withdrawls...

I have been taking hydrocodone since about Oct. of 08. I never take more than 7 a day. Usually 2 in the morning..2 at lunch..and 2 at dinner. Sometimes I take 1 and half them. Anyway..I was wondering how long I will go through withdrawls when I stop taking them? I didnt think it would be too bad since I have only been taking them for about 5 months. And there are some days I dont take any. Does anyone think I should maybe just take one for a few days..or will the withdrawls not be THAT bad.

I used to take vicoprofen for about a year or two. And took ALOT..and just stopped cold turkey. I think I went through withdrawls for about 2 weeks. But I was also taking xanax at the time..and just stopped that cold turkey. (Which by the way..DONT DO!! I had seizures from it) So I am sure stopping both of those made me have worse withdrawls. I am just scared..and dont like the feeling AT ALL. So I am hoping someone has been through the same thing and can tell me it isnt that bad. Thanks for your time!

MisTexas

Tags: hydrocodone, Withdrawls

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firefish

Feb 07, 2009

To: MisTexas

Apparantly everyone is different.  Age, physique, general health, length of time.  You haven't been on that long, although seven a day is a pretty large dose and from your description you are most assuredly addicted.

Here's what happened to me, after two years of 2 a day.  I was starting to get up to four  a day and decided to get off cold turkey.  I admitted my problem to my wife and destroyed the last of the pills I had on hand.  That was hard.  The first three days were the physical sysmptoms.  Agitation.  Restlessnesss.  Headaches.  Crawly skin.  Itchy spots.  Panic attacks.  I never want to go through that again.

After the third day I felt way better, but for two weeks I still had a craving, very similar to wanting a cigarette, and I just felt lousy.  Not happy, achey (achy), lethargic.  But right around two weeks, its started to get noticeably better.  Food tasted better.  I noticed things around me.  I heard birds singing.  I became happy again.  Oh man, was that ever nice.

Regarding your question about tapering off:  that's up to you.  I would recomend seeking medical advice on that, or maybe consider what others may post here.  I couldn't taper off, as I couldn't trust myself.  It had to be cold turkey, making that final commitment.

Withdrawal ain't easy.  A large part of withdrawal is the FEAR of withdrawal.  Looking back, hey, it really wasn't all THAT bad.  I didn't die, I was able to work and live my life.  But I do know that when I was in your position, I was very scared and at the first sign of anxiety, I ran to The Pill.  And I NEVER EVER want to do it again.

During w/d, keep both your body and mind active.  I beat the **** out of an exercise bike as a half hour of hard aerobics gave me about an hour and a half of feeling decent.  Eat fresh fruit, drink lots of water.  Many advocate large doses of certain vitamins; I'm not an expert on that so I can't comment.  Find an activity that makes you happy.

Tylenol PM can help, but remember that Vicodin is really only 1% narcotic and 99% Tylenol, so don't do both.  Tylenol (acetometaphin (sp?)) as prescribed is safe, but large doses do damage to your kidneys and other vital organs.  If pain is not an issue, just get some OTC Benedryl, as this can help you sleep the first few nights and is the "active ingrediant" in Tylenol PM that induces sleep.

My doctor gave me a small scrip for Xanax and this helped stave off panic attacks, but this in itself could lead to another addiction.   I would not let him prescribe more than a 15 count of 0.25 mg Xanax at any one time.

Finally, talk to someone.  Get professional help, go to NA, or just talk to us.

I've added you to my watch list.  Hang with us, Tex.  Like my man Red Green says, "we're all in this together."