Been Reading through this Forum & wondering......

[Troubled_in_Indy]

I have been reading through most of the posts here, I have been using Pain Killers for about 6 years now. I want to quit but the fear of WD scares the CRAP out of me!! The only people close to me that know are my Best Friend (who also uses, but not as much as I do) & My son. Any advice on how to overcome the fear and quit??

[tgtiffany]

Hey!  I see your predicament.  It's up to you to tell him now or not.  You know how he is, we don't.  Will he be understanding if you explain everything to him and stuff?  What do you think?  It's the chance that you will be taking by telling him now.  You could just tell him that you have the flu or something and try to get over it asap.  My husband was taking 20-30 yellow 10's a day when he quit.  It's doable, but will be hard.  As you said you're going to do it no matter what, that's good :)  I really hope that you get that job and this isn't something that hinders that.  A lot of addicts have REAL medical needs for the pills.  But they still abuse them, it's just so easy to do.  Still glad that your BF is going to be there for you :)  It's hard to do it on your own.  When are you planning on taking those last ones?  Or are you?  Or are you going to spread them over the next day or so to help with the withdraws??

[Troubled_in_Indy]

NoOC123 I have experienced WD's before but only the first 24 hours of it & It felt like I was going to die! Of course I wasn't but mentally it felt that way. I don't think my addiction is so much a physical thing as it is a mental one.

Thanks to irishann for your advice & support also.

To mpace6983, I started out 6-7 years ago on pain meds from having bad teeth problems, back in 2009 I had all of my teeth removed, at that time I was hooked & found a few people who sold them on the street, since then that's where I have been getting them from. I recently lost a GOOD job making at least $600 a week, most of which all went to buying pain meds. I have come to the end of my rope as far as money goes, my family has moved several times in the past 5 yrs due to me not paying rent and bills but instead buying meds. before I lost my job I was EASILY taking up to 20 7.5's of anything I could find a day!! now since I am not working and don't have access to money all of the time, I have used credit from the people I get them from (and still owe them) or I will get money from my husband to pay bills and get the most I can, where ever I can.

To tgtiffany, I probably answered a few of your ?'s before, as far as my Best Friend, She has REAL medical needs for the meds and She told me just today that she will be here for me in any way needed. The person I am afraid to tell is my Husband!! He left me about this time last year when he found out I wasn't paying bills, he didn't know what I was doing with the money but was VERY mad and hurt at what I wasn't doing.

To Everyone who wants to read this: I currently have 2 norco 5's and one Norco 7.5. Once those are gone.....I HAVE TO BE DONE!! I went to a job interview today and should hear back from them in a week....So I HAVE TO BE CLEAN!! Any advice or encouragement will be great!! Thanks so much for the advice thus far!! I am trying to keep my head up and repeating to myself that I DON'T NEED the drug, but it's VERY VERY hard!!

[shilohpeace]

hi.  I understand your fear of withdrawals. I am sorry but I totally disagree with people on here who say withdrawals take one week of your life. I think it takes months for your brain to readjust but the worst part of being sick with withdrawals can take up to three weeks... during that time, you will have some of the worst times of your life.. so you must be ready for it. get everything you need and you must take time off of work.  You also have to mentally prepare yourself for it.  Maybe keep a video camera telling yourself how bad it is to be on drugs so you can watch yourself when you are feeling so sick that you want some relief. Also, please do not go cold turkey. You should taper. Even with tapering, withdrawals can be hell.  So taper lightly so you are not totally miserable.  I hope I haven't scared you by being truthful. Get the vitamins, the thomas recipe, the heating pad, stock your fridge with fruits, proteins, lots of ice water.. get comfy pillows, get lots of movies to watch because you will not feel like reading or doing much of else. try to force yourself to walk around each day.  try to get a buddy to cheer you on and/or check on you.  also, it doesn't hurt at first to take a few valium or xanax to help you get some sleep but don't take them for long.. just to get you through the nights when you are totally buzzed and sick and up all night.  I recently went off of 60 mg. of oxys and it was hell and I wil never touch another one as long as I live. That was a month ago that I started and still today, I suffer with sweating profusely unexpectedly at times.  And I am still taking slight amounts of percocet which I am slowly tapering off of. Good luck. You can do it. You have to do it. You are not alone. I think most Americans are on some sort of prescription drug.  Makes me sick at the pharmaceuticals who thrust this crap on us.  Please don't give up.. but be realistic and bite the bullet. Remember in the old days people didn't have any morphine.. so bite the bullet and get through the difficulty so you can be clear headed and human one day.

