Aa
Scared To Death
I have been taking 12 percocet a day for about 7 months. I have a legitimate pain issue but the addiction to the pills are making things even WORSE. I have 18 left out of what I assume is my last RX. I assume that is nowhere near enough to do a kind of taper. I don't think I will have a Dr.s help with this. I have no experience with detoxing from this stuff. If I just quit how bad are withdrawal symptoms likely to be? I've read through a number of other posts and have seen some people have been taking a lot more than I and some quite a bit less.
Anyway may I add my post to the others here that have asked for help and encouragement? Thank you!
Anyway may I add my post to the others here that have asked for help and encouragement? Thank you!
My Dr decided to give me another RX, much to my surprise! But I haven't taken any since yesterday. I am going to try and do some kind of home made taper. I have made an appointment with my GP next week. I had a rotten night. Not from any WD's but because of pain. I hurt and it gets so old! But using this stuff would mean using stronger and stronger doses. It's attractive because it DOES help the pain, but it also means being tied to a pill bottle. And all the craving and crap that goes along with it.
I love the way you focus on your furry child. Focusing of anything or anyone will help you stay clean. I hope the last 12 hours have been nicer to you. My right knee is toast is well and I'm still living in a 3 story walk up (divorce can't move yet) so going down the stairs is a killer. Debate every day just going down the stairs like a kid used to (on my A**)
I'm so glad to hear that you are not drinking either!
Keep it up and keep posting :)
xo
D
I'm so glad to hear that you are not drinking either!
Keep it up and keep posting :)
xo
D
Thanks Ashleen,
I'm afraid just walking and standing are hard for me these days. I've had a lot of knee surgeries, my left has been replaced but my right one is TOAST. That along with a back problem has made doing things like taking a shower or going shopping a trial.
BUT I know you are right so I am going to try and at least go for a walk every day. Even if it's not very far.
I might as well put a gun to my head as use alcohol for pain control again. I never want to drink again. Never.
And there really IS a Cat. I owe it to him not to knock myself off or stay on this crazy pain pill train. I promised him a forever home.
I'm afraid just walking and standing are hard for me these days. I've had a lot of knee surgeries, my left has been replaced but my right one is TOAST. That along with a back problem has made doing things like taking a shower or going shopping a trial.
BUT I know you are right so I am going to try and at least go for a walk every day. Even if it's not very far.
I might as well put a gun to my head as use alcohol for pain control again. I never want to drink again. Never.
And there really IS a Cat. I owe it to him not to knock myself off or stay on this crazy pain pill train. I promised him a forever home.
Hey you're not whining! and lol@ joke about cat...you have your humor, that's awesome. Keep it....when I was detoxing off 5mg norco 3x a day, everyone kept saying I had this great attitude, and I really think it helped me. It wasn't as bad as I thought...my dose was far lower than yours, but still - it's totally doable.
I've been clean a little over a month and a week now, and I"m really happy I made that choice. I started having wisdom tooth issues and have had to take a few pain pills over the last week or two, and I'm on pain pills right now because I just had surgery today, but it's still considered "clean time" so I'm going with it, LOL. Like you, I took pain pills for legitimate pain issues..I have had serious injuries to my back and neck and a few other pretty serious problems, and I've been off and on pain pills for 5 years....never had an addiction problem with them persay - always took them as prescribed, never craved them, etc, but I was tired of the vicious neverending cycle of physical dependence and decided enough was enough.
I'm SO glad I did. even though my physical healing is set back by the fact that I've had to take a few for my surgery it's not going to set me back at all. I have two almost full bottles and I have no desire or craving to take them - except to help with the pain, impacted wisdom tooth removal OW!!
The magnesium will be your best friend...it helps with the muscle cramps and spasms at night and that's what always killed me.
