Why Stop Taking Opiates?

[lisacolombo]

Here is my problem, I am being treated with oxycontin for about four years now for an old back injury by my doctor. I find that I have much more energy more focused and more open towards others. This is truly not denial, I have been promoted to a senior management position on the job, I have written a software program, which I was able to market and sell for a lot of money. It only becomes a problem when I run out. I realized I had a problem when I came up short one month and I could not function and had your classic symptoms. To be total honest I do not want to quit but refuse to go to the streets and spend my hard earned money on drugs. What do I do?

[dominosarah]

Enjoy your success while you have it.  Your tolerance will go up and the scripts will run out sooner and soon you will do things you thought you wouldnt ever do.  I am not saying this to be mean......just stating the facts.  Pain meds are not for energy or promotions.  Please really take a look at what is going on.  Pills give you a false sense of security.  I at one time thought i was superwoman too.  Until you have had enough and realize your life is spiraling out of control there is nothing we can say to you to change your mind.........sara

[leeisgettingclean]

you quit. THEY WILL STOP WORKING I promise you that, and guess what when they do, your refusal to go out on street to buy, you will,. You will need more and more to get  same effect and you will buy em. I use to be able to clean, work, talk, and be full of energy and after a few years i was nazy, house dirty, ill to all that spoke to me. THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU. That "big" job tittle.....well lets just say "if you do not stop your ADDICTION now, you will loss it. I am speaking  from experaince, you will see. I wish you luck, and call it what it is, ADDICTION

[lisacolombo]

And please my posting is not to say that I am a better drug addict than someone else, but I am scared of sobriety as crazy as that may sound! I have been taken the pain meds for four years so I do not know anything else. I have been reading about  suboxone and was wondering if it really works. I want to quit so bad because I am finding that I will come up short again and the withdrawal is just too much. How long does it last for, when will I feel normal, etc….

[leeisgettingclean]

does not last long. physicall is about a week, and really after 3 or 4 days you start to feel better. for the mentall part you prob need aftercare. w/ds are bad, but you have to get them over with. you just fell bad, maybe like flu or something but heck look at all the peps right now going through the flu, kids and everything, you can do it. you can look into the sub, theres a web site about it, just google it.

[GA Guy]

Go back and read the posts from the last couple of days. You'll see all your answers there. You'll also see differing opinions on Suboxone as well as withdrawals. What dose are you taking a day and of what?

[10356]

running out every month takes a toll on the spirit also counting to make sure you have enough to get you through.. most of us felt this way on our doc but then the running out early counting and the maintenance it takes us to control our addiction gets weary.. I hope you come to the conclusion that pain meds are not meant for the purposes you mentioned above.. it seems your old injury is but a after thought.. maybe you do not need them for this purpose anymore ? I hope you make the right decision for when we run out early.. we are abusing.. I wish you well lesa

[dominosarah]

We all know what you are saying and yes sobriety is scary for you as it was for all of us but i have to tell you sobriety is amazing.  It takes strength and determination and alot of work but it is so worth it.  How many do you take a day?

[leeisgettingclean]

lord and that horrible feeling of knowing you are about out, calling everyone you know, dreading the morning cause you got to get up and go to work and you have not found any pills yet...THANK YOU GOD FOR THE FREEDOM YOU HAVE GIVEN ME TODAY...man do we all know your pain, we all have been in your shoes and one pill from being back in them.

[mr.lucky66]

This post sounds familiar, did you post a similar queation a few weeks ago? I'll say what I said then , Who's telling you ya have to stop? It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself that taking dope everyday in a controlled way is ok and it sounds like it is ok, for now. I functioned well on dope, especially methadone in the early years but then it turned on me. This takes longer for some people and who knows how long dope could work for you. Sooner or later oxy or whatever dope you take won't work well and that's when you really need to re-evaluate. all best

[lisacolombo]

The first three years it was one 325mg percocet a day, than it went to 3 a day than after the pain would not subside he gave me the a 215 blue pill which I think is 30 mg, in the beginning of the month I will take two in the morning, three at lunch and one in the evening. The stupid part is that in the middle of the month when I get low, I can get away with a half in the morning and one in the evening. The thing that helps me threw it is knowing that I am only a few days away from my next refill. That also helps mentally, there was one time he went on vacation and I did not know when he was coming back and it was the worst because I did not know when I was getting my next script I think that was worse the withdrawal. I really do want to stop and have a doctors appt in the morning to help me through this but again I am afraid that more of me does not want to stop, but I know I have two. I have a good life and have been very fortunate so why wait to hit rock bottom to realize there is an issue!

[dominosarah]

If you want to keep your good life you need to get off these pills now.  If you dont you will go down and it is a lonely road.  These pills can and do kill people.  Have you thought about talking with a counselor or therapist?

[leeisgettingclean]

hummm. kinda of scary to watch one drop to bottom. you never know how far your bottom might be, some times its death, other times it jail, loss of job, wife/husband, who knows, not fun to find out! ...IMO you have to be ready or you will not make it. some have to hit bottom or they will not quit.

[lisacolombo]

dominosarah, you know what is funny, is that I was just thinking that I found this site for the first time today and maybe the problem is that I need someone to talk too!!! But that is the part I do not understand, from a mental stand point I just take the pills because I like the way I feel on them, so I do not know what consoling will help. Bottom line is that I have lost control and I need to get it back.
  
