Taper Down or Cold Turkey

[itsmytime99]

I've been on Lortab, in various strengths, for over a year now due to an ankle surgery that went a little wrong.  I know I have taken it for way too long and am now, with the help of my Dr., tapering off and quitting.  I am aware of withdrawls and the symptoms that come with it.  My Dr and I have talked about the difference between addiction and tolerance/dependance and I feel that I fall in the tolerance/drug dependant category.  I'm wondering if you all have any tips for tapering down of if just quitting cold turkey is best.  Or I wonder if I stop taking them but only take one or two when I feel withdrawl symptoms coming on is a good bet?

[Sam20111966]

As well I would add to Wolf and say tapering is a long time and going CT gets it done quick frankly its a couple days of feeling bad and the rest is alot of head games and crap that involves plain old constitution of getting clean.  Frankly I would get rid of all of them around you.  Easier said than done I have not done this and have used a couple times this month.  It plays with your emotions to have the suckers around or to taper.  You feel a little bad(headache, whatever) and you think oh gotta pill I can take---it's a lie...Taper to CT your head says oh crap this is going to suck in reality its out of your system in 3 to 5 days..I was tapering at first and had all the withdrawals physical during my taper.  I should have just dropped them the first week and I would have went thru the same issues and no more rather than play the head games....Many on hear say 90% mental/10% physical I think I am using God sent Gnarly's term----this is correct....The mental part is the hardest and you gotta build your support.  Let the world know if you can as you will feel guilty as hell about relapsing then as I have.....It keeps ya honest...Welcome you came to an awesome group here...

Good luck to you sounds like you want to make a change...

God Bless

Sam

[freddie153]

Taper sounds like the best idea.i dealt with them b4 oxy.i had an advantage over you cause they made me sick.i took 2 instead of 6 for 3 days.i raised my valium 1 per day.when i went to 1 and it seemed after that it was easy to stepoff.my usage was only 6 months though.its good you have a doc working with you.you should b able to wrap this up in reasonable time.
gl,Freddie

[Wolfmedicine]

The decision to taper or go CT is yours only.  Tapering is feeling bad over a long period time (it's good that your Dr.is working with you) to get clean.  It's a misconception that you won't get sick tapering.  You will, just not as bad as CT.  CT is feeling really bad for a short period of time.  Were it me, I would enlist the Dr.s help with non narcotic meds for RLS and sleep and get on with it.