[oxleg]

Hi, and thanks to everyone for all of your help with my problem. I am a male, 40 yrs old, and have been taking oxycontin and percocet for about 3 yrs. It started with a leg injury, and I liked the feeling, so I kept getting the pills on the street. I have been doing so for 3 yrs.

When I try to stop cold turkey,I get shakes, feel cold, etc etc. So I am weening myself off of it.

I have a couple of other questions that I would like to ask, as I go through this very difficult time.

I have been taking a large amount of oxycontin for the past month. Everyday, I have been taking 320 mg of oxycontin, 3 times per day. I chew them up when I swallow them. I dont just swallow them; I chew them.

I know this is way more than I should be taking.

Prior to this, I have been taking 80mg of percocet, once a day, for about 3 yrs.

I am weening myself off of the oxycontin and going back to percocet, ultimately to get back to 80 mg once a day and then hopefully ween off of it.

Here are my questions:

Is it possible to completely ween myself off of this? I went to an addiction ctr and they told me that someone who takes it as long as me has 'permanent' brain damage and will need either this, or syboxin, most probably for the rest of their lives.

Is this true? I read on here people weening themselves off of it. I want to do the same. This is my 3rd day weening and I am already down to 240mg twice a day. I plan to go to 160 mg twice a day by next week, and then I will 80mg twice a day, and then once a day.

Is this the right gameplan? I dont want to get hooked on the syboxin and then not be able to stop that.

Also, is it true that I have permanent damage, or is it possible to ween myself off of it? I think they told me this because they charge 300.00/month, just for me to come in once a month, to drug test me, and give me a month supply of syboxin.

Is this true, or can I ween myself off of it?

Here is the other big question? With me taking that much, for a full month... i am worried that it may be 'stuck in my body' and built up, and I am concerned about my liver failing, or about overdose, etc etc. Should I go to the hospital and tell them what i have been doing, and tell them I want my stomack flushed out? Or will I be ok?

I had a full physical done last week. I told my doc i havent had one done in years so he agreed to do it. I had a compete blood count done, where they do all the tests. He said everything is fine, including liver function and kidney function... he said my triglicerides are just a bit high...he told me to cut down on the pizza, because of the cheese)... but other than that, all blood tests are fine.

I dont want this in my record, that i have this problem. I just want to ween myself off of it and forget about it. But should I get my stomach flushed out, or will I be ok?

Ever since I have been taking this large dose of oxycontin, my right leg swelled up. First my ankle, then my calf, and now my entire right leg is swelledup. This is very hard to quit. Please give me any info. Could this be due to the oxycontin? could it be from taking too much of it? Maybe its just a side effect from the medicine?

At what point will I be ready to do that one recipe, that I read on here all the time...the Thomas recipe, I think its called. Willthis be good for me to do (once I am ready to stop competely)? Anyone who has any info, please let me know. And please let me know the answers to the above questions too.

Thanks so much!!!

[melinda7.5]

HI Oxyleg
You sound just like me over a year ago...OH yes you can taper yourself down.
I am living proof...I quit my oxycontin and got stable on vic's it took me a long time to do it...but I and much stronger now that ever have been before in my life...I never took a oxycontin the right way I always chewed them...
but I just tapered down to nothing on the vic's
If you need and help just give a yell...
Talk to you soon, Melinda

[IfItDoesTheTrick]

you have my best wishes, but you have to be ready to quit to actually do it. Before I got back surgery done I quit taking oxy's, back them I wasn't on such a high dose but a still a high dose for most people. I was able to get down to just taking vicodin sometimes. Yes I had lots of pain, but to give the surgery a fair shot in working I had to do it.

For me it was very hard, but I was weened down slowly, I had a doctor willing to prescribe different doses though. With doing it on the street its whatever you can get. There is a point where you are going to get down to a dose where your tolerance to the drug makes your body think you didn't take it. this is where it will start getting hard. I would NOT recommend taking suboxone, but you might not have a choice people can die from such a high dosage withdrawal. I myself am prescribed to the exact dose that you were taking. 4 80's 3 times a day now. I did go six months without having to take anything, but all the pain came back and I had to make the decision to go back on it.

I have had friends that were buying them for no legitimate reason, they became very addicted, but because they weren't in any pain it was very difficult for them to stop. When you take them just to get high and like any addict use them to hide from life, when you try and stop you can almost not handle life or any social situation. I still have friends who do not do them anymore, but they became reclusive. I also have friends that have taken subs but they had such a hard time getting off those.

I am not trying to scare you, but you know if you are going to stop. ARE YOU READY TO QUIT? Can you get through a day when you don't have them? At some point even if you got down to taking 2 /10 mg a day and you are sick as hell and shaking, ********ting your pants, will you just go score and give up. Iam still not trying to scare you, but this will happen and you have to be ready for it. You can get all the advice from whoever you want, but ask them how much they detoxed from. Probably no more the 160mg total in a day and not more. You need advice from someone that was on a similar dose as you and most likely no one that had went to a doctor and got that amount has ever stopped taking them.

Seriously though, I really wish you luck. I wish you the best and hope that you can do it. If you have made the decision to quit you can do it, but if not you wont. Be very careful though, I have a heart problem that first came out when I tried to kick oxy's the first time. The withdrawal symptoms are not only bad, but they stress every organ in your body you have to either do it slowly or with a medication.

