How does Tyrosine help curb withdrawl..can someone elaborate ????

[DMR]

Can someone please elaborate about the correct use of L-tyrosine and its possible side effects????

I want to try to start and stay on that so I don't call in for another "refill"

As posted on another thread, I am not a big time addict yet...anyway

I've been on Vicoprofen for 6 months on and off..
The most I've ever taken in one day is 4-5 pills and that too I've only done on 4 ocassions within those six months

I am suffering (sort of) from lower back pain....

thanks
DMR

[Schlub]

If I were you, I would stop now while you can still do so without too much discomfort.

I know the urge is strong to just keep enjoying the pills and deal with any "ramifications" later.

But you just don't know what it's like to always be afraid you're going to run out of pills, to always be hiding and lying and dreading that someone will find out, to be raiding the medicine cabinets of your friends and family like some sleazy thief. Get out now while you can!

[Unwise]

Never used the tyro, but heard it works.  Maybe someone who knows can post here?

But I agree with schlub.  Compared with most of us, you have a very light habit and not as tough a road to hoe should you decide to stop.  I'd gladly switch places with you if I could, and were I in your position I would simply taper down, stop, go through the flu-like ****, and consider yourself fortunate to have gotten out when you did, before you were eating 20 a day and going anywhere and through anything to get 'em.  Get out now and most importantly, don't look back!  You're better off without them and if you have any doubts about that, stick around here and we'll help you through as best we can.  

You can do it, you're in a good position, and I don't mean to make it sound easy, but your intake is not very high. My personal opinion is that your withdrawal will not be all that bad, although that is a relative thing.  Taper down or just quit and pick a weekend you know you can spare for two days of the flu basically.  Then there's the mental anguish that follows, but if you really want to quit in your hear, you can tackle it.  Some will snort with derisive laughter when I suggest going to an AA or NA meeting if you have trouble staying clean on your own (since I am not an AA follower myself and have voiced that opinion here) but it certainly can't hurt!  Good luck kicking, and when you start to panic, think about the life you will be living without worrying about these stupid pills...they aren't worth it.  

Keep the faith.  You can do it.

[Nod]

You should be able to cut back and stop fairly easily if your taking 4-5 a day.  Since you haven't gone thru this before the fisrt withdrawal will be faily mild especially with the low amount your on.  Everyone in the above posts hit the nail on the head, stop now and get away before you end up like most of us here who take 3, 4 and some 5 times as many as you do each day.
Please!  
Nod

[DMR]

Thanks everyone for your answers...

I am in the middle of my "withdrawls" right now

and you guys are right...they are NOT THAT BAD...just a few moments of depression and a little sneezing..no flu symptoms yet

I have tapered down to my last half pill on Friday night

I have taken a couple of Tyros..everything is OK so far
but I am craving those pills mentally and my back is hurting quite a bit

[vikequeen]

where can you find tyrosine GNC?

[Schlub]

Your withdrawal symptoms are mild, about what I would have expected. A big part is psychological, which you should be able to deal with by going to an AA meeting or two.

Think about how you'd be doing if you were writhing on floor screaming quite literally in pain, wth conculsive leg-kicking tremors that are driving you insane and horribvle diarhhea and vomiting and ever single bone in your body (even the small ones) throbbing in blinding pain.

And that's the easy part. Very few recovering addicts quit during this intense phase of phsyical witrhdrawl in the first 5-6 days or so. Most relapse and start using again during the next 2-10 weeks, when they are paralyzed by the most intense lethargy and depression they've ever felt. You can sit and agonize for half an hour over whether or not you have the energy to even get up out of your chair and go to the bathroom. And somehow you're supposed to show up for work feeling like this?

Oh yeah, and on top of all that, you can't sleep. It just seems like an impossible place to reach -- a mental state relieved enough of this overwhelming lack of energy and motivation to let you actually fall asleep -- and you go many days without it.

