Aa
Fioricet addiction
How am I going to stop taking fioricet forever????
Yae-- No. There is not a short cut. You HAVE to taper. You can do it at home and that would actyally be better than an ICU! Think of it this way: You are sick now BUT once you begin to get off the Fioricet,you'll be on the road to being well;everyday!!
I admit,our tapers were long. There's a reason for that: our bodies needed to time to adjust to each decrease of med. If too fast,the anxiety will be great,not to mention the headaches!
Give it a try. You can figure out your own taper (although I recommend a doctor who KNOWS about barb withdrawal). Set some short goals. Just try to get that dose down!
When I tapered,I began it on my own. It didn't work at all. I then turned the pills over to someone else,set the taper plan,and had the appropriate amount handed out to me during set times throughout the day. It was strict and a pain for the other person but I desperately needed that help. The taper was also "blind". I never knew what day the decrease would be. I would take the same amount of pills,not look at them,and some would be an aspirin or Tylenol. It may sound stupid but I had to do it that way. I had to keep tricking my brain. I noticed it as I got down to the lower doses but by then I was well on the way and just anxious to stop!
If you don't feel like you fit in at the NA group,try another or go to AA. I found AA far more accepting. One funny think,the first therapist I saw was very nice BUT she could NOT get her head around the fact that I was not an opiate addict! To her,it was the same. To me,it wasn't at all. I divorced her after I gave her an inservice on barbiturate addiction! I found someone finally who "got it"! In the interim,I met with my family doctor and SHE was an enormous help, we have become great friends!!
Maybe you can have one of your children assist you. Don't feel bad or ashamed about it!
Kids really do love to "help". Just be honest. My daughter (20) was very sweet to me and did her best to understand. She also learned a few things. Addicts are not just folks from the "wrong side of town". They're everywhere! And some of us just got caught in a "prescription medication situation"! It's more than possible to be released!!
As far as the psychological "stuff",that's easily addressed. Sometimes an AD is necessary short term. Mostly,it's support and people to talk to. Also,look into "Smart Recovery". They have an approach that's been helpful to me. In the meantime,I'm thinking about writing a book about this particular addiction...there are many,many people who feel so alone and I think that, in and of itself, perpetuates the addiction!
Stay in touch with us (Brian is great to talk to and for support,as well) I'll be around today as I'm having some work to catch up on!
I admit,our tapers were long. There's a reason for that: our bodies needed to time to adjust to each decrease of med. If too fast,the anxiety will be great,not to mention the headaches!
Give it a try. You can figure out your own taper (although I recommend a doctor who KNOWS about barb withdrawal). Set some short goals. Just try to get that dose down!
When I tapered,I began it on my own. It didn't work at all. I then turned the pills over to someone else,set the taper plan,and had the appropriate amount handed out to me during set times throughout the day. It was strict and a pain for the other person but I desperately needed that help. The taper was also "blind". I never knew what day the decrease would be. I would take the same amount of pills,not look at them,and some would be an aspirin or Tylenol. It may sound stupid but I had to do it that way. I had to keep tricking my brain. I noticed it as I got down to the lower doses but by then I was well on the way and just anxious to stop!
If you don't feel like you fit in at the NA group,try another or go to AA. I found AA far more accepting. One funny think,the first therapist I saw was very nice BUT she could NOT get her head around the fact that I was not an opiate addict! To her,it was the same. To me,it wasn't at all. I divorced her after I gave her an inservice on barbiturate addiction! I found someone finally who "got it"! In the interim,I met with my family doctor and SHE was an enormous help, we have become great friends!!
Maybe you can have one of your children assist you. Don't feel bad or ashamed about it!
Kids really do love to "help". Just be honest. My daughter (20) was very sweet to me and did her best to understand. She also learned a few things. Addicts are not just folks from the "wrong side of town". They're everywhere! And some of us just got caught in a "prescription medication situation"! It's more than possible to be released!!
As far as the psychological "stuff",that's easily addressed. Sometimes an AD is necessary short term. Mostly,it's support and people to talk to. Also,look into "Smart Recovery". They have an approach that's been helpful to me. In the meantime,I'm thinking about writing a book about this particular addiction...there are many,many people who feel so alone and I think that, in and of itself, perpetuates the addiction!
