Help - Norco addiction and I need to stop

[scaredinlosangeles]

hey everyone .... so things are really not good for me right now , im totally addicted to Norco 10/325 .... I take btw 6-8 a day. I started taking them as an escape, no pain here ... I know ! stupid ! ... I have literally lost everything in my life that was good! I lost my job due to lack of motivation , I lost my girlfriend and our 2 dogs, I lost my health , I have gained close to 90 lbs in 2 years .... and ive lost all my savings to these little devils.

I have been on them for about 2 years now , I get them illegally , I am disgusted with myself that I let this little pill take over my life.

worst part is, no one knows , I am alone in this , it would kill my parents and friends and I really dont want to involve them. I have no health insurance so a rehab is out of the question. and I refuse to tell my family. I want to kick this by myself.

I know nothing about quitting , I have heard going cold turkey is dangerous ... HELP!!!

[mojospaw]

Hi Scared,

You've come to the right place! We all know what you're going through. Honestly, 6-8 Norco's per day isn't that bad of a habit, believe it or not. I was taking about 150mg of Oxy's per day and about 15 Vikes per day and quit cold turkey and that was 21 days ago and I'm alive, happy and never going back!

I'm not a doctor but if you are in otherwise decent health I don't see why cold turkey would be dangerous. Just pretend that you have the flu for about 3-4 days and get your life back! The key is you HAVE to want to quit. I couldn't be a slave to those tiny pieces of poison anymore and made up my mind that I was quitting and I did just that.

Cold turkey does stink, not gonna lie but I think you can muster up the strength to get through the roughest part with a lot of will power and determination given the somewhat low dose of Norco you are on.

We are all here for you. Post away and we will always be here to help!

Cheers,
Melissa

[MetalDuckMFC]

I don't know where you've heard that cold turkey'ing an opiate habit can kill you, but it is a myth. There are MANY people here with considerably larger habits than you who have done it, and they are fine. Better, even. Not only is it not dangerous, it will IMPROVE your health. As long as you're otherwise in decent health, quitting can only be beneficial to your health.

And 60-80mg of hydrocodone is VERY low. I have cold-turkied from 350mg/day of oxycodone, and survived. I won't lie to you, it will feel like you are dying, but you won't. Just stick to it. After the first week, you will start to feel like yourself.

But take it from me; it takes more than just stopping. There are reasons that you have turned to pills that need to be addressed. I have quit twice in the last year, both times for more than 6 months, but I keep going back. But not this time. You need to deal with whatever baggage you're lugging around. I DTRONGLY suggest that you start attending NA meetings, seeing a therapist, or, at the VERY least, post here. There are some incredible people here, and we've all been there.

I wish you the best of luck, my friend.

-Bobbyp

[scaredinlosangeles]

I know that the dosage is somewhat low , 6-8 a day to some of the people i know , would say i dont even have a problem ... but i wake up in the morning and the first thing i can think about is the crippling anxiety i feel if i dont take 2 of these little yellow devils ... ive been taking them for alittle over 2 years ... and at this point i dont even take them to get a high , I take them b/c my body feels physically dependant on them , if i dont meet the minimum 6-8 a day , I cant sleep , i have shortness of breathe and i have overwhelming anxiety .... im staring at my last 12 pills and ive said to myself before im done , and i keep going back .... ive heard plenty of stories of people going cold turkey and doing alot more than me .... I am going to look into an NA meeting ... i am in pretty good health im 27 , im over weight i smoke ... thats about the only bad health i have ... im going to try to taper as best i can until these run out and do the 4 day detox .... anything i should get or do that will make the detox easier ?

thank you both for your responses ...

[MetalDuckMFC]

With that amount of pills, you cannot do a successful taper. All you will do is prolong your suffering. Toss them. Do it now. If you go that route, you will just suffer even longer. And if you keep them around, then you are likely to relapse. And that isn't an insult. You know how strong the pull can be.

Don't even try to taper. You simply don't have enough. Please, do yourself a service, and just flush them.

-Bobby

[scaredinlosangeles]

With that amount of pills, you cannot do a successful taper. All you will do is prolong your suffering. Toss them. Do it now. If you go that route, you will just suffer even longer. And if you keep them around, then you are likely to relapse. And that isn't an insult. You know how strong the pull can be.

