Trying to get clean

[BoJim]

This really ***** but I need help. I have been taking Hydro 7.5/500 4 per day for the past 6 months or so. Before that my Dr had me on Percocets and before that it was whatever the walkin clinic would give me. Usually Vicodin. So, all in all I have been on something for a year or so. I want to quit, ALL of it but I am having a bit of difficulty. I went from the 4 Hydros per day to 2 Vicodins per day. I have enough to slowly taper off completely in the next couple of weeks. I need your help. Is this a good way to kick the habit or should I just flush them all and deal with it?   I have a legitimate pain issue but I do not want these pills to control my life any longer. I think I would rather deal with the pain and leave the opiates in the past. Please give me your opinions. Is this a god method of "weening" myself off of this crap? Any and all opinions, suggestions, and advice is much appreciated and very welcome.

[mxboggie]

Im not quite sure how this website works yet, but somehow you can make me a friend.  I'll see if I can figure it out......after my homeade pizza......yum yum....my treat for the 5th day of cold turkey.  Hit me up anytime.  I usually check the site once in the a.m. and once in the p.m.  Chime to me anytime.  Keep up the great work and remember, put it in the rear view mirror and keep it there!

[BoJim]

Thanks mxboggie, and everyone. I can do it. I just have to get my mind straight. I have a hip impingement which makes my hip POP rather loudly. Almost like popping your knuckles only much louder. I also have a severe tear of the labrum in the same hip. My pelvis is off kilter because of it which gives me bad back pain as well. Noone seems to want to touch my hip problem where I live. I am going to another Ortho sometime next week for yet another opinion. In the mean time I think I will take a day off of work, lay in bed, clean the yard or whatever and get over it. I have Xanax and some good muscle relaxers too. Advil, Tylenol, Goody Powders, whatever will help but I think, and hope that I dont go back to the pills. Just tapering down is helping quite a bit. The pain is there but going from 4 a day to 2 a day, next week maybe 1 or 0 a day seems to be working. Kind of a shock at first but feeling better. I also upped my Prozac from 20 to 40 mg so that may be helping the depression aspect. Thanks again all. This is a pretty cool site with alot of information an many topics. I hope you all do not mind me chiming in from time to time. If I can help, believe me I will..

[mxboggie]

I was a minimal user as you are.  But I could see the addiction and feel it.  I went cold turkey 5 days ago.  The first couple of days were not great, but I made it and you can too.  Keep reminding yourself that you are in control of your life, not those little pills.  Expect restless legs and the urge to pop a pill.  I used Simply Sleep by tylenol to get to sleep, but only had one nite of no sleep.  If you can get away from work, family and kids for a day and just lay in the bed, that will help more than you know.  I have an arthritic back, so I had muscle relaxers in the house.  That helped with the leg twitching.  Use advil for the pain that is going to show up.  It will be magnified, but will subside in about 3 days.  I swear I think the pills were making my pain worse....hence needing more.  Best of luck.  Give your brain time to change and I promise you will not regret it!

[worried878]

Ur dose is low in comparison with most//but it will not stay this low..it will grow as will ur tolerence..tapering from a small dose seems like torture to me when ur wds will be minimal if u r mentally ready to do this...but each persons addiction is huge to them///and it should be

Tapering may be the way to go..we r all different..tapering is hard if u r an addict..if u r using to feel "normal...if it were me I would flush and go for it..seek aftercare as mentioned..read the health pages and educate ur self on what u have gotten into and how to get out and stay out..and i would keep posting....but we r all different...so what i think doesnt really matter in the scheme of things

keep posting

[CATUF]

go to 90 AA or NA meetings in the next 90 days, get someone who has at least a year clean and has worked all the steps to be your sponsor.

[GA Guy]

I think you're definitely teetering on the edge of addiction. The only thing that gives me pause is the way you've kept your doses (which seem to be fairly low) constant for a good deal of time. My suggestion would be to taper off the meds and see an addiction therapist. That may be sufficient to keep you on the straight and narrow. If not, more intensive aftercare may be in order.

[Frivolousz21]

that is not much.....the W/Ds if your quit shouldn't be to hard...I mean if you take one 750 every 8 hours...then how are you W/Ds at all?

but if you can't mentally..seek aftercare

[witsend0603]

No one can tell you what to do .. but we can share our stories with you... if you really want to quit... flush and be done with it.. I was on Lortab and am now off them .. me and my husband both went cold turkey.. and yeah the withdrawals stunk.. but didn't kill either of us.. and you aren't on a huge dosage either .. hence would be another good reason to quit... before you get in any deeper.. if you have the will power to taper then that works for many .. personally I had no will power for a taper.. if they were in my house I would take them ... no question.. so cold turkey was the only way for us to go ... good luck to you and keep us all posted

[BoJim]

Yeah. I take Prozac too but if I pop a couple of pills, I feel MUCH better. It helps me deal with the stress of my job, marriage etc. I can be "happy" when I take the drugs.

[GA Guy]

The difference for me is the using of the drugs to mask feelings and emotions...do you feel as though that's what you're doing?

[BoJim]

I believe I am addicted. i have been taking it whether I hurt or not.

[GA Guy]

This really depends upon if you're addicted or just dependent. If you're dependent, then going CT and leaving this all behind is the best course of action. If it's an addiction issue, then it becomes MUCH more problematic than that.