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Addicted to Perc- home remedy help

I am trying to kick my habit of 6-8 10/325s a day. I hurt my back 4 years ago and had surgery. I am going to NA meetings but Im scared when I run out of my meds I have Its gonna get bad. I only have 3 left. going to try cutting them in half to do a little bit towards weaning. My question is how long does it normally take to get thru the withdrawals? I also am gonna try the home remedy posted below

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 (immodium) (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 (immodium) 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.

Thanks shelby for posting this
7 Responses
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3197167 tn?1348968606
Good for you!!  And I ditto what ActingBrandNew just said to you.

Going to NA already and getting enrolled in an outpatient group....YOU ROCK!!!  lol  It was help you SO much....it has for me.

Wanted to mention that the Thomas Recipe that you posted up above is a bit different than the one in our MedHelp Health Pages (bottom of this page)...we cut out #1.....no benzo/lithium, etc....or if you take it....to beware and only take it for a week or so (a benzo).  I made the horrific mistake at 9 months clean of taking 1/2 a pill a day for a 90 day run of my husband benzo script.....and felt my feet walking down a MUCH TOO familiar path.

I'm a "back" person too.  Also had major back surgery.  There are actually A LOT of us "back" peeps around here...lol  So glad you have chosen to be FREE.....be sure and let us know how you're doing or have any questions...this is a GREAT forum for encouragement, support, tips and loving you thru it.  Here's to clean and serene~~  
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
I have to say that I'm quite impressed with where your at already. From all you've written it sounds like you have a very solid plan and then you even add an outpatient to the mix...I think your gonna make it! Its really nice to hear and I look forward to hearing how its going.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the replies and wow day by day is gonna be the hardest. I am going to actually do a outpatient treatment to get more support. Im hoping aleve and motrin will help also a heating pad. Im just tired of the chasing and feelings of worry about running out. Im surrendering to my disease. IM DONE I GIVE so to speak.I will definatly keep in touch on my day by day jorney.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Great to hear you plan to get clean! I am at day 15 from a yearlong, maybe more, Oxy 15mg X way too many habit.
Fantastic advice above, it's all true. Week 2 is much better than week one.
My medical problem is like yours, a back problem, but I decided not to do the 4-level fusion.
There are ways to handle back issues without pain meds. I have 1 book written by medical professionals that detail Pilates for post surgery backs. I have another book written by an orthopedic surgeon who had back surgery and got addicted. He developed his own series of exercises. PM me if you are interested.
Also read what others have to say about hyperalgesia-some really good info here on this forum about that.
In short, have a plan in place to deal with back pain if it is an issue.
(I have been trying everything I could think of to stay away from my Oxy demon)
You can do this! The folks here are AMAZING when it comes to supporting others, you have come to the right place!
Helpful - 0
5347058 tn?1381188426
Nutrition is important during wds. Follow that Thomas Recipe, and eat as healthy as you can. May be hard the first few days due to no appetite or upset tummy. Eat lots of high potassium foods like bananas and potatoes (with the skin on). This helps the restless, crampy legs. Lots of water, juice, and gatorade to stay hydrated. Stay away from caffeine. It will just increase your anxiety. Hot baths with epsom salts help the restless legs and general aches and pains. You aren't on a ridiculous dose, so it shouldn't be unbearable. It's not gonna be fun, but you can do this! Just try not to psyche yourself out. The worrying and fretting over what may or may not happen only makes it worse. Stay busy with music, books, funny movies/tv. Get on this site and chat when it gets rough. We have all  (or are) where you are and want to see you succeed. Another thing to think of is the rebound pain. I also suffer from a legitimate pain issue. For a while your pain level will spike. This is your brain trying to trick you into using more pills. It does pass and the pain gets better. My pain is actually slightly better than what it was on the pills. Look up opiate induced hyperalgesia. I wish you nothing but the best of luck! We are here for you.
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
I just wanted to add that what I posted above sounds pretty bad but in all reality its very doable. Just treat it like you have the flu. If you find yourself sitting around thinking about how bad you feel...try to do an activity so you wont dwell on it.

Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
"My question is how long does it normally take to get thru the withdrawals? "

Its different for everybody but it sounds like you have a solid plan. (Thomas Recipe and NA) The physical stuff usually gets better for most after the 5th day and then its dealing with the mental aspect.

_______________________________________________________

Day 1: The morning after you last used narcotics you probably won't wake up feeling bad right away. However as the day progresses, the symptoms of withdrawal become blinding. Your nose will run, and your eyes will water. You will realize that you've gone all day without eating. Most importantly, you feel like your body is carrying an extra fifty pounds of weight. And this isn't even the worst part.

Day 2: The worst part of day two is knowing you are going to wake up feeling much worse than day one. You might wake up sweating, but feel freezing at the same time. By now your legs are starting to ache and your back is screaming at you. Once again, the urge to eat probably isn't there. Don't stress that, just drink plenty of fluids. Your temperature changes from freezing to burning hot in minutes. Towards the end of the day, even though you are physically exhausted and sick, your legs won't let you sit still. Trying to lie down to sleep is very challenging. Once again, once you do fall asleep you will probably wake up drenched in sweat at least once a night.

Day 3: Good news, this day SHOULD not be quite as bad as the first two. However, depending on the type of opiate you used, the symptoms could last longer. However, the one great thing about withdrawing from this drug is the symptoms come on fast, and generally subside within a week or two. You once again probably woke up sweating but freezing at the same time. You will still feel like not eating, but by now your stomach should be screaming at you in more ways than one. You may decide to try to eat, only to have it come right back up. Also, by this time your colon is starting to spasm from being dead for so long, so you will start having diarrhea. It is highly important to keep fluids going in on this day. You will still feel restless and exhausted, but by now it should be manageable.

Day 4: By now you're probably tired of changing your sheets every morning, but the night sweats should subside soon. You're stomach is still cramping and you're spending a lot of time in the bathroom. However, your bones and muscles should not feel as bad as they have (especially if you were able to maintain some amount of nutrition). For a second you are starting to breathe deeply again. This is when the real work begins.

Day 5: As the physical symptoms start to subside (or at least lessen) this is when the hard part kicks in. By now you may have noticed that you're dropping things, forgetting where you are or where you're going, or even putting your clothes on backwards. Your brain is still in a fog and unfortunately, will probably remain that way for a while. You may break down in tears one minute, and then feel nothing the next. Or, you may feel emotions at inappropriate times or with inappropriate people. This feeling is the longest lasting of all the symptoms. Many people say they still experience the "fogginess" years after getting clean.

From here on out, it should only get easier. Remember; take it one day at a time and keep telling yourself that you will not feel like this forever. Find a support group, or attend twelve step meetings to help you cope as well as to help keep you occupied. Relapsing will only make future withdrawals more lengthy and painful. However, if you can make it through the first five days you are well on your way to a life and a future of sobriety.

_______________________________________________________

Stay plugged into this site and let us know how you are doing.

Always,

ABN
Helpful - 0
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