Vicodin Withdrawal

[Marine0811]

I need some help, I have been trying to come off vicodin for about a week now. Every time I stop, the first day or two I cant sleep. So I go out to find vicodin so I can sleep. I take about 10 a day of the 7.5. I called the Doc and he was going to put me on suboxen??. I cant afford it. Does any one know how long it will be before I can sleep. Is there any sleeping pills that help. Would xanax help?

[luciddreamrgrl]

Hi Marine welcome to MH.

The no sleep part is the hardest part for most people. Xanax works for some people. Have you tried calling your doctor and telling him that suboxon isn't for you and you would like to just stop? What I told my doctor was that I had been in pain management and I've decided I don't like the pills and want to stop all together. I thought he would send me away but he was actually proud of my decision. At no time did I use the word addict. If that's what your scared of then just say you are dependent. He should give you blood pressure meds and maybe some phenergen. The phenergen is an anti nausea pill that makes you very sleepy so it may help you sleep. If you ask for a sleeping pill he may give you one or may not. My doctor wouldn't because he said they are addictive.

Also if you scroll down on the bottom right of the screen is the thomas recipe. I NEVER believed that supplements could help but boy was I wrong. They have helped a great deal. And Highlands restful legs is a MUST. Its so wonderful really. You can get it at walmart for 5 bucks.

Tapering isn't for everyone. There are lot's of outpatient facilities that will work with you on payments. Make an appointment to see a therapist to help you through and if that's not an option keep coming back here. There are lot's of wonderful people here who can help you.

Admitting you have a problem is very brave and a great first step. Good luck to you.

[abritt121222]

yeah i agree with the first post here not sleeping is pat of withdrawal and you can try sleep meds and they may help you or may not they never helped me my best advice is to take some good vitamins and drink alot of gatoraid and just hang in there but i also saw you mentioned suboxone and as for that being that you are only taking 7,5 10x a day i would def advise you to stay away from suboxone because to do that is only you moving on to a lot stronger med now thats not saying suboxone isnt a great med for addiction because it saved my life but i was also taking around 350-400 mg oxy a day so i would def say stay away from that and either just go cold turkey and just hang in there because the physical withdrawal will go away in around 7-10 days or if you can do it ween off of the hydrocodone which is actually the best way to make withdrawal as easy as possible but the prob with this is most addicts including myself just cannot do the ween method because we cannot stick to a plan and always end up just eating up all the meds and not weening off at all and are just right back to square one but if you can do a ween that would be your best bet if not i would just hang in there and just remember it will get better because it will it just takes a little time i mean we didnt become addicts overnight so we cant expect to get better overnight ya know . But feel free to send me a msg if ya have any questions or anything and ill gladly help you any way i can

Good Luck and GodSpeed
ABritt

[abritt121222]

oh and as far as the xanax you asked about i would try and stay away from any benzos like xanax klonipin....because they are very addictive on their own but if you do get any to take and they do help try and take them no longer than a week because you do not wanna be hooked on benzos you think withdrawal from pain meds are bad,,,withdrawals from those are not only bad but VERY dangerous. Another thing is you could ask your dr for Clonodine i think thats how its spelled and that will help with some of the withdrawal to especially all the sweating and it is not a benzo or anything its a blood pressure med.

Good Luck and GodSpeed
ABritt

[Marine0811]

Thank you all for your help. I guess I'll have to go days without sleep. My doctor is so into suboxon. I told him I cant afford the $450 a month for suboxon. What is bad, I cant take time off of work and I dont have anyone to talk to about my problem. Ill update daily on how Im doing. What is bad, I just went out and got some Vic's to sleep tonight.

[abritt121222]

