Hydrocodone Withdrawal

[dabby]

I have been taking hydrocodone for about 2 1/2 years at an increasing rate, ending up with the 7.5 strength and about 18-20 per day.  I do have severe arthitis pain and am a 51 year old woman.  I have to cut down and recently cut down to 10 a day and have experienced physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms.  I have some clonidine and don't know how much to take for withdrawal.  What is the recommended dosage.  My goal is to eventually cut down to 4 a day, but have been very uncomfortable at 10.  I also take effexor and trazadone for depression, but I am so depressed right now.  Hydrocodone, believe it or not has helped my depression and has given me something to look forward to. This site has helped, knowing other people go through the same thing.  Hydrocodone has become my reason to live. I know this has to change.

[offdayellows]

Here's a little background. 22 years old started messing around with vicodins  in high school never really an issue. college came around started getting a little more into them nothing too bad until my last like year and half of college started popping norco 10's like they were candy. mess around here and the with roxis and op's never too bad then. then towards end of school i couldnt do a single assignment if i wasn't on pills.first thing i think about when i wake up and about every 15 min throughout the day.  after graduation i thought i would stop but it only got worse. eating anywhere from 8 - 14 yellows 10/325 perday for the last 5-6 months with a few methadones here and there. i got a good job that i cant feel sick at. I have no one to talk to all my friends dont think i take them like this . my parents have no clue, i dont know what to do. every day i say today is going to be the last, i need to get off them but i need someone to talk to ..

[afraidinseattle]

how did you do?  I'm trying to taper down as I type?

[tlady1971]

Im with you. we can do this. I have faith that we can.

[Daweezel]

Lady, I know this was a year ago and I hope you are still around and have gotten past it.  I'm on Hydrocodone for 21 years. A couple of tricks. Buy a small, cheap safe. Or hide the pills. For a while, my wife hid them from me. Finally, I developed a knee issue that had my doc "up" the dose and I can leave her cheap, headache-producing Norcos alone. Also, to relieve the drama of running out, most insurance will (or are required to) refill you at 23 days. Mark your callendar. Save a week's worth every month. In 4 months you have a free month's amount. This is a good defense against the doctor being on vacation, "missing your request" and stuff like that. Also, it makes you keenly aware of the number of pills you take. To back off..start breaking them in half. If you start to get the "tingle bones" take the other half. One thing that I learned but cannot make use of is this simple truth. Pot helps. During a knee transplant 9 years ago, I had to take 8 or more Lortab 10's a day as I recovered. This was more than I'd ever taken. One day, my wife's medical pot was on the table. I'd taken one Lortab two hours before, then smoked just a little bit of her pot.  Later, at supper time, I felt a twinge in my knee and realized, I had SKIPPED 7 pills!  Wow! Alas, my job (a really good one) violates my civil rights with random tests. They would rather me destroy my body with pills than droping half of them with a hit of weed after I get home from work.  Pity. The 5 LT 10's I take every day, I don't need every day. On the 3-pill days, I get tingly and wake up at three a.m. throwing punches in the air as the "electric bones" rack my arms. I take the missed pills (one at a time) and try to get back to sleep. I am loooking into using a pill called clonidine to back me up when I don't want to take another pain killer. I have not got any answers on this strategy yet but if it works out, I will be able to "throtle" the amount of Opiates I take as needed without the horror of withdrawals.

[Pat1956100]

Hi Don
Go to your profile and above the spot for your picture, it says about me.
To the right of that it says edit, click on edit and you can make the change there.
Your post didn't go to a new thread.  Go to the first page of the forum and click on Post a question and start your new thread
Good luck.

[Daweezel]

Pat. As a new person to this site, I must report something. I was allowed to join up as "daweezel" as I typed on my iPhone. When I got feeling well enough (but sleepless) I came to the PC and actually typed. The site said "daweezel" was taken already. Perhaps this is why I am identified as a woman. It offered 4 other similar, already taken names. When I redid my sign in, it said the email was already taken....by ME.  Please help. Don