problem and i realized i dont want to go down this path anymore and need to kick this habit before it turns into something worse later on.. well.. i dont know whats the best way for me to go about it.. i know i dont want to just flush all my pills in the toilet and feel like complete **** for so so days.. but if i were to do that how long would the WD's last?? and if i slowly stop taking these drugs how many should i start taking a day for how long? so on and so on.. im realizing that these drugs and starting to take controll of me but i know if i dont takem tomorrow or the day after that im going to go crazy and feel the need to "have them" in my system to make it thru the day.. if anyone out there is reading this, please give me some advice the best way for me to quit this bad habit..
THANK YOU ALL!!
it finally kicked me in the face the other day i ran out of percocets for 2 days and i found myself sweating and feeling like ****, i couldnt work and did not have the motivation to do all the things i normally would... i thought i was sick and coming down with a flu.. till i realized i was going thru withdrawals and it scared the hell out of me.. then i knew i had a problem and i realized i dont want to go down this path anymore and need to kick this habit before it turns into something worse later on.. well.. i dont know whats the best way for me to go about it.. i know i dont want to just flush all my pills in the toilet and feel like complete **** for so so days.. but if i were to do that how long would the WD's last?? and if i slowly stop taking these drugs how many should i start taking a day for how long? so on and so on.. im realizing that these drugs and starting to take controll of me but i know if i dont takem tomorrow or the day after that im going to go crazy and feel the need to "have them" in my system to make it thru the day.. if anyone out there is reading this, please give me some advice the best way for me to quit this bad habit..
THANK YOU ALL!!
There was a time that I was in your shoes...I realized my problem with pills was escalating ...I knew what I should do, but I elected not to. Very poor decision...my fiance and I could have saved so much if we would have stopped at that point. We used for another year or so...moved on to stronger pills, stronger methods...those percs won't do the trick much longer my friend.
To shorten it - we ended up at the methadone clinic, now we have that demon to battle. Your wd from percs will feel terrible - I know, but it will only get worse.the longer you wait. You can do this if you want to. Take the vitamins and minerals, drink LOTS of water, exercise, positive thinking, frequent baths with epsom salt, and all the other great suggestions from these angels here!
To shorten it - we ended up at the methadone clinic, now we have that demon to battle. Your wd from percs will feel terrible - I know, but it will only get worse.the longer you wait. You can do this if you want to. Take the vitamins and minerals, drink LOTS of water, exercise, positive thinking, frequent baths with epsom salt, and all the other great suggestions from these angels here!
Welcome to the forum.
You say you've been using since April 2007, so thats less than a year. Hopefully the length of your withdrawels will not be to bad. Like Greebo said 5-7 days.
I vote cold turkey too.
Take your last pill on a friday morning, flush the rest or you will not make it. You'll end up being very tired thru work on friday but you can do it. Tell people you think your coming down with something. I don't know what your job is, but Day 4, Monday you will still feel like chit, and might be able to get thru the day if you sit at a desk. But people will see how bad you look and probably send you home. People don't want to catch the flu. Let them see how bad you feel, and tell them you've been sick all weekend. That may get you another day or 2 off work. By day 5 or 6 you should be feelling alittle better, then better each day after.
Good luck , keep reading and posting.
You say you've been using since April 2007, so thats less than a year. Hopefully the length of your withdrawels will not be to bad. Like Greebo said 5-7 days.
I vote cold turkey too.
Take your last pill on a friday morning, flush the rest or you will not make it. You'll end up being very tired thru work on friday but you can do it. Tell people you think your coming down with something. I don't know what your job is, but Day 4, Monday you will still feel like chit, and might be able to get thru the day if you sit at a desk. But people will see how bad you look and probably send you home. People don't want to catch the flu. Let them see how bad you feel, and tell them you've been sick all weekend. That may get you another day or 2 off work. By day 5 or 6 you should be feelling alittle better, then better each day after.
Good luck , keep reading and posting.
