Advice needed please help

[Ready2LivenLove]

I have been on oxycodone for I believe a little over 2 years. I started out on the 30mg, snorting them, before i was introduced to the needle. Its been the worse thing I could have ever done. Anyways, for the past 8 months my usual dosage is 8 a day, unless I have or can get more then I sometimes have done up to 15 to 20 in a days time. I have 2 questions, firstly how do I begin tapering off the 8 a day if you could give me a example I would be greatful, secondly how do I stop administering it the way I have , Its an obsession and my hands and arms show that.

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

There is really no easy way of detoxing from home. Realization that you have hit the bottom sometimes makes your determination to get clean more serious and lets you get through the tough points of withdrawals with the help of your commitment. The road up is not easy.  
I have dealt with hundreds of addicts who have all told me horror stories of doing it by themselves.  I would only guess that if are successful in doing it at home you don't end up in my clinic. Codeine is a short acting opiate so that the worst of your withdrawals should not last for more than a week.
Just in case you are curious, it takes us three to four days to detox a patient and get him/her back home drug free and feeling well on Naltrexone therapy (no opiates).
At home, the basic technique is to take less and less every day by cutting down by about half a pill every one or two days until you are down to nothing. Some addicts quit shooting because they run out of usable veins, I hope you do not have to reach that point. As I said before, the decision to quit comes from your own commitment and determination.
See if your doctor can write you a prescription for some Requip for restlessness, Neurontin for anxiety and malaise, some Flexeril or Soma for a few weeks for muscle spasms and maybe some Seroquel low dose, for sleep.
Clonidine is very helpful  for the creepy-crawly feeling and control of blood pressure variations. It will make your withdrawals easier.  Valerian and Magnesium is sometimes helpful remedies over the counter.
The residual symptoms of insomnia and depression can last another few months. Thus, it is not easy, but it gets better and better over time and you can look forward to a drug free healthy energetic you in the future. When you take opiates for a long time like you have, your body's physiology has been altered. Your central nervous system has created a multitude of opioid receptors that all are screaming for endorphins (opiates) to fill them, but your body has now forgotten how to make them by itself.  It will take time - two to four weeks at least, for your receptors to down-regulate (for the brain begin to heal) and to start making its own endorphins. Brain heals pretty slowly, so it may take you as long as a couple of months to get rid of feelings of sluggishness, restlessness and depression. The best thing you can do is take good care of yourself, eat healthy food, stay hydrated, keep active and busy. Stay away from sugar, soda, and simple carbs. Do not consume caffeine at least 6 hours prior to bedtime.
Take a look at my blogs about options for detox and recovery. You may also take a look at my clinic website where I also have my blogs and a lot of other info about drug addiction and recovery. Look especially into the blog and the info on Naltrexone therapy after getting clean. It really improves your chances of staying clean for good by cutting down your physical cravings. Look into my clinic website as well. All this can be done by clicking on my name in blue and on clinic logo.
There is a injectable form available now that is covered by all major medical insurances called Vivitrol that you would need to get only once monthly to stay clean. Just keep it in mind for the future. Good luck to you.

[m3talmary]

I've been in your exact shoes. I got into oxy 5mgs which I snorted, I'd do 15mg, and then I would start getting the 30mg. I eventually started shooting them too.  Something I thought I'd never do. I do about 60mg a day. That's a lot for a 20 year old girl. My arms are bruised, I barely have money, and I'm always uncomfortable.  This really *****. It's an obession. I'm currently in the process of tapering. In down to two pills a day and then I'll go down to 1 and then stop.
In your case, you take 8 a day. Go to 7, 6, 5 to 4, to 3, to 2, and then down to 1. As you come down it will suck.
How I cope when I don't have as many I: take warm baths, take requip for rls or creepy crawlys, I take buspar for the anxiety, and I use a sedative for sleep.
A really good thing to have is support and someone to talk to. Good luck:)

[Ready2LivenLove]

Thank you so very much for answering my question. Thank you also for the advice. I am officially starting tomorrow morning in the journey of reclaiming my life. I am 41 years old and I believe I was 17 or 18 years of age when I was not doing anything, in other words half of my life has been drug induced. The time is now for me though, I want this so much in my heart and soul to be clean, to be forgiven and show my loved ones the mother the sister the wife etc, that they deserve. I want to get back to the relationship I had growing up with Christ. I am going tomorrow and buying notebooks and pens and keep a journal from the beginning to the finish. I am going to have a goal book, try and give myself a goal to accomplish once a week and a book to keep a daily track of medication tapering. I also am going to look for a therapist and find and attend some N.A meetings and hopefully meet someone I can make a friend with that has been clean for many many years that would offer to mentor me. Once again thank you for your answering of my question, I am so glad I stumbled upon this website.