detox from Hydrocone

I have had a really bad self medicating problem over 4 years - 5,10-325 hydro pills 4 to 5 times a day.  I self tapered down to 1 10/325 per day then went to see Doc and was on 2.5 methadone 2x per day - it was crazy so stopped after 2 days.  

Have been off hydro 12 days except for 5 relaps (1) 10/325, (2) 5/500, (2) 2.5/250 (split 5/500's).

Point is, still got heeby jeebies, can't sleep more than 3-4 hours a night and pretty depressed.  Last relapse was this AM (one of the splits, 2.5/250)Wife adn three kids - no one knows.

What do I have to look forward to and for how long?  I have taken xanax (.5 mg or less ) to sleep @ night and help with the heebbie jeebies during the day, but don't want to get stuck on that stuff.

Prognosis and time line please or alternatives????   PLease???

[Demiguise]

brook: be proud of yourself & keep giving yourself credit. You
seem pretty smart to know the problem was going a bad path. The
pill playing was risky put withdrawal cold would've been worse.
Even splitting rx was great idea to deal w/ symptoms. If not
for pain then get the rx out of the house. Lock it away so kids
can't get. The .5mg is a lo-dose Xanax & a dose many Dr's
suggest to get through night. Excercise/hobby/work/distract. Do
anything you can to get back to being the Dad you want to be.
Flush system w/ lots of fluids (not alcohol). Gaterade/water/
no caffeines will help. Nudge brain to forget hydro. Even a 1/2
xanax will help stress so try split (.25). It's tough but you're
close. Oddly, I've heard lemons in club soda/quick taste of a
lemon will cause sour to overide the hyrdo crave. It's like a
negative feed-back. It's not just the med. Also mental. It's a
brain crave signaling a metabolic crave. Remind yourself daily
how strong you are to do this for your wife. My guess is she
has an idea but don't mention. Replace lots of attention to her
when you start feeling jittery. May be a very nice feedback!
Click Forums above. I think there's an addiction site that may
offer pointers. You don't know me but I'm very proud of you.

[sickbrook]

Thanks Demi!

I knew it was wrong, but wife invited friends over last night for dinner, and swim due to extreme heat - did 5 mg to put on a happy face - went to bed on .5 xanax - l knew I would pay the price. funny thing - so far this morning I feel pretty good! just lidociaine patch on back and celebrex  ( yes, all prescribed).  I do not see this as its OK to take hydro when needed - rather, that maybe this is the beginning of the end of the bad days..  

I have thought long and hard about dumping the balance of the hydro (maybe (10) 10 mg pills down the sewer and toughing it out.  But I am scared as hell of what to do when the back acts up (2 herniated discs and one out of line and some arthritis, just to keep it steady and irritating).

Doc sent me to pain clinic where they said cortizone shots were in order - come back in 6 weeks to get them - I was shocked!

Anyway, rambling here, just wanted to thank you for the encouragement, and honest to God, this is the first day I  have felt anywhere near decent/normal in 2 weeks - no, I guess, 5 years.... Thanks.

[amberch]

at the hospital where I work we treat alot of detox patients; Point is it will be very uncomfrotable for up to 2 weeks(2 weeks after you have stopped EVERYTHING- otherwise you are setting yourself back.) In the meantime monitor your blood pressure; This is key b/c in some it can shoot up while detoxing. Generally narcotic or opiate withdrawal is manageable and will not require medical assistance(unlike alcohol withdrawal- which can be life threatening).Blood pressure around the 120/80 range is good. If your diastolic(bottom number) is over 100 or your systolic(top number) is over 170-190 you will need to see a doctor.That's all medically speaking.
   Psychologically speaking (my hosp. is of that sort) you may look into getting on an antidepressant preferably an SSRI like prozac or one that works with your dopamine and norepinephrine like wellbutrin. (again the a doctor will suggest the appropriate medication for you individually). I suggest an antidepressant b/c you have changed your brain chemistry for 4 years. You should expect depression and mood swings to follow.If you experience any personality changes or weird side effects let your doctor know; b/c psych. medications work differently for everyone; it is not a science- research has only gotten us so far in understanding the goings on of our brains. But a doctor can make an educated guess. And prozac and wellbutrin seem to be the best tolerated of the anti depressants.
   Most importantly: if you are serious about quitting you need to find a sponser or counselor. In every town there are hundreds of AA meetings and some NA meetings. To become addicted you have to have the perpensity for addiction. When people say addiction is a disease they are right in the fact that it can be pervasive and requires daily management. A sponser is key b/c it can be hard to keep active in your recovery every day and you need support outside of your friends and family. Throughout the years AA and NA have shown to be the most effective option for addiction treatment recovery; and it is free- there are meetings at all times of the day and night.
   If you approach your addiction from an objective view you will see it is important to have a strong front on all sides of the issue: medically, psychologically, and spiritually. Spirituality does not mean only Christianity (not all AA groups focus on christianity); It's just a belief in something bigger than your self that allows you to step out side of yourself for a moment and have faith that things will work out.
  It may sound like a bunch of hoo-hah to some; but objectively speaking most addicts do not have the self discipline it will take to kick addiction for good.
hope this helped. Good luck.