please help!!!!!

[lesleyf79]

thank god!!!!! i really thought i was the only human being addicted to nurofen plus,ive been takin them for a year now for a shoulder injury that healed a long time ago!!! im takin up to 50 a day depending on how im feeling,,and usually always a full 24 pack first thing in the morn. its really scary how quickly this addiction catches up with you, as a mother of 3 young children i would never have thought that i would get addicted to anything. but now a year later im still takin them..ive tried c/t but have to say it was too severe for me with the kids i have to be able to function..so im tryin to taper down instead on monday i had 48 tabs then developed acute gastricitis due to the ibuprofen,,,i was in agony so i promised id give them up on tuesday i took only 6 i was too sick for any more and on wed just 6 again,and thats where my problem started.no sleep jitters in my arms and legs anxiety restlessness,,,ive been to my local pharmacy and stocked up on tons of herbal remedies to try and counter the w/d but im still at my wits end.. had 18 today alltogether just to try and cure the jitters and no hope they are still there as bad as ever can some one please show me an easier way please!!!!!!

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

Living well is the best revenge.......enjoy your family and your life. Laughter is good......its amazing that we forget that sometimes. I am so glad that you discovered your again!

[lesleyf79]

Oh vine,, my heart is totally breaking for you cause i really do know the pain your suffering ,,like you i never told  my husband bout my nurofen usage,,and had no-one to turn to when i wanted to stop,,thats how i stumbled upon this chatroom which has been brilliant for me the tips and advice have really changed my life!!!!!!!! i know the pain of an affair and the feelings of worthlessness and shame and stupidity( how did i not know) they do pass Vine but not without help,,,if you havent already,,,, invest in a good counseller.. it may take a few tries before you find one that suits you or that your comfortable with but once you do she/he will help you change your life,,you dont have to live in pain there are people there to help you and anytime you fancy a chat you can pm me,,,i cant offer you a coffee!!!!! but i can type fast!!!! so that might make up for it!!!!

[lesleyf79]

starting to enjoy it already after tapering last week i was to sick and tired to enjoy alot,,,,:(:( but i cut back enough that when the time came to quit it wasnt so bad!!!!! have been using herbal remedied all weekend and they suck!!!! the valarian hops was ok took the worst of the edge off,,, i was laughing today and i really felt it,, it was unreal i laugh everyday but this one i felt in my heart,,,,, like before i was covered in cotton wool and now its gone very refreshing!!!!! most of the pain is gone now just feel achey still in my arms even hanging out my laundry was tough!!!!! but the restlessness and agitation is nearly gone just a tiny bit now,,thank god :):):)

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

The aminos can take a month to function fully.....we got spoiled by all the pharamceuticals that work in ten minutes or less....... but trying a complete herbal approach may take even longer than the amino's to work properly. But dont give up on them.....good changes come slowly and they last.....I am happy that you dont need extraction advice - thats a last ditch effort - - your life will come back and you will love it...as you should... Your newfound attitude is so very refreshing!  Best of luck in all......

[lesleyf79]

im so silly i only readhalf your message ,,,dont worry ive well researched all there is to research on the extraction method not interested want to stop takin them altogether!!!!!! and have done so !!!!!! just for today!!!!:):):) and like i said healthfood store here i come!!!!! how long does it take for theanimo acids to start working!!!! is it slow acting???

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

The true reward for investing time on this forum comes from people like you..............you are well on your way to being a success story........and you (and the whole family) deserve it so much. And I know that it wasnt easy regardless...........take care of the kids - tomorrow may be football day! - and enjoy a very relaxing bath..you have earned it and more.....at the health food store find Theanine and L-Tyrosine - I never found a multi amino that I like yet....melatonin (amino) is used for some for sleep.........the whole amino protocol is listed under Health Pages and ius highly recommended. Depending on the Lexapro (and docs opinion) 5-HTP could be a consideration.....but ask about that one - it is a precursor for serotonin production and is sometimes contra-indicated. But keep up what you are doing and enjoy the new shoes!!  Best of luck..............eagle

[lesleyf79]

hiya Eagle,, ive been takin lexapro for over a year now, and have to say its not that great for me,,, the depression is still there,, allbeit not as bad,,as for my tapering plan,, im really din good now have tapered back to none!!!!!! im so happy not one opiate passed my lips today!!!! i thinkthe pareing back i did last week help it might not have been the smartest way,, but with the help of my doc ive done it,,, got some xanax but only take half the dose(for fear of liking them too much!!!) like i told you the last day pain i can deal with but the aggitation and restlessness in my body was too much for me which is why i kept takin them so day one over and done with nearly!!!! its 8.00pm here im putting the kids to bed and then in havin a hot bath relaxation cd and hopefully sleep!!!!!! thank you so much for your very kind words and thoughts they are really much appreciated,,, and 1st thing tomorrow im going to the healthfood store im saving so much money cause i dont have to buy my pills anymore!!!!!!! so amybe some new shoes too?????

