Aa
Withdrawel
Hell-o, Life is a living hell,years of bad injuries, had to take Lortab,ect. It was so bad I made the mistake of getting on Methadone. Traded one nightmare for one that was much worse. I've gotten off methadone and went right back to Lortab 10/650, about 25 a day.I cut back to 14 a day and really want out of this nightmare but it seems the more times you quit, the harder it gets each time and cold turkey is not an option. A bullet would be better.The lower I get, the harder it is.IF I ever get off, the pain from injuries makes life unbearable. Anyone know if there is any way out? Can't take much more.I almost died from the cold turkey method.Also out of money, job, ect. Also, I wanted to say thanks, BEFORE I CRAWL OUT OF MY SKIN...Broken Bones
IT IS MONDAY A.M. 3:OO AND I CAN'T SLEEP. I THOUGHT I WOULD CHECKIN AND TELL YOU THAT IT IS DAY 5. i WAS OONLY USING THE ATIVAN A FEW TIMES A DAY ALONG WITH A VALIUM IF I HAD ONE FOR DETOX. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS GONNA BE A LONG DAY.. THE GOOD THING I WANTED TO PASS ON IS THAT I HAD A FRIEND OF MINE WEAN ME QUIICKLY FROM 20 PILLS TO 6, 5, 4, 2. THAT SEEMED TO BE EASIER ON MY BODY THEN IT HAS IN THE PAST. i KNOW THAT WITHOUT YOUR LIFELINE HERE AND MY FRIEND I COULD NOT HAVE MADE IT. BLESSING TO ALL OF YOU FOR A SAFE DAY. LOVE, ME
We all here are with you, I know even though we don't know each other personally, but I know your feelings at this time as a human being.
You are strong enough to want something so bad, you fight it, and fight it, with everything you have, and then you feel that need for love or affection, or maybe that someone to hold you and say it's ok and everything will be allright. This is us as human!
My daughters name is Kristin, I didn't tell you that, but one of the things my x and I as parents try and stress in her is that she doesn't need a man to help here control her life, He's only there for companionship, love, support, laughs and to help support what you want for the future( Yes there are other things to)Not to take away what you want to accomplish. If he gets in the way instead of helping you find the way, toss him fast.
I learned from my youth the many of my mistakes were for attention, instead of the old backhand across the face I just wanted a held and for someone to tell me everything will be allright.
As one humbled, father and human, Kristen its going to be allright,( BIG HUG AND LOTS OF LOVE FROM YOUR FRIENDS HERE ON THIS LINE ), We see the power in you to not want meds anymore, We also see the power in you to not need that person who brings you down anymore. There are many more fish in the sea!
Living and breathing are wonderful, it's the path of life that sucks sometime, We all make our path and we all can change our path. And yes as humans we fail, maybe more than once ( my hand is up )but that doesn't make us bad people, and please don't let it stop you from living your path.
Thoughts of strength to you today
Peace
mickytim
You are strong enough to want something so bad, you fight it, and fight it, with everything you have, and then you feel that need for love or affection, or maybe that someone to hold you and say it's ok and everything will be allright. This is us as human!
My daughters name is Kristin, I didn't tell you that, but one of the things my x and I as parents try and stress in her is that she doesn't need a man to help here control her life, He's only there for companionship, love, support, laughs and to help support what you want for the future( Yes there are other things to)Not to take away what you want to accomplish. If he gets in the way instead of helping you find the way, toss him fast.
I learned from my youth the many of my mistakes were for attention, instead of the old backhand across the face I just wanted a held and for someone to tell me everything will be allright.
As one humbled, father and human, Kristen its going to be allright,( BIG HUG AND LOTS OF LOVE FROM YOUR FRIENDS HERE ON THIS LINE ), We see the power in you to not want meds anymore, We also see the power in you to not need that person who brings you down anymore. There are many more fish in the sea!
Living and breathing are wonderful, it's the path of life that sucks sometime, We all make our path and we all can change our path. And yes as humans we fail, maybe more than once ( my hand is up )but that doesn't make us bad people, and please don't let it stop you from living your path.