Wow , You are good. Those post above are excellent. You are such an asset to this forum. We missed you. Mary
Thank you for replying back so fast and with all the info you have given me... i dont have much time i can take off of work without getting into trouble.. im really scared of the withdrawals i once felt if i just stop using them CT.. but if the symptoms are only for a few days i think i can do it, i just dont want to feel like that for weeks thats what im afraid of because i know i couldnt goto work like that feeling like poop.. do you think since im eating 6-8 percs a day my symptoms will last a long time? im really scared and want my normal life back.. i have a great family and friends that dont have a clue what i've been doing and would just crumble if they found out.. every pill i eat, i eat with guilt.. but i know if i dont take it my body will act different in a real bad way... THANK YOU again with any more advice and hope you can give me..
Some reading on tapering and addiction in general (knowledge is power):
(I vote you go CT and get it over with...)
Time for some technical talk... One of the things which increases "dependence" is a spike in drug blood plasma levels. Addicts do this on purpose to get a "high". They do it by Snorting (Very fast delivery), IV Injections, Chewing up meds and taking on an empty stomach.
The above all produce the most amount of drug in the blood in an attempt to get a buzz. These spikes are one of the reasons we addicts get hooked faster than a COMPLIANT Chronic Pain Patient.
Being compliant means they take only as directed. The goal of compliance is to maintain an even blood plasma at the minimum amount to treat PAIN and NOT to produce euphoria (a high).
Since the blood plasma levels are lower, the levels of dopamine at the synaptic cleft do not spike so the receptor sites do not downregulate or decrease in number in response to the initially MUCH higher level of dopamine released as a result of spiking.
Addictive dosing behaviors, the large doses associated to Spike the blood plasma level, vs the lower low dosing and more often which is the KEY factor to the physical changes the brain makes which cause dependency.
Dependency is the actual physical changes to your body which cause withdrawal. Addiction is the BEHAVIOR of taking the drugs to get high, not as prescribed, and when not needed for clinical reasons. It is the un-manageable behaviors associated with lack of control.
Which comes first... Dependence or addiction? Usually it's addiction, but it can be the other way, but the key issue which causes the progression of addiction are the behaviors.
Addiction is what makes you take more and more, spiking doses, etc. This in turn increases dependence. The higher your dependence the higher the tollerance... Round and round you go. The addiction merry-go-round.
How to break the cycle? The only way is to change the behavior. That is a very difficult thing. Pain is usually a very good motivator. So is Euphoria. When the pain out weighs the euphoria one starts to consider breaking the cycle. Unfortunately the pain being eliminated by the drug is a driving force. Then the addict associated the RELIEF of th pain to the drug instead of the drug being the CAUSE of the pain.
SOoooooooo what to do? Break the cycle.
Many have to hit bottom to do that. That's the point where the pain of using overwhelms the relief of using. It's an emotional point which is different for different people. Not every one has to hit a bottom to quit. The sooner you quit the less pain and suffering you have to experience.
For folks who are on smaller doses and their disease has not progressed very far, they have not felt the extent of pain addiction can cause. Only conceptualizing how bad it can get may not be good enough to motivate a person early in addiction to quit.
Intellectually we know what lays ahead. We hear the truth from others, but yet we continue to use. It is not until we get a glimpse of the pain that lays ahead do we become to believe we need to quit. One HAS to believe that in fact addiction does lead to the loss of everything and eventually Jails Institutions and Death.
Addiction is a lot easier to nip in the bud physically but maybe not emotionally because one has not experienced the pain first hand. Some need more pain than others to quit. Some don't make it and end up end stage and their addiction wins.
If you want to get off of the pills you have to change your behavior.
1) STOP SNORTING your pills!
2) Stop spiking your dose!
3) stop taking enough to get high
You will never quit until you do that. Weather you can or not is up to you.
You have to come to a point where you make the decision you want to quit. The en you have to make a plan then you have to execute that plan. SIMPLE .... but not easy.
The solution from a clinical point of view for you at your point of addiction is so easy. A simple taper, and change the behavior. In short break the cycle.
How to do a taper is easy. Changing the behavior is the HARD part, but you have to want to change.