i forgot to mention to i used valerian root and meletonin to help me get some sleep u can get it anywhere its just herbs so walmart has it. I always took more than the bottle said but it wont hurt you because it is just an herb so i would say try that and just take 3-4 and if it helps good and if not try to take a couple more every 30-45 minutes and it will help relax you because it actually has the same properties as benzos to so it helps with the anxiety to but i wouldnt take as much as i would at night for that but throughout the day i would take 3-4 every few hours and it def helped with anxiety but yea i would def say about 45 minutes before bed take a few valerian root caps and try like 10 mg of meletonin and it should help and like i said they are both herbs and can be bought anywhere and wont hurt you at all only thing that will happen is more you take the more tired you get i mean by that i dont mean take like 50 of them or nothing but im sure you get what im saying just take a few and then a couple every hour or so until they seem to help and then try taking it before bed and it should help i  know i tried every kind of OTC sleep med there is and none of them worked at all but that did seem to help.  N yea alot of drs are all about suboxone now because they make a killing off of it and its so ridiculous because it should not be like that i got lucky and found a dr that took insurance but most of them want 1500 for the first visit and then the med is outrageous. I will say tho that in my opinion suboxone is a great med when used the right way but being u were only taking like 75 mg hydo a day there is no reason any dr should even mention suboxone to you because it is just way way way stronger than hydro is and any good doctor will tell you that suboxone should only be given to high mg oxy users or heroin addicts just because it is so strong and someone taking hydro going to that is just giving them a stronger med to get high on because their tolerence is not high enough to handle the suboxone and that is when you see most of the horror stories about subs is when some that never should have been prescribed them gets them and ends up just switching to a MUCH MUCH stronger drug and getting hooked on it worse than they were with the hydro annd it just kills me to see so many drs prescribe suboxone and know nothing about it they take their little 8 hour class and off they go and that is crazy absolutely crazy to me when i goto drs and i know WAY more about this med than any dr i have talked to about it yet and i just dont see how the medical board or  DEA or whoever deals with that lets it fly because it shouldnt

GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED
ABritt

[snakejones]

Welcome to the forum, Marine! Lots of nice people will be looking out for you and helping in any way they can. So do post often; even if you don't have questions, we like to hear what is going on with you each day.
Okay, fill me in 'cause I'm a little confused: is your Lortab 7.5 a legal prescription that you can still get, but you are taking it too fast and running out of ahead of time? Or did you used to have an Rx and it has recently stopped, so you have to buy off the street? Or did you never have a script in the first place and have just been buying them all off the street? Could you give a little more history of why you were taking them in the first place (injury or other physical problem requiring opiate pain control vs. recreational use, etc.)? This will help me for sure to talk to you, and will help the others understand more about you as well. Here there is no such thing as TMI when you really want to quit drugs! So the more you can tell us about your past history with drugs, the better.
As soon as I hear from you, I'll see what I can come up with to answer you. I wish you welcome and a successful journey during the coming days and weeks!

[atthebeach]

over the counter natural sleep aids, alteril and sleep by nature made have the main ingredients valerian root and melatonin and other natural extracts.
yes definitely stay away from the subs. great decision.
please try not to use the vics they will only prolong your withdrawal symptoms.
keep the faith. fight the good fight.
keep posting for support
you will win this battle over addiction
debbie

[Marine0811]

It started when I hurt my back. The Doc was giving me 90 Vic’s a month. I got laid off from my job and got devoiced all in one month. I had insurance through my ex-wife. She cancelled me off her insurance. Since then it’s been 2 years since I started. I get my Vic’s through a friend. He has an endless supply. So I have been getting them from him almost every two days. Just the past couple of weeks I have notice I’m taking more and more. I have a job now and trying to get my life back on track. I can’t do that because I use all my money for the dam things. I just want to stop. When I try to stop, I can handle the joint pains and the runs. They start about 12 hours after taking my last Vic. The only thing that I cant handle is the sleep part. I have a hard time not sleeping for two days. So that is when I go out and get some Vic’s to sleep, then it starts all over again. If I can just get past the sleeping part.
Starting today I don’t have any. So I guess this will be day one for me. I work 3rd shift as a supervisor. I’ll be fine at work. The problem will start after work tomorrow when I try go to sleep.

[Leilani43]

Right there with you!! Currently on a slow taper method, but the first few days I tapered too fast and didnt sleep for three days! I was also detoxing c/t off xanax, and let me tell you it was AWFUL. Don't get started on those, it just isn't worth it. Yes they Might help alleviate some issues in the short term, but chances are you'll like them and then be right back here. According to my doctor vicodin withdrawal only lasts three days, BS. Three days for the big stuff like restless leg and painful cramps and lack of sleep. But I think the psychological last longer.

