soma lortab addiction

[peach63]

Dr's have me on this for over 7 years I've had to increase to get any benefit ... Sick of it need to come off and can not be hospitalized so I must do it on my own .... please help me any advise ???? I take like 8  Soma and 10 hydrocodone 10/325 daily.I really need help as I suffer also from panic attacks and this is about to drive me nuts .I have cronic pain and have had two disk replacement surgeries back to back 7 yrs ago . Thats when this craziness began . Doctors put me on these 2 pain killers a few months before my sugeries and have been on them since . once done with the surgeries and the pain remained they sent me to a Pain Center who just keeps me on these .... Now I have been taking more than they give me . Anyone please help me ..... I want off ... if I tell my Dr's I have this problem they will just stop me cold turkey ... Don't know what to do !!

[PurrfectlyKrazy]

Welcome.  You definitely are crossing the line from dependence into addiction when you start taking more than prescribed.  Are you sure your doctors will stop you cold turkey if you approach this the right way?  I would go in and just say "I'm tired of being on these things, they don't work very good any more and I would like to quit them safely"....then ask them for a tapering plan.

If you don't want to do that then you will need to do cold turkey detox.  If you can get a prescription from a doctor for Clonidine it will not only help with cravings but it will also help with withdrawal symptoms.

Think about a couple of things.  First, do you really, really want to get off of the opiates?  If you don't you won't succeed so you need to really want this.  Can you get past the fear of pain?  Believe it or not your pain won't be as bad within a couple of months of getting off the opiates.  Almost everyone in here will tell you that.  Most are able to manage their pain now with holistic, herbal and other non-opiate options.

If you don't really want off the opiates and you are just upset because you are running low on your medication I would recommend being honest with your pain mgmt doctor.  All you've gotta do is tell them it isn't working any more.

Personally, I hope you are really wanting off the opiates.  It would be the best decision you could make for yourself, your family and your health.

If you decide to CT this thing let us know...we can help you out by making sure you pick up certain things that help alleviate w/d symptoms.  Unfortunately, we can't do anything to make them go away completely but we can make it easier.  We can also give you advice that you really need when you CT....for instance...you have to drink tons of liquids because if you get dehydrated your symptoms will be much, much worse.

Let us know what you decide okay?  Like I said, it couldn't hurt to see if your doctor will help you taper (you have to be honest with yourself about this...I could not taper...I'm an all or nothing gal...others are able to taper successfully)

You are in my prayers
Hugz

[Jinx_777]

sounds like you are putting a lot of blame on the doctors, when the blame really falls on us.  we take the pills voluntarily and it is totally our responsibility.  

you can tell your doctor that you are tired of your life revolving around taking a pill.  ask to be weaned off.  

you have to cut all sources anyway in order to be successful.  your brain is so STRONG that it will be fighting you to keep taking them if they are available.
you don't want any options open.

have your doctor put you on clonidine as they are tapering you.  
is there someone that could hand out the pills to you if your doctor puts you on a taper plan???
if not, ask if you can arrange for the pharmacist to give you only daily amounts.  it is a pain, but the best way to stick to a schedule.  but, you will still have to make sure you don't take the whole day's worth at one time.

search for thomas recipe and the amino acid protocol.  
both are very helpful during withdrawal.

setup some aftercare.  AA or NA meetings.  doesn't really matter which.
keep posting here.  read read read all you can.  it does help to know you are not alone