vicodin and percocet withdrawal....help!

[poisonarrow]

i'm on day 2 of no opiates right now. i have been taking roughly 12-16 lortabs or percocet 5's for the last 10 months. i could use some suggestions on what to do/take to ease the withdrawal symptoms. i started taking a wide spectrum multivitamin today, using imodium every 6 hours, advil for aches, drinking a TON of water, and taking hot baths. i feel like this is a good starting point, but would like to know if anyone else has had success with anything else. i don't have leg pain on RLS. would a body cleanse be useful to help eliminate toxins? also, how long does the acute stage of the withdrawals last? i guess that depends on the amount and how long. i'm just looking for suggestions...i know it won't be pain free.

[3rddayoff]

Congrats poison..Im going on day 6 of detox and I feel great.

Heres some advice

Note:  You will not sleep for awhile but dont worry they say it comes with time but dont focus on that cause it will irrattate the hell out of you. Im still waking at 3am and getting upset for the next night.

Here goes

You are on day 2 and it will get worst before it gets better. Concentrate on your symptoms

1 cold sweats: ask a dr to prescribe clonidine, it help with the anxiety,cold sweats and mellows u out. Beleive me its a must but if youre on day 2 u can prob do without.

2 Dont take immodium till u actually start the runs. What you are doing noe is causing major constipation and will or can cause problems. My 1st bowel mpovement was on day 4 Both my detox actually. By getting that first case of the runs, you will rid of all the toxins pilled up. If u take immodium now u will pass an elephant....lol or rupture your bowels. But when the runs start take 2 right away then 1 after each bowell mouvement. Dont over do it...Drink alot of wather(add some salt) or Gatorade and if your urine is yellow drink some more.The more u drink the quiker that crap gets out of your body.

3Multy vitamins are important double the dose on an empty stomach your body will expell wut it doesnt need anyway eat alot of bananas as they are high in potassium and will help with the le pains and rls restless leg syndrome.`

4 the most important thing HOT baths.get some lavender and bath salts and lay in ther till youre a prune...Its a must. spend the next 2 days in there if u must just add hot water

5 RELAX Its frustrating do not take all kinds of meds to help u sleep, they wont work. Im on 20mg valium and SleepAid and nothing. Lay down and relax even if u are not sleeping your mind will be under a deep state of rest and it counts as sleep( well somewhat) I tried everything and nothing helps not even 15 mg of Zopiclone wich 2.5mg used to knock me out. Your body is so used to be sedated by opiods that now its say lets party...

6 Force yourself to exersice a bit it will make u feel better and help with sleep

Keep us posted all the time

Good luck and congrats Im only on day 5 1/2 and am feeling better well a bit better

Nick

[vicki595]

Hi!  You're off to a great start!   I don't know about the cleanse...your body is going to cleanse itself naturally( sweating,diarrhea if you get it,urinating ).

Get some potassium,calcium,magnesium in some form. They sell cal/mag supplements
and you can eat bananas and drink OJ for potassium.

Hot baths,exercise and time are your best friends here.

Good luck!

[FassFeat]

Welcome to the forum. You can look at the health pages on top right of homepage and look at Thomas recipe and amino acid protocol. I also went to my family Dr. and got Clonidine, which really helped me. Honestly, the worst is over by day 5 for most. I had some lingering effects for awhile but had used longer and heavier than you. It is different for each individual but it will get better each day after the initial 3-5 days. You will get alot more support here but it is Sunday and kind of slow right now on here. Hang in there, you are doing great. If you have specific questions, put it out there and we will help the best we can. You can do this. Good luck and God Bless.

