Vicodin withdrawal symptoms...how long?

[ALreins]

I am a 40 yr old male and I have been taking 2-4 Vicodin a day for the past three years. A medical doctor prescribed it for me after it was discovered I suffered bone degeneration in my lower 2 disk vertebrea. At the time I thought little of taking a prescription painkiller. Now after my first 6 days of no longer taking Vicodin I am realizing how powerful of a substance it actually is. I'm having withdrawal symptoms I didn't expect. Light headedness, the runs, blood pressure going up, and general fatigue. Lots of fatigue. And some irritability. I am hoping that these symptoms begin to decrease soon. Well, they have gotten better than it was in the first 2 days. I am still wondering how long I can expect to have these side effects of withdrawal?

[marie1093]

I am currently taking vicodin. To make a long story short I need help getting off of them. Its embarrassing to admit. I've tried but get sooooo sick and I hate it. Someone plz help with some advice on how to get off of them without getting sick! Plz

[askedGod]

Two nights ago I watched my husband withdraw after being on vicoprofin for 8 months after hip surgery. he stepped down from them but I think he rushed it a bit wanting to be free from this stuff.It was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do.  He went thru the whole gammit of symptoms . He is now on day 6 of quitting and  I have my fun loving hubby back. He is still having some symptoms like headache sneezing and trouble sleeping .But says it was worth quitting and will never touch that crap again. "stay strong and pray ,pray, pray. The Lord understands and wants to help please do not hesitate to ask HIM .God bless you all.

[Help18704]

I snort 5-7 percs a day, I also am raising a special needs child and started doing them because of the energy etc.  I am so sick of this monkey on my back, not to mention the money and the fear of running out, buying them off the street etc.  Help me please someone give me some suggestion how to do this with the minimal pain as possible.  I have a script of clonidine, ( it's old and it was for my son for sleep but they didnt work )  Can these help?  Please someone help me.  I want this done and over.

[Ann2497]

That is a great story and congrats to you!!! If you want to post something in the future, you may want to go to the top of the page and click on "post a comment".   This is an old post with over 400 comments and I am afraid that not many people will see your post.

[ThinkofyourFUTURE]

my endtable.  I kept looking at them, thinking and telling myself "NO! THINK OF YOUR FUTURE, YOUR DAUGHTER, YOUR FAMILY".  I ended up getting a bag of marijuana and a fifth of captain morgan and coke.  I smoked and drank but it didn't touch my headache or body aches.  Friday throughout the day I was literally on the couch ALL DAY with all of the above named symptoms.  I woke up 5 times throughout the night due to my feet killing me and my body just aching.  The next day everything was intensified.  I had WORSE body aches, WORSE headaches, WORSE everything.  Luckily it was Saturday so I didn't have to work today.  My fiance knew how bad my addiction was.  I told her that I would be detoxing and going to had bad withdrawals, but she had no idea how bad.  I literally laid on the couch from Friday until Sunday evening.  The entire time complaining to her about the pain and how wierd I felt not having any vicodin.  AGAIN STILL KEEPING THE MINDSET----MY DAUGHTER, MY FAMILY, MY FUTURE, MY HEALTH, MY MONEY.....  It was very hard for my fiance to understand why I went from---- Cleaning the house every day, doing laundry, doing dishes, taking care of our daughter, zipping around being super productive to nothing.  To laying on the couch, being irratated and argumentative towards her, not helping with chores.... NOTHING.  I had her come to this website.  I had her read some of the posts other people were saying so she knew I am not alone.  There are people like me out there getting OUT of this drug addiction.  This gave me a sense of calm knowing and seeing all of the posts about how they GOT THROUGH this addiction and how happy they are now that they are not addicted.  Well folks.... I'm here to tell you this.  I have been off of vicodin for 8 days now.  This is the first day I woke up and I didn't have a headache.  Minor feet ache.  Still fighting myself inside to NOT take any pills, but it's getting much much easier than 7 days ago.  The buzz I get now is from thinking "Wow... I really just did it. I stopped taking vicodin.  I AM strong"  IT WILL GET BETTER.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!  STAY STRONG AND REMEMBER IT WILL GET BETTER!  EVENTUALLY YOU WILL START FEELING BETTER, STICK IT OUT... YOU CAN DO IT

[ThinkofyourFUTURE]

Hello everyone!  

