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Best way to get off vicodin
Hi,
My daughter, 19, had her wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago. She was given vicodin 50, 1-2 every 4-6 as needed for pain. She found 1 was not enough and was taking 2 every 6 hours. She ended up with complications and an extended recovery and pain, so the Dr. gave her a new script. We asked for 75 as 50 wasn't working and 2 x 50 (100) was too much, making her really high and sleepy. The 75 seemed good and after cutting to 1 a day one weekend, she decided to stop as her tooth and jaw pain had subsided.
From the first taking the vic she could feel the effects of the vic wearing off, and wanting to take more, but we thought it was all pain related. WELL, on the Monday she stopped, having cut back to one a day since the previous Friday, she was nauseous, achy, awful headache, shaking, tons of mucous and hot/feverish, and could do little more than drag herself to classes (in college) feeling like she was 'dying' and curling up in bed in between. She insisted she was just sick as a bunch of kids on campus were also sick, but it seemed too coincidental to me. I googled vic withdrawal and was stunned to find the withdrawal symptoms matched. WHY GIVE THIS TO ANYONE? I had 4 wisdom teeth out at the same age and survived on tylenol!
She continued to insist she was just sick but by that night was so miserable she agreed to take one vic. She felt a little better, but still not great, so without telling me she took another 2 hours later and all symptoms vanished. She's so pissed! She wants to stop but can't go cold turkey and curl up in bed in the middle of the semester.
Since then we are trying to wean off. We asked for the next script to be 50 and she is taking two a day and doing pretty well, still gets headaches and stomach issues but they are tolerable. My question is this, at this point is it better to stretch the time between doses of 50 making it gradually longer and longer, or still do 2 a day but cut them in half?
My daughter, 19, had her wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago. She was given vicodin 50, 1-2 every 4-6 as needed for pain. She found 1 was not enough and was taking 2 every 6 hours. She ended up with complications and an extended recovery and pain, so the Dr. gave her a new script. We asked for 75 as 50 wasn't working and 2 x 50 (100) was too much, making her really high and sleepy. The 75 seemed good and after cutting to 1 a day one weekend, she decided to stop as her tooth and jaw pain had subsided.
From the first taking the vic she could feel the effects of the vic wearing off, and wanting to take more, but we thought it was all pain related. WELL, on the Monday she stopped, having cut back to one a day since the previous Friday, she was nauseous, achy, awful headache, shaking, tons of mucous and hot/feverish, and could do little more than drag herself to classes (in college) feeling like she was 'dying' and curling up in bed in between. She insisted she was just sick as a bunch of kids on campus were also sick, but it seemed too coincidental to me. I googled vic withdrawal and was stunned to find the withdrawal symptoms matched. WHY GIVE THIS TO ANYONE? I had 4 wisdom teeth out at the same age and survived on tylenol!
She continued to insist she was just sick but by that night was so miserable she agreed to take one vic. She felt a little better, but still not great, so without telling me she took another 2 hours later and all symptoms vanished. She's so pissed! She wants to stop but can't go cold turkey and curl up in bed in the middle of the semester.
Since then we are trying to wean off. We asked for the next script to be 50 and she is taking two a day and doing pretty well, still gets headaches and stomach issues but they are tolerable. My question is this, at this point is it better to stretch the time between doses of 50 making it gradually longer and longer, or still do 2 a day but cut them in half?
CT to me is the best way to fight it. Tapering just invites temptation and there you go, back on it again. Does an alcoholic taper ? OTC stuff helps, Aleve, Imodium or a laxative if that is what ails you. In my case, my digestive system has slowed down since i stopped..annoying but diarrhea is worst. Headaches, agitation, anxiety can be helped with benzos but you gotta make sure you dont take xanax or clonazepan for too long or too many, or you;ve just switched problems
i hear a lot of the opiate "trots", i seem to be getting the reverse, wanting to go a lot but not going much each Br visit. So im not sure Imodium is my answer.
I am new to this board... I've gained some good knowledge here. But i took myself off of 12 Norco a day (with no help at all) and down to 4 vic's. Right now my liver enzymes are up. Many, Many surgeries including 2 neck that failed. As soon as I get down, I end up back again. It's a vicious cycle and Vicodin is not meant for long term use. Try 8 years of it mixed with NORCO 10 mg. I pray and I pray and I still don't cut it. Where do I go to get off of this killer drug??? Any websites handy? I'm not going into rehab, I've seen what they do in there. I think Cold Turkey is the only way. Help,
Thanks! Postscript
Thanks! Postscript
About the appetite thing, I went through WDs pretty much every week, cold-turkey for several days, then back on, then back off, because for a year I had no pain management, so I was so sick constantly that I could not eat anything, and when I did eat it went right through me. So after months and months of this up and down, I finally got off the pills, and then when I felt half-way 'normal' again, and started eating normal, I gained a ton of weight! (Being disabled and with chronic pain I can't do much exercise!) So yeah, once your body is done craving drugs and is done being so sick, it will want the nutrition again!