If you are taking 6 pills a day... then start taking them in even doses and don't take like 3-4 at a time. 24 hrs divided by 6 = 4 hrs. So only take one pill every 4 hrs. Then take 5 pills in 24 hrs. That's 4.8 hrs. Then 4 pills a day... break pills into 1/2's so you have 8 1/2 pills. and take 1/2 a pill every 3 hrs. Etc.
If you can't stick to a taper give the pills to a friend to dispense.
Mean while .. you have to start changing the way you think and the things you do... You should educate yourself... Good place to do all of that is NA or AA. It's FREE and takes up time. It forces you to be doing something other than sitting around with nothing to do and just thinking about using.
It's not the only way, but it's a good place to start. Take what you need from it, and leave the rest.
If you take the same amount or less every day and don't spike your dose you will eventually quit.
30 mg of Hydro can be tapered to 0 in 2-4 weeks painlessly. The PAWS will be minimal too.
The ball is in your court. We can not make you do anything. Only YOU can.
When you are ready is up to you. If you need to stay "out there" using and see for yourself how bad it will get that's up to you.
My recommendation.. Start to QUIT now! It will be a whole lot easier.
(I vote you go CT and get it over with...)
Time for some technical talk... One of the things which increases "dependence" is a spike in drug blood plasma levels. Addicts do this on purpose to get a "high". They do it by Snorting (Very fast delivery), IV Injections, Chewing up meds and taking on an empty stomach.
The above all produce the most amount of drug in the blood in an attempt to get a buzz. These spikes are one of the reasons we addicts get hooked faster than a COMPLIANT Chronic Pain Patient.
Being compliant means they take only as directed. The goal of compliance is to maintain an even blood plasma at the minimum amount to treat PAIN and NOT to produce euphoria (a high).
Since the blood plasma levels are lower, the levels of dopamine at the synaptic cleft do not spike so the receptor sites do not downregulate or decrease in number in response to the initially MUCH higher level of dopamine released as a result of spiking.
Addictive dosing behaviors, the large doses associated to Spike the blood plasma level, vs the lower low dosing and more often which is the KEY factor to the physical changes the brain makes which cause dependency.
Dependency is the actual physical changes to your body which cause withdrawal. Addiction is the BEHAVIOR of taking the drugs to get high, not as prescribed, and when not needed for clinical reasons. It is the un-manageable behaviors associated with lack of control.
Which comes first... Dependence or addiction? Usually it's addiction, but it can be the other way, but the key issue which causes the progression of addiction are the behaviors.
Addiction is what makes you take more and more, spiking doses, etc. This in turn increases dependence. The higher your dependence the higher the tollerance... Round and round you go. The addiction merry-go-round.
How to break the cycle? The only way is to change the behavior. That is a very difficult thing. Pain is usually a very good motivator. So is Euphoria. When the pain out weighs the euphoria one starts to consider breaking the cycle. Unfortunately the pain being eliminated by the drug is a driving force. Then the addict associated the RELIEF of th pain to the drug instead of the drug being the CAUSE of the pain.
SOoooooooo what to do? Break the cycle.
Many have to hit bottom to do that. That's the point where the pain of using overwhelms the relief of using. It's an emotional point which is different for different people. Not every one has to hit a bottom to quit. The sooner you quit the less pain and suffering you have to experience.
For folks who are on smaller doses and their disease has not progressed very far, they have not felt the extent of pain addiction can cause. Only conceptualizing how bad it can get may not be good enough to motivate a person early in addiction to quit.
Intellectually we know what lays ahead. We hear the truth from others, but yet we continue to use. It is not until we get a glimpse of the pain that lays ahead do we become to believe we need to quit. One HAS to believe that in fact addiction does lead to the loss of everything and eventually Jails Institutions and Death.
Addiction is a lot easier to nip in the bud physically but maybe not emotionally because one has not experienced the pain first hand. Some need more pain than others to quit. Some don't make it and end up end stage and their addiction wins.
If you want to get off of the pills you have to change your behavior.
1) STOP SNORTING your pills!
2) Stop spiking your dose!
3) stop taking enough to get high
You will never quit until you do that. Weather you can or not is up to you.