Don't even try to taper. You simply don't have enough. Please, do yourself a service, and just flush them.

-Bobby

ok im going to do it ...god its insane how much power these stupid pills have over me ...

[MetalDuckMFC]

Trust me, my friend; I understand. We ALL understand. But they don't have to be that powerful. You are giving them that power. Right now is the time to take it away. Flush those little *******, and finally beat this. There is no way around it, I promise. The only route is straight through. So flush them, and deal with this next 3-6 days, and you will have your life back.

There are non-narcotic things that you can take to make this a bit easier. Look up the Thomas Reciper. But I would ignore the benzos (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan, etc.). Those are very addictive, and withdrawals from that stuff CAN kill you.

You're making a great decision. Best of luck, and God bless.

-Bobby

[SuzieOf]

hey everyone .... so things are really not good for me right now , im totally addicted to Norco 10/325 .... I take btw 6-8 a day. I started taking them as an escape, no pain here ... I know ! stupid ! ... I have literally lost everything in my life that was good! I lost my job due to lack of motivation , I lost my girlfriend and our 2 dogs, I lost my health , I have gained close to 90 lbs in 2 years .... and ive lost all my savings to these little devils.

I have been on them for about 2 years now , I get them illegally , I am disgusted with myself that I let this little pill take over my life.

worst part is, no one knows , I am alone in this , it would kill my parents and friends and I really dont want to involve them. I have no health insurance so a rehab is out of the question. and I refuse to tell my family. I want to kick this by myself.

























I know nothing about quitting , I have heard going cold turkey is dangerous ... HELP!!!

Hey buddy you can do this. Look on this forum for posts of people who have done the same and there's a lot of them. You can learn from what they went through. Btw, it is benzos like xanax and others that can be dangerous to go cold turkey but what you are taking is not.

I took Norcos for longer than you and I can totally relate to feeling like it is ruling your life. I hated feeling withdrawals so many times throughout the day and then if I took one before I went to bed and slept 8 hours I would wake up after 4 hours, have to take a pill and then wake up in withdrawals, w/d's at noon, w'd's at 4pm. it is depressing, expensive and you take them just to feel normal. Better and cheaper just to feel normal naturally. And I was getting it from a doctor.. having to score it would really add to anxiety and feeling bad about yourself. You will be so proud of yourself when you get through this. If you work, try to get a few days off if you can. It will be like having a flu but once you get through the first few days.. every day will get better and better. Keep posting here and people will help you.

When you come out on the other side you will find a whole new world waiting and you will be so happy. You get used to the opiate side effects but when you get off, suddenly your head will be clearer and you will have so much more energy. This is the perfect time, it is spring and sunny days. You have a great summer ahead of you.. keep posting .. we know you can do this.

Just want to add that the amount you were taking per day is not that much so I agree that tapering would only prolong it and make for more anxiety for you. Hot baths are very helpful when your body aches. I did it and I was in my 50's.

[scaredinlosangeles]

ok guys .... day one no pills ... last pill i took was at 2am last night its 12pm now and im feeling alittle anxious ... but im in good spirits .... took some vitamins , drinking water and smoking alittle pot to calm my nerves... starting to feel some hot and cold flashes ..... i think im going to document this process with the webcam on my computer i think im ready to head to war against this disease for the first time ever.... i will keep posting ....

[SuzieOf]

Good for you honey. What I hated the most was the body and leg aches and I found if I immersed myself in very hot water they would go away and I would have some relief. Around the second day I took about 4 hot baths. Just laying there soaking with my eyes closed. That single tool worked better than any drug. It is different for everyone but sleeping and bed time was the worst for me. Take a hot bath just before bed and that helps. You are doing great and be proud of yourself for being strong. Think of it as just one day at a time and before you know it you will be posting that you turned a corner and it is a bit better. Then the next day is even better than the last and it continues that way. There are some drugs that take weeks of misery but this one is only about 4 days or maybe less. Hooray for YOU!!!

p.s. it might help also if you think of it like having the flu and it is similar in a sense. We have so much anxiety about cold turkey but not nearly as much about the flu.. I guess it is the "unknown" we fear so much.

