hydrocodone addict~taper or cold turkey?

[srb2011]

Ok..I am a 35yr old female. I have been addicted to Hydros for over 3 years. Before Hydro's it was Darvocet. Before that it was Soma. Before that it was Phentermine. Before that it was Xanax. What I am getting at is I have a very addictive personality and I'm sick of it . I recently got my last refill and I'm so ready to stop. My addiction has gotten out of control, to say the least. I am currently taking about 15 a day. I feel awful every morning. My back hurts so bad, and I am sure it is because of my liver and/or kidneys. I have done some reading and have noticed this drug is terrible on those organs. Needless to say I am ready to stop. I am tired of being a slave to drugs. I currently have about 75 pills left. My question is, how should I go about tapering? Should I knock a pill of each day? Will I have severe Wd's? If so how long until the worst is over? I have done a ton of reading here regarding others addictions. I feel great about my decision. I'm just afraid I feel so good about it because I know I still have pills left. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.

[yezdegerd]

Luckily hydro is an easier wd than oxycodone, not saying easy by any means just easier. I've done both cold turkey and tapered and in my opinion cold turkey is the best. I went from around 15-20 a day down to 5mg and it still hit me just as hard as ct, not only that but every day you taper its all you think about. Hydro is my doc and from someone who's detoxed/relapsed a dozen times, pick a day and plan on 3-5 days of having a bad flu, have some after detox support for the depression that follows and leave it all behind you.

[shadowwally]

Ok..I am a 35yr old female. I have been addicted to Hydros for over 3 years. Before Hydro's it was Darvocet. Before that it was Soma. Before that it was Phentermine. Before that it was Xanax. What I am getting at is I have a very addictive personality and I'm sick of it . I recently got my last refill and I'm so ready to stop. My addiction has gotten out of control, to say the least. I am currently taking about 15 a day. I feel awful every morning. My back hurts so bad, and I am sure it is because of my liver and/or kidneys. I have done some reading and have noticed this drug is terrible on those organs. Needless to say I am ready to stop. I am tired of being a slave to drugs. I currently have about 75 pills left. My question is, how should I go about tapering? Should I knock a pill of each day? Will I have severe Wd's? If so how long until the worst is over? I have done a ton of reading here regarding others addictions. I feel great about my decision. I'm just afraid I feel so good about it because I know I still have pills left. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.

You got hope I didn't quit my DOC til 42. You know what, I was going to suggest you start a new thread so Robert could see it, but he already gave me the info you are asking for.
There's two ways to go: CT (or taper), or subs. Which if you're like me maybe you never heard of them. I just found out today....that pc is not primary care doctor, it's pain doctor!
I will tell you right now that i went CT and I would go sub route with Robert any day of the week after that.
sub therapy:
http://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-...apy-50887.html

Thomas Recipe for Cold Turkey Detox:
http://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-...html#post68110

If you want to do sub therapy, make a thread asking to do so. (wish i had)
Best of luck to you,
Vaya con Dios,
Marian

[srb2011]

Thank you so much for your response. A few months ago I was prescribed Lexapro for depression and Xanax for anxiety after the end of a bad break up and losing my job of 10 years. I never really took the Xanax as I didn't like the way it made me tired. I took the Lexapro for a few months but felt like it made me more depressed. I got to the point where I couldn't make myself get off the couch, not even to shower. I didn't leave my house for week's at a time. I stopped it and soon felt better. I still have both the Xanax and the Lexapro. I wonder if I should go ahead and start the Lexapro again. I can't discuss my addictions with anyone. I am very embarassed about it all. Plus I don't want to be judged. I am currently unemployeed so this is the perfect time for me to put all this in the past and start over from scratch. I have read from other post's that I should take the Xanax at night to help me sleep. Am I correct? I just really want to do this right. 2010 was a terrible year for me. I had shoulder surgery, moved to another city for 4 months, ended a 5 year relationship with my boyfriend, moved back, had to declare bankruptcy, my precious dog was diagnosed with cancer so I had to put her down, and lost my job of almost 10 years. This is a new year, and I am ready for change!

[srb2011]

I have been reading everything on this site for the last few days. It has given me so much hope. You guys are all so great. It's so nice to know that I am not the only one struggling with pills. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I really feel good about this! I don't know about the subs. I'm too scared to ask my Dr about them. Plus I am afraid of bringing another drug into my life due to my history of addictions.

[melinda7.5]

Hi Srb
I did a taper of mine and when I got down to 5mg I jumped off..it is hard to taper unless you really have your mind made up to do it...if you go c/t the worst will be over in about 4 days...if you use the Thomas recipe it will make it easer..
keep us posted
Melinda

[shadowwally]

honestly,
read about it. i really wish i had. i am on a very limited income, missing work because i went CT. It's so AWFUL!
If you look up the doctors who are certified, hell, when you find one, you could fax them all Robert's info and see if they will go along.
It's a way to detox painlessly. The very very last jump is off a curb, then you just cross the street!
I'm only saying this cause i'm in day 11, RLS, no sleep, pretty damn miserable. Guess i just want to save you needless pain.
I'm sorry, It's wrong to push, won't do so again.
Marian

[srb2011]

Thanks so much for responding. I am going tomorrow to get the meds for the Thomas recipe. I have my mind made up. I'm going to do this. I know it will be tough, but I can do it! I've been through alot lately and I am ready to get over this last hurdle so I can start over. I've got nothing to lose and so much to gain

ps) I can tell you one thing, my new addiction is this site! I've been reading posts all day. The more I read, the more determined I am to beat this nasty habit!

