hydrocodone/help

[Mrs.robinson]

I've been doing hydrocodone/apap 10/650 for 3 years now.  I started out only doing 10 a month and have worked up to 10 a day!  I recently lost my job (due in part to Sept.11) so I no longer have health insurance and, of course, not enough money coming in to support this habit.  I was no longer getting "high" on this amount and just do not want to continue this whole addiction anyway.  I tried to find Thomas's detox recipe but could not.  I am only 6 hours into giving then up and my body is already screaming...can I go cold turkey?????  My boyfriend layed out my usual dose for today on my dresser last night before leaving and they are just begging me to eat them. (I had asked him not to leave them since I had shared with him my intentions, but he told me I could not do it cold turkey)  Is he right????  I tried several times to cut back and to wean myself off but that did not work for me either.  There's no way I could afford help right now...NO WAY.  I'm too old to be doing these things...48 and have had hepitis c since I was 18.  I feel as if these things have hurt my liver and my kidneys.  Could I be right?  Any help would be appreciated.  Mrs. Robinson

[Mimsi]

My son (18)took Percocet 10 for 5 weeks folowing oral surgery, which resulted in a staph infection.  He took the medication more frequently than prescribed.  He ran out on Wednesday and since then has been unable to sleep, is irritable and has diarrhea.  I reas the recipe and was ready to run to the store when I saw the warning regarding Paxil...he takes 40 mgs a day.  Any altenative suggestions out there?  Thanks for your help.

[popi]

Hi,
  Just a quick post, you said you would like to get back to your dance!
   Guess who took Tap, Acrobatics and BALLET from age 5 to age 15.  ME!!!!!
   As a matter of fact, my brother was one of the top dancers for the movies, he made many of them, best dance one in my opinion was "Carousel", he did some dancing on the roof that was awsome.
   I'll post again this evening when I have a little more time.

p.s. The other half of my brain that I was trying to trick, gave me a message!!! B----IT.
             Catch ya tonight       Popi

[Witchywoman]

I think you gave excellent advice Popi, and I 'm very glad you have decided to be an active member of the board.

How are you doing with your own taper?

I loved your strategy of fooling your brain with half a pill!
LOL

That never would have worked for me though...I had both sides of my brain scheming to convince me that the dose I should take was way too small...oi!

It is good to be on the other side. I can see sunshine again, and I never thought I would.  For anyone who thinks I have it totally together...naaaaah. I don't. I am clean. I am working on myself. But I struggle with mental cravings and insecurities just like everyone else. I have back pain that sometimes is very low, but other times spikes reallllly high (like today) I have some very tough marriage issues that keep me on a roller coaster.  What keeps me going are my friends, my cats, my spirituality, and my love of life...not necessarily in that order. Oh...and my hope that someday soon my back will be ok enough for me to get back to my dance.

love,
WW

[Witchywoman]

Wow, that is an excellent idea! If you can afford to pay a private nurse to come and help with the baby, that would be great. I'm sure there must be a registry of private nurses somewhere..try looking under "health care" or "home health care" in the phone book.

If hiring a nurse is too expensive, maybe you could hire a temporary baby sitter, someone who could look after the little one and cook and clean for a few days. You can look into temp agencies for both these positions.

I'm very glad you thought of that! Go for it..anything that makes it easier for you.

love,
WW

[popi]

Hi,
   I hope you have faith enough to listen to "Witchywoman and Shotsy", believe that they are going to be your "crutch" through this tough time, and we all know it's tough.
   I must say this, the doctor who left you without any means of tapering down your meds, should be reported. It is the doctors DUTY to help you get off of your medication, in a way that would not cause you any harm, he prescribed it to help you, I am curious to know if you told him of your intent to get off of it, because if you did, then he should have came up with a plan for easy withdrawal for you.
    If I were you, I would tell him of your intent to withdraw from this medication, and ask for his help in tapering off, if he refuses to listen to you, then I would try to seek another physician who, after you tell him of your intent, will help you get off the medication in a more easier manner.
     This forum is full of people with TOTAL commitment in helping, so place your faith here, it will not be abused.
     And, Witchywoman and Shotsy, if I have given any wrong information to Starling, please correct me, you know what faith I have in your opinions.
     Starling, hang in there, you are as close to all of us as your keyboard.
                God Bless       Popi

[starling]

WW,

Thank you so much for your vote of confidence. I wish I had as much faith in myself as you appear to have in me. :)

I was just thinking...wondering...because I don't know about such things, but are there emergency nurses or something like that whom a person can hire "as needed?" Someone to look after my baby and cook meals until my husband comes home from work? Just until I'm back on my feet again? Do you (or anyone else here, for that matter) happen to know about this kind of thing?

If there are, that could be the answer to my gut-wrenching dilemma. I'm sorry if I sound dramatic, but I am feeling very vulnerable right now. I know what I'm facing because I've been through it before... only, at the time, I thought it was the worst flu that I had ever had in my life. I literally thought I was going to die and told my husband so. It was about 3 weeks after my last c-section and I had been on about 10 vicodin pills per day, and when I started feeling sick and then on top of that ran out of pills, I didn't ask for a refill as I thought that was the last thing I needed while down with the flu. Little did I really know at the time what I was going through. Granted, I was sick...I really did have the flu...but I was also going through tremendous withdrawals.

Anyway, I don't mean to ramble here. What I'd really like to know is, if there are any type of nurses around that I could hire on a very temporary basis until I'm through the worst of it. And if you do happen to know whether or not there are people like this, how in the world would I go about finding one? Through the phone book? Some other avenue?

I'm totally at a loss here and trying to think of anything... ANYTHING to get me through this with my baby well taken care of.

Thanks so much for listening, hearing me, and most of all for understanding.

"starling"