Thoughts of strength to you today
Peace
mickytim
It sounds like you're in the classic vice: you have chronic pain for which you need narcotic painkillers but you're also addicted to your source of pain relief and can't stick to a strictly therapeutic dose. I was in the same situation when I blew a disk out in my back. My orthopedic surgeon couldn't understand why I needed so many vic es'. What he didn't know was that I was getting them from two other doctors AND and I was calling in my own scripts at the same time -- that's how bad my habit was. I can tell you this: after you've detoxed from the vics (or Lortabs, same thing), if you can stick to a normal dose of the stuff, you will get relatively normal pain relief from them. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. The greatest challenge is sticking to that prescribed dose. After detoxing, you'll want to "reward" yourself by taking a big dose "just this once." Of course, once you do this, you're right back in the **** again and might as well have never detoxed at all.
For what it's worth, I'm going to re-print my cold turkey detox recipe for Lortabs (yes, with the right combo of drugs and non-drug therapies, you can detox yourself from this drug). I know, because I developed this formula in order to detox myself from a seventy-five (yes, 75) vicodin per day habit. So, here it is. If you're going to do it, follow it to the letter or it won't work. The one rx drug you'll need to make it really work is some kind of benzo like valium, klonopin, librium, xanax, ativan, etc. So, if you have any relatives that can help you out with one of these drugs (or a doctor, of course) the benzos wll help make the results much more successful ... but if you can't, the recipe can still work ...
Here's my tried-and-true do-it-yourself "cold turkey" detox protocol.
Supplies you'll need first:
As many Valium, Xanax, Librium, Ativan or Klonopin as you can get your hands on.
--- first day off the opiate, use enough Valium or whatever, to, if possible, sleep through most of the first couple days. Then start decreasing the dose until you're down to nothing in about 5 or 6 days. You'll have to do the math. The Valium or one of its sister drugs will help tremendously with the anxiety and, somewhat, with the body aches. Valium may make you eat like a pig and, when withdrawing from narcotics, one usually craves sweets, so I'd be ready to indulge myself with lots of treats, along with some good escapist movies to take your mind off of evrything. That always worked for me.
VERY IMPORTAT: Around-the-clock access to either hot baths or a Jacuzzi.
--speaking of those goddamn thigh cramps that seem to love to show up in the middle of the night, have that hot bath or Jacuzzi at the ready. Don't hesitate to spend the majority of the week in that hot water if that's what it takes to get you through it. You may be wrinkled, but you'll have your sanity. Don't underestimate what the hot baths can do to relieve the withdrawal discomfort. They really, really work. Heating pads between the thighs can help with those cramps, too, but not nearly as much as the hot baths.
Brand-name-only Imodium (over the counter at the supermarket. Don't ak me why, but the brand name just works better.)
-- if you're a normal Lortab/Vicodin addict, you'll be getting the runs by no later than the second or third day off the lortab. In my experience, it's an especially unpleasant variety. At the first impulse, take two or three Imodium and respond to returning urges with two tabs. It's important that you do it at the slightest rumbling from your guts. Immodium is also an opioid class drug and, even though it's action is mostly confined to that part of the brain that affects bowel motility, I noticed a slight relief from the overall withdrawal feeling when I took the Imodium -- just don't overdose on the stuff thinking it will relieve all the withdrawal symptoms - it won't - it will just constipate the hell out of you at very high doses. Stick to the dosages I recommended.
Now, this is very important to short- and long-term reovery - I can't emphasize this one enough:
L-Tyrosine [NOT L-Lysine] (qty 50 of the 500mg caps) - an amino acid freely available at the health food store. Costs about 12 bucks a bottle.
WHY?
Chronic use of narcotics depletes the brain of several critical neurotransmitters responsible for well-being and mental performance and attitude.
Plus:
Bottle of 100 mg B6 caps (the B6 helps the L-Tyrosine be absorbed)
Plus, high-potency magnesium and zinc suplements. You may have to buy each in separate pills.
