weaning off Hydrocodone?

[meemums]

I've been on Lortab elixir (Hydrocodone) for a year.  I've had severe chronic pain from hip osteoarthritis.  It was so bad I was on 50 mcg. Fentanyl (pain patch) AND Hydrocodone!  I hated the Fentanyl and wasn't on that very long, thank goodness!  I had that hip replaced about a month ago and the pain is almost gone now, but the dependence on the pain medication is very strong.  I crave the stuff now.  I'd been on it so long I had to take more and more.  I think I'd worked up to about 4 oz. a day at one time.  I'd been taking about one or 2 teaspoonfuls throughout the day, sometimes as often as every hour.  I'm slowly trying to come off it, but it's so hard!!  I'm trying to devise a step-down plan to get myself off this stuff.  My orthopedic surgeon said to step down my dosage every three days.  So, I'm trying to stick with 3 oz. a day right now for 3 days, then 2.5 oz. for three days, then 2 oz., etc.  Here's my question:  Is it better to take many small doses several times a day for larger doses less often?  Or does it matter?  I've calculated taking 1/2 oz. every three hours for the 16 hours I'm awake, which is 3 oz.  So, I just took my 1/2 oz. about 45 minutes ago, and I got a "buzz" from it for a few mintues!!  I'm wondering if I ought to drop the dosage down and take it more often so I don't get that buzz.  I don't want or need that buzz.  I'm afraid that "buzz" is going to make it more difficult for me to get off this stuff.  I need a recommendation on this.  I don't think my orthopedic surgeon is the best person to ask about this.  Thanks for the guidance!

[ariley13]

Hi and welcome! This is a really old thread. If you go out to the main page and hit post a question you can start a new thread. You will get more responses that way. If you are ready to quit, this is the place to be. Lots of helpful, supportive folks. Good luck to you!

[BunnyPerez]

I see your comment is old and I wonder how you are? I too had gastric bypass almost 18 months ago and it was very sucsessful except for a lot of complications. I am on hydrocodone Elixer right now about 60ml a day... My pain issue is resolving through physical therapy and other treatments but I have been on this medicine almost consistently since Feb. and I don't think I can or should just stop cold turkey...

[meemums]

An hour?  I can't even go 5 minutes because the craving overwhelms me so much!  I really have faith that my step-down plan will work taking small doses every two hours during my waking hours.  
3 days:  3 oz per day
3 days:  2.5 oz. per day
3 days: 2 oz. per day
3 days: 1.5 oz. per day
3 days: 1 oz. per day
3 days: .5 oz. per day
The overwhelming cravings feel a LOT like the cravings I had for nicotine back in '96 when I quit smoking.  I was up to 3 packs a day and quit cold turkey using the nicotine patches.  It helped a little, but the nicotine in the strongest nicotine patch was the equivalent of maybe 3 light cigarettes, which seemed like a drop in the bucket when I realized how wimpy they were.

[Radiostar55]

You can do it..Try and go at least an hour past the time you would have taken it

[meemums]

I'd love to be able to take something like Advil, but because I've had a gastric bypass, I can't take ANY NSAIDs, like Aleve, Advil, Ibuprofen, or other drugs like this.  NSAIDs are associated with gastric bleeding and ulcers, so gastric bypass patients can't take those kinds of pain relievers.  And because I couldn't take these drugs I was given a narcotic instead, thus began my journey toward narcotic dependence.  **sigh**  It helps reading the stories of others here.  It makes me feel like I'm not so alone.  I just looked at the clock.  It's time for my dose.  I'm on a liquid form of Hydrocodone (because of the gastric bypass too), so I can easily decrease the medicine, by tiny increments as I go through my step-down plan.  Today is my first day on this plan I've developed.  I'm trying to stick to my time frame between doses so I can wean myself off very gradually.  I hope this works!!!  **fingers crossed**

[Regretful239]

It happens to doctors, lawyers, pro athletes, etc.!! Try taking some Advil or something for the aches and pains, if needed take a a pill when you wake up - then get as busy as possible to try and keep your mind off of it. I've been clean C/T from Percocet and Vicoprofen 9 days, reading the stories on here kept my mind off of how bad I want one.