I'm not trying to scare you. I'm psyching myself up for what I've got to face 24 hours from now when I try to quit once again. I've got a family that needs me. And man, I'd give anything to be in the position you're in now with such a mild addiction to beat.

Good luck to you.

[DMR]

Badgal...you can get tyro at GNC..cheap

schlub...thanks for your support

Wow..what a freaking nightmare you just described, I actually feel lucky now, I feel sorry for everyone on this board man

I am in my 2nd day of detox right now, feel pretty good save a few moments of lethargy, none knows about my problem, not even my wife, she is still asleep as I type this comment

This Tyro is really good, you all should try it, it doesn't get you high, but it gets you to gitty up and move around and do stuff

As soon as I took it, I vacuumed the entire house

Good luck to all

[Nod]

You and I are running parallel fights here.  I'm getting ready to start yet another tapper down.  I'm actually thinking about going to my doc and fessing up with what has happenned, and get some med help from him this time to get through it. That's something I'm contemplating. Swallow my pride and do whats right if not for me for my family. I'm tired of living the lie. I can tapper all the way from 15-20/day to zip in about a month but then I go right back to it.

Your nightmare description hit it right on the head.  Could you imagine if they made people sign that type of disclaimer before they got a narcotic prescription filled.  Sure would open peoples eyes to powerful **** they are messing with.

Best wishes in your fight.  Keep posting doing your fight and let us know how your doing, I'll try to do the same.  Nod

[Schlub]

Thankls, Nod. I took my last pill at 5 AM, and it's now 12 hours later and I'm starting to feel some withdrawal. But I have Buprenex, a miracle drug for helping you detox with less  pain, so I should be more or less okay with the physical distress.

It's what comes in the 2n week -- that paralyzing lethargy and depredssopn -- that I'm worried about. That's when most detoxing addicts relapse.

But I won't. My family needs me.

Nod, you should think about telling your doctor. Ask him to prescribe some Buprenex to help you (it's not yet FDA-approved for detox -- that'll come later this year -- but it is approved for pain).

Hiding is what kills us. There are no addicts in existence who told their families or friends or physicians that they were developing an addiction problem. None. They don't exist. You know why? Because anyone who told someone what was happening got help and never became a full blown addict.

It's the hiding and lying that kill us.

Think about telling your doctor, and even your wife.

You're fighting for your life, man. Use every weapon you have -- and coming out from hiding is the biggest weapon to help you get clean that you could ever possess.

Anyway, whatever you do, I'm here. Keep me posted on your progress.

[DMR]

I really feel for you guys

Good luck in your attempts to get clean'

Right now I am pretty normal.  My worst momemts during my detox (up till now) were Saturday Morning (I finished my last Vicoprofen on Friday night)

I popped a couple of Tyrosine (500mg) and during the rest of the day I felt better..depression gone

I still had lots of pain..so I ended up taking up to 7 advils and now my left kidney is hurting a little

I am continuing to have pain.  I am at work right now feeling OK psycologically but the physical pain is pretty bad.  I am hoping extra strength Tylenol will do the trick

When I got anxious, I took a few Kava capsules, they calmed me down.  Half an hour before bedtime, I took some antihistamine to help me sleep.

Thank God I didn't have any tremors or seizures and I slept fine.

I hope I am not over doing it with these other pills

Schlub, please keep us posted on your recovery !!

[DMR]

Hydro Withdrawl Depression...can someone explain exactly what the symptoms of this condition are

I am sorry if this brings back bad memories, but I think you guys know it quite well and it would help me not to get back into my "Vicoprofen World"

I am seeing my doctor on Wed (today is Mon) and would like to fess up...

Please tell me

Thank you
DMR

[Nod]

Wow, your words hit me right on the head.  What you said is so true about me (and most addicts.)  I have come sooo close to fessing up to my wife but just seem to fall short.  Same with my doctor.  Its time I come clean and quite fooling myself and those who care about me.

