Addicted to opiates

[england636]

Went to my Dr and told him I was addicted to my pain meds and needed help to stop. He told me he wasn't a qualified detox Dr but he could recommend me to the VA impatient program. I told him that I had to have some type of outpatient help. He said let me make a few calls and he'd see what he could do for me. He came back and told me he could write me a rx for librium that it would help with wd. The side effects of the librium were horrible.  I have had serious anger and aggression complete behavior changes. I have went thru wd before and never encountered this before. I called my Dr he said continue taking the librium. Aganist my better judgment I did. Well u 1 day later the side effects had worsened so i stopped.  By that evening the side effects had were gone.
Several e-mails to dr later (actually talking to your VA dr is next to impossible ) i was told there was nothing to else he could do for me. I'm at my witts end. Not sure what to do now.

[england636]

Thank you can use all the help I can get!!! I"m working on 5 days now...and I know I can get thru this. And actually having the internet back now on my desk top and not just on my droid will help matters alot keeping me busy.

[ariley13]

That's rough. That is the reason so many of us have to just quit cold turkey. It is virtually impossible for us addicts to control ourselves and follow a proper taper schedule. Would your wife be willing to hand out the hydrocodone the way that she does your anxiety meds? That might work a little better for you. Otherwise, you will just have to jump off and do it cold turkey. It's rough but it is doable. It gets the whole detox part over more quickly than a taper. Just please hang in there and keep trying. Never give up.

[england636]

He did act actually. After the Librium rx he gave me and the aggressive behavior changes it gave me and after the brief conversations i had with him thru the VA mail system i stopped taking them. Actually felt better. Anyway i had talked to the VA's recovery clinic once before all this and talked to a very nice gentleman he told me about the programs they have there. And i explained to him my need for help needed to be outpatient he told me they have that. Well after all this with my dr I callled and made and appt. I guess i had these expectations...It also took alot for me to get there its 75 miles from me in WDs driving alone. The closer I got the better I was feeling thought Id get help. Boy what a let down, I never seen a Dr i seen the addiction therapist after talking a bit she took that info into a group session of whoever they are and decide what they can do. Well she came back said they discussed me and decided they could only help me as an impatient....I said theres nothing u can do for me? She told me no. I was angry I told her what am I suppose to do? She said go back to your Dr and have him ween u off your medications. I freaked ( I already have panic/anxiety disorder ) I just walked out of the clinic ended up in the ER at the VA they gave me 9 hydrocodones and told me to go back to my Dr. I e-mailed my dr. told them what the recovery clinic then the er said. This was on a Fri the 7th. On Mon the 10th my dr emailed me back and said hes over nighting me a rx for me to ween off. I got them the next day unsupervised of course and ate all 45 within a few days. Over that weekend  
I emailed my dr a few times thanking him and asked a couple of questions about how can I do this without being impatient? A got a curt reply about how it is difficult for him to log on to the VA system to read my emails and that I need to only use it for important questions...otherwise make an appt.
I haven't emailed him since. Now I don't know what to do as for having a medical dr to speak to. As I said before I already have my panic/anxiety
disorder and I don't know how this will affect me and not one of them discussed this with me. Yes i do take meds for it I take Ativan 5mg. My wife keeps them locked up and hand feeds me them. They do help but not all the time. But I have been clean from the others ( which I want now ) since Sunday the 16th.

[hydro_fool]

Hi England.
If you have had enough and are ready to get well this group can (and will) guide you through the WD's and beyond.

It sounds like you are scared of the WD's but its only a few days vs. a lifetime of misery on these drugs.

I will send you some info to help you along.

H.F.

[butterbean841]

Hi there,
I am 60 days clean (c/t from codeine) after a 10 yr plus habit. Cold turkey is no fun at all but for me i just didn't have the willpower to taper. If they were there then i would have taken them simple as that.

Only you know which is the best way to quit for you....i just wanted you to know that after day 4 c/t things improved and bit by bit i started to feel better. It's not easy but it is doable.

Good luck with whatever way you decide to tackle this...we'll be here cheering you on !

[ariley13]

I am surprised that your dr. won't set up a taper schedule for you. If you are serious about quitting, you have 2 options, well besides inpatient detox. 1) set up your own taper plan and stick to it. Very hard for us addicts. Having a trusted person hold your meds and hand them out at designated times helps. 2) Go cold turkey. It's rough but gets the whole detox part over quicker. Ask your dr. if you are healthy enough for this before you start. There is a link at the bottom of the page for the Thomas Recipe. It is full of vitamins and supplements that help with detox. Stock up on gatorade, bottled water, and easy to digest, light foods. Staying hydrated is a must. No caffeine if you can help it. It will increase your anxiety. Potassium rich foods such as bananas and kiwi fruit help with the restless legs. This site is a wonderful tool. It is full of knowledgeable, supportive people who have been through wds, or are going through them now. Keep posting on here. We are here for you and want to see you succeed! Good luck to you!

[england636]

Loratabs 5mg 4 x day. But within the last 6mo ive been taking 80-120mg a day. Buying on street when i ran out.

[toothfairie]

Hi and welcome!  could you give us a bit more info...like what you were taking and how much?  we can help you more if we know that....