HELP

[shirtyminx]

Hi everyone. I am coming here for some support. My husband has been taking Norco 10mg x 4 a day. I never thought he could get addicted on that.  In the past he takes anywhere from 2-4 pills a day.  The last two weeks he has been very sick.  He has cut down to 1 1/2 pills a day.  He is very sick.  He has a lot of anxiety, fears, flu symptoms x 100. Is this normal and how long will it last?  He is now severely depressed too. He has no insurance so we are doing this all alone.  I am worried that he is  sick from all the pain pill **** in him. How long does this detoxing thing go on for?  We are on a plan;  1 1/2 pills a day for 1 week, then 1 pill a day for 1 week, then 1/2 pill day for 1 week and then none. Any advice would be welcomed and any tips. I am getting him some multivitamins and B12 today. The hot Epsom salt baths have helped.  

[shirtyminx]

Motye51- He usually doesn't drink every night but he has been in the recent months.  He is 9 days off beer and down to 1 Norco a day. I told him he cannot drink while detoxing. He is insistent upon tapering instead of quitting. He doesnt have any time off until end of June.  He is getting better each day. He just wants off these damn pills. He wasn't out looking for them or anything, his body has become dependent on them.I think in the end of all this he just wants to stop these pills.  You have been wonderful, so thank you from the top and bottom of my heart.

[shirtyminx]

Thanks so much Jerry.  He has been off the beer 9 days. Its getting easier but he insists on tapering because he can't take time off work. I was worried sick there for a few days but I see he is better.  He is down to 1 pill a day now.  

[motye51]

I want to mention....my husband and I own a mechanic shop...he runs shop I run office.  Weather is getting hotter and it's manual, physical labor...trying to w/d through doing manual labor is HARD.....not too mention, he's sweating the alcohol as well.  Is there a time frame where he has off for a couple of days, like could he miss a Wed, Thur & Fri and then join the weekend with it, to have a full 5 days to get over the hardest parts?  Is he looking to get clean and sober or just looking to quit the pills? Is he an addict? Is he going to continue the drinking once he quits the pills?  What does he want when this is all over I guess is what I'm asking???

[Jerry198]

Forgot to mention WD and beer don't mix the alcohol mixed with what's going on physically and mentally just makes it worse but that's just my opinion..

[Jerry198]

its because the taper drags on and on you fell terrible then you get a little bump from the pill then terrible again im just saying when I tapered once I did it in 5 days very rapid then done and sucked it up the taper was not bad I have also quit CT before that HURTS bad but knocks days off all the BS so to each his own but if your worried go hit an urgent care see what they say just make sure you mention the WD it will get better just help him out but you have to be tough also.

[shirtyminx]

also quitting beer on top of it is making this all worse as well, the w/d symptoms are doubled

[shirtyminx]

I am starting to understand now.  I was very confused.  I didn't understand he is dragging the w/d symptoms out.  I think he is terrified about stopping cold turkey.  I will explain this to him. thanks

[TikkiTT]

Could he have had a stomach virus or flu or something before he started this?   Because I agree with motye...if he is suffering this much, he ought to just go ahead and quit, because the whole idea of tapering is to diminish the withdrawal symptoms.    Tapering can be good but it can also drag it out.   You still feel kind of lousy but not as bad as when you quit CT.  

[shirtyminx]

I tried to convince him to just quit.  I guess he is just keeping the withdrawal symptoms going by reducing to the 1 1/2 pills a day and tapering down?  I get it now.  I was so confused why he is continuing with the w/d symptoms two weeks later. thanks for your advice and support

[shirtyminx]

thank you so much for the input. This is very scarry for me.  I am doing alot of worrying.  He wants to taper not go cold turkey, which is what i would like him to do, but he feels he can't do that.  

[shirtyminx]

that is what my question is too.  He's been feeling **** for 2 weeks, however he was drinking beer every night too, so now he is off the beer x 5 days.  I was thinking he should stop cold turkey too but with his job being hard Manuel labor, he feels he can't work if he does it that way. So he has been doing 1 1.5-2 a day (I am not there to check and make sure, this is what he tells me) He did go a bit overboard two weeks ago and started taking 4 a day again.  I did not know this until last Saturday.  I am worried something else is wrong.  It seems like people only take about two weeks to detox. Maybe he isnt being truthful with me. Its hard to get answers out of him

[shirtyminx]

he also drinks beer every night, too. so he is 5 days off beer, and he is only down to 1 1.5 pills a day, but he's been feeling bad for 2 weeks or a bit under and this is what is worrying me, if something else is going on.

[shirtyminx]

Jerry, he has been feeling **** for 2 weeks already and this is what is worrying me

[motye51]

Just out of curiousity.....if he's this sick and still taking 1 1/2 pills for a week, your talking him still having pills in his system for the next three weeks (unless you mean this is how you've already tapered him) then in my opinion your making it worse than it needs to be.  He just needs to cut it cold turkey!  If he's having the flu like symptoms, the depression, all the tell tale signs of w/d, then why drag it out?  Just quit them, let the w/d run it's course (5/7 days) so he can begin to recover?  Good multivitamin, 3 motrin 200mg, the hot epsom salt bathes, eat really well, fish, red meat, eggs, dark green leafy vege's, etc...
If I'm reading the above wrong, I apologize.....but if he's already in w/d, then just quit them!

[nike123456]

What you describe is very normal.  I am 8 days into detox and I started feeling better at day 5.  Tell him to hang in there and things will get better.  Just take it day by day.  His body needs to heal from all the norco he was taking.  be patient and stick by his side :):)

I stopped cold turkey.  If i had more pills at the time i probably would have tapered of the percs.  either way i feel so much better today then i did last week this time.  

The biggest obstacle will be the anxiety, emotional and mental.  hang in there.  Im just hoping to get to day 10 :)

[TikkiTT]

I tapered when I quit last time and I divided it and took it twice a day., but no more than he is on, he should be past the "flu" symptoms in about four days.
When I tapered, I did have a little of the above symptoms but not nearly as bad when I quit cold turkey but even taking half a pill twice a day, I had a little low level nausea and irritability.    I know the anxiety too, though, because I have been at a point where I would almost panic if I didn't have them with me at all times.   The main thing I can offer you is support that it will get better.   You just have to hang with it for a few days.

However, even though I tapered and avoided the really bad withdrawals....sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't have just been better if I had just quit them cold turkey again.    

[Jerry198]

it is normal after 4 years he wont feel to good for about a week just keep the fluids going and get up and stay busy if possible the taper seem real good but it takes a HUGE amount of effort to get off these pills just help him out we all need that person in our corner and to be honest Ins. wont help you with this one the sad part is they only helped you get hooked ....