Life after Oxycontin!

[gene10]

Thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes on my trip to detox from Oxycontin abuse. I spent 6 days in-patient at a nice detox facility up in the woods.  They used methadone to detox me & prevent the withdrawal from the Oxy.  It worked very well & I was tapered from the methadone over the 6 days & am now off of everything!

Being at a detox center with many other addicts was a true eye opening experience!  I was with herion addicts, coke abusers, & alcoholics.  I was amazed that every heroin addict I talked to had heard of Oxycontin & knew to snort it for the full effect.  But they all progressed to shooting heroin eventually.  I met people who spent many periods of time in jail, lost their jobs, families, homes, etc.  I went to lots of AA meetings & lectures & saw films about addiction. And I realized that I am no different than any other addict up there, just luckier to have not lost my job of family.  I met a guy who spent $100,000.00 in the past year on drugs.  But everyone there wanted to stay sober & we all worked together to do that.  They told me that only 1 in 40 patients there will stay sober & that's a depressing thought but I am that one person!  Most of the people there have been to numerous detoxes before but this was my first & last.  (I hope & pray)

So if you are addicted to painkillers, there is a way out.  Call your doctor or insurance company or look in the phone book for detox centers (they are everywhere) & ask for help.
I find that I get a lot of help just reading the posts on this website.  It is therapy for me & I also put my own posts here & have gotten tremendous support from others - doctors & addicts.

I will be checking this website regularly so please write to me.

[Gene to Joanne]

14 days to feel better?  I can deal with that!  Congratulations Bob on your new found sobriety!  I still can't fall asleep at night due to the muscle spasms or eebie jeebies as I call them.  This is really killing me especially being back at work & covering for my partner who is on vacation for 2 weeks.
Did you have anything like this? This Thursday is 2 weeks for me but I don;t ecpect to see any improvement by then.
I also remember why & how I got into painkillers in the first place;  chronic pain which I had been suffering from before I started taking narcotics. Now that I'm clean, I am really feeling my age & I'm starting to think about how bad my job may be for me physically.  I hope that as I adjust to my new lifestyle, my pain will decrease.  Chronic pain would surely send me back to Oxy, even if I don't wan't to get high with it.

[Bob K]

Kimberly I stopped taking oxycontin 17 days ago. I started feeling a lot better about the fourteenth day. I didnt get any antidepressants but I was lucky enough to have been detoxed with buprenorphine. For the first two weeks I felt sad and sore. I must say that I am glad I didnt do anything that would change my course. Today I am feeling much much more like my self. I was afraid that i would not get better because I am 50 years old. I started jogging at dawn yesterday and I think that has helped quite a bit, I wish you well Kimberly P.S.  I was addicted to pain killers for about 10 years. Bob K

[Bob K]

Gene you can expect to see improvement. I started taking oxy for bad pain also. But in hind sight I was trying to kill my pain with an elephant gun. I always did what I wanted. When my doctor said no more oxy I made a phone call. I really thought I was doing the right thing. I bought someone elses medicine for 9 or 10 months. THE more I started to need it the more expensive it got. I was being used because I put my self in the care of a drug dealer. I did get the hebe gebies as I called them. They stoped on about the 14th day or so. Once in a while I take one of my wifes small xanax to help with the sleeping problem. If that dosent work I restring a guitar or play a little or do something that needs to be done while IM awake. The person who sold me the oxy all of a sudden dosent want to see me in pain. screw that my life is hard enough and im not giving this person any more of my money. You will be fine very soon. I have mentioned that previous to the oxy I had a ten year thing with darvocet about 6 a day. That never caused me any problems I keep telling myself. Im glad that I now realize that anything like that at all would be like changing seats on the Titanic. Bob K

[Brian to Sick and Scared]

The fatigue you feel is common and will only go away with time.  I tend to prescribe enervating antidepressants (such as Prozac) but they don't often do much (although I think they have some placebo effect).  Tom's advice is excellent--try his suggestions and they will help.  And remember, time does heal all wounds.  I know it seems like you will never feel better, but you will.  We've all been there more times than we care to consider.  I've been there from both sides of the fence (addicted and helping to treat addicts).  I wish you the best.  Brian

[Gene to Joanne]

Wow Tom, that is a lot of great advice!  I wish someone had told me these things a few days ago.  I am printing out your message & will try my best to follow your advice.  It's my only hope of surviving what my body is going through.
I am avoiding all of my friends who still get high for now & went to my 2nd AA meeting tonight.  I even raised my hand & talked a bit & got some great advice from a long time sober addict.
I know that things will get better over time.  Unfortunately, my family & job demands are very strong right now & I can't take off any more time from work right now.  I think a week off with my exercising at my gym & just taking care of myself would be a great help to me but I am out of vacation & sick time & can't afford to take time without pay.

So I will keep reading this website & posting messages as well as talking to my sponsor & go to as many meetings as possible.  They really do help!
Thanks again Tom!

[Gene to Joanne]

Thanks to both of you for the nice words & the good advice about relapsing.  My sponsor has told me that I can't & shouldn't say that I am finished with Oxycontin because relapsing is very easy.
And if I do relapse, then I will have a harder time getting straight again due to pride & shame issues.
I went to my first post detox AA meeting last night with my sponsor & it was a great meeting.  After the meeting, about ten people came up to me & welcomed me to the group & gave me cards with their home numbers & names & told me to call any time of day or night if I needed to talk.  I was overwhelmed by their genuine concern for me.  I know that going to meetings is very important for me especially for the next 90 days & I am going to one tomorrow.  (actually today since it's 2:00 AM)

I am having a terrible time with debilitating fatigue & the inability to go to sleep at my normal bedtime.  I get the "eebie jeebies" where I can't relax & I have that jumping out of my skin feeling.  The doctor prescribed Neurontin for that but it hasn't worked so far.
Does anyone know how long these side effects last?
I know that I could feel a hundred times better if I did Oxycontin again but I keep telling myself that that is not an option for me.  I can never touch that drug again as long as I live.

I really do believe that I won't relapse but I have to follow my sponsor's advice if I want to keep that promise to myself.