Also, I really want to thank everyone for their feed back, I do not feel like I am alone anymore!

[dominosarah]

You arent alone here at all.  If you still like the way you feel on these pills then you are right as noone will be able to tell you different.  Just please take everything we have said and really think about it all.  You are on the verge of really losing control.  We are only telling you all of this becuz we have been there done that.

[10356]

You are definitely not alone !! I was glad to read you will be talking with a Dr. I think with the right care it is entirely possible to get clean without hitting bottom.. If you read the forum or journals you would find that many have.. I hit bottom many times through my addiction.. Keep reaching out for support.. You can do this. You have not got them off the street this is a good thing. Your Dr. can prescribe meds to help you through the process. the high is not worth the payment in the end.. even though you feel good now outgoing and all this. You will be amazed at the clarity of mind when off the drugs.. it is shocking how much the opiates cloud our thinking and emotions.. the Freedom of body I have no words for except spontaneity is wonderful.. Hard to be spontaneous when we have to count our pills...

[TakingAction]

I lived in your current state of mind for many months.  I had endless energy, improved social interactions and subsequent success at work and in my writing.  

Fast forward to the time when I my doctor cut me off and I visited an elderly aunt and washed the red stamp of TYLENOL off and switched all of her vicodin to simple acetaminaphine because I knew she would never catch on.

This will swallow you whole.  You will innevitably end up becoming someone who is living for the drug rather than on it.  Just a word of caution... addiction does not discriminate and will destroy every success and relationship.

I hope that you are able to recognize this before you have to hit bottom, but too often, that is what it takes.  Plan ahead and get a good support system in place.  Then leave the pills behind and you will find that after a hard fight, there is an authentic quality to life that can never be found while dependent on pills.

I wish you all the best.  

Matt

[lisacolombo]

No there is a reason why I am here, my only fear is the withdrawal pain, but I guess if you want to play you have to pay. This is why I am going to the doctors, I can get over not being high all the time, it is the not being able to function from withdrawal. I went to FL and did not take any pills for about four days, there was a part of me that started coming back, I think it was reasoning instead of that impulsive behavior you get. I have to stop, I will stop.

[GA Guy]

So, on average, you're taking 180mg a day of Oxycodone. That's a moderate habit. If you're ready to quit (which it seems like you're not), then I'd try a taper first. Reduce half a pill a day every 5 days or so. If you're an addict like me, then you'll never be able to taper. I had to go cold turkey. There's lots of info on the site if you want to go that route. Suboxone is an option, but I'd reserve it for a last chance effort. Look into aftercare as well. It's the key to staying clean.

[lisacolombo]

Is it safe to go cold turkey?

[leeisgettingclean]

i think you will do good when you decide to quit, sounds like you already know its a problem, you know you are losing controll, and you are reaching out for help, so because all of that i do feel that all you need to do is relize that we have been right were you are today, it was fun at one time, if that did not end i would not be here today, i prob still be getting high, the prob was i no longer got high, this bugged the pi*s out of me, so i would take more and more and eventaully it did not matter, i could take untill i got sick, and still rarely got high and when i did it would last 20 or 30 mins

[missy812]

I quit cold turkey recently. It is usually safe and not life threatening, but you should still talk to your Doctor about it. There are things they can give you to help through the really bad parts. My doc gave me Xanax and it worked wonders for me.  My last full day of taking norco's was last Friday. Doc won't give me any more Xanax now that I'm over the 3-4 day heavy WD, and I feel like ****.  Probably will feel like **** for another month or so, but the freedom is most rewarding.  I CAN FUNCTION without having to take a pill. That feels good.
Do some research on quitting CT, on tapering (TAKES DISIPLINE) and other things like suboxone.  Then talk to your doc about your options and start moving forward.  If you try one thing and it doesn't work, try it again or try something else.  Come here for support... =)
Good luck.

[Ella789]

  Your story is much like others on here,  you are not unique to any of us,  we all have a common thread.   I hope that you will make the commitment to do this for yourself.  The road you are traveling will come to an end anyway, sooner or later.  I do think that you know this deep down.  We know what it is like to be afraid of the withdrawl but let me tell you that it is worth the  week or less of the withdrawl than to go on with the addiction.  Your Dr. will be able to help you with the withdrawl,  some like me get Clonidine and a few tranzene to help for a few days.  Some don't take anything.  We all live through the W/D even tho it is unpleasant.  You can do this too.  We know abt. the pill counting, running out before refil time.  It just does not get any better !  Each day is a bother,  wanting more than we needed a few years ago.  

  I wish you well on your journey and do keep posting.  We are here for people who are in a fight for sobriety,  each month it gets better,  with time,  determination, and grit.  You can do more than you ever thought possible.  Your body will thank you for it when it is healed.  Things start to work better esp when they aren't stressed.

Best wishes
Ella

[peaceinknowing]

Get your life back, honey!

[Rupp86]

sorry to say this but alot of us here had to hit "rock bottom" before we wanted to get better.  Trust me, dont let it go that far.  Im 23 and lost a REALLY good job ended up blowing off an enagement and loosing my house and my dogs (they were like my kids) and now im at home with mom and dad only 10 days clean and finally realizing what ive done........i can honestly say i quit c/t and yea it was 3-4 days of physical hell but everyday after that that im clean is absolutely gorgeous!  Quit while your still ahead!!!