[LeaAnn807]

I assure you that the cleanse is not necessary!!!!!!!!!!!  Trust me on this!  You got some good advice.  Post and let us know how you're doing!! : )

[poisonarrow]

thanks for the info guys. congrats on 6 days 3rd. the multivitamin i take has potasium in it....should i supplement more? like i said i don't have any of the leg issues oddly enough. my understanding is that potasium is good for the cramps and RLS. i will pick up some OJ though....just because i like it. i suppose the vitamin c wouldn't hurt either. 3rd....you said to double the multivitamin dose. is that what you did? i thought about it, but it's a "one a day". also....as far as the runs go, am i really expelling toxins, or am i simply freeing up my intestinal tract that's been brought to a screeching halt from the opiates? i know there are a lot of opiate receptors in the intestines. if the diarrhea really is expelling toxins.....let 'em run. haha. i'm drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration. what do the bath salts do....i've read they pull toxins from your body. couldn't hurt. i know i'm rambling, but to be honest i'm slightly frightful about the next few days. i hope to make it to day 5. that seems to be the turning point for a lot of people. i'm not too worried about the sleep...i've never slept well. i will continue to post and listen to advice on this board because it's the only outlet i have. i really appreciate the responses.

[vicki595]

Yes...you are expelling toxins when you have diarrhea,urinate and sweat.

We don't get enough Vit C,in my opinion.  I take 4,000 mg per day.

You're doing great!

[3rddayoff]

This site is a great help and listen to what ppl say. I made a couple friends Vicky Trama, poison and theres this one in particular that helped me alot and I am greatfull ( If u read this tx Bob) His name is jstintime or something like that he will find u. Talk to him and read his profile.FUNNY stories, hes been to hell and will talk u trough it. Everyone is helpfull I just really like Bob. Hang in there its tuff but I passsed apea size kidney stone once(wich got me in this mess in the 1st place but I choose detox any day

I will prob be here all night(hopefully not but more than likely so write up a storm

[poisonarrow]

thanks vicki. good to know. i think i'm gonna avoid the imodium and keep hydrating unless i'm in a social situation.....which probably won't happen for a few days anyway. i will definitely pick up some vitamin c...i need to do it tonight before things get much worse.  

[wesinbama]

You have got a great attitude so far, so keep posting! I tried 4 Tylenol PM and a muscle relaxer on one of my detoxes and still didn't sleep. Hang in there, it does get better!

[poisonarrow]

off topic 3rd, but good to see a hockey fan here. just hopefully not montreal, ha. i'm a caps man.

thanks for all the advice...and trust me if i'm up to it, i will write up a storm just to keep my mind occupied. i've read through your post and i agree that bob seems like agreat guy. i will seek him out.

good luck to you.

[addictswife1]

my husband is trying to get stop vicodin and experiencing withdrawl. How do I help him?

[44646]

Its day 4 is there anything I can do to help my girlfriend with her witdrawls she was taking 6 to 10 vics a day help please

[poisonarrow]

i wish i had the answers. what i do know is that it's not gonna be fun, so he will need your support wholeheartedly and unconditionally. i don't have that and wish so desperately that i did. i would say respect and understand the pain he's going through and be willing to do whatever he asks for the next week until he can get his feet under him again. i came to this board because i have nobody to turn to for help. it helps to read people's stories. it will give you an understanding of what he is going through. i'm just starting this thing too...just 2 days in, so other people who have endured the withdrawal phase might be able to give you more advice. i've lived in a hot bath for the past day. it helps a lot. just support him and let him know that you'll be there for him no matter what. there's no magic bullet for withdrawal....besides biting that bullet.

[poisonarrow]

to 44646....my understanding is that days 3-5 are the worst and then you turn the corner physically. just tell her to hold on for a couple more days and she should at least start to feel some improvement. like i said, i'm no expert on this. you can read my original post to see what i'm doing to get through...plus the suggestions others gave me. good luck. i hope she feels better soon.

[wesinbama]

Vancouver Canucks rule hockey!

[44646]

Ty for your input I wish the best for u also

[poisonarrow]

now it's the canucks....first 3rd said he was an oilers fan, now you say you're a canucks fan. we all know the caps are hoisting the cup this year. just admit it guys. what's the deal....is everybody on here from canada?