I just wanted to let you know..when I was detoxing, we were moving. We had just bought a foreclosed house and had to do a TON of work on it, so I kept busy..I was working from sunup to sundown and I was so exhausted at night that I slept like a baby- a true miracle during detox. stay PHYSICAL. force yourself to get up and walk, even if you're pacing the house. take epsom salt baths...hot as you can handle. drink lots of fluids, as much as you can force and then more. and don't even consider the alcohol.
I know you know it's a bad idea, but the truth is - it won't help. about a week into my detox I decided to have a beer just to relax (stupid thing for me to do because I don't drink due to alcoholism in my family) and it did NOTHING but give me awful stomach cramps...my body was still trying to heal from this awful poison I've been putting into it for 5 years ,and here I am adding more? so take it from experience - once you start to detox, put nothing but GOOD stuff into your body and you'll reap the rewards. your body WANTS to heal, but it's confused and will try to trick you into getting more pills (hence the rebound pain)...so just treat your body extra healthy and learn to trust it again and you'll do just fine.
hang in there...this won't be as bad as you fear, I promise! it's uncomfortable, but you can do it.
I've been clean a little over a month and a week now, and I"m really happy I made that choice. I started having wisdom tooth issues and have had to take a few pain pills over the last week or two, and I'm on pain pills right now because I just had surgery today, but it's still considered "clean time" so I'm going with it, LOL. Like you, I took pain pills for legitimate pain issues..I have had serious injuries to my back and neck and a few other pretty serious problems, and I've been off and on pain pills for 5 years....never had an addiction problem with them persay - always took them as prescribed, never craved them, etc, but I was tired of the vicious neverending cycle of physical dependence and decided enough was enough.
I'm SO glad I did. even though my physical healing is set back by the fact that I've had to take a few for my surgery it's not going to set me back at all. I have two almost full bottles and I have no desire or craving to take them - except to help with the pain, impacted wisdom tooth removal OW!!
The magnesium will be your best friend...it helps with the muscle cramps and spasms at night and that's what always killed me.
I just wanted to let you know..when I was detoxing, we were moving. We had just bought a foreclosed house and had to do a TON of work on it, so I kept busy..I was working from sunup to sundown and I was so exhausted at night that I slept like a baby- a true miracle during detox. stay PHYSICAL. force yourself to get up and walk, even if you're pacing the house. take epsom salt baths...hot as you can handle. drink lots of fluids, as much as you can force and then more. and don't even consider the alcohol.
I know you know it's a bad idea, but the truth is - it won't help. about a week into my detox I decided to have a beer just to relax (stupid thing for me to do because I don't drink due to alcoholism in my family) and it did NOTHING but give me awful stomach cramps...my body was still trying to heal from this awful poison I've been putting into it for 5 years ,and here I am adding more? so take it from experience - once you start to detox, put nothing but GOOD stuff into your body and you'll reap the rewards. your body WANTS to heal, but it's confused and will try to trick you into getting more pills (hence the rebound pain)...so just treat your body extra healthy and learn to trust it again and you'll do just fine.
hang in there...this won't be as bad as you fear, I promise! it's uncomfortable, but you can do it.
I just heard from the pain clinic. They are assessing my medical records and said they would get back to me within three weeks. My Dr. has refused to refill my prescription according to his assistant. I have suggested that is unethical medical behavior and asked the MD to call me. But the reality is I only have 8 of the Damn things left, I hurt like HELL even WITH the GD pills. They don't work as well as they first did. Tolerance?
So I have DECIDED to "jump off". I think that is the term. I'm worried about the WD's but hopefully the worst will be over by Sunday. I am supposed to work that night. And I am TIRED of worrying about the pills! I have found myself obsessing over them for the past couple of months. And that has ADDED to my general discomfort caused by my stenosis, toasted knee, and anxiety.
I find it tell one thing I did immediately was to go to the store and spend basically my last money on PILLS.
I got madnesium/calcium pills. I got potassium pills. I got some 5-HTP pills. I got some l-theanine pills.
