Day 1: Cold Turkey on Percocet. Advice?

[jenspark51]

Hi guys. :) This is my first day on this forum. I need some emotional support! I'm on day 1 of percocet withdrawal and I know it's only going to get  worse. I've been on about 80mg/day for 8 months. I just am looking for an idea of what to expect: a) how many days am I going to be "down for the count" and unable to return to work, and b) what are the typical things I can expect, and finally c) which day(s) are going to be the worst? Typically when will I be in the worst of it, and when can I expect it to start lessening?
Little history: a couple years ago i was niave and was taking percocet prescribed by my doctor. didn't know it would cause physical dependence. duh. pain management doctors are assholes like that. anyway...i "cheated" and went the suboxone route (started it about 48 hours into full blown withdrawal in order for it to work properly). It WAS amazing. no lie. took 100% of my withdrawal syptoms away immediately. HOWEVER, a few months later when I wanted off the suboxone, well let's just say it was the worst 2 months of my LIFE. I couldn't function. Period. I missed 2 entire months from work. Granted I have an anxiety disorder, so the withdrawal just kicked into overdrive apparently, but from everything I've read on Suboxone support chats, they said the Percocet withdrawal is nowhere near as bad as the Suboxone withdrawal. So I'm HOPING I can do this. If I can do Suboxone withdrawal I can do percocet withdrawal, right? Can anyone out there tell me what to expect? Thanks so much!

[BlondeChick10]

Part 3  finally I think this edict makes sense..and Post... Wow I did not realize how foggy my brain is... I always felt a heightened level of focus under the influence.. But I guess I was wrong not sure how I exceeded expectations in my profession in this fog???

[PorVida]

You can do this.  I'm on day 6 and its like night and day from day 2-3. So 3-6 days n the painful physical subsides.  U can do it. Positive thinking. Take it moment by moment. Dig deep

[BlondeChick10]

Edit- I found this site over the weekend and kind of just read older posts and decided today I would be the 40 year old I am!

[BlondeChick10]

Hi- please check out my post I am kind of starting today with you... Different circumstances same goal.   Hopefully, we can support each other through this.   I found this site and today is the first day I had the courage to post.. I find reading a lot of people's different backgrounds and coping skills interesting...

[cathy12393]

This is the first step, everyone is different and day by day you will have different wd's and things going on. The first 3-4 are the worst but as you go stick close here there are so many wonderful people that can guide you each day.

[toothfairie]

you're welcome!  just keep posting and asking questions as you need to!  this site really does help!!  stick close to it as much as you need to!

[storminnrmn]

Toothfarie pretty much covered what to expect as far as perc withdrawals.  I was around 80-120 mg a day at the end and did CT. I detoxed a few times and everytime was different, but usually days 1 through 3 are the worst of the physical, but you never know which day will be "the worst". I didn't use the thomas recipe, but alot of people swear by it. I just made sure to drink alot of gatorade, tried to stay occupied with movies or shows and try to get any sort of exercise (as hard as it might be). After the worst of the physical, you will experience the mental fog and ups and downs for a while, but it improves a little everyday. Good luck and stay close to the site. There are alot of people who can help you.

[Ses11869]

Days 2-4 were the worst for me, it's gonna feel like you have the flu for a few days. I also suffered from insomnia, didn't get more than a couple of hours a night. Stay close to this site it's really helpful I'm at day 12 and found this site 4 days ago and it's been a godsend. Everybody here knows what you're going through, you will get help and support here. Stay strong you can do it

[jenspark51]

Thank you so much. That really helped!

[toothfairie]

Hi and welcome!!  i never did subs but i've heard that they are harder to detox from....someone with experience will come along soon and give you info...

for me the worst was first 5 days....expect no appetite.....bathroom runs....
insomnia for awhile....achy body....sneezing... watery eyes and nose....i'm sure you felt this with the sub detox as well....only worse...but everyone is diff...

to ease that...take ibuprofen or tylenol....hot hot baths for the aches and stress....ensure or boost...bananas....crackers, soup...anything you can eat will help....gatorade so no to dehydrate....the Thomas recipe at the bottom of page is great....i take melatonin for the no sleep thing...but nothing honestly helped me the first week or so to sleep....

just keep close to this site and we can help you with questions or if you just need to post to vent....it's a great site!  people here have been thru it all...including myself....they are great....they helped me get 52 days clean....keep reading the posts and know you can do it....from what i'm told if you can detox from subs you can get thru the other WDs...

good luck and keep posting!