[poisonarrow]

day 3 update:
oddly enough i slept for 8 hours last night. i don't know how. albeit, it woke up several times. but i was able to fall back asleep relatively easy. i hear that your body does it's best healing when you sleep. i hope so. i woke up with a headache, sneezing fits, and yawning. no diarrhea yet today either. this is considerably different than before when my scripts would run out early. i don't know what the difference is. maybe the multivitamin? a glass of water every hour? who knows? but i'm grateful so far. i do have this general malaise about me though. it's tough to get motivated. i plan on going for a walk in a little bit. the sun will feel so good. also, i resisted the temptation to call my doctor today to get a new script. i actually patted myself on the back for that. we'll see how day 3 goes. i'm hoping things don't get TOO much worse. i hope everyone else sre hanging in there with their struggles today too. thanks for all the support this board has given me.

on a side note, unlike other addiction boards the people on this one offer hope instead of fear. that has helped me a ton. no horror stories to scare you out of the withdrawal process....just kind words, encouragement, and sound advice. it's genuine here. thank you for that.

[poisonarrow]

day 4 update:
didn't sleep as good last night, but i'm thankful for what i got. i'm feeling better than i was yesterday. the headache is minor now....nothing that advil isn't taking care of. also, i'm not sneezing and yawning as much. i feel like i'm turning the corner in a big way. i'm exercising and i think that's helping with the energy. still in a bit of a fog. saturdau is my birthday and i look forward to a sober day filled with friends and family. this is probably the best gift i can give myself....life. saturday will mark 1 week and at the rate that i'm beginning to feel better, i feel like it should be a good day. i know you're supposed to stay hydrated when detoxing but i feel like i'm bursting at the seams. i know it's healthy to drink water several times a day, but how long should i keep up this one glass every 1-2 hours regimen. the whole first week? hope everyone here are making it through this struggle.

[3rddayoff]

Verry nice to see your doing great. As for sleep. Im on day 8 now and am oversleeping can u beleive it  Melatonine  Itys a must...

Just an little reminder bud that after day 4 comes an emotionnal part for some. our brain has stopped feeling emotions and now is freaking happy/sad...Its normal and explain to the one arround u that its a process....


Glad to see u doin great as for Saturday    keep drinking the million glasses of water.....

Have u looked into aftercare....U have to!!!!!!!  NA  AA Church groop anything especially at first. Like here theyb=ve seen it all. But this way, its gets out out a bit...Just a sugg. My 1st relapse I dint and welll......here I am U know.  U feel great, look great but its a lifelong process and your chance for a relapse is smaller than if u dont go..

Ive been to 2 so far and wow Bob was right its a must


erry happy to see u on th upside \


Nick

[Cissy373]

Sounds like your doing all the right things and just let it take it's course, I know that may not be what you want to hear, but it won't be long before you feel your ole self.

I hope you have some kind of after care lined up thats a HUGH help with the mental part.

I am clean 30 days today and thats the longest for me and I am feeling lots better, still have my days that I crave the drug, but I just try to get my mind busy.

Cissy

[poisonarrow]

i won't be able to make it to a NA meeting today, but have one lined up for tomorrow. i do realize the importance of aftercare.i had 3 1/2 years under my belt before this last 11 month bout. if i didn't have an aftercare program i never would have made it that far.

i do take lexapro for depression/anxiety, and have for a couple of years. i think it's helping with the swinging emotions and depression. i've been walking a couple times a day and it's been helping a lot. unfortunately, it rainy and bleak today. i guess i'll just have to clean house or something to stay busy.

i'll keep drinking tons of water and prepare myself for the emotional mindscrew.

cissy, congratulations on 30 days. i know it feels so good to say you made it a month. i'll be there soon enough. patience is the key.

[sky_is_the_limit]

Congrats poison arrow on your clean time. it seems like you have got this crap figured out. good job and keep up the good work.

                                                            sky_is_the_limit

[poisonarrow]

is it normal to start to feel bad again....kid of in waves after 5 days? every couple of hours i feel like i'm back at day 3 again, then it passes. i'm just speaking about the physical side of things.