Aa
Percocet Addiction/Withdrawal
I have been addicted to percocet for almost a year now. I knew I had a problem but couldn’t stop. I was taking up to 10 a day. Finally, I had enough and started cutting down. I was down to 1 ½ a day. I stopped altogether about three days ago and have felt very fatigued with a lack of energy, grouchy and depressed ever since. I can’t talk to my significant other about my problem and don’t know where to turn. It felt like when I was on the pills that I had so much energy and was much happier. Now I go to sleep really early and don’t have any motivation to do anything and other people are starting to notice a change in my mood. I also get depressed and start crying for no reason or because I don’t have my pills anymore. I am afraid that I will relapse. Does anyone know how long the withdrawal period lasts? And when will I start feeling better both emotionally and physically? Who do I talk to about relapse? Please give me any input into this situation you might have. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
I had the exact same problem. Whereas, narcotics should bring people down, I would be up for days cleaning and running around on virtually no sleep.When off the pills, I didn't feel sick but the lethargy and severe bad thoughts were kiliing me - especially knowing a cure was only one pill away. I finally went on Suboxone and tapered off. It was nothing like regular withdrawl. I highly recommend it if you feel you dont think you're liable to relapse. Best of luck to you!
My friend and to many others, when you decide to really fight your addiction, not just think you want to fight it, thats where the real battle begins. Believe me when I say I know, I am a doctor, and have my own abuse history with Percs and with Oxy contin. People realize they're addicted for lengthy periods of time, and also realize they need help, but they never pursue it, there unfortunetly is a difference between WANTing help and NEEDING help. You and others alike must understand that relapse is acceptable and normal. Cold turkey or dropping the drug straight and never returning to it are odds of you winning the lottery. It's extremley rare, so be mentally prepared to go through a war, not a fight with addiction. You will muster the courage again and again with the right motivation, to get yourself to slow down or to STOP, however unless you have an amazing team on your side do NOT think you will win. Tapering down is always recommended as your body must become use to lower doses to make withdrawl as easy as possible, the harder the withdrawl the more chance of relapse you are going to have. After getting down to 1 perc a day which by the way is fantastic after using 10 a day, you can go down to Tylenol 3's and then 2's and 1's right down to nothing. Other players on your fighting team should be Omega 3 vitamins and minerals. There are pleanty of general nutrition stores who sell products that will make the quitting process less than horrific. There is actually a product I recommend for my patients called, Sunshine in a bottle", It gives natural nutrients to your body that assist your brain in producing dopamine and ceritonium. These brain chemicals are was cause your feelings of comfort and good mood's. After you stop your rewarding pill cycle, these chemicals are highly supressed which makes the mental war harder than the physical. If you never feel happy when you stop, chances are ... HELLO your not going to stay stopped.
As I was saying players for your team,
- Natural vitamins to promote a healthier stronger mood to protect you from depression and relapsing
- Social support, tell people you trust, if not your significant other than a counsellor or friend(s), the more people motivating you in the right way will better guide you through the darkness this is KEY to HELP you
- Physical exercise, I recon that our energy levels are shot to that of an 80 year old dog, however the more you push yourself to do so, the more your brain will produce endorphins that give you a physically comforting feeling
-Occupy yourself with anything BUT that of the drug, Anything that you could be interested in, give yourself new rewards, once that drug became the reward for you, you need to begin the process of replacing it with a new reward, This is possible without a doubt, it takes time.
Your withdrawl from percocet physically will typically end its seriousness after 10 days and 2 weeks, it shouldn't hurt you anymore at all physically, however you will be mental distraught for some time, could be months or ever years following. Why? This is because that pill has become knowen to your brain as a reward, such as loved one's presence in your life, once its gone, there is an ACTUAL chemical imbalance in your body's most important organ, the Brain!
it can be as bad as loosing a family member, but this is just a chemical imbalance once you work on restoring it with nutrition and counselling you WILL restore the balance and YOU WILL WIN this battle for once and for all.
Just remember this if anything ... STOPPING takes TIME stopping takes COURAGE stopping takes MOTIVATION, STOPPING will make you lie.
BUT STOPPING IS POSSIBLE and YOU CAN STOP today. LOVE YOURSELF, The world is waiting for you.