I have to reply to this comment of yours, about the anti-depressants she was put on. Was it by chance Effexor, or Neurontin? I have been on both in the past, and surprisingly, they both made me crazy and WORSE. I ended up anorexic, cutting myself, suicidal, because of these meds. I recommend doing a LOT of research yourself before letting your kids take any drugs, even if the Dr. says they are ok.
Also, as for the Vics, I hope all is well now for her. I didn't read the entire thread, but I read enough to tell that she is having problems getting off them. I recommend that you just have her come home for a 4-day weekend, forget the day or two of missed classes, and get the WDs OVER WITH. The longer she takes the pills, even trying to taper down, the worse and longer WDs will last. I am extremely familiar with the wanting to just take one to feel 'normal' again, but keep reminding her that if she wants to feel normal again, she has to get over the hill. Taking another Vic in the middle of detoxing will just restart the clock, and make it harder to get through. I went through literally YEARS of having full CT withdrawals from morphine and Vicodin every single month. I have destroyed my body, trying to detox so much. She's lucky she has somewhere to go and people to help her through it, because most of us do it alone.
And I agree that these meds should not be handed out like candy. Anyone can go to the ER complaining of certain pain and get a free script of Vicodin. But then there are those of us who have 'invisible' chronic pain for years and years and are denied pain meds because the Dr. doesn't want to take responsibility of long-term pain care.
Also, as for the Vics, I hope all is well now for her. I didn't read the entire thread, but I read enough to tell that she is having problems getting off them. I recommend that you just have her come home for a 4-day weekend, forget the day or two of missed classes, and get the WDs OVER WITH. The longer she takes the pills, even trying to taper down, the worse and longer WDs will last. I am extremely familiar with the wanting to just take one to feel 'normal' again, but keep reminding her that if she wants to feel normal again, she has to get over the hill. Taking another Vic in the middle of detoxing will just restart the clock, and make it harder to get through. I went through literally YEARS of having full CT withdrawals from morphine and Vicodin every single month. I have destroyed my body, trying to detox so much. She's lucky she has somewhere to go and people to help her through it, because most of us do it alone.
And I agree that these meds should not be handed out like candy. Anyone can go to the ER complaining of certain pain and get a free script of Vicodin. But then there are those of us who have 'invisible' chronic pain for years and years and are denied pain meds because the Dr. doesn't want to take responsibility of long-term pain care.
but how did you stop taking the VC. I have RLC, hot flush feeling and numbness in my head
I think the BMI is a useful tool but I don't think it tells the whole story. I actually got REALLY hungry when I came off my meds. I felt like there wasn't a moment I wasn't thinking about what to eat. Some of my medications made me not eat. I just wasn't hungry. And one actually made me crave really sugary things ... things I'd never ever eat and had me adding sugar to my coffee, which I had never done.
And like WG21 said, after having her wisdom teeth out and all she went through, she's probably just compensating for not really eating during that time.
Glad her appetite is back ... just in time for turkey day!
And like WG21 said, after having her wisdom teeth out and all she went through, she's probably just compensating for not really eating during that time.
Glad her appetite is back ... just in time for turkey day!
Well, my kids have always been at the very bottom of the BMI chart, tall and thin, it is just their build. My son ALWAYS gets the "You're underweight" note from school when they do the BMI measurements and he eats like a horse! (14 and growing taller by the second).
Until the last couple of years I was "underweight", and I can tell you I wasn't. Now that I'm "normal" I'm actually a little chubby, grrrrrrr! The BMI is an ok guide, but not accurate for all body types.
That said, I'm happy she has an appetite back. She did seem to eat less on the vic and she certainly did not need to lose at all.
Thanks for the luck!
Until the last couple of years I was "underweight", and I can tell you I wasn't. Now that I'm "normal" I'm actually a little chubby, grrrrrrr! The BMI is an ok guide, but not accurate for all body types.
That said, I'm happy she has an appetite back. She did seem to eat less on the vic and she certainly did not need to lose at all.
Thanks for the luck!
Not trying to argue...but you said she was 5'9 and 118 pounds...That is definitely an underweight BMI...
So that is why it's a great thing she has a good appetite now. Her body the last month has gone through a lot with the hard withdrawals..
I wish her luck!
So that is why it's a great thing she has a good appetite now. Her body the last month has gone through a lot with the hard withdrawals..
I wish her luck!
I wouldn't call her weight unhealthy, I just would not want her to get any thinner...
She was endlessly hungry and getting increasingly annoyed. She went to the gym and now all is well. I have to think that she's wanting to pig out and workout to replace the dopamine blast the vic used to provide. At least the workout works!
