Opiate Withdrawal looming ... afraid .. Need Help

[VonB]

Hi ... This is my first time here .  I am on 40mg of OxyContin 3x a day and Percocet 10/325 for breakthrough pain.  I am prescribed the medication for Back Issues ( Long Story .. 3 Surgery's w/ Internal Hardware Rods & Screw Etc)  When I started these meds about 8 months ago the dosage was alittle lower ... but have been on this strength & Combo for 6 months. About 4 months ago I told a friend what I was on, they went on to tell me how people crush OxyContin and get high... for some reason that thought stayed in my mind and I looked it up on the Internet and there is was.... and then it started.  I tried it and not only did my pain go away .. but ... I felt happy, relaxed, euphoric ... and so the problem began.   About 5 days ago I realised, I wasn't going to have enough medication to get me to my next Dr Appt ( you think then and there I would have spaced out what I had ) Two days ago I did 3 OxyContins & 3 Percocet, One day ago I did 2 OxyContin & 2 Percocet, and Today I did 1 Oxycontin & 1 Percocet .... I have no more medication and I won't see the Dr for a week.  I am really scared about whats going to happen ... I wish there were someone in my life that I trusted that I could talk to, unfortunately there isn't.  Would Vicodin stop me from having withdrawals? I believe my Mom was prescribed them for her knee.   I can't even believe I did this ...its absolutley insane.   What happens with Withdrawals ... when will it start ?? What will it be like and how long does it last??  And what can I do to make it most tolerable??  Will my Spouse be able to figure it out or can I pass it off as just being sick??  I would appreciate as much input and help as possible!!     Thank You

[whitie]

wow, great comments you guys !




some facts about oxies,perc and vikes may be inorder........

first off, oxies and percs are basically the same thing.

both vicodin/hydrocodone  and oxycodone are opioid analgesic's synthesized from opium derived thebaine.  so the buzz and the end results is about  the same, both addicting as h@ll.  

I took oxies and for what they cost, I thought they were a joke compared to norcos,per dollar.

[troubleinohio]

welcome aboard Von, Im glad you found us especially since you say you have no one to turn to in your life. This forum will be your savoir as it is for sooooooo many of us ( I suspect there are TONS Of lurkers here everyday who read but never post as well).

I too am a chronic pain sufferer and an addict. No matter how hard Ive tried  i simply CANNOT control my usage. I can never take my medicine as RX'd. I always ate them up so fast that I would be out of my pills 2+weeks early and go on the search for them elsewhere to get me through til refill.  My story is too long to go into, my journey has been long, tumultuous and an insane roller coaster ride...but let me tell you this...since you have already demonstrated you cant take your medicine as prescribed either, and are abusing it to get high,   you need to quit and not go back to them before you get in any deeper. And i strongly advise you to NOT take your mom's vicodin to help your WDs!!!!!! Vicodin/hydrocodone is very likely the most abused narcotic by far. Almost every post on this board is from someone hooked on Vics (it was my DOC too). You would most likely end up just trading your oxy addiction for a hydro one.
I wish you the best of luck. Please read as many posts as you can here and arm yourself with knowledge. ANd keep posting, you will get so much support and understanding here. Ive been here over 2 years and Ive seen the great power of this forum and the wonderful people here.

[worried878]

Is this just an attempt to make it thru oneweek til u get ur scrip??   What u have done to urself by not controlling ur pill intake will get tiresome month after month.if u continue to run out..it is a typical addict story//have u cme to terms with this problem/addiction/ or do u just want to not suffer forthe week coming up?
sumpin for sleep is important to recovery...if u r tired u may cave..especially if u r working....ambien has not ever been addictiong for me/but abused by many/ I used small pieces  to sleep during detox/I do know never ever drink while on ambien and get right in the bed when u take it as it works fast...also had a few valium for daytime anxiety.....I also used phenergan for sleep as well..small pieces of phenergan for anxiety/most any dr will call this in for a stomach virus/safer bet is to try over the counter sleep meds like valerian root , melatonin..also products containing benadryl that r sold over the counter/imodium is a must..so r the amino acids in the thomas recipe

if u can talk to ur dr he may can give u an rx for safer meds to treat ur anxiety/sleep issues...give him/her a shout..if u r ready to get off the merry go round then tell them  u no longer want narcotics..read the thomas recipe in the health pages..it will help u right now..and posting here will also help

