Oxycontin - OTC Meds to help with withdrawls

[stupidly_addicted]

Embarrassingly, I don't have a medical condition that requires me to take these pills.  I buy my friends lot of 100 30mg immediate release and 60 80mg (orange) Oxycontins on a monthly basis.  While my lifestyle allows me to afford this, I live off a very small budget and have nothing really to show for all my hard work.  This has left me to putting items on credit cards and building up a significant amount of debt.  If I weren't taking these drugs, I could pay off my debt quickly and save money.  In fact, I could probably have bought a house by now.  I participate in my company 401k, but I don't want this to be my only source of saving money.  I've been taking these drugs for about 3 years and I'm afraid of the withdrawals.  I don't have the time to enter a rehab program (maybe next year) but I want to get off these pills NOW!.  Is there anything OTC I can take that would help with the withdrawals?  I have access to Xanax and Klonopin to help with the anxiety and sleep issues, but what can I buy at the drug store, OTC, to help relieve the withdrawal symptoms?  I tried to detox and was on day four without anything but couldn't take it anymore.  Basically:

- My heart felt like it was in my stomach and I can feel it bouncing up and down
- I had severe RLS
- I couldn't hold down even water - I was probably severely dehydrated by day four which caused me to cave
- I got about 3 hours sleep over 5 days.
- I tried going into work, but had to go home early then take sick days.

I don't know what it is that keeps bringing me back to these drugs.  I don't even feel like I'm getting high anymore.  I'm just using to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.  I don't blame anyone but myself for the position I've gotten into and as of late I've been getting more and more upset over it  I WANT TO QUIT NOW!

So, like I said above, I don't have the time to enter a rehab program (maybe next year) but I want to get off these pills NOW!.  Is there anything OTC I can take that would help with the withdrawals?  I have access to Xanax and Klonopin to help with the anxiety and sleep issues, but what can I buy at the drug store, OTC, to help relieve the withdrawal symptoms?

Thanks,
stupidly_addicted

[timbozzy]

I'm not sure that there is anything over the counter but there is some thing you can take its called suboxone it works but you have to take it like this 8mg 1st day and on second and third day the same. and then 3days on 6mg. Then 4days with 4mg.  4days with 2mg then 3-4 days with 1 in that time you will know when it's s time to say ok Im done with this. time to move on .the most important part is you can not start to take this until you are in complete withdrawal. now it sounds like you are taking quite a bit so you want to wait at least 36 hours minimum. dude if you take this while you have opiates in your system you could go into severe withdrawal called precipitated withdraw witch is worse than cold turkey withdrawal. now Im not sure where you are but here in the US this suboxone is a controlled substance as well as the oxys but you can get it much easier than you can the pills. from just about any pain clinic that prescribes pain meds but listen the last thing is now this stuff still work inn minutes you wont be sick any more in minutes you'll be able to eat,shower & carry on like a normal person but DO NOT take this stuff any longer than this you could do it with less that & what you should shoot for but DO NOT GO ANY LONGER .that stuff its harder to come off than the pills trust me i learned this the hard way. It has a opiate blocker. so if you go into withdraw on this you cant take pills to stop from being sick and because of the way its made its got some weird half life to where you could go into withdrawal 3-4 days after you stop taking this depending on how much you were taking withdrawals could last 2weeks or more trust me. If you follow those guidelines try to go less if you dont have anything to do sweat it out alittle. And by the time you get to 1mg dude youll feel the control of your life come back to you not your sickness good luck bro GOD BLESS for me i believe inn Jesus as my Lord and savior so i ask him for the strength and dont believe in luck.my mom made me learn and repeat this all the time the last time i had to go this withdraw thing Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

[redtree70]