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

The lexapro is much more for anxiety than depression. And worried is quite correct lexapro takes three weeks to have a decent affect.  Librium (chlordiazepoxide) would be much safer than the zanax......you tolerance to zanax way too fast and it doesnt have the life that librium does. have you considered the Amino Acid Protocols? L-Tyrosine should help the energy thing....500 to 2000mg before breakfast. And 5-HTP is good for antidepressant action. And Theanine works like a natural valium.   If you are still taking so many OTC pills to taper down you should investigate cold water extraction methods - - cant say anything else on the forum, but PM if you wish. You should be able to find what you need with a simple search..............

[lesleyf79]

ok got it now,, im also takin lexapro 20mg for depression its ok,,,takes the worst of the depression away but not the lethargy ,,my husband also cheated,, while i was pregnant with our 3rd child icant even begin to tell you the devastation i felt after that,, got aver that hurdle and went on to discover our middle child had autism and our oldest had ADD that was the worst year of my life!!!!!!!!! so the nurofen helped me get through the day,, forgive my husband and be the best wife and mother i could possibly be,,,but now i want to stop!!!!!! have been tapering off for the past week (not very sucessfully) but today ive had none!!!!(YET) gat some xanax from my doc yesterday to help with the anxiety and restlesness the pains and diarohea ill overcome myself,,, so fingers crossed!!!!

[worried878]

wellbutrin is an AD..like lexapro, paxil, celexa etc...it is a good ad for those who need it but i have never had a problem missing a dose and going freaky or anything..last time i stopped it i just stopped it..just that a month into taking it my nrg was better..mood was better..since i responded so well to tyrosine which enhances dopamine production,,and this drug does the same thing..virtually..i knew it was the AD for me...i am still on it,gonna get off soon cos life is good

[Vine1977]

Hi Lesley,


I am a mother of two and I have had an addiction to nurofen plus for the last couple of years.  I stopped for about 6 months and the doctor put me on ixprim .  Then I realised that my husband of 8 years cheated on me and I fell into a depression.  I did not return to the Nurofen + at that stage as  I went to the doctor and told him eveything.  He put me on lexapro.  Didnt think this was a great help.  We moved to Oz and they didnt have ixprim and I went to see a doctor here and he did not want to help me as I was not known to him and he told me that in this country there is no ixprim!!!  I took around 4 - 6 ixprim a day to control fibromyalgia pains.  So I had run out and I didnt see no other option to go back to the Nurofen+ which you can buy here by 72 pills per pack.  Now I am taking around 30 a day but want to stop again as I want to be around to see my childern grow up. I am afraid to tell my husband but I know how hard it is to stop as I was unable to function during my withdrawl symptoms.  I did not sleep, eat and was exhausted.  The sleep part is the worst as after 3 days of no sleep you will do anything to get sleep.  I wish you all the best and I hope I can kick this afwul habbit again.

[lesleyf79]

the names of some of these drugs are just like double dutch to me,,,what is wellbrutin???? it was definatley habit with me also,, just the sound of the foil ripping was enough to calm me!!!! have been to the doctor today and he sent me to A&E for some basic health checks ,,liver and kidneys good in next week for chest xray and ultrasound on my tummy to see if there is any lasting damage,,had a nasty case of gastritis last week( stomach lining being eroded very painful)

[lesleyf79]

thank you leelou,, totally get the guilt part,we are great mothers with or without the pills,, our intentions are always good with regards to our children,, my life just became so overwhelming my 3 year old son was diagnosed with autism and my 10 year old with ADD so that and a marriage breakdown in the space of maybe 6 weeks just shook me to the core,, the more pills i took the more i was able to deal with all the stresses i felt life was throwing at me,,,,and when i wanted to stop takin them my body protested(and loudly:):) ) it was the lethargy i found the hardest with 3 kids you have to be on the ball and any lapse can be devastating to the routine we had built up to keep our autistic child on an even keel