At least I didn't buy any JACK DANIELS! When you got to the market I do you have to walk right past their liquor store. The stuff still calls to me even though it's been a decade since I last drank. "Drink me and you will feel better if only for a while!"
And that is REALLY the reason I want to quit the pills. Bad as things seem to me right now I know they could be MUCH worse.
I apologize for my whining. My Cat has started to call me a *****.
So I have DECIDED to "jump off". I think that is the term. I'm worried about the WD's but hopefully the worst will be over by Sunday. I am supposed to work that night. And I am TIRED of worrying about the pills! I have found myself obsessing over them for the past couple of months. And that has ADDED to my general discomfort caused by my stenosis, toasted knee, and anxiety.
I find it tell one thing I did immediately was to go to the store and spend basically my last money on PILLS.
I got madnesium/calcium pills. I got potassium pills. I got some 5-HTP pills. I got some l-theanine pills.
At least I didn't buy any JACK DANIELS! When you got to the market I do you have to walk right past their liquor store. The stuff still calls to me even though it's been a decade since I last drank. "Drink me and you will feel better if only for a while!"
And that is REALLY the reason I want to quit the pills. Bad as things seem to me right now I know they could be MUCH worse.
I apologize for my whining. My Cat has started to call me a *****.
Hi,
If you look down at the bottom right of this page you will find The Thomas Recipe and The Amino Acid Protocol. they both contain vitamin and mineral supplements that may help you through this. There is also a pain Mngt community here on the site. You may want to post there as well and get opinions from those members. I wish you the best and hope it works out for you.
If you look down at the bottom right of this page you will find The Thomas Recipe and The Amino Acid Protocol. they both contain vitamin and mineral supplements that may help you through this. There is also a pain Mngt community here on the site. You may want to post there as well and get opinions from those members. I wish you the best and hope it works out for you.
I gave up and took more this morning. My Dr has referred me to one of the only pain clinics here and I am supposed to hear today if they think I might be a suitable patient. On one hand I wish to get into whatever program they offer, as long as it provides me with access to the pills. On the other hand I KNOW this wouldn't end well. I have asked my Dr's assistant for another refill and broached the idea of him at least helping me taper off this stuff. But was told he probably wouldn't give me another RX. And I called and made an appointment with one of the only treatment options I have where I live. But the earliest I could be seen was next Monday, and that is only an orientation. They wanted to know if I wanted to go onto a methadone program and I told them methadone had been suggested as a substitute for the percocets for my pain. I told them I really didn't want to just substitute one drug addiction for another. They then told me the waiting list for the methadone program was TWO YEARS. Apparently it is a much shorter wait if you just want to quit the stuff, although I will run completely out of the pills by tomorrow. They wanted to know why I suddenly wanted to quit and I told them it was because I had several times thought of getting some alcohol to ease my symptoms. I have gone for 10 years without drinking any and know to do so would likely be fatal. Or worse.
I assume I am going to be a complete mess because just waiting for one day without them turned me into a total wreck. I already have a problem with anxiety and panic attacks that is so severe I've been on social security disability for the past 13 years. That's why I said in a previous post I was glad I didn't have any benzos. I once got addicted to those just like I am to the pain pills now. Getting off zanax and clonopin was REALLY bad. For years now I've only used some hydroxizine, therapy sessions, and a therapy animal for my anxiety and panic attacks. But just the beginning symptoms of withdrawing from these pain pills greatly exaggerated my anxiety symptoms. Not to mention the pain in my back and legs.
I read somewhere about some combination of vitamins and aminos that could make this more tolerable. I'd appreciate any info on that. I have some immodium already.
I have spent some time reading through posts by other people. I found myself wishing I could help them, and strangely that gave me a glimmer of hope. Perhaps I'm not a complete waste of skin.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm really feeling poorly. I think tomorrow I'd be glad to feel only this bad.