All you posters here. I am so glad to have found u. I am on hour 29, withdrawing from perc 10's, 3-4 every day Took an ambien for sleep last night and slept a good 8 hrs. Woke up, litteraly could not turn over. Felt like my legs and back were breaking. My husband rubbed them, but the bone pain is so deep. My stomache just keeps cramping and rolling,hot and cold. He gave me 0.25 of xanax and a soma. I slept about 2 more hours after that and felt a little better. Keep thinking I am going to have diaharrea but nothing happens, everything seems so loud. Have had abdominal cramps but eating actually made my gut feel better. I am scared. I am scared how long the pain will last, I feel as if this addiction has taken away my soul. I dont recognize myself anymore. My dreams are slowely slipping away. We have 2 boys 10 and 12 and they dont know. We have done everything we could to keep their lives normal as possible. They just think Mom gets sick alot from her asthma and needs lots of sleep. I never had a reason to start this. I was a stay at home mom and my husband traveled for work he broke his neck and back 7 years ago. He had a spinal fusion with plates and screws and lots of nerve damage.It seemed our whole world began to revole around wether dad had enough pain meds, everything revolved around it. I felt as if I could not keep up.I work in the medical field and also have a younger sister who is a big party girl, They would ask about my husband and what he was on and snicker and say I can take half of one of those clean my house top to bottom,grocery shop, cook a huge meal and play with my kids. Depressed and exausted I tried it. It was wonderfull and true, I COULD DO IT ALL!!! That was 4 years ago and it all seems like a blur. I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster ride and I just want off.I feel like I have been coasting along, I want to live again. My husband feels responsible ,when this started I would sneak them from him. He is commited to helping me kick this. And then talking to his M.D. about weining him down to truley see what his pain level is. He gets 360 perc 10's q month and wears 300 mcg duragesic patch. This is no way to live. Would greatly appreciate supprt or advice. Bless you all

[peep99]

I'm new here, but I came here for the same reason as you, to seek help and talk about getting off of these oxys. I need to figure out if I could wean and taper myself off of these or get help with saboxone or methadone. I think each situation is specific to how much you take.  I can share what I am doing and I hope I can continue to wean and taper off, I had been taking about 120 mg a day now for a couple years (prescribed by a doc. for neck pain), I considered getting on saboxone, but everything ive read here and there, says people get addicted to that.
For one week, I starting taking 3 per day (of 20 mg) instead of 4 to 5 (20 mg) now for about 4 days, ive been on 2 (20 mg) a day, and I can't believe im that far already, im very proud of myself,  im going to stay on that program for a while. I do take 50 mg trazadone to sleep, it works fabulous for me. i will say that today, i feel very lightheaded, unable to concentrate, increased appetite, and tired.... exercise helps me feel better, if i can do it.

I am sorry I don’t know any OTC meds that help. I wish you the best of luck.
i guess i have always felt knowlege is power. im glad i found this forum

thank you.

peep

[stupidly_addicted618]

Can anyone please recommend a good taper plan from 100 30s and 60 80s per month?

[stupidly_addicted618]

There aren't any additional reasons to behind taking the pills other than boredom.  Now it's at a level where I'm uncofortable and fear for my health and future.  This is the reason I want to quit.

[stupidly_addicted618]

For some reason I couldn't log into my account, so I had to create a new one...

I don't plan on going CT at the level I'm at.  I'm planning a taper system like you and getting down to a reasonable level to go CT and quit.  I haven't mixed bezo's with oxy, I just said they were available for when I try to go CT to help with the withdrawls.

[tramaddi]

Wow ur frend must be making a killing off u!! u practically pay their rent!  Don't they need these pills themselves??  How did u wind up setting up this arrangement..just curious.

[GoDawgs08]

You sound a lot like me.  I'm 29, great job, can pay my bills on time, own a home, a new car, etc.  And like you, these stupid F'in pills run my life.  No money in savings cause after bills are paid, I buy pills.  Your post sounded just like me.  Can't even get high off them anymore either.  WTF?  Just wanted to give some advice.  At your dose, it is medically unsafe to withdraw on your own.  It is also unsafe to take xanex at the same time you are taking OC's.  That is part of how Heath Ledger died.  It is not my intention to make light of other people's addiction on this site, however you have peopl on here who take suboxone to get off a 5 norco a day addiction.  That has to be a joke.  I know the point is to get clean however you can, I just want people to make informed decisions and not risk their health now or in the future.  I have spoken with my doctor and my therapist about my plan to get off the pills and both told me not to quit cold turkey on my own.  I'm at 30 ish Hydro 10's per day (norco, lortab, lorcet, whatever).  They said that given my history of anxiety and depression going cold turkey and that high of a dose was not safe.  I have a taper plan, the pills are in the hands of my girlfriend, locked up and I have a quit date in place.  I am also going to outpatient treatment and NA meetings.   Both dr.s agree that when I get down to around 10/day I can jump off cold turkey from there if I want to.  Anyway, just be careful going CT and mixing Benzos with the OC.  Just my thoughts.  Take care of yourself.  