[VonB]

I also want to say thanks to both of you for responding to my post .... this site has given me some hope and the feeling that I am not so alone in this :)  To just clarify ... I want to be free of taking these pain meds, but I also don't want to have pain ... so what are my opions for relief? Does anyone take something non Narcotic that works good??  Please share   Thanks

[VonB]

I also want to say thanks to both of you for responding to my post .... this site has given me some hope and the feeling that I am not so alone in this :)  To just clarify ... I want to be free of taking these pain meds, but I also don't want to have pain ... so what are my opions for relief? Does anyone take something non Narcotic that works good??  Please share   Thanks

[VonB]

I also want to say thanks to both of you for responding to my post .... this site has given me some hope and the feeling that I am not so alone in this :)  To just clarify ... I want to be free of taking these pain meds, but I also don't want to have pain ... so what are my opions for relief? Does anyone take something non Narcotic that works good??  Please share   Thanks

[VonB]

Thank you so much for your reply ....  sportnut when I read to expect to yawn alot ... I had to laugh because it has already started to happen....and I am only about 10 hours into this.  You say the best thing is to sleep alot ... is it possible to fall asleep when your in withdrawal?? I guess what I am asking is are you tired through it like exhausted .. or do you get agitated and not be able to sit still or lie still ??  I already have Restless Leg Syndrome for 20+ years ......thank godness it only keeps me awake a few nights a month. You also mentioned to read your other Posts .. I so want to do that ... but haven't figured out how to navigate this site yet. Are you off all pain meds?? I mean that is such the Problem for me is that I have real issues with pain ... so where do I go from here ?? I mean after the withdrawal ... and truthfully thats not even that much of what I am worried about .. I am more worried about being in pain ... I am already ... and like I said I am only 10 hours with no meds.  I have Ambien .. should I take that if I can't sleep or am I better off not??  I so appreciate the help, support, and input                 Von
      

[worried878]

agree...when u r ready to stop..all ties have to be cut including refills..so letting ur dr know ur wishes is important...ur dose is doable...130 Mgs a day>> guessing here...but it is a taper or ct dose...over 150 mgs a day can get tough...u gotta make a plan..get some aftercare of some sort to get u thru the mental aspect of wd..the physical is usually over in less than a week..again it depends on ur mind set and how bad u want to to be clean..u can do this..keep posting

[wanttobeclean]

Well...the first question is if you just want to get through until you get your next refill, or do you want to stop?  

My advice...STOP.  In my humble opinion, opiates are NOT the cure for chronic pain...at least not for most people.  Your body becomes tolerant to them quickly and you need more and more just to stop feeling horrible.  Eventually even the highest doses don't do it.  That's how it was for me. And when I decided enough was enough, and I quit....it was an eye opening and humbling experience.  I was not a good person during my active addiction ...and I didn't even fully realize it.  I was selfish and self centered.  I have 409 days off opiates and my pain is controlled entirely with non-narcotic medications, exercise and acupuncture.  And I clearly know that it wasn't just the physical pain that got me hooked...it was much more.  And that is taking longer to work out.  But with aftercare, this site and a good shrink, I'm a million times happier and more content than I was even on my best "high" day.

Good luck to you.

[sportnut]

Read some of my posts.
50, 4 rotator cuff surgeries, same boat.
I thought my wife was fooled for the past 4 years and when I told her two months ago it was no surprise to her as she had suspected something and she wished I had told her sooner so she could be by my side.
You will want to sleep sleep sleep the first day or two, let yourself nap if you can, you will have uncontrollable yawning too, weird but true.
The other thing is restless legs and nerves twitching all over while your brain rewires itself.
The worst is truely over after 3-4 days, I worked every day of it which was a bad idea the first Monday I went CT but I snuck naps in here and there.
Read others posts here about fatigue and the mental part when you will want to cave.
I made it 3+ weeks and had the doc call in a refill because I retor my right and am having surgery on my left  in Sept or Oct, bad pain. I took 1/4 one day and 1/2 (or a 20mg oxy) the next, did nothing for me so I flushed them, all 58 of them, had one stashed at work, flushed it too.
Meaning the cravings will com ebut pass and even if you cave they don't work anymore once your body flushes this stuff out 3-4 days.