Thomas' Recipe

[StillChicken]

I am interested in trying the Thomas recipe. I am getting ready to take a week off school and work in 2 weeks. I am really scared to do this, it is something that has been on my mind for a five years now and I always have some excuse to not do it. I play a rough sport and we are in the middle of the season right now-another reason I am scared to stop. I take up to 3 lortab 10mg/day, broken in half and taken 6 times/day. i have cut down from 4-5 per day, but i can't seem to get any lower than 2 per day. My question is: can i start the thomas recipe and taper off at the same time? I don't think i have the strength to go cold turkey. I am sick of living a lie and I am tired of constantly thinking about this stupid drug. My doctor has kept me prescribed because of chronic neck pain and having the justification from a doctor has kept me on it for years. I really need some help, this is my first time on this website and any advice would be greatly appreciated!
thank you-stillchicken

[vicki595]

Hi~

LD is correct about the Thomas Recipe. It was designed to help with cold turkey detox only.  It does help but there's no getting around some discomfort. It's the "nature of the beast".  If you use it...follow closely.

Thomas was a real person. He spent a great deal of time perfecting the recipe.Tweaking it here there for optimum results. He used it himself. Actually designed it for himself and when it worked for him he decided to share it. He was a long time addict and suffered greatly.  He was always trying to find a way out...

As far as the L-tyrosine...you have to "play" with that a little. Everyone metabolizes differently so if you don't feel quite right you need to decrease that dose.

I wish you well...get off this stuff as fast as you can.  As an athelete you're putting yourself in danger of injury.

Take care~
Vicki

[LongerDays]

Hi and welcome to a very supportive community.

The Thomas recipe is meant for after drug usage has stopped and to decrease some of the symptoms of the withdrawal. Unfortunately, except for some extraordinary and very lucky individuals, withdrawal symptoms are unavoidable after you've taken enough of a narcotic for a long enough time. The good news is that they don't kill you and you come out on the other end.

The Thomas recipe comes up often among these posts, but the evidence for its effectiveness is purely anecdotal. Some swear by it; I'm not a true believer. For my first detox (hydrocodone), I followed it (without the benzodiazepine). I can say without reservation that the hot baths are invaluable therapy, the Immodium is a must, and the vitamin supplements probably are beneficial, I also found that the L-Tyrosine gave me some of the worst headaches and dizziness I have ever experienced. My second time detoxing (right now, day 9) I just did the baths, vitamins, bananas for the potassium (meant to decrease the leg discomfort and muscle aches), electrolyte drinks, & a bit of mild exercise when I could during the first five days (Coincidentally I had a colonscopy on day 5, which I highly recommend against during detox :) )  And I came to this forum often and also set up the beginning of some after care.

As for tapering, every time I tapered I reached a threshold below which I couldn't drop. Seems like you're there, too. I would get down to X # of pills per day and then I couldn't go any lower, so I finished what I had at that level and went cold turkey. It's a common story. People who can taper gradually all the way to zero seem to be a rarity, but I applaud them.

Please keep us up to date on what you decide. You'll get lots more input, probably more valuable than mine, from lots of people here. Keep checking in.

Best of Luck

LD