Stay in touch with us (Brian is great to talk to and for support,as well) I'll be around today as I'm having some work to catch up on!
this drug needs to be withdrawn slowly. please put the idea of a 'shortcut' from your mind. there are no shortcuts with barbiturates. the good news is that if you accept this, then it makes moving forward easier. if you understand and accept the road before you and know it will be very difficult, it does make it easier to move forward.
you need a slow taper. vicki already told you how she did hers. mine was over a year. these seem extremely long, and i agree that they are...but thats because they were taylored to our response by a doctor who oversaw the process very carefully. there are doctors who understand this drug quite well. as i have mentioned before, this drug is very similar in its effect to Amytal (amobarbital) which is a C-II. Seconal and Nembutal pack a bit more punch all it a once, but even still they are rather similar to butalbital. They are all C-II's, which means they are kept under lock and key in the pharmacy. butalbital itself IS a C-III (this i just found out)....however drugs like fioricet aren't. why? its a total mystery to me... butisol is almost identical to butalbital in its nature and half-life, and yet even it is a C-III. Some have compared this to phenobarbital, but thats usually because they've never taken the two. Phenobarbital has a very very long half-life. it does not give you the immediate punch that this drug does. with butalbital, i feel it enter my blood within 15 minutes on an empty stomach. phenobarbital can take 12 hours to reach its full effect, and even then its nowhere near what butalbital hits.
in any event, it goes to show that this drug need to be taken seriously. people are ignorant of it because its the very LAST remaining barbiturate of abuse. seconal, nembutal, and amytal were all phased out decades ago with the advent of benzo's. those who never made the switch from barbs to benzo's usually ended up dead (judy garland)....so people do not understand its addiction out of sheer ignorance....exactly what you would expect with a class of drugs that has been long dead.
if you have no one to help with a taper, then setting your daily dose out in an envelope every day can help. do NOT under any circumstances let yourself take more. i believe it was vicki who used this method.....right vicki?
find activities to help clear your mind and make you feel better. excercise...NA....hobbies....reading.....just do things that you like. excercise is a WONDERFUL way to help improve your mood during this process. i used to underestimate the value of a 30 minute walk.....no more! it clears my mind and helps me focus like nothing else.
just remember....NO EASY WAY! keep that in mind. it can be done on your own. vicki and i are proof (although occasionally i still do slip).....and there have been many others who have come and gone from this forum that have succeeded in a taper.
you need a slow taper. vicki already told you how she did hers. mine was over a year. these seem extremely long, and i agree that they are...but thats because they were taylored to our response by a doctor who oversaw the process very carefully. there are doctors who understand this drug quite well. as i have mentioned before, this drug is very similar in its effect to Amytal (amobarbital) which is a C-II. Seconal and Nembutal pack a bit more punch all it a once, but even still they are rather similar to butalbital. They are all C-II's, which means they are kept under lock and key in the pharmacy. butalbital itself IS a C-III (this i just found out)....however drugs like fioricet aren't. why? its a total mystery to me... butisol is almost identical to butalbital in its nature and half-life, and yet even it is a C-III. Some have compared this to phenobarbital, but thats usually because they've never taken the two. Phenobarbital has a very very long half-life. it does not give you the immediate punch that this drug does. with butalbital, i feel it enter my blood within 15 minutes on an empty stomach. phenobarbital can take 12 hours to reach its full effect, and even then its nowhere near what butalbital hits.
in any event, it goes to show that this drug need to be taken seriously. people are ignorant of it because its the very LAST remaining barbiturate of abuse. seconal, nembutal, and amytal were all phased out decades ago with the advent of benzo's. those who never made the switch from barbs to benzo's usually ended up dead (judy garland)....so people do not understand its addiction out of sheer ignorance....exactly what you would expect with a class of drugs that has been long dead.
if you have no one to help with a taper, then setting your daily dose out in an envelope every day can help. do NOT under any circumstances let yourself take more. i believe it was vicki who used this method.....right vicki?
find activities to help clear your mind and make you feel better. excercise...NA....hobbies....reading.....just do things that you like. excercise is a WONDERFUL way to help improve your mood during this process. i used to underestimate the value of a 30 minute walk.....no more! it clears my mind and helps me focus like nothing else.
just remember....NO EASY WAY! keep that in mind. it can be done on your own. vicki and i are proof (although occasionally i still do slip).....and there have been many others who have come and gone from this forum that have succeeded in a taper.
