My goodness these withdrawals are awful

[darienguy]

Greetings all- I had built up a habit of 200+ mg a day of oxycodone for many months and have been on pain meds for years- what gets me is i quit last year when i was "only" on 60 mg daily- i had an injured shoulder which is why i was getting the script- anyway, i was operated on to resolve the majority of the issue so i wouldnt have an excuse to keep getting the pills- i love them and that is the reality

i went clean 5 days ago but have to admit the withdrawals got me to go to tramadol, fioricets, or whatever else i could find- it seems that the lack of energy phase is over but obviously the brain is far from well- i understand next week will bring its own set of issues

question- what can i expect and how have those successful staying clean did it?

[bandnmom]

First of all welcome and congrats for wanting to be rid of these pills!  TRams and such are just as addictive so if you are trying to get and stay clean i would sugget stopping those also. WD's are no fun thats for sure but after the 5th day it does get a little easier each and every day. Everyone is different though so please dont quote me. LOok up the Thomas Recipe in the Health Pages here. It has helped many people. Yes the energy thing stinks but over time it does return i promise. Try to keep yourself busy. I always say drag your butt up and take a walk. I know its probably the last thing you want to do but you will be surprised how much it helps. Do anything to keep your mind off of how you are feeling. Watch a funny movie or read a good book. Keep posting. This helps so much. The support makes you feel not so alone in this battle. Good luck to you and when you are in need please ask for the help!!

[mimi1313]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. I have been clean 160 days so I will try to answer some of your questions. The mentalpart is probably harder than the physical. I tapered so I don't know if people who went cold turkey woudl agree. I had trouble with cravings. It's very important to have aftercare once you stop. Either AA/NA or counseling.

Also, some little things to help you get through. There is an amino acid protocol tht you should really look at in the health pages in the top right corner. And take vitamisn. I doubled up my multi for a while. And I can't stress the importance of exercise. Its hard and you won't want to do it but it really helps.

I wish you luck and keep posting, it really helps, especially if you have a bad day!

Melissa

[joann1975]

Welcome to the forum....bandnmom pretty much said what I would have said! She has 7months clean....so she knows something! :) I tapered so I don't have alot of cold turkey experience or knowledge. Like she said....read the Health Pages...I know for me the vitamins & aminos helped SSSOOOO much still do. I have been reading on here, books and of course caring for my son so that occupies time!

You can do this....just post, post and post....it will help you more than you think!

We are all glad to help so always feel free to ask any questions no matter what it is... if you need to PM one of us that is fine too!

JoAnn

[darienguy]

thanks for the words of encouragement- and yes- i can tell the mental part will be worse than the physical part- i want them- but cant have them and a life- i do feel like i have turned a corner today- a little lethargic but better in the energy dept than the last few days

i simply cannot believe i was taking the equivalent of 40-50 percocets a day- what was wrong with me??

[bandnmom]

Addiction is what was wrong!! Try not to beat yourself up over it. It is something that happens to the best of us but the important thing is, is that you are admitting to it and taking the right steps to correct your life! Congrats to you for that!

[darienguy]

mimi-

you have been clean for 160 days- serious congrats- what were your stages? did you ever have a slip up in all that time??

i remember my vicodin days- what a difference from oxys- the last time i went clean i didnt really have symptons except desire- this time is significantly different

[darienguy]

i blame myself because i should have known better- for years Saturday night was vicoden night- 5-6 10mg/660 vikes+ some booze knocked me out- and it was only a Saturday thing-- within 2 years im taking 8 times as much??? im mad at myself

[soreadytodetox]

that got you thinking hard didnt it? i went ct after a 4 yr. snorting percs 20 plus pills a day habit! the hardest thing i've ever had to do!!! i used the health pages like a bible!!!! i still take the animo acids, (sam-e),muti-vitamins,excersice, and a few more supplements i also gave up all soda's no caffine just my coffee! high protein intake. im now 43 days clean! try to keep your mind of the drug, it will just slow you down keep your mind busy with good things, trust me!!! ggod luck keep us posted   sherri

[darienguy]

SAM-E really helped??  curious- u snorted percs or oxycodone???

[joann1975]

You have to stop beating yourself up for it....of course we do have to accept the responsibility for our actions but let go of beating yourself up because it's not going to help you feel better at this point. We probably all should have known better and did know better....addiction is sneaky and it creeps up on you. Especially when you are taking them for legit pain reasons. I was stunned when I figured out how many pills a day I was capable of taking....I was and am ashamed of that. However, at least here we know we aren't alone and this place really helped me get clean and I am forever grateful for that!

[joann1975]

percs are oxycodone.... i believe the difference is oxycontin is time released oxycodone and percs are oxydone .... and of course the tylenol....if i said this wrong someone please tell me! :)

[darienguy]

agreed- but i cant fail this time- i have 18 percocets looking at me and must remain in the right frame of mind- this aint easy- i have turned the corner and need to continue on this path- i cant stay on the pill path- and need to convince myself of that forever

[darienguy]

so you snorted the oxy and tylenol combined??

[mimi1313]

Hi,

Thanks for the congrats, I've had a lot of help on here.

I tapered so I had mild withdrawls for about a month and then when I stopped I had them for about 5 days. I was still able to work the whole time.

My energy was really slow to come back but I didn't know about exercising. I didn't that until i was clean for a few weeks. I can't stress enough how important that is.

After about 2 weeks I gelt good but I was still tired.

After 3 weeks is when I noticed I felt really good. My personality came back and I was just much happier. Day 25, I remember it very clearly. That was when I stopped being so concerned with days.

After about 6 weeks I remember having cravings and have had them a few times since. It generally gets better day by day.

I haven't slipped yet but I had someone who has the same date as me and we kept each other on track.

This forum helps becasue if you post, you are holding yorself accountable or letting yourself be held accountable by others.  Its really helped me.

And nothing is wrong with you. We've all been where you are. Jsut respect the power of the drug that you're addicted to and that really helps.

good luck,
Melissa

[mimi1313]

Joann's right, it was such a wake up call to me when I realized I was taking so many a day. Pain or not It was twice as much as I should have. It doesn't matter though if its twice as much or you take one a day for the high, its still addiction. So don't let the amount get to you. Its worse on your body but the perosn taking one a day to get high will eventually take more.

[joann1975]

Oh no I am sorry....I was just answering the question about percs or oxycodone that you had asked someone b/c they are the same... I never snorted pills. My DOC was hydrocodone (lortab,vicodin) 25+ per day. I tapered from those a long slow taper.

What I was saying is the tylenol is already mixed in these drugs....the lortab, vicoden, percocet.

Hope that makes more sense! :)