Just wanted to share my story with everyone in hopes it helps anyone that needs some encouragement to quit.  I started out smoking marijuana when I was 16 years old.  Everyone says "It's a gateway drug!"... I argued against it over and over.... Unfortunately I was wrong.  After smoking marijuana for a few years, I was opened up to more drugs from my inner circle of friends (who also smoked marijuana) or the drug dealers I was getting the marijuana from.  Soon I started experimenting with cocaine, mushrooms, ecstasy any type of different "BUZZ" I could get.  By the time I was 22 I had tried those other drugs and while I was at my job one day (Very large Restaurant... Lots of people... Lots of partying.... Lots of illegal drug transactions) someone offered me a vicodin.  I initially thought that vicodin wasn't going to do anything for me because it was a pain reliever.. I was in no pain.  BUT Being the curious young man that I was and wanted to search for more "buzzes" I could get, I tried 1 vicodin while I was working.  Work went by extremely fast.  I found myself working harder and having more fun at work than ever before... So of course, I kept taking 1 vicodin a day.  This was back in 2008.  I continued to buy 10 (500/7.5) vicodin a week, taking 2 on the weekends each day and 1 throughout the week.  In 2009 that number increased to buying 20 vicodin a week (eating 1or2 vicodin at work and now eating 1or2 vicodin at home).  While this is happening, I'm thinking to myself "I'm not addicted, I can stop at any time if I want.".  So I kept going..  I bought more vicodin and more vicodin.  Remember I was never in real pain so I am spending $3.00 (sometimes $4.00 depending on how desperate I was for the buzz) on the "street".  Gradually taking the vicodin turns into something that I'm depending on in order to survive my week.  And this whole time I'm still thinking.... "I can quit at any time, I'm not addicted." Fast forward to November 2011... I now just received the greatest blessing, my daughter was born.  While I was at the hospital during her birth, I ate somewhere between 6-8 NORCO vicodin (325/10) and this is my normal rate now.  Over the past 4 years of taking vicodin, my dosage went from taking 1 day.... to 6-8 a day.  Also during this time, I received promotions within the restaurant.  I moved from a fry cook in 2008 to a Kitchen Supervisor, to a Kitchen Manager, to the Full-Time Manager on Duty.  During my entire time at work I was taking vicodin.  They made me feel like I was doing a better job.  I was working my *** off, working long shifts, being very productive and the best part to me was.... Nobody knew I was "high" off of vicodin.... the intense BUZZ inside and showing nothing in the outside.  So my daughter was born.... November 23rd, 2011.  I knew I had to stop this vicodin thing because I would need the money to support my fiance and my daughter.  I got smacked with reality as soon as I thought I was going to quit.... I found myself buying more.... and more.... and more vicodin.  Even though I told myself every night "I'm going to cut back tomorrow and only eat 6 or 7 (in 2012 I was now up to 10 a day)".  Some days I would wake up and stick to the promise I made to myself.  It made me feel good knowing I was working downward to quitting.  Next thing you know.... My fiance and I are fighting (pop 2 more vicodin) My car breaks down (pop 2 more vicodin) My daughter screaming and yelling for hours on end (pop 2 more vicodin) Basically ANYTHING that made my mood go from HAPPY to IRRATATED---I would eat vicodin.  Fast forward again to 2013 present day.  I am 8 days off of my vicodin addiction of 5 years.  I eventually went from eating 1 vicodin a day to 10/15 a day. (This equals out to about $30-$45/day for my buzz.... Eating 7 days a week--$210-$250/week and totally $900-$1000/month) vicodin a day.  For the past 6 months I have been telling myself I'm seriously going to quit... I just NEED to quit.  