I assume I am going to be a complete mess because just waiting for one day without them turned me into a total wreck. I already have a problem with anxiety and panic attacks that is so severe I've been on social security disability for the past 13 years. That's why I said in a previous post I was glad I didn't have any benzos. I once got addicted to those just like I am to the pain pills now. Getting off zanax and clonopin was REALLY bad. For years now I've only used some hydroxizine, therapy sessions, and a therapy animal for my anxiety and panic attacks. But just the beginning symptoms of withdrawing from these pain pills greatly exaggerated my anxiety symptoms. Not to mention the pain in my back and legs.
I read somewhere about some combination of vitamins and aminos that could make this more tolerable. I'd appreciate any info on that. I have some immodium already.
I have spent some time reading through posts by other people. I found myself wishing I could help them, and strangely that gave me a glimmer of hope. Perhaps I'm not a complete waste of skin.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm really feeling poorly. I think tomorrow I'd be glad to feel only this bad.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You have our support now so lean on us~~We know what you are going thru.
hi.....I really feel for you I to suffer with a bad back ....not so much anymore but I fought it hook and tooth for 16 1/2yrs with pain management.....your habit is not that bad yet unlike me you havent spent over a decade on the stuff the longer your on the harder the kick
Sara is right you will experence ....'''rebound pain'' it will make you want to go back its is the lack of natural endorphins in the brain that causes it once you start makeing your own again and not giving your brain a kick with the pills your pain level will go way down it takes some time but plan old tylonol and ibuprfine or alive take the edge off for me and I waas on a lot stronger stuff then percs go threw the detox you wont regret it you wonlt be chained to a pill bottle that by now is bringing you little to no releaf keep posting let us know when your ready to get started there are some supplements we can recommend that will make it a little ezer good luck and God bless......Gnarly
Sara is right you will experence ....'''rebound pain'' it will make you want to go back its is the lack of natural endorphins in the brain that causes it once you start makeing your own again and not giving your brain a kick with the pills your pain level will go way down it takes some time but plan old tylonol and ibuprfine or alive take the edge off for me and I waas on a lot stronger stuff then percs go threw the detox you wont regret it you wonlt be chained to a pill bottle that by now is bringing you little to no releaf keep posting let us know when your ready to get started there are some supplements we can recommend that will make it a little ezer good luck and God bless......Gnarly
Sorry I need to add something. I do not have any real support. And my back is hurting badly. But I'm not going to take any more tonight. I wish there was an edit feature.
Thank you. The ones I have been using are 325/5mgs. I SO want to take my usual 2 before bed tonight but I am not going to. I don't have access to any benzos and its probably a blessing. I have some hydroxyzine though I use for anxiety. I guess I'll see how I feel in another 8 hours or so. If I don't take two around 4AM it will be the longest I've gone in over 6 months.
I have 3 maybe 4 days before I HAVE to be functional again.
Again I most sincerely thank you for your replies!
I have 3 maybe 4 days before I HAVE to be functional again.
Again I most sincerely thank you for your replies!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome to the forum! Dont be afraid of the wd's. Look at it as getting the toxins out of your body and on to a healthy lifestyle. Your pain may increase for a bit but will subside. Rebound pain is very common. Our brain has a way of playing tricks on us. Keep asking questions and keep us posted on how you are doing~~~~sara
Hi and welcome! you could do either a very quick taper or just jump. if you've been taking 12 percocet a day (are they 5's? 10's?) I think you could do it. I did a similar jump last year and it was a rough few days but I survived and with the support of this board helped immensely.
There's lots of info on here about stuff that will make it easier...hot baths, fluids, vitamins etc....they really do help! I was about the cleanest woman around when I jumped....it felt so good in the hot shower or bath.
Do you have support? can you take a few days off?
I wish you luck!
D
There's lots of info on here about stuff that will make it easier...hot baths, fluids, vitamins etc....they really do help! I was about the cleanest woman around when I jumped....it felt so good in the hot shower or bath.
Do you have support? can you take a few days off?
I wish you luck!
D
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.