[srb2011]

Re Shadowwally~ You're not pushing me. I asked for opinions, I really appreciate your input!

[yezdegerd]

I'm glad to hear you chose the ct route, just getting it over with is the best choice in all honesty. I gotta disagree with the subs too, I'm currently on them and hate the choice I made to take them. If not tapered properly with the right induction its just moving from a small drug to the biggest drug. Best of luck with the ct and make sure to stop by for any questions or support!

[srb2011]

Thank you so much for all your support. I'm really scared to do this. I'm not scared of the Wd's so much. I am scared of living my life without pills. I feel they give me confidence. However, I have noticed I don't even feel the energy, or 'buzz' from them anymore. So it's time to stop them. I know I was happy before them, and hopefully I will soon be happy without them. I see others living life without them and it almost makes me jealous. I hope I don't sound selfish

[BTexas2010]

SRB2011,
You read some stories and wonder if you accidentally stumbled back onto your own. While I didn't ever do any other pills, I loved hydro's. Just 1 or 2 a day made everything better, I did better at work, I was adventurous and I was very sociable. I got a promotion, I bought a house and everything was going great, thank god I had found these little pills. Now it took 3-4 a day to get the feeling but it was there and with all the additional money I was making that was a fair trade. But the next thing I know I'm taking them everyday, unlike before. Then after a long day at work I noticed I'd taken 10! I decided I had enjoyed a benefit from these pills and I would get out while I was ahead. Like you I had a little panic at the amount of damage I was doing to my liver & kidneys. I decided that would make a plan to quit, tomorrow. Tomorrow turned into a month and next thing I know I was up to nearly 20. That's when I broke down...35 year old man in tears...I imagined what my family would do when I died from this, because maybe I could go another year, maybe two, but death was coming. I literally tried to picture my own funeral, each family members reaction. Wife, siblings, mother...all of them. I decided to quit cold turkey, I actually wanted to for the first time. That night at about 4am when I was about to come unglued, I'm in a tub feeling like a dope fiend that's just a step away from being curled up in the corner. Now this was going to take two seconds for the wife to discover so I broke down took 2 and a half and got some sleep. I didn't want to tell anyone and knew that jumping from 15-20 a day wasn't easy. So I went on a fast taper that lasted about a week...I think I went 20, 14, 11.5, 8, 6, 6, 4, 4...I may be off slightly but you get the point. That was a very hard week, but about the 4th day when I was really w/d pretty good I claimed the flu, got lucky as the wife got sick also (what a horrible thing to say) and I could fake the symptoms while my body did have at least a week to not be used to 20 a day. On that last day I started using suboxone for the next 16 days. I started it at a very low level and began to taper little by little. The first few days I actually felt fine. After I got the sub down to less that .5mg I jumped off from there. There were symptoms, but again, they were just manageable. Now I have been off the subs for 9 days and I'm really surprised at how well I feel. 100%? Haha, no, but already I notice a huge difference and I see proof that the old me is right there! Now let me make it clear, I do not believe my way was the best way, not even close. It was just a way that allowed me to do it the way I had to. This way was way longer, but I do feel it gave my brain some time to adjust not being all about pills. You can do this!!
BTex

[srb2011]

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. You are so right, these little demons give me a false sense of security and confidence. I too feel like everything I do, I do better on them. However, lately I feel they have taken over my life. I feel like I can't do anything without them. I lost my job at a hospital this last summer. I had to have shoulder surgery and was fired while on medical leave (which I have heard is illegal). Anyway, since I am currently unempoyeed I thought this would be the best time to get my life back on track. That way I don't have to go through Wd's while starting a new job. I'm also finding myself pulling away from living my life. My friends and family call, and I don't want to talk to them, don't want to go anywhere, etc. I'm ready to get this nonsense out of the way so I can move on.

[newyorkgal]

I'm really glad you are deciding to do the c/t and not go to sub. That is trading way up in opiate strength and in my opinion not necessary. C/t is not easy and neither is taper. You have to have the right mindset. Kicking a short acting opiate takes a week or less. I think it's always bad to suggest sub to someone taking relatively weak pain meds. Sub is always there for chronic relapsers but should not be the first choice. You are taking a STRONG opiate to stave off w/d's from a weaker one. Get the Thomas Recipe ingredients and be prepared to feel like hxll for a few days. You will be so glad once you're done.

[salminio348]

The post by newyorkgal is right on the money! Please do not go up the chain in strength, and addiction pull in a drug like SUB to kick a fairly weak narc in HC. Take the advice you have already seen here and get off it....it's a piece of cake!