I have the will power to tapper off, just staying off seems to be my undoing.  If I could get clean for 2months or so I think I will start seeing the light.  I just tappered down from 15-20 to zip in 5 weeks.  The zip lasted for 2 whole days, then my new script came in.  You guessed it..right back to 15-20, but now down to enough to do my month long tapper to get back off again.  What an ugly cycle.  

You mentioned Burpenex which I am going to go and speak to my doctor about.  I need pain relief, just got in trouble with the excess.  Couple questions on Burpenex:  It sounds too good to be true - it will relieve pain and not get you "high,"  and help with the opiate withdrawal as well?   Will there be withdrawal when you go off the Burpunex like other opiates?  Does this come in a pill?  

Schlub, keep up the great work.  Your gonna do it!  So am I!
Take care, Nod

[mrmichael67]

Buprenex comes in 1 ml ampules.  .03mg per.  You would have to inject it.  Temgesic is the foreign version.  It is a sublingual tablet.  You put it under your tongue and suck on it.

[Schlub]

Actually, many detox centers have their patients squirt the injectable Buprenex under their tongue -- which is clearly not as potent a route of administration, but avoids the probably risky idea of giving addicts (at least heroin addicts) needles.

Rumor is that the FDA will approve this year Burprenex for detox; it's already approved for pain, and in California at least, is carried at every Walgreens pharmacy and your doctor can just phone it in. If your doc prescribes it and is willing to let you inject it IM, it's a very simple and painless proceedure that anyone (who is not needle-phobic) can learn. So try for that, and settle for squirting it under the tongue.

Buprenex is absolutely mind-bogglingly good at eliminating 90-100% of early withdrawal symptoms. That's because it's another opiate (albeit a "partial" opiate that does not produce high. But if you use it for about two weeks you will develop some fairly mild withdrawal symptoms. But I'm really not sure how to distinguish these from what you would feel if you quit using the Buprenex after, say, 7 days. Because if you do that, you're still going to feel the 1-2 weeks of lethargy and depression that is common to all recovering opiate addicts. And that's about what you'd feel if you used the Bup for a longer time and then quit.

All I know is that Buprenex eliminates the writhing on the floor, screaming, convulsive leg-kicking tremors and total body bone pain and other serious phsyical symptoms of the first 5 days of withdrawal. At least it does that, which is something.

Some people say if you taper the Buprenex correctly, you can even avoid that 1-2 weeks of lethargy and depression that follows. Maybe, maybe not. But at least for sure it takes away the first horrible week of incredible suffering.

Weeks 2 and 3 may still be somewhat tough. But at least addicts no longer need suffer unmercifully thanks to Buprenex.

Btw, you can order the sublingual tablet version (0.2 mg), called Temgesic, from various online overseas pharmacies such as healthcarepharma.com. It takes about 3 wqeeks for delivery. Just remember that the potency of sublingual is not the same as an equivalent dosage of the injected Buprenex. My wild guess is that it takes maybe 5-6 (or even more) 0.2 mg tabs to equal the effectiveness of 2 0.3 mg injected Bup.

Hope this helps.

Btw, I'm 2 1/4 days since my last dose of narcotics -- this is just about when I should be in my very worst withdrawals -- and except for a mild lethargy, I'm fine, thanks to the Buprenex.

[Unwise]

Hey, sounds like you are doing well.  Can I ask how many you were taking before you quit, because this Buprenex sounds perfect for me, since I gave myself allergy shots twice a week for years, and indulged in iv abuse for a while as well.  Needles are, well, they don't scare me.  I just wonder...do I tell the doc that I am sick of the vicodin and scared of the dependence and want to start shooting buprenex (which I imagine would raise eyebrows) or come totally clean and say I'm abusing this stuff like nobody's business, want to stop for good, and have heard Buprenex is the answer?  Man, that's a stupid question now that I look at it, but what the hell?