[scaredinlosangeles]

Good for you honey. What I hated the most was the body and leg aches and I found if I immersed myself in very hot water they would go away and I would have some relief. Around the second day I took about 4 hot baths. Just laying there soaking with my eyes closed. That single tool worked better than any drug. It is different for everyone but sleeping and bed time was the worst for me. Take a hot bath just before bed and that helps. You are doing great and be proud of yourself for being strong. Think of it as just one day at a time and before you know it you will be posting that you turned a corner and it is a bit better. Then the next day is even better than the last and it continues that way. There are some drugs that take weeks of misery but this one is only about 4 days or maybe less. Hooray for YOU!!!

p.s. it might help also if you think of it like having the flu and it is similar in a sense. We have so much anxiety about cold turkey but not nearly as much about the flu.. I guess it is the "unknown" we fear so much.

I was feeling pretty bad , and thought about calling my connect , and i took a 20 min shower , and had it really hot , and i feel great now .... the laying down makes it worse , i tried to sleep , which was something the normally comes natural to me now during the day , and it just wasnt happening .... this is gonna be rough .... if i can make it 24 hours , ill be home free ....everytime i feel bad im just gonna hope in the shower ....

[SuzieOf]

Good for you. You are doing it!!! What also helped me was to have an attitude of "no matter what". I'll keep going no matter what! I'll get through this no matter what and I won't take a pill no matter what. And I'm not kidding there is a secret power there and I remind myself of it all the time so I don't forget the power of NO MATTER WHAT!! Good luck to you sweetie. You are doing great and think about all who have gone before you and there is some strength in that too.

[scaredinlosangeles]

Good for you. You are doing it!!! What also helped me was to have an attitude of "no matter what". I'll keep going no matter what! I'll get through this no matter what and I won't take a pill no matter what. And I'm not kidding there is a secret power there and I remind myself of it all the time so I don't forget the power of NO MATTER WHAT!! Good luck to you sweetie. You are doing great and think about all who have gone before you and there is some strength in that too.

alomost 24 hours ... startin to really feel bad ... but im going strong! .... hope i can make it through the night !

[SuzieOf]

I am here with you.. I can't sleep either and i have to get up early tomorrow. You can make it you are bigger than this. I know men like showers better as a rule but soaking for w/d's is actually better if you can do that. You are doing great and you have so much waiting for you on the other side!! Try to distract yourself if you can. A movie maybe? The less you think about what is going on the better. Stretching exercises on the floor really help me with the aches too.

[scaredinlosangeles]

I am here with you.. I can't sleep either and i have to get up early tomorrow. You can make it you are bigger than this. I know men like showers better as a rule but soaking for w/d's is actually better if you can do that. You are doing great and you have so much waiting for you on the other side!! Try to distract yourself if you can. A movie maybe? The less you think about what is going on the better. Stretching exercises on the floor really help me with the aches too.

thanks so much for the posts .... this is really the only outlet I have to express what im going through .... i did take some xanax to calm some the crippling anxiety and RLS that im feeling .... ive taken a couple of showers today , i dont have a drain stopper for my bathtub ... think i going to go out tomorrow and grab one ... although the showers really do help ... i can see how a soak in hot water would really help .... i hate the feeling i get on xanax of being really out of it , but its really helping the anxiety .... assuming tomorrow is going to be the worsed of it ... im a medical marajuana patient out here in california and some of the edible medicines they have there will really put you in a vegatative state which i also dont enjoy but it might help .... at this point my only goal is not to take a norco ... i do feel more alive than i have ever felt in a long long time ... my back is in knots , i have panic in my breath but im really going to ride this out i think ....
ive been a mix of emotions today , angry , upset , crying , this is the craziest thing ive ever gone though ... its not as painful as i thought , but it is definately very very uncomfortable .... hang in there suzie ... i am

[MetalDuckMFC]

That is an excellent attitude to have, scared! Keep it up. You don't have any Norco in the house, do you? If so, flush them now! It will save you a lot of heartache in the long run, I promise. Not to mention eliminate any chance of relapse.

