weening off vicodins

i have been taking vicodins for almost a year and a half now..and i am prescribed one every 6 hours which is 4 day. i have gone up to about 7 a day now because my body has gotton "use" to the vicodin. i am so worried that i am making myself addicted to them and cant imagine how the side affects are if i quit. please if you have any advice on how to "ween" off of them or just "cut down" please let me know. thanks so much for the advice

[Dav125]

Really can't recommend any specific taper plan to you as its against guidelines..I can mention though that over christmas I dropped oxy 80's and tapered myself down to 20mgs over a week and a half with vicodens from a 300mg daily oxycontin intake..It made a big difference compared to a 5 or 6 day taper I did in August before a major post-op nerve flairup screwed up my attempt at that time..I had a little over two weeks clean when I had to re-medicate..

Talk with your Dr some about it..Tapering does make a big difference if it is done properly..The drawback is you will have mild headaches, anxiousness and generally be in a foul mood during the time you cut down...Wishing you the best with this...

[tweetytwins]

thanks so much for the advice.  I greatly appreciate it. good luck to you too. thi sis such a HARD thing to get through. its like you live your life the best way you possibly can and then one day "your' prescribed pain medication and all of the sudden a person has to find ways to get "off" of them. very frightening. i just wonder if anyone on here has ever taken way more than prescribed and keeps uping the intake to not feel the pain they currently have everyday. and why does the body get "use to" vicodins  and make you feel as though you have to take more to get rid of some pain. i hate that. but again thanks for the advice it really means alot to have someone to talk to about this situation. good luck to you

[Dav125]

After a period of time one's tolerance makes a person have to increase one's amount to acheive the same affect. But what also happens is that initiat\l "feel good, lots of energy" part also stops ..Then people chase that by taking more. As hight as 30 to 40 of your pills a day and still can't get that buzz back. Problem there is they are injesting way too much tylenol which will kill them if taken long enough. Normal vicodens are the 10/500's Thatmeans 500 mg tylenll per pill. 4000 is the max recommended intake and really not meant for everyday consimption. In other words, 8 of your pills..The wd's are rough, but think of a bad case of the flu. aches, pains some diarrehea, things like that. Normally its the first 3 days that hits hard then backs off if one does a cold turkey. Make sure that whenever you do stop, you have some immodium on hand. It is godsend for the stomach cramps etc if they develop...You don't need to be scared of the wd's. They are uncomfortable, but many have this huge fear of them which has them in a mental trailspin before they even stop. Do attempt a taper down for a week and a half to two weeks. It will help. You will still be dealing with some sleep issues and depression some but thats all normal. It takes a little time for the body to readjust..In your 3 rd and 4th week things really get better fast...Hang in there. It does get better even though its hard to believe that in the first few weeks...:) Dav

[justneedtotalk]

Hello and welcome!  You need to just go "COLD TURKEY".  You have not been on them that long and your usage is low.  You are basically ready to jump off usage completely with minimum withdrawals.  Do not get me wrong, you will probably still feel the affects but tapering any further will not really help you that much.  You just need to stop as soon as possible.  I consider cold turkey more like ripping off a bandaid.  You just grab and pull and yes it hurts for a minute but it is over A LOT quicker than slowly pulling.  There are some things you can buy that will really help minimize the effects of withdrawal and help shorten the time you will suffer expodentially!  Get yourself some 100% weigh protien powder.....This is a must along with a strong multi-vitamin heavy in the metals.  You will need some Valarian Root and some Melatonine.  I would go and get a bunch of soft fruits, gatorage, and orange juice.  You are going to want to double up on the multivitamin one in morning and one at night.  You also need to get some anti-oxidants like grape seed.  Basically your goal is going to get as much protein, fruits and vegtables, and water water water.....I mix about an inch of orange juice in a glass and then fill with cold water.  For me it was easier to get down and you need to drink about 90-100 oz a day.  The faster you can get the drug out of your system the faster your brain will start to heal.  