[tgtiffany]

Hello!  You are in an amazing place!!!  I'm so glad that you have decided that you want to stop taking them!  They bring no good to your life just craziness and take over your life before you know it!  It's time that you got YOU back :)  I think the reason why most people don't stop sooner is fear of the WD just like you have right now.  Listen to everyone here as they know a lot about this stuff.  The WD won't kill you!!  What will kill you is if you keep taking the pills!!!  You can do this!  As others asked before me, how much have you been taking, of what, and for how long?  This all helps in determining what WD symptoms you might get and also how bad/not bad they will be :)  Another thing I'd like to add is that you said your best friend uses, what does he/she use? The same pills?  It might be hard being around someone so close to you that is still using while you are trying to quit.  Is this person supportive of you quitting or could they care less?  I would hope they are supportive, if not you may have to keep them out of your life for a little while.  Mostly because if they are still using it makes it easier to get the drug as well as start over if they are influencing you in any way!  Keep posting and let us know exactly what you're thinking about doing and want out of life :)  

[dominosarah]

Hi and welcome~~

Dont let fear of the wd's hold you back.  Be more fearful of what will happen if you continue in this cycle.  There is no happy ending to abusing pain meds.  Wd's are no fun but necessary to start the healing process both physically and mentally.  Aftercare is very important also.  Please think about this as using is just a symptom of what is going on with you.  Keep posting as we are here to help.          sara

[mpace6983]

What kind and how many pain pills ahve you been taking. Did you have a Doctor's prescription or did you get them off the street?

[irishann]

Welcome! Don't worry about the withdrawals. They sound awful, but really not that bad...just like having the flu. It's good that you are considering it! The pills took a lot away from me, so I decided I don't want to live countng the minutes to my next dose, planning the calendar for my next refill. Your life will look so much better! And this website is awesome! No judgement..just good advice. Good luck...you derserve your best life!

[NoOC123]

It's a good first step coming on here and reaching out for help and it's a good sign that you are thinking about stopping. I have some friends too that keep using for fear of withdrawal, but honestly, you can get through the withdrawals. They will not kill you. It is one week out of your entire life of feeling bad so that you can get the rest of your life back. Have you ever experienced WD's before? If not, you will have muscle cramping, hot and cold sweats, restlessness, stomach pain/diarreah/ possible nasuea, but this will all pass. By day 3 it should peak and from there on you will be on the down side, each day getting a little better. I have been through the detox many times (not something I am proud of) but you will definitely get through it. There are things you can do to help ease the symptoms too. Hot showers and baths will help the cramps. I actually find that a cold shower or cool shower always helps cool me down when I feel like my skin is on fire. There are vitamins to help with the depression/anxiety/lack of energy/ restless legs. Drink lots of water. Heating pads on your stomach will help the stomach pain and heating pads around your legs witll help the restless legs. You can post on here for lots of support. It is worth going through it to get your life back and get off the drugs and the life you can have drug free is so worth it. Not waking up sick in WD, being able to go through the day without worrying about if youre going to get sick or if youll have enough or when you can take your next dose. Plus there is freedom in knowing you can go through the day on your own and you don't have to rely on drugs as a crutch. Best wishes to you, keep posting on here you will find lots of support and people who can share their expereences.