[mchersh]

There's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're taking that much a lot of people know it anyway. here's what I did: I went to a new doctor and told him exactly what I was addicted to and asked him to help me stop. I'm still having withdrawals but I plan to be done by next week. I was taking 45 hydro 10/325 a week and 75 mcg fentanyl patch constantly. I am down to my last 12 mcg patch and am taking 5mg 3 times a day, two times tomorrow and then I'm done. I just hope the withdrawal doesn't get worse. Good luck Brother. People will be proud of you, trust me. -Bill

[Businessman1]

Hey Oxleg

I tapered down before quitting Oxycontin, Oxycodone IR and Hydromorphone.

Some people are better at it than others. I tapered down until I couldn't stand it any more, then quit cold turkey. Tapering for me was like death by a thousand cuts...

I think anyone can quit if they really want to. It will be a few weeks of hell, then you'll be free. Read some of Robert 325's posts. He quit from 900mg of oxy/day. He also helps loads of people on here with Suboxone tapers too.

This forum was a god-send for me - people were so supportive and helpful. Read a couple of threads and you'll see. There are lots of people on here trying to quit Oxy.

[soccer ref]

well i am in 20 hrs of withdraw from the almighty percocet after 2 back surg and a plate put in my neck the meds took over for 2 1/2 yrs now i have been eating 8 to 10 10mgs a day and ******** hit the fan with my fiance and partially with my kids so came clean to all of them no i am locked in the house by my choice and i am going to cold turkey ill tell u it felt so good to finally admit it to my family and they got my back but i am going to do yhis i know the hard part is yet to come with this cold turkey but ******** its gotta be better than loosing my family
hope to hear back for some support

[melinda7.5]

Hey my friend
Oh my I have been there I'm going to put up the Thomas recipe for you...there may be some things in there that will help you...
just hang in there and talk to us a lot...it really does help...
I will talk to you soon, Melinda

The Thomas Recipe - For Opiate Withdrawal

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I found this reading the board, but decided to post it again for those who haven't found it and for all us "newbies". Peace and good luck to all of those here stuggling with addicition.


"PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor, simply a long-time Rx opiate junkie who has had many opportunities to develop a way to detox. This is a recipe for at-home self-detox from opiates based on my experience as well as that of many other addicts. It is not intended as professional medical advice. It is always wise to make sure none of the recipe ingredients or procedures conflict with medications you may be taking. Likewise, if you have any medical condition, disease, allergy or any other health issue, consult your doctor before using the recipe. Thanks, Thomas

THOMAS RECIPE

If you can't take time off to detox, I recommend you follow a taper regimen using your drug of choice or suitable alternate -- the slower the taper, the better.

For the Recipe, You'll need:

1. Valium (or another benzodiazepine such as Klonopin, Librium, Ativan or Xanax). Of these, Valium and Klonopin are best suited for tapering since they come in tablet form. Librium is also an excellent detox benzo, but comes in capsules, making it hard to taper the dose. Ativan or Xanax should only be used if you can't get one of the others.

2. Imodium (over the counter, any drug or grocery store).

3. L-Tyrosine (500 mg caps) from the health food store.

4. Strong wide-spectrum mineral supplement with at least 100% RDA of Zinc, Phosphorus, Copper, Magnesium and Potassium (you may not find the potassium in the same supplement).

5. Vitamin B6 caps.

6. Access to hot baths or a Jacuzzi (or hot showers if that's all that's available).

How to use the recipe:

Start the vitamin/mineral supplement right away (or the first day you can keep it down), preferably with food. Potassium early in the detox is important to help relieve RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). Bananas are a good source of potassium if you can't find a supplement for it.

Begin your detox with regular doses of Valium (or alternate benzo). Start with a dose high enough to produce sleep. Before you use any benzo, make sure you're aware of how often it can be safely taken. Different benzos have different dosing schedules. Taper your Valium dosage down after each day. The goal is to get through day 4, after which the worst WD symptoms will subside. You shouldn't need the Valium after day 4 or 5.

During detox, hit the hot bath or Jacuzzi as often as you need to for muscle aches. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of hot soaks. Spend the entire time, if necessary, in a hot bath. This simple method will alleviate what is for many the worst opiate WD symptom.

Use the Imodium aggressively to stop the runs. Take as much as you need, as often as you need it. Don't take it, however, if you don't need it.

At the end of the fourth day, you should be waking up from the Valium and experiencing the beginnings of the opiate WD malaise. Upon rising (empty stomach), take the L-Tyrosine. Try 2000 mgs, and scale up or down, depending on how you feel. You can take up to 4,000 mgs. Take the L-Tyrosine with B6 to help absorption. Wait about one hour before eating breakfast. The L-Tyrosine will give you a surge of physical and mental energy that will help counteract the malaise. You may continue to take it each morning for as long as it helps. If you find it gives you the "coffee jitters," consider lowering the dosage or discontinuing it altogether. Occasionally, L-Tyrosine can cause the runs. Unlike the runs from opiate WD, however, this effect of L-Tyrosine is mild and normally does not return after the first hour. Lowering the dosage may help.

Continue to take the vitamin/mineral supplement with breakfast.

As soon as you can force yourself to, get some mild exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, etc. This will be hard at first, but will make you feel considerably better.

Thomas"

[cferd]

Good for you. Your feeling good about telling your family because it's not the easiest thing to do. By coming clean with them, you've lifted a heavy burden off your mind. Having been honest will now allow you to focus on your detox without the anxiety of having to keep living with your secret. Your positive atittude will play a big role too. You've made some wise choices IMO that will make your detox a little more tolerable. I've often heard that the wds aren't half as bad as we make them out to be in our own mind. I hope your ct goes by quickly.