[ochooked]

There are some very good suggestions and advice to your post.  I just want to add that the single best thing you can do (when you are really ready to quit) is to cut off your supply --- not leave the door open for that "just in case I change my mind moment" --  Be sure that during the W/D process you may have second thoughts about your commitment --- so slam every door shut.  Someone above asked about your reason for quitting --- that is a very good point ---  In order to sustain you during the W/D time, you need to already decided that you are sick and tired of chasing, using, revolving your life around --- Pills.  You need to really understand what it is the pills are doing to YOU - - not just your finances, but all of you.  They mask everything in your life -- every emotion is filtered by the drug.  You really can do this.  Please take a stand - cut off your supply -- flush every pill down the drain -- set a 'quit date' and stick to it.   There will be some  pain in W/D's and you have to want to get clean bad enough to go through it.  Yes, the supplements help - but the main thing is your desire to quit.  All the best.

[stupidly_addicted]

Did you follow the Amino Acid Protocol?  What did you do to help get you through the first 4 days?

[starfish1963]

I went cold turkey and it was not picnic in the park but it was worth it.  Exercise is the key to it.  Force yourself to walk, ride a bike, swim anything that will keep your mind off of the wd and put endorphines back in your brain.  You can do it but you have got to want it more than anything you have ever wanted before for it to work.  The restless leg goes aways and within a little over a week you will be sleeping better.  It's not easy but way worth the clean life.  Your a slave to the drug, it controls your thoughts, what you do everything, I know I got the t shrit but I can honestly say I have my life back and for that alone it was all worth it.  CT isn't for everyone but it's one way of not wanting to go back.  Sometimes the easy road is not always the best but you have to determine what is best for you.  Good luck and Gods Best!!!!

[Clamity2]

I can relate to the big bucks on oxy. I thought the withdrawals would be too hard for me to ever take on. But honestly you had the hardest part behind you at 4 days. If you use anything to help you only do it for 3 or 4 days then suck it up and go for it. You will have a hard week but after that it really gets better every day !  After I was clean for 6 months I went to Alaska to see my brother on Lake Iliamna , whom I hadn't seen for 22 years. I could have seen him every year with the money I spent on chasing pills!  

Don't be affraid of the withdrawal monster. It's not all we have it built up to be in our heads. Hot baths, imodium, post here, prayer, multi vitimans, exercise when you can, and try and keep your thoughts positive.  Welcome!!!!

[Victor322]

I would suggest taking otc benedryl or otc Tylenol PM (also has benedryl in it) as an option to taking any Benzo as it will help with the anxiety, and alternate it with any benzo you might eventually take (if so, choose Klonopin instead of Xanax as it's longer acting) so that you can minimize the potential for benzo addiction....also consider having someone hold the Benzo's for you. The benedryl also comes in a 50 mg dosage as a sleep aid and is relatively inexpensive at Walmart. If you take the Benedryl during the day for anxiety, use the 25mg version as the 50mg version may not be safe to take if driving a car or other accident prone type activities. Many people don't like the benedryl as they don't like the 'foggy & thick' feeling during the day, how-ever my position is that it's still better than taking a potentially addicting benzo or increasing one's dependence upon a benzo if already physically dependent upon them.

The benedryl will help with some of the anxiety and also help somewhat with sleep, though probably not much early-on in the wd process. Even 2 Ambients in one night  didn't help me much at all during the first few days of wd. Melatonin and Valerian root might also help with sleep after the first few days. So between those 3 otc options and a benzo you'll figure out which works best for you, then rotate them around so that your body doesn't become dependent upon them because eventually your body will have to find it's own natural sleep rhythm otherwise you'll eventually be struggling with a mental dependence which will also prove to be another problem down the road for you to have work on when you want to obtain sleep naturally. Best to keep it as simple as possible.