----sal348

[srb2011]

Thank you so much. I was kinda thinking the same thing. I know I have a very addictive personality. To be honest I'm a bit scared of the Subs. I am so ready for a 'clean life'

[BTexas2010]

Hows it coming? -Btex

[srb2011]

Well, I have now run out of pills. I haven't had any problems with wd's. However, I am missing the pills. It's all I think about.

[newyorkgal]

Stay busy... Excercise is great... Mostly, go to therapy of better still, meeting like N/A.... The mental part is always the hardest. Kicking IS a piece of cake compared to the lingering craving that takes time to go away. Don't sit around thinking.... Realize that if you go back, you are at square 1

[srb2011]

Well, I'm still hanging in there. I got a few diet pills, phentermine, the other day from a friend that have really helped. Gave me the energy that I desperately needed. I have been trying to stay busy. My house has never been so clean..haha. However, I still think about the stupid hydros constantly.

[srb2011]

One last thing...the worst thing I went through regarding Wd's was not really restless legs, it was more like sharp pains in my calves and feet. Felt like someone sticking me with needles, and of course insomnia.

[shera1228]

I'm not sure how much advice I can give you because I am still struggeling with Pain pill addiction and have been for 8 years. I will share my expereince and hope it may help u in some small way. I started using after a back injury for my pain. I, like many others grew tolerant to the medication and had to take more and more to easy the pain. I also became addicted to the euphoric effect of the medication. I have CT and tapered. I quit CT when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. The CT part was hard and lasted 3 days. However, the depression and empty feeling stays much longer. I was clean the entire time of my pregnancy but as soon as I got outta the hospital, after being sent home with perc 10's from my c-section, I went right back. The thing was I quit for my baby and not myself so that was my reason for relapse. I became pregnant with my second child 5 years later and tapered. Tapering is much easier as far as keeping away withdraws. The only thing I expereinced with Tapering was depression and they empty feeling again. Again, after I had my baby I went back to using. I overdosed on Tylenol a year ago and let me tell u it was very scary. This time I have made up my mind to taper and stay quit. The hardest thing about getting off of painkillers is realizing that those damn pills steal your life, your livelihood, your spirit. After nine months clean I was still severely depressed, unmotivated, lifeless, and empty. A friend of my family has been clean for 25 years and she told me you feel that way for the rest of your life. Although it gets easier, you'll never be the same as u were before. I wish u the best and I hope my expereinece helps u in some small way.

[shera1228]

I'm really glad you are deciding to do the c/t and not go to sub. That is trading way up in opiate strength and in my opinion not necessary. C/t is not easy and neither is taper. You have to have the right mindset. Kicking a short acting opiate takes a week or less. I think it's always bad to suggest sub to someone taking relatively weak pain meds. Sub is always there for chronic relapsers but should not be the first choice. You are taking a STRONG opiate to stave off w/d's from a weaker one. Get the Thomas Recipe ingredients and be prepared to feel like hxll for a few days. You will be so glad once you're done.

NYGal, u are very right. Subs are just replacing one addiction for another. U do develop an addiction to the subs and then ur right where u were. If someone is serious about quitting, subs are not the way to go in my opinion.

[Denny_D]

NYGal, u are very right. Subs are just replacing one addiction for another. U do develop an addiction to the subs and then ur right where u were. If someone is serious about quitting, subs are not the way to go in my opinion.

shera ..... You have replied to a thread that is nearly 2 years old! You have also made a remark in your previous post that is not correct. Just please check the date of the thread before you post the next time.

I will always suggest to someone that has used, or abused a small amount of Drugs or for a relative short amout of time, to maybe use the "cold turkey" method of detox or the taper method before trying another program. But if the patient has abused many drugs for a fairly long peroid, of time and nothing else will help, then Suboxone/Subutex is another fine option to have at their disposal.

Subs are certainly not for everyone, but they never should be put in the "do not use" category either. That is completely wrong information. Subs are an excellent tool to get free and clean from any drug abuse. If used correctly they have proven to be a wonder of sorts to literally thousands of users right here on this forum alone! I abused almost every drug on the planet for over 35 years and used Subs to get myself clean. They were the ONLY choice for me personally.

Subs are ideally meant to be used for a very short peroid of time. If someone has used or abused them for years and years then yes they could be trading one addiction for another. But that is a very small percentage of users. I highly recommend the use of Subs to anyone that has struggled with a slow taper or cold turkey approach every time that I can. And you know what, they actually do work exactly as they are meant to be used a majority of time. Sure there are some that use them incorrectly and pay the price for doing so.

And you further say in the post of yours above this one that after nine months clean you were having symptoms such as "being severly depressed, unmotivated, lifeless, and empty". You say your friend thinks these symptoms will never go away and may "feel that way for the rest of your life". And you will "never be the same". That is complete and utter nonsense! Nothing could be further from the truth.

In only 3 months time of using the Subs to get myself clean I felt the same as I did before and in fact even much , much better than I ever did feel. Others have reported the same results as well. No way that statement should ever be said on a forum when there are thousands of drugs users and abusers doing their absolute best to get free from those monsters (drugs) the best way that they can do.

So please if you want to continue to post and be a part of this forum remember to always offer some positive advice or suggestions to all of the others that use this forum as their support system on many occasions. God Bless.....Denny