[Lesliekay]

I've read posts from so many people on this board who are addicted to painkillers that it has kinda freaked me out. I am currently taking hydrocodone for muscle spasms, but I think I might want to take a few days off and tough it out to make sure I'm not getting hooked. My question is, how long after you take your last pill does it take for withdrawl to start? What are the symptoms of withdrawal? I would really appreciate as much detailed info about this process as possible. Thank you!

[tippers]

I am on oxycodone 5mg. 4X a day and personally when I mess up and run out, it usually takes 1 or 2 days for the withdrawls to start as what you have built up in your system takes that long to completly dissapate and then you go thru a flu like stage that lasts about three days, depending on the level of medication you are on and how long you have been on it.
I have to take it for severe disk disease....but I wish I didnt have to...it makes me nauseaous...and I dont let my self run out anymore a I hate the withdrawls.
Hope this helped

alicia white

[Odus]

Reactions to specific drugs, as well as reactions to cessation of addictive drugs, are as individual as people. You would do well to remember this. The one thing you can be sure of is this; if your body is indeed dependant upon opiates of any kind (including hydrocodone), you are going to experience severe discomfort once your receptors are no longer given access to an opiate. A severe flu is a great analogy, in most people's experience, to moderate opiate withdrawal. Obviously the strength of the opiate and duration of daily use are key factors in determining how "severe" the withdrawal will be. I would suggest a slow (perhaps over a 2 week period) taper prior to total cessation.

More importantly, to "Tippers", I would strongly urge you to make sure you are NOT taking oxycodone mixed with acetaminophen. At those dosage (generally 500mgs of acetaminophen per tablet) levels, your liver is going to go on strike if your doc is an idiot (which most are) and isn't prescribing plain oxycodone. In my job as a drug counselor, I see many addicts who suffer from far greater damage due to acetaminophen than to the mild opiate they were seeking. Of course, most of these folks eat enormous numbers of pills at once, due to tolerance toward opiates of any kind. Still, 2000mgs of acetaminophen daily can cause damage over a long period of time. Anyone with a compromised system should always be sure his or her prescribing physician is aware of the fact. Most importantly, never blindly follow orders just because the person giving that order has a pretty diploma on the wall!!! Do your homework on ANY drug you are prescribed. The internet has made this task much easier, so there is no excuse. Physicians are not infallible, though a large number of them think they are.

Odus

[RoC1909]

Hi,

Odus nailed it on the head. It all depends on the amount taken, duration and person. If you are "curious", go a few days without and see how you feel. I guarantee you WILL KNOW if you start experiencing them.

My WD's start with a runny nose and just a general feeling of malaise. I then get the "hot/cold" flashes where you are hot one minute and freezing the next. Not long after I get the "notorious runs". You will THEN feel what I can only describe as "living hell" for some odd days that eventually will peak and then slowly subside. I go through WD's quite often due to my addiction (20 to 30 Norco's a day) since I take more than prescribed and run out.

One important thing to consider is Benzo WD's are a completely different beast all together and CAN be life threatening. I just wanted to mention that even though you are taking Hydro's.

I have read that the majority of WD's take up to a week (and possibly longer) and will peak between day three to five (again possibly sooner or later). That doesn't mean that you will not be without "some form" of WD's before then. It's just means that they may be "somewhat tolerable" before the "real fun" begins. I would like to also mention that narcotic WD's are very rarely life threatening although you will pretty much think it is when they come at you "full bore". And Again, this is what I have read and your experience can be different as well as my opinion since I am NOT a doctor but have experienced "hell" first hand, which I can honestly say that probably only a few doctors have ever encountered and only know the "definition" of.

UPDATE: I am on a different med now as explained below so my Norco addiction has shifted. I do miss the "euphoric" feeling that I got on such a large dose BUT not those WD's. Then again, the euphoric state pretty much was non-existant due to my tolerance.

Another great point that Odus mentioned is that the Acetaminophen is a ABSOLUTE KILLER on the liver. Studies suggest that the average person can take UP TO 4000mg a day but again, it all depends on the physical characteristics of each person. With me, I was taking on average 8125mg PLUS of Aceto a day. That is EASILY TWICE the allowance. I was also on this amount for about a year so no telling what kind of future damage may have been done to my liver.

To make my addiction story short, I am now on a one a day Avinza (60mg SR Morphine) that I just started yesterday. It seems to do away with my WD's but since I have a HUGE TOLERANCE to narcotics, it doesn't help with the pain. I will see the doc again in a few weeks (I get my epidural in a month) and will discuss other options or possibly the fact that it is about time I get off of these things.

I will say that my liver loves me for the new stuff

Best of luck.

J