Anyone else have the experience of wanting to pig out after stopping vic?
She was endlessly hungry and getting increasingly annoyed. She went to the gym and now all is well. I have to think that she's wanting to pig out and workout to replace the dopamine blast the vic used to provide. At least the workout works!
Anyone else have the experience of wanting to pig out after stopping vic?
You said before that she is very thing (underweight) for her height.
This along with the last weeks of having the wisdom teeth out and all the issues with coming off the medication which caused nausea, fatgue and you also mentioned migraine pain.
It makes a lot of sense that she is getting a healthy appetite back.
Hopefully she will continue to eat well and get to a healthy weight for her height:)
This along with the last weeks of having the wisdom teeth out and all the issues with coming off the medication which caused nausea, fatgue and you also mentioned migraine pain.
It makes a lot of sense that she is getting a healthy appetite back.
Hopefully she will continue to eat well and get to a healthy weight for her height:)
Well, just spoke with her and she's........FINE! The toughest times for her were when she tried going from 7.5 to 0 (felt really sick), when she dropped from 7.5 to 5 (manageable headache and nausea) and from 5 to 2.5 (anxiety, sleep issues, stomach and head).
Once she got on and STAYED ON a regular, super slow step down (that is, small steps rather than big, but actually over a pretty short time) she was fine!
Knock on wood today is day 3 and she says she's good, adding that getting together with friends today she thinks helped keep her distracted and stress free.
So, I think she's done and good to go!!
Thanks, all, for your advice, with a special shout out to MARY for supporting the slow and steady drawdown. It worked well and disrupted my daughter's school life the least.
Once she got on and STAYED ON a regular, super slow step down (that is, small steps rather than big, but actually over a pretty short time) she was fine!
Knock on wood today is day 3 and she says she's good, adding that getting together with friends today she thinks helped keep her distracted and stress free.
So, I think she's done and good to go!!
Thanks, all, for your advice, with a special shout out to MARY for supporting the slow and steady drawdown. It worked well and disrupted my daughter's school life the least.
I guess Monday's the day, right? Day 3 is usually when the withdrawal symptoms are at their worst. Hopefully, she'll be doing okay. Hope she's keeping really hydrated! Looking forward to the update.
She was fine yesterday, but there's a 4am post on the wall of her facebook page which seems to indicate she's not in the best of moods.....not usual for a Saturday 'night', but we'll see...
So happy to hear this!! She's had a rough time (and you've had a big worry, like most mom's would have.) When was the last dose, Friday? How has she been feeling over the weekend? Keep us posted. She may have a little depression from coming off (or not.) I know I always had some mild depression when I came out of the hospital for any reason. Couldn't explain it but the nurse said it's very common and shouldn't last long, and it didn't.
I'm hoping she has no residual withdrawals when she comes off but if she does, they should be very mild and easy to treat and short duration.
It will be great that this worry is gone from her. Now she just has all the other normal college worries!!! :)
I'm hoping she has no residual withdrawals when she comes off but if she does, they should be very mild and easy to treat and short duration.
It will be great that this worry is gone from her. Now she just has all the other normal college worries!!! :)
It does seem to be going well, of course she only been stepping down, the real test will be day 3 after she stops. But the plan is to toss whatever is left and persevere through whatever comes next.....
I've never used the l-theanine. But I do find the Valerian Root helpful. You can take from 1-3. They could make her drowsy, though they don't have that affect on me. It just relaxes me when my anxiety level is high. Sounds like things are going great!!! When is she planning on stopping completely? (This week went by so fast; it's hard to believe the weekend is here!)
Down to 1/4. Only complaint she mentioned was anxiousness when it is wearing off. Has Alteril for sleep, but I will probably have her get some valerian. What about l-theanine (suntheanine brand)?
Tapering IS hard. Some people can't stick to their taper and take too much. And others, like your daughter (and me) think, "Oh, I don't feel bad, I'll skip a dose) and then you get slammed! I hope she'll stick to it no matter how she feels. When she comes off, if the anxiety gets to her, Valerian Root really is amazing. And she could try ibuprofen or Excedrin for the headaches. She's getting there, though!
I believe in everything in moderation too, though some people can't do that. I have a friend who is a foodaholic. Moderation is not something she can do. She wound up doing OA and found it really helped her but it is extreme. For me, as long as I exercise, I can eat pretty much what I want. But I find when I exercise, I"m more drawn to healthier stuff anyway.
Keep us posted on how she's doing!!
I believe in everything in moderation too, though some people can't do that. I have a friend who is a foodaholic. Moderation is not something she can do. She wound up doing OA and found it really helped her but it is extreme. For me, as long as I exercise, I can eat pretty much what I want. But I find when I exercise, I"m more drawn to healthier stuff anyway.
Keep us posted on how she's doing!!
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