Hot baths do help. I remember when I cold turkied a 250mg/day oxy habit. I would sit in the bath tub for an hour, get out for 2 hours, and then get right back in. I did that all night for 3 nights. Didn't sleep a wink. If you have a laptop, or a portable DVDPlayer, I recommend setting that up in the bathroom. It'll get you through some really rough hours.

But keep up with that attitude. As long as you know that you're going to beat this, you WILL beat this. You can't have doubt in your heart.

God bless
-Bobby

[scaredinlosangeles]

That is an excellent attitude to have, scared! Keep it up. You don't have any Norco in the house, do you? If so, flush them now! It will save you a lot of heartache in the long run, I promise. Not to mention eliminate any chance of relapse.

Hot baths do help. I remember when I cold turkied a 250mg/day oxy habit. I would sit in the bath tub for an hour, get out for 2 hours, and then get right back in. I did that all night for 3 nights. Didn't sleep a wink. If you have a laptop, or a portable DVDPlayer, I recommend setting that up in the bathroom. It'll get you through some really rough hours.

But keep up with that attitude. As long as you know that you're going to beat this, you WILL beat this. You can't have doubt in your heart.

God bless
-Bobby

i have a stash of 10 .... VERY FAR ... from me ....and difficult to get to ..... just b/c the anxiety of throwing them away and going cold turkey really scared me , but after 3 days , im going to flush them ...suprisingly I havent thought much about going and taking them .... its the end of day 2 .... thanks to the xanax and marijuana , i slept pretty much the entire day .... but i am about 8 hours away from 48 hours off the norco .... today was alittle easier than yesterday , im assuming b/c of all the sleep .... suprisingly ive been hungry alot ... i thought i wouldnt be able to eat anything .... ive pretty much turned off my cell phone and locked my doors and im not planning on leaving here until im a normal person again ... tomorrow i may venture out and start doing some normal everyday tasks again .... im also going to start going to NA meetings ... thankful one meets about a mile away from my place ....

thank you all for all your support and help ....

[SuzieOf]

Going to NA meetings is a great idea because even after you are done there will be times where you have cravings and to have the support of NA can make all the difference. You are almost through!!!!! You should be very proud of yourself. I have a lot longer to go because I am tapering off suboxone which is a much stronger drug than Norco's and last night I took a half of a valium and omg, what a mistake!! I felt worse than in the week I have been tapering and groggy all day. I will not do that again!! Keep up the good work and the great attitude. In a couple of days you will be over it and you will be so happy and so amazed at the changes. The clear head, the energy, the joy for life. I'm so happy for you!!

[Opee]

hey everyone .... so things are really not good for me right now , im totally addicted to Norco 10/325 .... I take btw 6-8 a day. I started taking them as an escape, no pain here ... I know ! stupid ! ... I have literally lost everything in my life that was good! I lost my job due to lack of motivation , I lost my girlfriend and our 2 dogs, I lost my health , I have gained close to 90 lbs in 2 years .... and ive lost all my savings to these little devils.

I have been on them for about 2 years now , I get them illegally , I am disgusted with myself that I let this little pill take over my life.

worst part is, no one knows , I am alone in this , it would kill my parents and friends and I really dont want to involve them. I have no health insurance so a rehab is out of the question. and I refuse to tell my family. I want to kick this by myself.

I know nothing about quitting , I have heard going cold turkey is dangerous ... HELP!!!

Hi Scared-

I was popping 10 Norc's at a time, 3X daily (and MORE). I feel you. More than you know. Taper. Cut off a pill day. Every day. I didn't read every reply, but NORCO was MY thing. I consider myself an expert. Still waiting on the plaque in the mail....

C/T is subjective. I am against it. I tried many times and failed. It's chronicled - 35,000 views and counting. Don't beat yourself up. It's a LONG road to addicition and a longer road to Recovery. Rome wasn't built in a day.

You CAN do this. Want it. Like nothing else in your life. You gotta get mad. Plumb mad dog mean (Josey Wales) and every time your legs don't work - MAKE 'EM! Get mad at yourself, get mad at everybody. Grit your teeth and FIGHT EVERY SECOND! You will - Adapt - Overcome - Survive. Eventually. I do not envy you, I lived it for years.