Also, is Buprenex better than some of the patches they slap on you to cut the cravings?  I wore a patch in detox and the withdrawal was not hellish, but I still wouldn't call it a walk in the park.  I just have this fear that my doc isn't going to want to give me anything that I have to inject if I say, "Hey, I'm a nasty vicodin addict!"  Could just be paranoia.  Any personal anecdotes about how they went about dealing with their doc to get buprenex, whether it be a full confession or otherwise, would be helpful for me so that on my next visit I ask for it and not another bottle full of hydro.

I'm ready.  Thanks again, all.

[DMR]

You all should try some Tyro too..

I am done with my addiction and my withdrawls

I am clean and sober with no depression nor cravings

Next time, even if I am desperately need some Vics (FOR PAIN ONLY), I will take them ONLY AS DIRECTED and not worry about them

The high is only artificial, not real

Good luck to you all

[Schlub]

Unwise,

If I were you (and felt my doc was compassionate), I'd come clean about the addiction and ask for help. Tell him about Buprenex, which is sure to be FDA-approved in only a matter of months for detox, but is already approved for pain and he can call it into your local pharmacy (it's only ascheduled 2 drug, at most -- not even as controlled as Valium). Plus, I can send you via email about 25-30 brief paragraph-long research abstracts on its astounding effectiveness, from peer-reviewed journals like the Journal of Psychiatry, etc. That might reassure him. As for it being injectable, it's IM not IV injectable, so that might not bother him. Plenty of patients today give themselves IM injections for whatever reason. But if he balks, many addiction docs have their patients draw it up in a syringe with a larger-gauge needle unsuitable for IM injecting, and then have them squirt it under the tongue. It's not as effective absorbed sublingually, but it does work. Also, you can also order Buprenex (Temgesic) sublingual tabs from places like healthcarepharma.com cheaply, and it takes only about 2-3 weeks for delivery. Depending on your state, they might even fedex it to you from overseas. If you go that route, order at least 100 0.2mg sublingual tabs (again, it's called Temgesic overseas and be sure to get the kind with "bup" only and no Naltrexone or Naloxone in it).

Personally, I'd tell my doctor and ask for his help. It's extremely hard to get clean by ourselves, and just having someone know about it who can support you -- especially a doctor -- makes a huge difference in ultimate success.

Remember: It's our secrets that kill us. Tell your doc.

Meanwhile, DMR, congratulations! But I have a question for you: How long now have you been clean, and during the first few weeks of your detox, how long were you afflicted with depression and lethargy?

Thanks guys.

[DMR]

Thanks Schlub for your concern,

I have been clean for a week now (March 1 was my last 1/2 pill of Vicoprofen).  THe weekend was tough especially Saturday March 2 morning !!!

I took 4 hot showers that day and 8 advils for the pain.  I also took 1000mg of Tyro and 500mg of Vitamin B6..it did wonders for my lethargy but I still had major cravings for the Vics.  That night my wife and I hosted a cocktail party.  During the party, I neither had a single drink nor felt depressed

Sunday morning (March 3) I was feeling like **** again with major cravings and lethargy.  Popped the Tyros with some tea and started feeling better.  I continued popping advils and tylenols for my back pain.  I was depressed but I watched TV, took walks, showers.

Monday morning (March 4) I had some discomfort in my kidneys due to the excessive advil intake.  I had a little lethargy at work but little or no depression (probably because of the Tyros).  My concentration was OK at work.  Continued to pop the Tyros.

Since my habit wasn't too intense, withdrawl was not that bad, but I don't want to go through it again

Tuesday (March 5)..Feeling good for the first time in a long time WITHOUT THE VICS !!!  Got lots of work done at the office.  I still have had pain since but I don't give a **** about it no more.  Pain sucks but I am now strong enough to tolerate it now

Looking forward to the future and the rest of my life...........

