help please

[miriam1975]

I am having horrible withdrawals from quitting lortab last night.
Can I take a xanax to help me stop freaking out?
I have anxiety and so I am refusing to take it because I read it can depress your respiratory system , but my husband says I should take it to calm down.

please hurry

[miriam1975]

This to shall pass. I love that and needed to hear it. As a mom, I need my life back. I loved those little blue pills too..... and I feel like nothing will ever be as funny, happy, silly etc... again.

surely it will........ I have to have hope. AND I can't wait for the physical stuff to stop. It makes me think I am losing my mind.

On day five now... I can see the light a little and can smile today :)
xoxo

[delsol]

Day seven of tapering off of 180mg. of Lortab. I have serious spinal problems and was prescribed Lortabs 10mg.  Boy did it help the pain.  The high....I've never gotten the kind of high everyone speaks of. I wish I would have, at least this W/D process would have been worth it.  I stopped cold turkey last Monday (I thought I could, how stupid) and ended up in the ER. I'm down to 10mg. I am completely off tomorrow. I'm already getting the runs and the shakes. I'm calling my Dr. for Ativan. He put me on these meds, he can help me get off.  My life the past year has revolved around those little blue pills.  I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. In my state I am approved for medical marijuana.  It's not legal at the Federal level so I'm waiting.  This *****! Hindsight is 20/20. Where is our Dr.'s responsibility? Call me naive, but had he told me what I would be going through, I would have bought some weed to begin with. At least, you don't get withdrawals. God Bless all of you. I'll keep you all in my prayers as I pray that "This too shall Pass"

[miriam1975]

we can do this!

I took one zoloft on day four and BAM.... stayed up all night with muscle twitching and actually screaming for help. So embarrassing and went on for eight hours. My husband drove me to a psychiatrist in the a.m. He said I needed to take more xanax at night and prescribed them ... so at least I am on them legally now.

I guess withdrawals can be even worse for someone who may have depression and anxiety even WITHOUT a drug withdrawal problem.

The zoloft wasn't a good idea yet. I need to wait until the bad drugs are out of my system.

I knocked myself out with enough xanax and slept ALL night.

sigh..... this will get better I just know it. My kids, spouse and MYSELF deserve it.

[tysmom2004]

Wow, I am completely relating to you right now.............I am on day way of kicking the Hydros.  I've been down the rehab road before for Coke.............and I have been on meds after a knee surgery and then continue to find them on my own.   I have previously kicked a Methadone and a Fentyl addiction.........and man those were HARD withdrawal symptoms.  I am hoping the w/drawals from Hydros will not be as hard.   I HAD BEEN CLEAN FOR A YEAR UNTIL THIS HAPPENED!!!!!!!  NA helped me greatly.......but I had some really great groups to attend.

[salsinator]

The zoloft may help with producing neurotransmitters again, but I have tried them before and never had much luck with them.  Just know that each day you continue to stay clean will get better.  You will have ups and downs, but your energy level and general wellbeing will improve.

[miriam1975]

I've started zoloft and I hear it will be awhile before it helps any. It's day three. morning was horrible... right when I woke up I felt like I was going crazy and like my body was vibrating and my legs needed to kick... can't explain it. Got better as the day went on.

I hate how it feels when I first wake up... hope that doesn't last too long. Hope the zoloft was a good addition.

I miss how awesome I felt on lortab and how clean the house was and how funny the kids seemed and how I didn't eat much. BUT....... at the same time I neglected my family, friends and life.  If that makes sense.

[salsinator]

I agree 100%.  People try and fail every day trying to kick using on their own.  I tried the suboxone route and ended up becoming dependant on that rather than detoxing and tapering.  Treatment programs can be expensive, but one must think about all the money they drop while using, I could have paid for a program cash in six months of using.  Professional help is there for a reason and there are tons of great programs out there.  I fully support them.

[avisg]

I really wish more people could or in some cases would try to get into some types of inpatient or outpatient program especially if its been a long term battle .

[salsinator]

I do agree with your comments.  The program that I went through was outpatient, but I did have a support person who was with me 24/7 through the entire process and this person supervised my medication and recorded each dose.  I have personally experienced cross addiction in my 20+ years of battling addiction.  Thanks for your comments, it is good advice.

[avisg]

In an inpatiant porgarm yes benzos are  be used when you are being over seen  .However if you are self detoxing it opens up a door for cross addiction and addicts have a very hard time taking there meds as directed thats part of addiction.

[salsinator]

I am 65 days clean and went through a medically asisted detox.  Valium was used for the entire 8 days of the detox.  Clonidine is also fantastic for opiate w/d.  My advice would be to work with your doctor through your detox if that is an option, you do not need to be miserable.  I do agree that an addict must be careful with any drug that they take, benzo's are addictive, but if they are used as directed during the detox period, then there should not be a problem.  Hang in there, each day clean is a step in the right direction and you will start to feel better.