Exercise is the key to speeding up recovery as well.....it will be the last thing you will want to do but is necessary and worth every effort!  Well, I hope you choose to stay sober and flush the rest of the pills.....I am on day 6.5 and it has been rough but I have a way worse habit and went cold turkey from a 120-150mg per day hydro habit!  Good luck and God bless!

[Baker3336]

Yea, screw the taper. I am on day 23 off norco10s. I tapered for 5 days or so and I just felt miserable thinking about stopping. It just prolonged it. I was taking more than you and it wasn't fun when I stopped but here on day 23 I feel great. By the way norco is the same ingredients as vics. Just more hydro less acetametaphin. It started getting better after 5-6 days. Then once u make it a couple weeks the daily progress is tremendous. I promise. Go for it cold turkey, you can do it. Good luck.

[Baker3336]

Sorry, day 24 for me. That's a good feeling right there. I'm not thinking about the days as much anymore.

[nic374]

yes tapering is no good i went thru hell tapering from over 30 to none in about 6 months it was a long road, I thought at the time it was the best but now i dont think so looking back, I cant tell u how many months i had feeling like dying! good luck

[tweetytwins]

awww i  feel so blessed to have joined here..you guys are the best!!! thanks so much for ALL the advice you have given me. it REALLY means alot! (you have no idea how alone i feel) it seems as though the days get longer and longer when i try to imagine quitting the vics. i know if i dont then my intake will continue to increase day by day. i dont want that to happen. from what i read...it seems as though i should just try and quit cold turkey..when i did try to do that last year i had restless sleep!! it was horrible!!!! but it sure beats the other route. its sure encouraging to know that the side affects get better as the days go on. did anyone ever feel as though they "lost" who they were while taking the vicodins? its as though it makes you seem like someone else or enhances your personality. i just want to get back to the old "me" the way i was everyday. i do have one question though....what about the chronic pain i continue to have everyday? what does a person do to cut down the pain with out taking meds? thanks to everyone on here i greatly appreciate it so much. god bless all of you..

[Dav125]

Ok tweetytwins, if your going to go the ct route, get stocked up on recommended vitamins and definitely some immodium and advil...On pain issues, it will be hard to say what will be waiting for you once the meds are out of your system and there's time to get a real read on what continues to be there..Those frst 3 days are liable to have aches and pains which are wd rebound pain and not that which was had you seeking relief to begin with..This fact is the one which I based my suggesetion on a taper for you..I have done a ct from 120mg's of oxy 40's, a partial taper of 5 days in August, and a week and a half taper last christmas. My August experience had most all the same symptoms of my ct experience, but my first of January experience had me amazingly void of nights sweats, body aches, and stomach problems..Thats fact..Taper does take alot of mental resolve which most don't have so this is where most say go cold turkey and fight one's way thru..In my case I was well aware of what was waiting for me as I played ping pong trying to free myself of the oxycontin nightmare that took hold of me during the last half of last year once thru the surgery then the complications involved a few weeks after..Contrary to what some are saying, I was blown away as to the difference in symptoms I had when I extended my down dosing from slightly less than a week to a week and a half..

Being mentally prepared though is all important..Your mind will test you. It will scream "I can't do this"..You have to look past these thoughts and direct any negative feelings you have for the pills putting you in the position to your advantage to not cave...During those first 5 days it really is a mind over matter battle as one's mind seems to race ,time doesn't seem to move, and emotions swirl. You may find yourself even breaking down and crying but realize, it is 100% normal for this to take place. Emotions that have been surpressed for months if not years start to re surface..You will be ok though. You have to believe in that even though you won't be feeling any of that during that first week..And remember your not alone...We all had to fight our way thru these same symptoms..:)

[smallz10]

your mind is the biggest obsticle when it comes to addiction if you can learn to take control back from the pills and get your mind in a good positive placeull do allot better if theres anything i ve learned from my multiple addictions is its controling your thoughts and it will guide you on the right path. MIND OVER MATTER