Regret:  I have NOT told anyone NOT EVEN MY WIFE, don't really feel guilty though.......this will pass as all things will

I WANT ALL OF YOU TO FEEL LIKE ME NOW...I AM NOT RELIGIOUS BUT I AM PRAYING FOR YOU ALL

GOOD LUCK MY FRIENDS...PLEASE KEEP POSTING AND KEEP ME IN MIND

Lovingly, Respectfully and Sincerely,
DMR

[Schlub]

So the L-Tyrosine and B6 worked for you?

I'm impressed.

Did you also take 5-HTP and zinc/magnesium, or just the L-tyro?

[DMR]

No, I just took the L-Tyros & B6

I am slowly decreasing the L-Tyros to 500mg per 2 days

I thank you and the rest of the forum participants for suggesting the L-Tyro and for the support

DMR

[Hinkster]

Hello everyone,
    This is my very first time ever doing anything like this.
I cannot say enough how wonderful all you people are. Wow-
what a treat having people like ya'll to get encouragement from.
I to am about to call it quits with the meds. They have completely taken over. I have to make a choice sooner or later
because I do need them for terrible pain I have in my feet. I
have neuropathy (dead nerves that hurt- explain that- if their
dead how do they hurt?) Anyway before this gets too long and out of hand I would like to know more about the L-Tyrosine and where to get it. Also what exactly is 5-HTP? I keep seeing this popping up but can't seem to find out what it is. Thanks for any help. It says at the top of this page not to post a new question here. I sure hope I didn't screw this up. I really don't know
what I'am doing. Everyone here is so great thankyou again.

[peechi]

Trying to withdrawl slowly got too sick on day 2,went to dr on day 3, husband and I both! We only have to hide it from kids. We've been off work for a week, trying to cut down, and failing, running out and getting sick enough to feel so bad, it's taking another day and vics or perks to feel better enough to get up an d clean up. We are not good at cutting down, we eat them all!!! We had been clean for 2 yrs, husband had some dental work and thats all she wrote!! So I've never heard of some of these things you use for detox. I would like to know more. We really are floundering!

[Witchywoman]

L tyrosine and 5 HTP are amino acids. You can buy them in any health food store.

The L-tyrosine helps by giving your brain the raw materials it needs to make dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which get tremendously depleted with chronic use of opiates. It helps a lot with getting your brain to make its own endorphins again. When your endorphin receptors are constantly full with opiates, your body stops making its own endorphins. This is a big part of what the withdrawals symptoms are. It is also why long term use of opiates can also make pain seem higher than it really is, since your body doesn't have its own natural endorphins back yet.   Taking a break from the meds helps you get a sense of what your actual pain level is.  When I got off the meds, I found that my back pain was pretty high still, but not so high that it required constant use of opiates, once I got really honest with myself.

The 5 HTP is the direct precusor to the neurotransmiter seratonin. Seratonin is responsible for mood (as is dopamine). Chronic opiate use depletes seratonin, and thus makes you depressed, especially when detoxing.

If you are already on a medication for depression that boosts seratonin, like paxil, prozac, zoloft etc, you shouldn't take either of these supplements.

Also..a good multimineral and multivitamin is very important to help you feel normal again. Drink lots of water and take tons of vitamin C.

Unfortunately nothing makes it totally a cake walk.  But it is doable if you want it badly enough and have the right kind of support.

hope that helps!
WW

[pancake]

Hi Nod, i've been reading your posts and want to know more about your tapering process. Your level of use is very similar to mine and i am attempting to do exactly what you have done several times.  That is taper down over a period of about 4-5 weeks. I know everyone is different, but i would be very interested to know what the withdrawls were like for you, the depression, the whole ugly story.  Did you do it on your own? I have such a difficult time not "cheating."  I've done the cold turkey and though my use was not nearly what it is now, it was pure hell. I hope you can offer some words of wisdom.  thanks P.