But know this: THERE IS LIFE AFTER OPIATES. Eventually. I'm 18 months and counting.

I don't need a piece of plastic to feel better, the Quality of Life is enough.

I'm rooting for you.,

Always,
Jeff

[scaredinlosangeles]

Hi Scared-

I was popping 10 Norc's at a time, 3X daily (and MORE). I feel you. More than you know. Taper. Cut off a pill day. Every day. I didn't read every reply, but NORCO was MY thing. I consider myself an expert. Still waiting on the plaque in the mail....

C/T is subjective. I am against it. I tried many times and failed. It's chronicled - 35,000 views and counting. Don't beat yourself up. It's a LONG road to addicition and a longer road to Recovery. Rome wasn't built in a day.

You CAN do this. Want it. Like nothing else in your life. You gotta get mad. Plumb mad dog mean (Josey Wales) and every time your legs don't work - MAKE 'EM! Get mad at yourself, get mad at everybody. Grit your teeth and FIGHT EVERY SECOND! You will - Adapt - Overcome - Survive. Eventually. I do not envy you, I lived it for years.

But know this: THERE IS LIFE AFTER OPIATES. Eventually. I'm 18 months and counting.

I don't need a piece of plastic to feel better, the Quality of Life is enough.

I'm rooting for you.,

Always,
Jeff

im on day 3 ... its been a rough couple days .... i haven't done much besides lay in agony on the couch , take hot showers , smoke marijuana and eat edible marijuana to ease the muscle aces and the insane RLS ive been experience .... today is the first day that i feel like the w/d symptoms are subsiding ... not gone ... but they are prob 50% less than yesterday .... i guess the 3-6 day time frame is accurate. my recommendation is that if you are not a fan of xanax like me , use it as a sleep aid, i have been able to sleep pretty well and im crediting that only to the xanax... i know there is a potential for abuse with that as well , however i really hate the way it makes me feel just like i am not a fan of alcohol .... ill say that i think the thing that im realizing the most is that when you come off of them you have the energy to live again , i feel like a vail has been lifted and i think in a couple days i will be feeling really good hopefully .... im not out of the woods yet , but i see a light at the end of the tunnel .... i just hope i can feel normal again ...

[SuzieOf]

im on day 3 ... its been a rough couple days .... i haven't done much besides lay in agony on the couch , take hot showers , smoke marijuana and eat edible marijuana to ease the muscle aces and the insane RLS ive been experience .... today is the first day that i feel like the w/d symptoms are subsiding ... not gone ... but they are prob 50% less than yesterday .... i guess the 3-6 day time frame is accurate. my recommendation is that if you are not a fan of xanax like me , use it as a sleep aid, i have been able to sleep pretty well and im crediting that only to the xanax... i know there is a potential for abuse with that as well , however i really hate the way it makes me feel just like i am not a fan of alcohol .... ill say that i think the thing that im realizing the most is that when you come off of them you have the energy to live again , i feel like a vail has been lifted and i think in a couple days i will be feeling really good hopefully .... im not out of the woods yet , but i see a light at the end of the tunnel .... i just hope i can feel normal again ...

Wow, you have done it and now you are on the other side where every day will get better and better!!! So proud of you and you should know that this thread will help others for years to come. Every day now will be a little bit better and you will have more energy and clear head. It is important though to delete all the numbers in your phone where you can get more pills and if you can go to NA meetings that would be great. You can find tools to help to deal with emotions that made you want to take a pill in the past. You should be very proud of yourself.. you have done a great job.

[scaredinlosangeles]

Wow, you have done it and now you are on the other side where every day will get better and better!!! So proud of you and you should know that this thread will help others for years to come. Every day now will be a little bit better and you will have more energy and clear head. It is important though to delete all the numbers in your phone where you can get more pills and if you can go to NA meetings that would be great. You can find tools to help to deal with emotions that made you want to take a pill in the past. You should be very proud of yourself.. you have done a great job.

its day 4 ... im alive ... and i think im going to make it ...