Day 1 Wean a Success but have some questions

[ilvmakindolls]

Hello everyone!  I feel so empowered right now...for yesterday was a success!  My first day on the wean and even though it was very hard, I toughed it out and didn't falter!  So far today has also been successful...but only the rest of the day will tell how I do.  I am so lucky to have my family here to support me.

I do have a question....ok, so my Dr. told me it takes different times for everyone when doing a Wean off these pills.  So, if I were to wean slowly until I am down to like 3 a day or even 2 a day, if I were then tempted to finish this off by going cold turkey, would the withdrawal be the same?  I guess I am looking for a quick way off these and think the sooner the better....but I am chicken about the withdrawal.  Yesterday I did feel as if I were on the verge of withdrawal most of the day....achy all over, sweaty and just plain uugghh....but I hear the first week is the worst one and if I can tough through it, it will get better as time goes on....but I don't understand how that will work.  Actually, I don't understand a lot about this process now that I know how the pills do work, I don't see how a Wean will work...but I guess it does since a lot of people get off them this way.    

I do plan on calling my Dr. today and asking him more questions about this process if he has time, but I know he is busy and may not have the time to talk to me today.  My next appt. isn't until the 2nd of Aug.

Thank you all for your help!!!!

[GoingToMakeIt]

Sounds like you are making good progress! Try Epsom salts in your bath. 3 cups worth and soak the muscles. Eat bananas and other potassium rich foods. Calcium/magnesium at night can also help those muscles.

[ilvmakindolls]

I am taking 7.5/325 Oxycodones.  I am now on day 9 of weaning and am doing great so far!  I went from taking 8-10 of them a day to 5 a day.  I have my next appt. on the 2nd and think he is going to want to take me down to 4 a day at that appt.  I still have some aches in my legs when it gets closer to the time to take my next pill...but it isn't anything like the first couple of days.  I am so proud of what I have accomplished.  The hardest thing was the temptation.  It used to be when I would get them filled, I would promise myself that I wasn't going to take any more than my prescribed amount of 6 pills for the day...but I couldn't even go the first day...and knowing I have not cheated even once makes me feel very empowered!  Tomorrow is a big day for me...very stressful.  I finally have my hearing with Social Security and I am scared and nervous about it  (I have been fighting them for 2 amd a half years)...even with this weighing heavy on my mind, I stuck to my schedule today.  I was really worried I would faulter today because of the added stress...but my resolve is very strong and I know what I want and I know what I have to do to get there so a little added stress isn't going to veer me in the wrong direction now.  Everyone I have talked to says the first week is the hardest...and if you can get past that, the rest becomes easier...and since I have made it that first week successfully, I just don't want to screw up now.  As for my other medicines, I decided early this week to try cutting back on my Ambien as well.  Now that I do seem to be sleeping a bit better (it is like a switch went off in my brain telling it that even if I do get up early, I will have to stick to my schedule no matter how much I hurt), so instead of waking up at two in the morning, I have been sleeping until after five!!!!  So Monday night, I only took half a sleeping pill and what do ya know, I slept like a baby....again last night I only took half of one and again slept great.  If this keeps up I will end up getting myself off those meds too which would be great!!!  The one thing I do know, is all of this has taught me a huge lesson....no matter what the prescription is for, I am going to ask many questions before I ever get it filled and do some research on the medicines if it is something I am unfamiliar with.  I just don't understand how any Doctor can legally write prescriptions for these types of medicines knowing what they know about them.  It is getting a lot harder to trust these huge drug compaines and when I watch TV, it is so amazing at how many lawsuits are going on due to death and serious injury from medicines.....it looks like these compaines need to do a lot more research before they can start dispensing these to the public.  Scary........

[Ballgame]

What meds you taking? I'm day 3 of weaning off oxy. Been rough.
I've tried cold turnkey before, made it 4 days before asking for help. It was the worst!! So I hope weaning is easier.
I'm weaning off 50mg x3 a day. On 30mg x3 a day but tomorrow I'm cutting back myself to 30mg x2. Otherwise it's going to take 4-6 weeks to get off.
I'm concerned or should I say curious about how I'm going to feel once I'm off.

[fedup710]

I just finished a 2 wk taper and am now on day 3 clean.  I was using 20-10/325 percs a day, my doc switched me to vics 5mg max 6 per day then 3 per day. the w/d the last 3 days have been very minor.

congrats on your decision to quit.

keep posting it helps alot

[shelliAS]

Hi, Congrats on being on your second day of CT off those meds.  I am on Day 13, and I can tell you that week one was the pits.  I felt terrible aches, malaise, debilitating fatigue, RLS, the runs, just awful.  I spent the week in bed.  Each day got a tad better than the last,, but it was no picnic.  Everything you described is normal.  Hot soaks in the tub help, but the rub for me was I was so fatigued I could barely get myself in and out, and toweling off wore me out.   I would just lay on the bathroom floor exhausted.  The second week is going better, I promise you.  I am breathing waking proof.  I was taking 4 10/500 hydrocodones and 2 tramadols/daily for back pain.  It was what my doc prescribed, and I never took more than what was prescribed.  But I got hooked anyway.  This detox stinks, but hopefully it will be worth it.  Hang in there!

Shelli

[nomo357]

Yep, It's just like a band aid, great analogy IB! You can taper it off slow and deal with the lesser misery for whoever long you taper, and trust me you will still have diahhrea and feel like crap, or you can just say screw it and go cold turkey and get it over with as fast as you can. Congrats on day 1!!! Every day counts!

[Cissy373]

I am pulling for you as well. WD's are not fun let me tell you, but I've never heard of it killing anyone, but its like having a bad case of flu and length of WD's are different for everyone.

I can't really say about the tapering thing, cause I always just went CT cause if I had a pill I could not be trusted with it.

Prayers going up.

[IBKleen]

It all boils down to: Do you want to pull the band aid off fast or slow? People have been looking for a quick way to detox for thousands of years and so far there isn't any. Certainly the further you go down the easier it will be but all that means is that the symptoms will not be as intense. They will still be there. And yes, everyone is different so it would hard for anyone to tell you what your withdrawal will be like. So much of it depends on your age, the length of your use, the amount you were taking, your general health, your metabolism, and so on.

So, Congrats on your first day of taper. I hope you are able to stick with it and get to the other side. I am pulling for you!!