As I was saying players for your team,
- Natural vitamins to promote a healthier stronger mood to protect you from depression and relapsing
- Social support, tell people you trust, if not your significant other than a counsellor or friend(s), the more people motivating you in the right way will better guide you through the darkness this is KEY to HELP you
- Physical exercise, I recon that our energy levels are shot to that of an 80 year old dog, however the more you push yourself to do so, the more your brain will produce endorphins that give you a physically comforting feeling
-Occupy yourself with anything BUT that of the drug, Anything that you could be interested in, give yourself new rewards, once that drug became the reward for you, you need to begin the process of replacing it with a new reward, This is possible without a doubt, it takes time.
Your withdrawl from percocet physically will typically end its seriousness after 10 days and 2 weeks, it shouldn't hurt you anymore at all physically, however you will be mental distraught for some time, could be months or ever years following. Why? This is because that pill has become knowen to your brain as a reward, such as loved one's presence in your life, once its gone, there is an ACTUAL chemical imbalance in your body's most important organ, the Brain!
it can be as bad as loosing a family member, but this is just a chemical imbalance once you work on restoring it with nutrition and counselling you WILL restore the balance and YOU WILL WIN this battle for once and for all.
Just remember this if anything ... STOPPING takes TIME stopping takes COURAGE stopping takes MOTIVATION, STOPPING will make you lie.
BUT STOPPING IS POSSIBLE and YOU CAN STOP today. LOVE YOURSELF, The world is waiting for you.
First, I would suggest to anyone suffering from active Addiction that they involve their significant other in their Recovery. Addiction is a relentlessly progressive disease that will be fatal if it's not arrested. I was one of those who "knew" that I couldn't talk to my wife about the problem - I not only kept it a secret, but lied when she began to suspect the truth. That was a big mistake on my part and it almost cost me my life.
I was so sure that my problem would be viewed as too horrible, unforgivable, etc. and that if known it would lead to nothing but immediate divorce, loss of the kids, disgrace, hummiliation . . . . . . None of that was true. None of it. All of it was part of a lie told by my Addiction. As it turned out, my wife was the best asset for Recovery that I could have dreamed of - she still is.
But you know what? If she hadn't been, if I had been right about her reaction, it just wouldn't have mattered. If in fact I had been in a relationship in which it was "better" for me to keep a life-threatening condition a secret, then I would have been in a relationship that wasn't worth saving. If in fact I was partnered with someone who would turn their back on me at the time when I needed help like never before, then I had nothing worth saving anyway. But like I said, none of that was true. My Addiction sure said it was true. I believed it was true. But, none of it was true and I almost died for the sake of lies.
To bowwow from what I told Motherof2 a couple of weeks ago: "Addiction thrives in secrecy, isolation, shame and self-loathing. Think about that: Addiction THRIVES in secrecy, isolation, shame and self-loathing. It doesn't just survive in that medium, it THRIVES. In that medium it grows and Grows and GROWS. Despite the best efforts of its host (that's you) addiction hangs in there. It's like the Terminator: 'It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with...it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop.
Ever. Until you are dead.'"
Throw some light on the Addiction, ask the people who love you for help, and start a medium in which Recovery can thrive.
As to your specific questions, there are a host of great books that can help a lot:
END YOUR ADDICTION NOW, by Charles Gant
STAYING CLEAN AND SOBER, by Miller & Miller
STAYING SOBER, by Gorski & Miller
Specific to relapse prevention, there's a book-workbook combo that was very helpful to me that I hadn't though about in some time: REVERSING THE REGRESSION SPIRAL, also by Miller & Miller.
The Gant book seems to be available at most librarys or you can find it at
http://www.powerrecovery.com/PR/book.cfm or Amazon, etc.
All the Miller and Gorski books are available at
www.miller-associates.org/books.html or Amazon, etc.
=========
I was so sure that my problem would be viewed as too horrible, unforgivable, etc. and that if known it would lead to nothing but immediate divorce, loss of the kids, disgrace, hummiliation . . . . . . None of that was true. None of it. All of it was part of a lie told by my Addiction. As it turned out, my wife was the best asset for Recovery that I could have dreamed of - she still is.