My experience detoxing with L-Tyrosine says take 4000 (four thousand) mg. (8x500mg caps of L-Tyrosine) with two 100mg B6 caps along with your zinc/magnesium supplement every day for your "detox week" to provide your brain with the raw material it needs to replenish its stores of these neurotransmitters. Many feel the difference on the very first dose. (I did, big time!!) ***Take it on an empty stomach, either first thing in the morning or at bedtime. You can continue this regimen after the first week if it continues to make you feel good. I continue to use L-Tyrosine every other day with very few exceptions, although now I cut my dose to 1500 mg of L-Tyrosine. I cut down on the dosage beause it can cause the runs at high doses. But for your first week, you need the high dose of L-Tyrosine and should just put up with the runs. It only happens once after each dose (if it happens at all) and it's not the "buring runs" that you get from withdrawal. It also happens within the first hour and won't return, so it's something you can plan on. Also, the Imodium justight cancel out the runs, anyway. So, it's livable at least for that first week. Besides, the L-Tyrosine will make you feel so damn good so quickly, you won't care! You'll be looking forward to your morning L-Tyrosine dose, believe me! L-Tyrosine will make you feel alert without being nervous, peaceful without feeling sedated, and just generally GOOD, despite the withdrawal. It's truly THE discovery of opiate withdrawal therapy.
Multi-vitamins (most junkies don't eat too well, so this one's just for good sense).
Acording to some literature, you also need to add copper, phosphorus and Vitamin C to fully complete the dopamine, norepinephrine converson. You might have to do some hunting at the health food store to find the right vitamin or vitamins to supply all this stuff. Health food stores generally care multis that, instead of carrying every vitamin known to an, carry instead all the "metals" we need such as copper, Magnesium, zince, phosporous,etc. I esily found a multiple that contained large doses of zince, magnesium, copper, vitmamin C and lots of other things for very little money. In any event, I got a VERY good result from just the L-Tyrosine and B6 alone. Don't let any difficulty finding the whole laundy list of minerals and metals stop you fro using the L-Tyrosine and B6 -- it works like gangbusters anyway!
By the way, the zinc and magnesium tip was supplied by a contributor to this site called "pillpoppa" who cliamed it was the magic formula for recovering from long-term methadone use, so it sounds like an important part of the fromula for you in particular. Even though I never used methadone, I was using this multiple with large doses of zinc and magnesium (without realizing it) and, at first, I couldn't figure out why I felt so good so quickly after stopping the Lortabs. The I realized I was getting all that zinc and mag with my multiple! Pillpoppa's formula really does work, my friend. So, don't skip any of the instructions I've given you here. Add it up, and it doesn't cost as much as a visit to the doc for a big fat Lortab rx! Remember: all the details of my recipe are necessary to complete recovery. Then, just will yourself to stick as close to the prescribed dose as you can for your pain and, hopefully, you're home free!
WARNING: Avoid L-Tyrosine if you're on an SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) such as Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, all those kinds of psychiatric mood elevators, etc.
If you have any questions or just want to talk today, I'm enjoying a rare chance to use my PC all day today and will answer you as fast as I can. Remember, despite what the goaddamn doc might like you to believe, you haven't done anything wrong. You're a normal, decent human being who's fallen into the trap these modern medications have set for us all. You're not alone, Broken, and will never be alone as long as you come to this site. Believe me, we've ALL been where your at. We understand you and accept you and will support you through your trials. Lean on us if it helps. That's what we're here for.
Your friend,
Thomas
For what it's worth, I'm going to re-print my cold turkey detox recipe for Lortabs (yes, with the right combo of drugs and non-drug therapies, you can detox yourself from this drug). I know, because I developed this formula in order to detox myself from a seventy-five (yes, 75) vicodin per day habit. So, here it is. If you're going to do it, follow it to the letter or it won't work. The one rx drug you'll need to make it really work is some kind of benzo like valium, klonopin, librium, xanax, ativan, etc. So, if you have any relatives that can help you out with one of these drugs (or a doctor, of course) the benzos wll help make the results much more successful ... but if you can't, the recipe can still work ...
Here's my tried-and-true do-it-yourself "cold turkey" detox protocol.
Supplies you'll need first:
As many Valium, Xanax, Librium, Ativan or Klonopin as you can get your hands on.
