When do you get your life back?

[misslilac]

I've been taking 30 mgs of Vicoprofen daily for 6 years. Posted the other day that I'm going to taper. I want to know when the "feeling free" and "getting your life back" kicks in. I don't feel unfree and I have a life just think I could be doing my body harm by continuing these pills however when I wake up to another day of new problems and stresses and how do I get it  all done and I need more hours in the day, I think how will I do it w/o the meds on top of everything else and then think oh screw it what is 30 mgs. a day going to hurt.  

[dominosarah]

I went cold turkey........i am an all or nothing type person.  You will wake up refreshed and excited about the day.....i used to worry about that too.  No more waking up feeling groggy anymore feels so good.  You actually will have energy waking up becuz your sleep will be so much better.

[misslilac]

Well I'm definately taking what you said to heart. I only take the pills between noon and 8:00pm. As the day progresses I feel more and more like superwoman as you said but then I wake up in the morning wondering where I will get energy and how I will cope. I want to wake up refreshed and excited about the day. I've been taking 4 per day and am going to taper slowly so today 31/2. Did you go cold turkey or taper?

[dominosarah]

I have been clean for about 405 days now!!!!!  Oh i cant begin to tell you how much better i feel.  The pills made me to be jeckyl/hyde big time.  The emotional roller coaster i was on was unbelievable when i look back at it.  I thought i was superwoman when i took them......it was a false sense of security.  Now my days are pretty even keeled, i can think clearly, my anger is not all over the place....i have found a very soft spot in my little heart........i feel things and deal with them.  Physically i feel so much better also.  My health has improved.  I have my stamina back, i sleep better, have more energy, my skin doesnt look like a lizard anymore, my hair is healthy.  It doesnt happen over night but it is a gradual improvement.  My pain has lessened and Motrin really does work.  It is so worth the time and energy that it takes to be clean off pills........i wish i would of done it years ago.........sara

[misslilac]

Please tell how long you have been off VP's and how you feel mentally emotionally and physically. Thanks misslilac

[misslilac]

The words I needed to hear were that the pills make you depressed. I think they help with my mood but maybe I'm deluding myself and that they are the problem as far as energy levels and mood. Is it possible that I think they are the solution but are really the problem? It's been 6 years so I guess I do not know what normal is anymore. In order to put myself through W/D I guess I just need to hear it's worth it and how life gets better because I did not think life was so bad but maybe I''m in denial and I need some frank talk.

[ImGettingClean]

I C/t off 50-60 MG of percs a day...today is my Day 2 and not doing TOO bad (I also have some Ativan to help with he first few days of W/Ds).

One thing I noticed while i was on the pills for a while, they tend to make you depressed also; it's the negative affect we are looking for, or at least it did for me....

Seems like you want to really stop but are afraid of the withdrawals and how you will function without them? Just think of a time when you did get everything don and your life was normal without these demon pills...it's what I use when the times get tough; I remember days where i laughed, went places, did things, Sober and back then you dont realize it, but that is TRUE happines; these meds, we're just stuck in clouds waiting for the sun to shine, but it never will....

Hope i didnt depress anyone I just think, there truly IS life after these pills. There are plenty of people on here that can share their stories. I am hoping I can be one of them.

Good luck!! We're all here for ya.

[dominosarah]

Hi i came off taking 18 vicoprofen a day.....I am glad to hear you are wanting off.  They will sneak up on you in a real big hurry.......My pain also lessened after i quit taking them.  I am usually here if you need to talk.........sara

[worried878]

30 mgs day is very do-able..a cold turkey dose..but tapering is great too if u have the discipline..i did not but was at much higher dose..i would screw up everytime i tried to taper on my own...if u can control a taper then it is a good way to go for many...for me it prolonged the agony and wd...be sure u stick with it and keep us posted

[misslilac]

I'm glad someone knows how I feel--thanks!!!! It just seems like with everything life tossed  ones way that living with pain should not be added to the mix. I could be in denial and I hope I get a response to this good or bad but I'm not on the street looking for drugs, I have not upped my dose, I still fully function so what is the point of stopping although sometimes like I said I worry about my kidneys and liver.  

[LADYDI4185]

I know how you feel.  I feel like that everyday but I am using 60mg hydro's each day and each day I tell myself I am going to use less and then life kicks in and I tell myself tomorrow will be better!  Sometimes I think if I stay on these pills long enough there will be a new therapy developed to help get me off these pills!  It's so frustrating.  I find that I can't get everything done without pills.  I don't get a high from them just a feeling of normal. When I joined this site in April, I was going to taper off hydro's and I did pretty well, down to 30mg a day.  Then a doctor refills my rx for 120 pills and bam! back to 6 sometimes 7 per day.  I know i have to quit but now that I know my rx will be refilled each month I start to think why bother?  Maybe I just cut back to around 4 a day and stay that way.  I suffer from degenertive disc disease and have had surgery but the pain is constant so in a way the pills do help but I know deep down I have a problem.  At times I just don't want to quit!  That's pathetic!  I am a weak person.  Sorry to dump all this but you post hit a nerve in how I feel.  Good luck, I am here a lot if you want to talk.