Although I don't know your drug of choice I do know addiction. I can't relate with your drug of choice but I can relate to the madness that goes on in our life while using. As long as you are getting support at NA I personally think it would still be a good idea to go. Just because they don't know your doc doesn't mean they don't know some of what you are going through. If the NA group you are going to doesn't seem like a good fit, find a different meeting. You will know when you find your home group.
As an addict I know all too well about tapering and how difficult it can be. I tried tapering many times only to justify taking "one extra" today. The "one extra" ended up happening every day. Does anyone in your life whom is close to you know about your problem? Do you have anyone that can hold on to your pills and dole them out to you? For most addicts to be successful this is what has to be done. We can't do it on our own. We need all the help and support we can get.
Like I mentioned before I don't understand your med but I will lend all the moral support I can to help you in any possible way. I know you feel lonely because so many don't understand your doc but we have so much more in common. If I can help in any other way please let me know. I can feel the frustration in your posts. We are all here to help if you let us.
Best of luck to you Yae. Although it won't be easy you will get through this.
Brian
As an addict I know all too well about tapering and how difficult it can be. I tried tapering many times only to justify taking "one extra" today. The "one extra" ended up happening every day. Does anyone in your life whom is close to you know about your problem? Do you have anyone that can hold on to your pills and dole them out to you? For most addicts to be successful this is what has to be done. We can't do it on our own. We need all the help and support we can get.
Like I mentioned before I don't understand your med but I will lend all the moral support I can to help you in any possible way. I know you feel lonely because so many don't understand your doc but we have so much more in common. If I can help in any other way please let me know. I can feel the frustration in your posts. We are all here to help if you let us.
Best of luck to you Yae. Although it won't be easy you will get through this.
Brian
It is so comforting to know I have people I can talk to that understand. I don't have heart probs or high blood pressure, I am addicted to fioricet which is ruining my health and eating away at me. I have always been able to stay away from drugs and alcohol, but somehow firoicet got hold of me. it got to be my best friend for awhile, not to mention my banker because i started buying them online. Is there any way i can do this on my own now? other than detoxing in intensive care, which would get rid of the drug, it wont get rid of the psychological stuff. People here in my town or NA dont know what the hell i am talking about. 12-15 pills + a day is a little high for my 5'6 107lbs frame. it really is amazing i have not gotten seizures or od'd yet. I crave for it all the time. It gives me a boost in the am and psychosis throughout the day. it makes me more aggtressive and incaring, so please, please, please is there a short cut suggestion any one of you 2 can make. the good part of my addiction is to weed out weak people. my partner who tried to help, bailed. we were supposed to live happily ever after. my mistake was telling him in the first place. Now i see what he really is made of. NOT for better or, especially worse. for me and my 3 children who will stand by me no matter what, i need to heal, before i miss their years. 19, 15 and 12. HELP! HELP! tapering will only make me cheat, dr's are not reliable. they think you can just quit. doesn't anyone know what it's like except you 2 and the people in the forum who have gone through it? I dont want to go to NA again.
me beats per minute ran 100+ every day. now they are in the low 70s, and thats at work and active! big difference.
No,not one problem since "the affair" ended. Both of those incidents were years apart BUT I had frequent arrythmias and I could just stop them myself by coughing very hard several times. Imagine...I was okay with that!! Just shaking my head...
I've recently had a full work up with dopplar studies,echocardiogram,ekg,eeg, MRI of (what's left) of my brain, and all is within normal limits. Maybe there are no real studies of the relationship between barbs and exogenous arrythmias because it's not like we go to the ER and say " Oh...and I take a bucket load of barbs everyday"! Of course,I KNOW there's a relationship but I'm not telling. I like having medical insurance and surely I'd be canceled if this came out!! Of course,I no longer worry about this. My BP was always low (I weighed 100 pounds on a good day) and my HR now is around 70. It used to be around 100 daily. Just horrible...I can't believe I let that "be". Pure insanity!
I've recently had a full work up with dopplar studies,echocardiogram,ekg,eeg, MRI of (what's left) of my brain, and all is within normal limits. Maybe there are no real studies of the relationship between barbs and exogenous arrythmias because it's not like we go to the ER and say " Oh...and I take a bucket load of barbs everyday"! Of course,I KNOW there's a relationship but I'm not telling. I like having medical insurance and surely I'd be canceled if this came out!! Of course,I no longer worry about this. My BP was always low (I weighed 100 pounds on a good day) and my HR now is around 70. It used to be around 100 daily. Just horrible...I can't believe I let that "be". Pure insanity!
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