--- first day off the opiate, use enough Valium or whatever, to, if possible, sleep through most of the first couple days. Then start decreasing the dose until you're down to nothing in about 5 or 6 days. You'll have to do the math. The Valium or one of its sister drugs will help tremendously with the anxiety and, somewhat, with the body aches. Valium may make you eat like a pig and, when withdrawing from narcotics, one usually craves sweets, so I'd be ready to indulge myself with lots of treats, along with some good escapist movies to take your mind off of evrything. That always worked for me.
VERY IMPORTAT: Around-the-clock access to either hot baths or a Jacuzzi.
--speaking of those goddamn thigh cramps that seem to love to show up in the middle of the night, have that hot bath or Jacuzzi at the ready. Don't hesitate to spend the majority of the week in that hot water if that's what it takes to get you through it. You may be wrinkled, but you'll have your sanity. Don't underestimate what the hot baths can do to relieve the withdrawal discomfort. They really, really work. Heating pads between the thighs can help with those cramps, too, but not nearly as much as the hot baths.
Brand-name-only Imodium (over the counter at the supermarket. Don't ak me why, but the brand name just works better.)
-- if you're a normal Lortab/Vicodin addict, you'll be getting the runs by no later than the second or third day off the lortab. In my experience, it's an especially unpleasant variety. At the first impulse, take two or three Imodium and respond to returning urges with two tabs. It's important that you do it at the slightest rumbling from your guts. Immodium is also an opioid class drug and, even though it's action is mostly confined to that part of the brain that affects bowel motility, I noticed a slight relief from the overall withdrawal feeling when I took the Imodium -- just don't overdose on the stuff thinking it will relieve all the withdrawal symptoms - it won't - it will just constipate the hell out of you at very high doses. Stick to the dosages I recommended.
Now, this is very important to short- and long-term reovery - I can't emphasize this one enough:
L-Tyrosine [NOT L-Lysine] (qty 50 of the 500mg caps) - an amino acid freely available at the health food store. Costs about 12 bucks a bottle.
WHY?
Chronic use of narcotics depletes the brain of several critical neurotransmitters responsible for well-being and mental performance and attitude.
Plus:
Bottle of 100 mg B6 caps (the B6 helps the L-Tyrosine be absorbed)
Plus, high-potency magnesium and zinc suplements. You may have to buy each in separate pills.
My experience detoxing with L-Tyrosine says take 4000 (four thousand) mg. (8x500mg caps of L-Tyrosine) with two 100mg B6 caps along with your zinc/magnesium supplement every day for your "detox week" to provide your brain with the raw material it needs to replenish its stores of these neurotransmitters. Many feel the difference on the very first dose. (I did, big time!!) ***Take it on an empty stomach, either first thing in the morning or at bedtime. You can continue this regimen after the first week if it continues to make you feel good. I continue to use L-Tyrosine every other day with very few exceptions, although now I cut my dose to 1500 mg of L-Tyrosine. I cut down on the dosage beause it can cause the runs at high doses. But for your first week, you need the high dose of L-Tyrosine and should just put up with the runs. It only happens once after each dose (if it happens at all) and it's not the "buring runs" that you get from withdrawal. It also happens within the first hour and won't return, so it's something you can plan on. Also, the Imodium justight cancel out the runs, anyway. So, it's livable at least for that first week. Besides, the L-Tyrosine will make you feel so damn good so quickly, you won't care! You'll be looking forward to your morning L-Tyrosine dose, believe me! L-Tyrosine will make you feel alert without being nervous, peaceful without feeling sedated, and just generally GOOD, despite the withdrawal. It's truly THE discovery of opiate withdrawal therapy.
Multi-vitamins (most junkies don't eat too well, so this one's just for good sense).
Acording to some literature, you also need to add copper, phosphorus and Vitamin C to fully complete the dopamine, norepinephrine converson. You might have to do some hunting at the health food store to find the right vitamin or vitamins to supply all this stuff. Health food stores generally care multis that, instead of carrying every vitamin known to an, carry instead all the "metals" we need such as copper, Magnesium, zince, phosporous,etc. I esily found a multiple that contained large doses of zince, magnesium, copper, vitmamin C and lots of other things for very little money. In any event, I got a VERY good result from just the L-Tyrosine and B6 alone. Don't let any difficulty finding the whole laundy list of minerals and metals stop you fro using the L-Tyrosine and B6 -- it works like gangbusters anyway!