[avisg]

I would stay away from benzos all together try some Tylenol pm if there are no interactions with other meds you are on .The pm has an antihistamine in it that some doctors use for mild anxiety.

[minka61]

Miriam, Xanax is just as addictive as the one you are trying to withdraw from. Infact if I were you I`d be watching out for cross-addiction.
I am a recovering addict and went through all the nasty stuff you are going through as well. And yes, I am also recovering from xanax. With an addictive personality you have to take care of what you are putting into your body. tylenol pm is just another med that will steer you into a different addiction. So, from sister to sister: Be careful what you take, for it will haunt later. My advice would be to stick it out. Meditate. Read. Exersise. etcetera-etcetera. Anything to keep your mind busy.------and take lots of baths and showers. It will relax you.----------------good luck to you, and be true to yourself----

[miriam1975]

I wish I were on day five. seems like an eternity from now. I bet you are almost about to be feeling better. I cried reading what you wrote.... because I am feeling like that now.
*big hug

keep it up.... and keep me posted.

we can do this together

[smokey41]

ive used morphine for almost 2 years and had enough...my last day was on mon....i still feel horrible....i practically live in the tub or in the bed...my kid keeps asking whats wrong ....ive been in bed for 5 days and finally to the couch  ( it was closer than my bed)....how much longer does this last..... i have to go back to work mon......i figured id be better by now

[hook1423]

yes get out ,keep the mind going on the fun things.iam on day 4 feeling better by the min.good luck .you be all right

[miriam1975]

I almost didn't post here................ wow, it really helps to read yalls comments. Incredible. I AM going to try the "pretend it's the flu" mind trick. I AM going to get out of the house with the kids and husband (boy, IF I can walk far enough to get dressed). For like thirty minutes I am thinking " oh my gosh, I think I can do this.. and then BAM, I'm a zombie.

ok, off to the ymca pool... I think forcing myself to swim a little in the sun might be good.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

[troubleinohio]

no no no.......mommy  WAS A SHELL OF HER FORMER SELF WHEN SHE WAS ZONED OUT ON THE NORCOS! you got it all backwards hon! You've got to reconfigure the way you think about things, for the rest of your life and alter your thinking pattern and behavoir in order to stay clean.  

I know how crapppy you feel right now, oh trust me I know. Ive been thru WD from vicodin so many times I couldnt count if i had to. THIS WILL PASS. It suckss really bad right now, but it wont last forever. Just pretend you have the flu for a few days and you will soon see how much better you will feel soon. Hang in there!!

[umustbdreaming]

Congrats on day 2!! first off! I had to take valium for the first 7 days of my wd .Im currently on day 16 and i feel great!  I had anxienty bad and had to take a benzo like you.  It helps greatly just take them as needed and as short as possible.  Benzos are usually prescribed for opiate withdrawal but only for a 7 day period.  Now not to lie but day 3-5 usually are the worst for most people but that depends on how long and what you were taking?  It passes quickly trust me i was just there and you can do it!!! It gets easier with everyday just get your mind in the right place.... Thats whats getting you so down!  I know how you feel i felt like that only a week ago, but believe me you can make and when you do you wont believe how you feel about yourself!!!! When i felt down and craved badly i made myself get up and do something, it was the hardest thing i did but it helped greatly....I know the lack of energy ***** but battle it every step of the way it will soon pass also!  

   Good luck and keep us updated

[miriam1975]

thank you. I took a xanax before bed but still got up three times with stomach troubles. Now I have anxiety/mild twitching and of course depression so I took another one. I may force my self to exercise or lay in the sun with the radio on. I don't want to. My head hurts and my husband looks at me like I am being rather bothersome. The kids want to play with mommy, but mommy is walking around like a shell of her former self. We can do this, right? I hope tomorrow is better.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

You anxiety will spike when going through withdrawals. Probably a decent idea to address it   rather than not. Too much anxiety will get you thinking about how nice a hydro would be right now. You may safely take the zanax for week or so  - - just do it with respect. You shouldnt have too bad a time from a low dose for a few months. Remember this stuff and make this one last a heck of a lot longer this time.

[leeisgettingclean]

you should inspire yourself as well. You have taken a big step, now just keep steping......you CAN do it. btw i think .25 is the losiest but .5 aint gona hurt you, just dont take it to long ONLY WHEN YOU REALLY REALLY NEED IT : )

[miriam1975]

I've cried all day.. still crying.. I can't wait to be further along. You inspire me.

[miriam1975]

ok, I took a the lowest dose xanax I THINK... a point 5.

Will let you know... hope it relaxes me