My health, my family, my money and my FUTURE depended on it.  I found myself praying to God at night asking for help... asking for guidance.... asking why I cannot quit?  The response that always came from within myself was "It is your own decision to quit".  I asked for a sign, guidance, anything to help me stop!  After my daughter was born, I was fortunate enough to land a 8-5 job working for an oil company in the Shipping and Receiving Department.  I was making double the money I was from working at the Restaurant... which is how I could afford to feed my habit and by this time I met enough "street" connections that I didn't need anyone at the Retaurant to help feed my addiction, I could do it all by myself.  This meant driving to get the illegal drugs, risk of going to jail, facing HUGE fines, lawyer fees etc. etc.  I was fortunate enough to get out and never get caught up with the law, but these consequences were always in the back of my mind "What if I go to jail?  How will my fiance and my daughter survive? What if I lose my job? What if I get drug tested? THE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT I HAD DURING THIS TIME OF STRUGGLE:::: "What if I stay addicted to vicodin, my daughter is old enough to realize (she's 2 now so a few more years) and she knows DAD WENT TO JAIL BECAUSE OF DRUGS.  This was the thought that got me THROUGH my addiction withdrawals.  I grew up without a Mom and a Dad, without a family... I am NOT going to let this happen to my daughter! I WILL NOT PUT HER IN THE POSITION I WAS PUT IN.  Remember how I was telling you I was praying to God asking for help or for a sign?  Well this past week....   We are behind on our bills.  Our cable is shut off, our internet is shut off, our cell phone are being threatened due to non-payment --- ALL BECAUSE OF MY SELFISHNESS.... A BUZZ THAT I DONT NEED ONLY THAT I WANT!  HOW COULD I DO THIS TO MY FAMILY?!?  Let me tell you....  Vicodin is a STRONG addiction.  I was spending $900-$1000 a month on my habit.  Our total bill amount for the month is $1200.  You do the math.  This past Thursday I was at work, doing my normal thing... Already ate 4 vicodin it was 11:00AM.  I was on my way to another 13/15 day and I received a phone call.  My babysitter called me at work to tell me that the Power was shut off at our house where she was babysitting.  There was a note in the door from Consumers Energy that read "Your past due balance of $600 and nonpayment has resulted in your electricity to be shut off".  I panick.... my daughter is at home with no electricity, I'm very embarassed because while my babysitter was sitting, they came and shut the power off.  CHECK THIS OUT---The 12 months I've been working for this new company, I've gotten paid on every other Friday.  The day the babysitter called me was Thursday to tell me that power was shut off.  I checked my bank account to see how much money I had and I had gotten paid on Thursday.  My paycheck was for the amount of $620.  THIS WAS THE SIGN FROM GOD.  He was taking care of me and my family.  I knew this was it.  I was done with vicodin.  Thursday (September 26th, 2013) I ate my last vicodin.  I ate 4 that day and 11:00AM on was vicodin free.  Thursday night I felt my feet THROBBING in PAIN.  I had a headache, my body was achy, it was very hard to get sleep.  Friday morning..... A day I will never forget.  Friday morning on my way into work I had the worst headache, body ache, runny nose, soar throat, stomach ache, cold sweats, my feet were on fire..... I ended up getting a 5-hour energy, 2 16 oz. Redbulls, a bottle of excederin and trudged my way through work.  It was the WORST EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE.  Throughout the day I was asked "what's wrong? You look white? Why are you sweating" I couldn't take it anymore, I had to ask my Supervisor to go home due to "being ill".  He agreed I didn't look well and sent me home.  I looked online for help... I felt like absolute crap.  I even had 10 vicodins sitting on