By the way, the zinc and magnesium tip was supplied by a contributor to this site called "pillpoppa" who cliamed it was the magic formula for recovering from long-term methadone use, so it sounds like an important part of the fromula for you in particular. Even though I never used methadone, I was using this multiple with large doses of zinc and magnesium (without realizing it) and, at first, I couldn't figure out why I felt so good so quickly after stopping the Lortabs. The I realized I was getting all that zinc and mag with my multiple! Pillpoppa's formula really does work, my friend. So, don't skip any of the instructions I've given you here. Add it up, and it doesn't cost as much as a visit to the doc for a big fat Lortab rx! Remember: all the details of my recipe are necessary to complete recovery. Then, just will yourself to stick as close to the prescribed dose as you can for your pain and, hopefully, you're home free!
WARNING: Avoid L-Tyrosine if you're on an SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) such as Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, all those kinds of psychiatric mood elevators, etc.
If you have any questions or just want to talk today, I'm enjoying a rare chance to use my PC all day today and will answer you as fast as I can. Remember, despite what the goaddamn doc might like you to believe, you haven't done anything wrong. You're a normal, decent human being who's fallen into the trap these modern medications have set for us all. You're not alone, Broken, and will never be alone as long as you come to this site. Believe me, we've ALL been where your at. We understand you and accept you and will support you through your trials. Lean on us if it helps. That's what we're here for.
Your friend,
Thomas
hi chad, hope all is well with you ... I agree that in-house rehab is great, but surely you must realize that this is not an option for many of us. Many do not have insurance to cover it and others, like me, would return from the rehab to discover someone else in my job. So, hey great, I'd be drug free but unemployed at a time when tech writers simply can't get jobs. My family and I could celebrate my sobriety while we lived out of my car in the back of a Wal-Mart parking lot. Not a very practical trade, if you ask me. Just a suggestion, but try to keep that in mind when you offer you unquestionably well-meaning advice.
Your friend as always,
Thomas
Your friend as always,
Thomas
Hi...you've come to the right place. If you've read through our posts, you may have already realized that here you won't be judged and you will be helped as much as possible.
I think that all of us here know the hell that you are going through, and have felt the shame, guilt, exasperation that you are feeling. Try to not think of yourself as worthless and hopeless though...as Thomas said in a recent post to someone else, you are a decent human being who got caught in a trap that these modern painkillers create for millions of people. There is always hope, and always help.
I wish I could take away your pain and despair, but all I can do is welcome you to the forum, and extend my hand to yours across the ethers, one addict to another.
Welcome and I hope you keep posting.
love,
WW
I think that all of us here know the hell that you are going through, and have felt the shame, guilt, exasperation that you are feeling. Try to not think of yourself as worthless and hopeless though...as Thomas said in a recent post to someone else, you are a decent human being who got caught in a trap that these modern painkillers create for millions of people. There is always hope, and always help.
I wish I could take away your pain and despair, but all I can do is welcome you to the forum, and extend my hand to yours across the ethers, one addict to another.
Welcome and I hope you keep posting.
love,
WW
I'm 10 days into my tapper down and so far have been sticking with it. Down from 12/7.5 to 4/7.5 a day. Tomorrow start 3 a day for 4 days. Been getting some sleep but not "good" sleep. Usually wake up and feel like ****. Is it normal to have extreme shakes? Last nite my whole upper right side kind of went
beserk and shook for about 5 seconds. I'm mean really shook - like bouncing all over. Anyone else ave that happen?
Figure all part of the process but sure wasn't fun. Other than that, feeling a little down, deppressed, and bored but happy to almost be done!
Thanks all - durty
beserk and shook for about 5 seconds. I'm mean really shook - like bouncing all over. Anyone else ave that happen?
Figure all part of the process but sure wasn't fun. Other than that, feeling a little down, deppressed, and bored but happy to almost be done!
Thanks all - durty
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