Withdrawing from opiates

[LSHALL]

After the birth of my daughter in February 2007, I threw a blood clot into my lung, had severe eclampsia and hyper-reflexia, and post.-partum cardiomyopathy.  All this left me with severe fibromyalgia sxs and chronic muscle and joint pain.  My primary care physician prescribed T3 and refilled the script every month without seeing me.  My body grew accustomed to the drug over time.   I found out I was pregnant again on Christmas Eve 2007, after being told to NEVER get pregnant again, that my heart would not survive and the likely outcome would be my death.  I was advised to abort, but went to my cardiologist who did an echo and found my heart completely recovered (a miracle in and of itself).  I went through with the pregnancy.  the T3 was still prescribed by my doctor and my OB was looking after me and the baby closely.  In  April 2008 we found that I had an estimated 10 kidney stones in my right kidney that began to move and caused indescribable pain.  I never gained any weight and even lost weight with this pregnancy (my 6th).  I was hospitalized several times, on heavy doses of morphine, demerol, and still the T3.  Each time I left the hospital, I needed more and more T3 to even touch the pain.  On doctors orders, I could take up to 8 per day, but only took a max of 6 on really bad days.  The stones almost destroyed my right kidney and ureter.  My daughter was induced 2 weeks early to salvage my kidney and ureter.I had to have a stent placed on the right side, which was so painful I was a sobbing, vomiting mess.  My beautiful baby girl was placed in NICU and spent 5 agonizing days detoxing from the drugs I was prescribed.  Luckily for her, I did not abuse what I was given.  The doctors said they could tell I did not abuse the painkillers as they were able to let her come home with me 2 days ahead of protocol.  The NICU nurses and peds docs were so horrified by what we had been going through, they wanted us to go home as soon as possible.  After we came home, me with a stent in my right kidney and hobbling around painfully, trying to breastfeed, urinating what felt like razorblades with a kidney that throbbed incessantly 24/7, the doctor put me on Vicodin one week, percoset another week, dilaudid the next, until I had a procedure to destroy the remaining 2 stones.  The stent came out 3 weeks later.  By the next day with no pain meds I was a crying, itching, freaking out mess like I have never been before.  What the hell??  So, now I'm trying to withdraw off the meds, and they still have me on tramadol, and clonidine.  How long does this withdrawl process last?  Anyone with any similar experience?  Does this make me an addict?

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

The safest way to get off the tram and clonodine is to taper gradually down to zero. Most common mistake is to try and do it too fast. Let your body adjust to a reduced dose before you drop your dose again. And good luck to you.....

[LSHALL]

No, I am 1 week off the meds, but taking tramadol and clonidine.  What is the safest way to get off all this junk?

[worried878]

It has been 3 weeks since u had any meds and u r still in wd?  that is unusual..trams are also addicting but sometimes it is better to stop one vice at a time...being safe with the trams as u dont want to have to go thru wd from those....what was ur regular dose daily and has it been 3 weeks?  it should have calmed by now for sure..keep posting