[Radiostar55]

Go to your doc and get Diazpine..It has helped me ALOT  Stop the wd for the most part..the rest is in my mind..I feel like ****..Whacked out on the Valium stuff but better than the Oxy.  Do it tommorrow  I also have the running nose and Yawn alot! and have been sneezing alot too. So far just couldn't sleep last night..Remember I was taking 2-3 Soma muscle relaxers a night to sleep.  Lets try and beat this together?  Are you ready to do it?   G

[meemums]

I've tried many times to go all day with little or no hydrocodone.  I felt like CRAP!  I could hardly move from the aches all over my body.  I had a very bad runny nose too, which I was surprised to read was one of the withdrawal symptoms!  Several months ago I went off it for a week or two and had diarreah (sp?) too.  That's also a withdrawal symptom.  Seriously, my cravings haven't passed.  They simply plague me until I take the next dose.  I'm trying very hard to keep the dose small enough to beat back the craving without giving me a "buzz."  I don't care about getting a buzz.  I never took it to get a buzz.  When I spoke to my pain management doctor concerning my worry about becoming dependent on the drug he told me not to worry about becoming addicted because I was taking it for genuine pain and NOT to get a buzz.  But it doesn't matter.  Dependence is dependence whether you take it for pain or to get a buzz.  The end result is the same:  you become dependent on the drug and your body craves it.  Never in my life did I ever think this would happen to me!  I'm a highly educated, well travelled, well read person from an affluent background with a loving family and everything I could ever want, living a very nice, privileged life.  I just can't believe this has happened to me!!!  

[Radiostar55]

My wife looked up the thomas recipe   Klonpin ( which she hated when she took)  lots of Vitmains, baths 3 for 4 times a day. The diazapine has helped ALOT with WD..But my mind is sriving me crazy..49 hours and 13 minutes without...a living hell but it seems to be getter better.  Meemums let me know if you try it..I will be here for you

[Regretful239]

Cravings Pass! Don't let the cravings get you, when you start craving do something to get your mind off of it! I'm talking about when you're physically unable to bare it any longer THEN take just enough to cool down the W/D symptoms.

[meemums]

I start craving it in less than 20 mintues after taking a dose!  After 45 minutes the craving is even stronger!  I'm almost an hour out from my last dose and it's all I can think about!  Still, I'm determined to get to 10:00 tonight before I take the that next 10 ml.

[Regretful239]

Try going as long as you can without taking anything. Don't give in to the W/D handle it until you cannot handle it any longer then take only enough to ease the W/D. It would be great if you only took something at night to help you sleep- but that's it! Drink A LOT of water, flush it out of your system.

[meemums]

What is the Thomas Recipe?  I'll say a prayer for you.  I can't believe I'm so dependant on a drug and the worst part is that it snuck up on me.  I had NO IDEA I was becoming addicted to the drug until I started having cravings one day.  I didn't know what I was craving!  I thought, 'Am I craving chocolate? No. Am I craving a cigarette? No way, I quit smoking 14 years ago!  Am I craving pizza or something like that?  No, I'm not that hungry.  WHAT am I craving?!?  OMG, I'm craving that DRUG!!!'  By the time I realized I was addicted it was too late!  The damage was done!  I knew when I started taking hydrocodone it was addictive, but I had no idea the amount I was taking would cause addiction.  Maybe I was just being naive, but I've never been addicted to anything but nicotine.  It took me a LONG time to get off cigarettes!!!  

[Radiostar55]

I have ( had) been taking 90 -160mg Oxy and oxycodone for 2 years.  I started hating the high, but needed to take to feel normal.Pluse at night 2-3 Soma muscle relaxers, Not sure how I didn't od.  Finally. told my wife monday night she WAS pissed.  My Doc gave me Diaazpine 10mg  First night was ok..Last night was pretty bad.I felt like crap, I couldn't sleep at all last night.Finally took 10mg of Diazpine at 5:30 this morning on couch  I was waking my poor wife up all night.  Woke up at 10"30am, got some coffee At noon wife came home made me lunch..Took another "diazpine fell asleep until 15 munutes ago. In less than 2 hours I will be free of it for 48 hours.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.If i can go 48 hours YOU can too..You can try the Thomas Recipe..BTW I tokk 4 baths yesterday  it really helped.  Please anyone reading this Pray for my recovery and a sober life...Thanks for listing..    G

[bmdad]

When tapering if you are feeling a high, you are taking too much. When tapering you just want to take enough to keep from feeling the withdrawals. I think if I were you I would take smaller doses and if you are able go without a dose, more power to you. When I tapered off of vicodin and would try and go as long as I could throughout the day without taking any. Some days I would make it until 7 at night, sometimes only til noon, and some days I could go without. I feel the best way to go about it is to let your body do the talking. You don't want to go so fast you end up failing at your taper but you also don't want to go so slow it takes you 3 months. If you do take a dose and get that buzz, you know next time not to take so much. You just want to take enough to keep the withdrawals at bay.
I hope this helps.
Best of luck and if you need anything, please let me know!!!!!
Brian