But you know what? If she hadn't been, if I had been right about her reaction, it just wouldn't have mattered. If in fact I had been in a relationship in which it was "better" for me to keep a life-threatening condition a secret, then I would have been in a relationship that wasn't worth saving. If in fact I was partnered with someone who would turn their back on me at the time when I needed help like never before, then I had nothing worth saving anyway. But like I said, none of that was true. My Addiction sure said it was true. I believed it was true. But, none of it was true and I almost died for the sake of lies.
To bowwow from what I told Motherof2 a couple of weeks ago: "Addiction thrives in secrecy, isolation, shame and self-loathing. Think about that: Addiction THRIVES in secrecy, isolation, shame and self-loathing. It doesn't just survive in that medium, it THRIVES. In that medium it grows and Grows and GROWS. Despite the best efforts of its host (that's you) addiction hangs in there. It's like the Terminator: 'It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with...it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop.
Ever. Until you are dead.'"
Throw some light on the Addiction, ask the people who love you for help, and start a medium in which Recovery can thrive.
As to your specific questions, there are a host of great books that can help a lot:
END YOUR ADDICTION NOW, by Charles Gant
STAYING CLEAN AND SOBER, by Miller & Miller
STAYING SOBER, by Gorski & Miller
Specific to relapse prevention, there's a book-workbook combo that was very helpful to me that I hadn't though about in some time: REVERSING THE REGRESSION SPIRAL, also by Miller & Miller.
The Gant book seems to be available at most librarys or you can find it at
http://www.powerrecovery.com/PR/book.cfm or Amazon, etc.
All the Miller and Gorski books are available at
www.miller-associates.org/books.html or Amazon, etc.
=========
Not much more I can say...
but really N/A is a great place to go to feel some comfort if only for an hour. You can find a support system in your area, to whom you can go out and talk to which is a great feeling to have other people who understand what you going through. One addict helping another theres nothing eles like it!!!!!!!!!
also the drug counselor is a great idea for some unbias help with whatevers going on. Really I think anyone and everyone, addict or not, problems or not. there is always room to progress.
Stay stronge and find a meeting!!!!
but really N/A is a great place to go to feel some comfort if only for an hour. You can find a support system in your area, to whom you can go out and talk to which is a great feeling to have other people who understand what you going through. One addict helping another theres nothing eles like it!!!!!!!!!
also the drug counselor is a great idea for some unbias help with whatevers going on. Really I think anyone and everyone, addict or not, problems or not. there is always room to progress.
Stay stronge and find a meeting!!!!
the longer you stay away from the drugs the better you will feel, soon you will be bubbly and happy and very glad to be free of the pils.
hang in there.
hang in there.
You should feel fortunate that your very early in addiction......
In the last five yrs of my addiction I was taking 30-50 percs a day....along with other stuff as well.........
I went for many years with numerous drugs......
your W/D symtoms (by no means trival) are so light compared to what could really be happening to you.....
go to N/A and set up an appointment with a drug counselor he or she could help you.........
Addiction in any form is not your fault however recovery is your responsiblity....
Addicts relaspe for many reasons still kicking it with old friends that use.......there dealer calls them and seduces them to stop by.........depression...lonliness...etc.......
Have you ever been or have you ever considered going to an N/A meeting...
In the last five yrs of my addiction I was taking 30-50 percs a day....along with other stuff as well.........
I went for many years with numerous drugs......
your W/D symtoms (by no means trival) are so light compared to what could really be happening to you.....
go to N/A and set up an appointment with a drug counselor he or she could help you.........
Addiction in any form is not your fault however recovery is your responsiblity....
Addicts relaspe for many reasons still kicking it with old friends that use.......there dealer calls them and seduces them to stop by.........depression...lonliness...etc.......
Have you ever been or have you ever considered going to an N/A meeting...
Getting down to 1 1/2 per day before jumping off perc's was a good idea. Physically you will get to feeling better after about 7days and a lot better after 10 as long as you don't take anymore percs. However, if you do not want to relapse and sustain long term emotional relief you may want to pick up the phone try to find an NA meeting in your area. Good luck to you and remember this too shall pass. You can do this, don't go back to day one by taking more percs and have to repeat the last 3 days.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