Best Wishes,
-Vic    

[stupidly_addicted]

What's wrong with taking Xanax on the days I'm detoxing if I'm having trouble sleeping?  How long and how often do you have to take Xanax to become addicted?

[worried878]

yes...aminos are found in foods we eat everyday....and it would be good to do so to get urself ready to go....handing the pills over to someone u trust..writing out a taper u can live with and picking a quit day and sticking to it all help..even if u cheat..quit day is still quit day....anxiety and lack of sleep are a big problem if u work and if u dont take care of it it can cause u to fail...being careful with any meds u take for detox is crucial...but i did use small amounts of valium and ambien to sleep...i took 4 days off and went back to work..never missed a wink of sleep....ur tired of then..evident from ur post..u will make it if u set urself up to make it

[stupidly_addicted]

I can taper for as long as necessary.  The pills will be available monthly for years as far as I know.  I do know that if I have a stock of them in the house, I will go through them like candy.

I spend about $1500/mo on these stupid things.  I live a nice lifestlyle, pay all my bills on time, have a high credit rating, etc.  I just feel personally ashamed of myself for allowing it to get to this point.  $1500/mo on drugs?!?!  I know it's only going to get worse because it started out with 20 Endocet (10mg oxy/325 acetaminophen) per month and now look where I am.  I'm no longer enjoying it and notice I spend a lot of time counting down the days till I can buy more.  I basically take it just so I don't feel the withdrawal symptoms.  I don't feel high or anything when I take them and when that happens, you usually need more drugs.   So, this is where I draw the line.  It was fun while it lasted but it's time to grow up.  I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or being snobbish, but I'm 30 and young with a great job.  With the money I'd be saving, I can pay off debt quicker,  save for my future,   traveling or doing any number of other things that don't involve using drugs.

Can I start the  the Amino Acid Protocol and taper at the same time?  Will that be the best way to go?

[Kyleintown]

The Amino Acids Protocol listed at this site has really helped me, was awful the 1st 3 days, thought I would go crazy. I am now losing WD's a little each day. Just make sure you east before you take, Stupid me was so excited to get started, took on an empty stomach and got very ill. Since I eat they do not bother me. I am taking Vitamin C B_Complex, L Glutamine, 5HTP, they really are helping me.. Also, just be ready for wierd body reactions, yellow pee/poop. twitches....

Best wishes
Kyle

[PromisedLand]

There's no simple pill to not have to walk the withdrawl trail..you walked 50 miles into the forest..you have to walk back out.  You might ask your doctor for Clonidine, a blood pressure med that has been a great help to many of us with withdrawals..or the aminos descibed above.....we're here to support you all we can..please stay in touch here and we'll get through it with you

Best of luck to you

Jim

[Bob641]

No, you won't find it there but you will at any GNC store or some vitamins online stores too.And I have not tried it, it is designed for withdrawal of opiates and my problem is a benzo.

[corey411]

You can get most at GNC. They do help some. I'm sure you know about the immodium and lots of water. Taking hot baths helps too. Are you able to taper ? I was never able to do that bc I would keep popping the pills. Sounds like your spending alot on the pills. Alot of the folks(esp taking pills) have been able to maintain a good lifestyle as well. Is your main reason for quitting bc you want to save money or yourself. You have to really want this. It's tough and if your ready I'm sure you can do this. Keep posting to let us help you. Sunday night is slow on here so you will get more responces tomorrow as well. Good luck and God bless. Corey

[stupidly_addicted]

Have you tried the Amino Acids Protocol?  I noticed some of the drugs listed and their names seem like they would be difficult to find on a drug shelf.  For instance. Sam-e, DLPA, L-Taurine, etc.  I've never looked for these specificlly so I wouldn't know.  Are they usually available at any CVS or Duane Reade medicine section?

[Bob641]

My advice, DO NOT take Xanax or Klonopin, both are benzos, highly addictive, specially the Xanax( that is the drug I'm withdrawing from and can take months to more than a year to get off them) so beware.
Look in the bottom right of your page for the Amino Acids Protocol, these are some amino acids, vitamins and minerals that will help you through your withdrawal.
I wish you luck, you have to have a strong willpower also.