You have to come to a point where you make the decision you want to quit. The en you have to make a plan then you have to execute that plan. SIMPLE .... but not easy.
The solution from a clinical point of view for you at your point of addiction is so easy. A simple taper, and change the behavior. In short break the cycle.
How to do a taper is easy. Changing the behavior is the HARD part, but you have to want to change.
If you are taking 6 pills a day... then start taking them in even doses and don't take like 3-4 at a time. 24 hrs divided by 6 = 4 hrs. So only take one pill every 4 hrs. Then take 5 pills in 24 hrs. That's 4.8 hrs. Then 4 pills a day... break pills into 1/2's so you have 8 1/2 pills. and take 1/2 a pill every 3 hrs. Etc.
If you can't stick to a taper give the pills to a friend to dispense.
Mean while .. you have to start changing the way you think and the things you do... You should educate yourself... Good place to do all of that is NA or AA. It's FREE and takes up time. It forces you to be doing something other than sitting around with nothing to do and just thinking about using.
It's not the only way, but it's a good place to start. Take what you need from it, and leave the rest.
If you take the same amount or less every day and don't spike your dose you will eventually quit.
30 mg of Hydro can be tapered to 0 in 2-4 weeks painlessly. The PAWS will be minimal too.
The ball is in your court. We can not make you do anything. Only YOU can.
When you are ready is up to you. If you need to stay "out there" using and see for yourself how bad it will get that's up to you.
My recommendation.. Start to QUIT now! It will be a whole lot easier.
It's late and the forum is slow. Keep posting and you will get answers.
You can either go CT or do a taper. My vote is you go CT. For me, a taper was like cutting my arm off one inch at a time. It's your choice. Can you get time off of work? If so, got for the CT and get it over with. A taper will put you into slight WD's as you cut down the dose, but the finally jump off point won't be as severe because of the taper. Like I said, I vote CT-get it over with instead of dragging it out.
For the WD's everyone is different-for oxy's a general rule of thumb is 5-7 days for the physical WD's to be the strongest. You might be fine by day 2 or it might take 10 days. If you need to plan time off of work-I would say a weekend plus 3 days should be fine. If you are still feeling icky while going back to work-just chalk it up to getting over the flu.
You can do this if you really want to. Don't stress yourself out and don't worry. It will all be fine. The life you are living now, addicted to drugs is what really sucks.
Embrace your WD's and think of it as the first step towards getting your life back. There are things you can do to help with the WD's....go into 'GoingToMakeIt' profile/journal...read up on the Thomas Recipe. Go into my profile/journal and read up on PAWS part1-3.
Write back and let us know if you are going CT or want to do a taper.
Hang in there. Don't let the drugs win. You will not go crazy if you don't have them-you will feel sick because of your dependence, but that will pass.
Stay strong and congrats on deciding to get your life back,
Greatgreebo
You can either go CT or do a taper. My vote is you go CT. For me, a taper was like cutting my arm off one inch at a time. It's your choice. Can you get time off of work? If so, got for the CT and get it over with. A taper will put you into slight WD's as you cut down the dose, but the finally jump off point won't be as severe because of the taper. Like I said, I vote CT-get it over with instead of dragging it out.
For the WD's everyone is different-for oxy's a general rule of thumb is 5-7 days for the physical WD's to be the strongest. You might be fine by day 2 or it might take 10 days. If you need to plan time off of work-I would say a weekend plus 3 days should be fine. If you are still feeling icky while going back to work-just chalk it up to getting over the flu.
You can do this if you really want to. Don't stress yourself out and don't worry. It will all be fine. The life you are living now, addicted to drugs is what really sucks.
Embrace your WD's and think of it as the first step towards getting your life back. There are things you can do to help with the WD's....go into 'GoingToMakeIt' profile/journal...read up on the Thomas Recipe. Go into my profile/journal and read up on PAWS part1-3.
Write back and let us know if you are going CT or want to do a taper.
Hang in there. Don't let the drugs win. You will not go crazy if you don't have them-you will feel sick because of your dependence, but that will pass.
Stay strong and congrats on deciding to get your life back,
Greatgreebo
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