[worried878]

keep postieng leslie.lots of support here...codeine is not really strong compared to other narcotics buit it is still hard when u r used to taking so many pills each day...sometimes i think we take a pill out of habit...feelbad then take a pill/or 20/ and make it go away...often it is the ritual and not the narcotic intake that is hard to break/the ritual of snorting is harder to break..and IV drug abuse is the hardest to break as far as ritual goes//..altho there will be some physical the ritual is hard as well...thomas recipe helped me and i dont know to this day if it just satifsfied my need to "take a pill" when i felt bad or not...but it worked and i took at the doses recommended with tyrosine helping me the most..after research i found if tyrosine helped me thru my fatigue and depression then it may be the AD i needed so a few mths later i started wellbutrin which works on dopamine as does ttyrosine

anyway the habit is there and u have decided to move forward..and congrats on that huge decision..so many never get to this stage so u should be so so proud

[leelou137]

I have to congratulte you :) You have already taken the first ,and sometimes most difficult , step to recovery. As a mother also addicted to opiates I know what the fear feels like. We're supposed to be great mothers ,aren't we,? and yet we make mistakes and we have to learn to be ok with that. Remember , if we take care ourselves , our children will then learn to take care themselves.It's hard to put ourselves first sometimes tho...
This forum has been the first place I've found that I can come and say "yep, I'm an addict and a mother( a pretty good one,too)." Isn't it just refreshing? There r ppl here with great advice for withdrawals and such , but if u ever need to chat to another mum , anytime, ok?
Personally , I think it could be better for your kids and yourself if u "have a real bad flu" for a week or two than for u to keep using because it's likely to cause u a huge anount of guilt and anxiety over the long term, let alone the physical aspects of addiction. Guilt can destroy ppl , I know that for sure.
It's kinda good with 3 kids , as they will be good support for each other.If u have other family , now is the time for some baby-sitting to be done! Good luck :)
P.S If your shopping centre has those coin-operated massage chairs , then , take a book and get comfy.

[lesleyf79]

Thank you Sophie,,, you guys are so kind,,after being in a pretty dark place for a while its  amazing the capacity for kindness and understanding some people have:):) and i love to dance and sing and get a little crazy!!!! the kids love it too we have dancing parties in the kitchen!!!!!! im just afraid when im off this drug completley ill lose the energy and enthusiasm i seem to have when im on it,,,,and be grumpy and tired all the time again(that was my main motivation for the continuas use) The hot baths are great and helping a little with the sleep issues!!!! them and my trusty relaxation cds!!!

So SophieShine thank you very much for your encouraging words they are much appreciated xo

[SophieShine]

Hey lesley!
You're in good hands with the eagle! I just wanted to add, take a lot of very hot baths or showers. And yes exercise, as crazy as it sounds, is reeeeeally helpful.
All the best to you.
xoxoxox. sophie
PS when you feel down, nothing better than playing your favorite music real loud, sing and shout along while dancing, nothing better!!!

[lesleyf79]

yeah the execise was great,,went out and played football with the boys!!!!! they enjoyed it,,,have some calcium supplements here already thanks for the tip!!!!!the valerian.hops seems to be takin affect now my body isnt as shaky,,and my mood has def improved since earlier,,and as for the last comment,,,your a smart guy!!!!!!!

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

In the States you can get a preperation called Hylands Restful Legs at the local Walmart...dont know about the Emerald Isles. Some use epsom salts in a hot/warm bath. Calcium/magnesium supplements help. A heating pad/blanket wrap will help. And exercise is very good - I know that doesnt sound good right now.....but get out and take a walk...start by going to get a paper or the mail....baby steps....the potassium obatained from eating a few banana's is very good.....and remember - - obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

[lesleyf79]

hi and thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly,,the nurofenplus here(Ireland) is 12.8mg and thank god it is a weak narcotic!!!!!! but still strong enough for me to enjoy!!!! its the jitters i find the worst the pain is fine but this feeling in my arms and legs is a killer... rescue remedy,,, valarian.hops,,i dont mind pain really i dont( i gave birth 3 times naturally) but these bloody jitters make them stop!!!!!!!

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

If I remember correctly the nurofen plus has a muscle relaxer and 8.5 mg of codeine in each pill. So your codeine intake isnt all that huge. And codeine is a weak narcotic. This isnt meant to trivialize your situation.....you do need to do something about it....but it wont be as rough as a multi hundred mg oxycodone habit or anything. I am thinking that taking 6 pills after an extensiver habit is probably counter productive. You are just teasing an addiction and you still have w/d symptoms. Get ready and make a plan. Commit that plan to paper and establish a "quit" date. Then quit. You will likely have symptoms for a week or so.....similar to a case of the flu. But you can prepare for them and take measures to minimalize them. There are a lot of fine people here that are anxious to help you....they will have even more advice. And best of luck to you......Keep posting with any questions and for support....