[abritt121222]

Well while you do feel alright i would really suggest going to walmart or cvs or whatever and getting a few thing so you dont have to leave so much when you start to go into withdrawal gatoraid or poweraid is a must because they will keep you hydrated and the electrolytes will help speed up the detox i would also get a good multivitamin cause it also helps and magnesium and potassium to help with the restless legs and my last two that in my opinion are a MUST HAVE are valerian root and meletonin the valerian root you can take thru out the day to help with anxiety and also at night it will help you relax to sleep better so like 30-45 minutes before bed take a few valerian root caps along with 10-15mg of meletonin and it will help some its not a fix all by any means but you should at least get some sleep oh yea and all the stuff i mentioned can be bought at walmart or cvs or anywhere like that and is not expensive at all

Good Luck and GODSPEED
ABritt

[donewithit242]

whats the thomas receipe?

[Marine0811]

I went and told my dad what is going on. He told me to go to the Emergency room. Will the emergency room help you or just turn you away?

[Marine0811]

Ive been clean for 12 hours now. The back pain and the runs have showed up now.

[atthebeach]

how are you feeling? get immodium for stomach issues.
for back pain, motrin and hot baths with epsom salts.
is your  blood pressure usually normal?
please drink plenty of fluids

[Marine0811]

I screwd up and took some this morning to sleep. I did ask my work if I can have Thurs, And Friday off so I can have 5 days to stay at home. Should I fell better on the 5th day so I can go back to work?

[atthebeach]

The acute physical symtpms should be mostly  gone by the 5th day.
It is important to flush all your pills.if you keep them you are just setting  yourself up for failure.
You can do this.flush the pills and start again
Get nature sleep aid
Keep the faith
Be strong
Debbie

[snakejones]

Hi, again--
I have been thinking about you a lot. I hope your work has been going okay and helping you stay busy so you get through the hardest part of quitting. Yes, if you have several days off, you'll be over the worst hump before you must go back.
Have you tried a little Benadryl or some Aleve to help you rest, provided that you are not on other drugs that these would not interact well with? It works well for some folks. While I don't advocate trading one drug for another, these can work as a temporary solution until you feel a little better. You can take both together safely. I hope you will do great! Please post often, especially while it's tough for you. Everyone will help you, and I will be looking out for you to wish you well each time. See you soon.

[abritt121222]

Im not gonna say yea you will feel better the 5th day or Not because everyone is different but you will most certainly at the least feel alot better but as hard as it is going to be push yourself to goto work i know it will be hard but working will keep you busy and make it easier to not just get up and go and look for pills also if you have a physical job it will actually help with the detox and it will also make you feel better which is why i always tell people that are going thru withdrawal even if not at work to get up off the couch or out of bed because anytime you get your heart rate up you will feel better because your brain will release more seratonin which are your " Feel Good " hormones but as the other post said you are going to have to dump all your pills and not have any anywhere in your house or your car or anywhere and delete all of the numbers and contacs in your phone of ppl you get them from because any addict is goin to go after pills while in withdrawal if they are sitting beside some i know ppl say it all the time and say im done no more but they keep the pills because of whatever reason and 100% of those ppl relapse because it is real easy to say all of that while you have the narcotic in you and you are not in withdrawal but as soon as withdrawal kicks in and them pills are in the drawer that whole thing about i dont need to dump them cause i know i can control it and not take them goes out the windown EVERYTIME. Well again feel free to msg me for any question you have or anything else

Good Luck and GODSPEED
ABritt

[Marine0811]

Its been 6 days without taking any. I feel really good, but I still cant get sleep. I get about 3 hours a day. Any one know how long this will last?

[atthebeach]

congrats on your clean time.you are doing great. keep up the good work.
did you try the natural otc sleep aids? sleep does take awhile to return. make sure you are getting some exercise, this will help alot. be thankful for each new hour of sleep that you get. it could take up to a good month or so to get a full nights sleep. make sure you limit your caffeine intake.
thanks for the update.
GOD bless you
debbie

[Plumbmastery]

I literally just took my first suboxone strip, and I'm not sure how it is suppose to feel, it's expensive for sure, but the hydrocodone addiction I am battling is a demon and it will eventually strip my life of everything. I've owned a business for 6 years, been married 7, and have a 3 year old son and a 1 year daughter. Personally, I made a decision to stop the pills after a three year addiction, and coming to terms with that, alone, has already displayed many positive outcomes. It's been a week since my epiphany, and it is hard; but the long run will be what I make it....... Liberating and prosperous is my goal.