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Detoxing for first time
I have been on Norco 10/325 for about 3 years now, my dosage ranging from 4 to 8 per day and I drink alcohol everyday. At least a 6 pack a night or a bottle of wine. I want to quit, and I had planned on tapering off starting this week, but all of a sudden my Dr moved and I can't get another refill. I went from 8 on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, and now its been 24 hours since my last dose. I am having really bad hot and cold flashes, diarrhea, and I can't sit still, or stop sneezing. I have Xanax for my anxiety and have been taking .5mg here and there today to help with the anxiety I'm feeling. Since cold turkey wasn't the plan, I have no idea what to expect. Please let me know if there are any tips I can follow to help ease what I am about to go through. I have 2 pills left and I don't want to take them unless I just can't handle it, but planned on breaking them in half and only taking them if I have to so I can function at work.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
After 4 or 5 attempts at getting clean, I had to discover triggers, and work through them. If something went wrong at home or work, I would use. If I was having a bad day, I would use. I never wanted to deal with a "real" situation, so I used. Now you know where your triggers lie. So before going into a stressful situation prepare yourself ahead of time by making a plan for dealing with the stress. I thought my world would end a few times and only a pill would help...but my world never ended, and yours won't either. Hang in there, be tough.
Restless leg I swear by hylands restless leg and bananas. I'm 29 hrs clean. Hell and back bit the Thomas recipe saved me. Do I love life today nope. But I have hope. Xoxo
Wow, great post ty. Trust me a nice girl like me from a great home w/ ZERO addiction in my family couldn't understand how she became addicted to pain killers. I was never addicted to anything before I met those. But I was never at peace or calm, I always needed some excitement to feel good. So I learned that is the addict's personality. I choose AA (only because here in LA there are meetings round the clock and very close to me) and even though I don't have a problem w/ alcohol, everyone in meetings keeps telling me that the substance is irrelevant, it's just the symptom. I have only been going for less than month (daily) and I still feel very weird. I share about how weird I feel in meetings. I keep noticing that through my years of addiction I neglected my whole life, while the folks in meetings are not. Like they say, my BEST thinking got me here. So, obviously I was doing something wrong. I still feel defective. It's surreal. But, if I've spent my $ on pills instead of buying a car (I take the bus!), or getting a haircut or paying my taxes, I need help. I HATE that I do, but I do.
Don't even say "the rest of your life." That's way way too big and sounds so HARD. Like I say, I'm going to a meeting again today, and I will feel it out as I go. A woman who I chose as my temporary sponsor said something I love: The magic is in the maybe. Meaning, if I say, hmmm MAYBE I will stay sober another few hours. MAYBE I will go to a meeting, even though I don't want to.
You really sound like you are on the right track. You are obviously very open minded and appreciative. That is great! I agree, the folks here are great.
Please keep posting:)
Don't even say "the rest of your life." That's way way too big and sounds so HARD. Like I say, I'm going to a meeting again today, and I will feel it out as I go. A woman who I chose as my temporary sponsor said something I love: The magic is in the maybe. Meaning, if I say, hmmm MAYBE I will stay sober another few hours. MAYBE I will go to a meeting, even though I don't want to.
You really sound like you are on the right track. You are obviously very open minded and appreciative. That is great! I agree, the folks here are great.
Please keep posting:)
So I guess tomorrow is a new day and we start over again. I am starting to see that this is not just a battle that I have to get through for the 4 to 10 days to detox, but that I will be fighting for the rest of my life. I never thought I'd have to plan to go to any kind of meeting, but after hearing all of the support from all of you, it seems that unless I do, I'll never truly be able to move past this. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for everything. Even though its only been a few days, you've made me feel supported and even allowed me to express things that I've never been honest about. I think I have a fighting chance at this, and I am going to give it my all. I see how therapeutic this site can be, both for supporters and for those just needing someone to talk to; it was a light in a very dark room for me. Thank you all again. I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all as I take one step at a time to a better life.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks everyone.
I am sorry to hear about your dad but it's great he's going to be ok!
I hope you understand what we mean now that in order to be successful in this you must get RID OF ALL THE PILLS. You must sever your connections, tell your doctor, dentist, etc. You have to fight for sobriety like you've never fought before.
Because situations (especially in the early days) are going to arise which cause us to want to use- we are used to dealing with everything by using- you have to put up as many road blocks as possible to prevent this.
So, lesson learned I hope.
Don't beat yourself up- just get back on that horse and keep riding her all the way into your new, beautiful, sober life.
Have you given any thought to which aftercare you are going to try?
Lu
I hope you understand what we mean now that in order to be successful in this you must get RID OF ALL THE PILLS. You must sever your connections, tell your doctor, dentist, etc. You have to fight for sobriety like you've never fought before.
Because situations (especially in the early days) are going to arise which cause us to want to use- we are used to dealing with everything by using- you have to put up as many road blocks as possible to prevent this.
So, lesson learned I hope.
Don't beat yourself up- just get back on that horse and keep riding her all the way into your new, beautiful, sober life.
Have you given any thought to which aftercare you are going to try?
Lu
Hi for most of us it is harder to stay clean then get clean the good news is it is possible with some form of aftercare I have tryed many things but N/A has worked the best it is free all over states and will teach you how to live life's on life's terms Google a meeting near you and go I wish you all the luck in the world and with a little help you can do this you never loose the war as long as your willing to fight
..........................................Gnarly..........................................
..........................................Gnarly..........................................
So did I this weekend. ( slipped up ). Different reason though. I picked up one of my grandsons and my back pain and leg pain came roaring back because of my stupidity. Took a Norco to get out of the pain syndrome but felt ashamed that I caved in. Remember that jifmoc and others had multiple trys before they were successful. So I start again tomorrow to be clean.
Start again with a greater sense of commitment. I am.........so join me and others here.
Start again with a greater sense of commitment. I am.........so join me and others here.
I slipped. My dad got taken to the hospital for a heart attack last night, and the first thing I did was find a stashed pill and take it. I didnt even hesitate. He's ok, but I have this disgusted feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didnt even feel anything from it, and I am so mad at myself. I don't have anything left in the house so I know it won't happen again, but I woke up this morning just utterly depressed. I have 0 physical WD's that I can feel, now its just in my head. How do you get past the slip ups? Or better yet, prevent them from even happening?
Tuyguy I'm exactly where u are this minute. It's all hellish but I get sleep if I take a Benadryl the restless leg pills eat some bananas Gatorade water. Sometimes a low dose Xanax but I'm not a fan but it helps. The Benadryl will help the sneezing. Take Imodium. Plenty of that. Of u can get ur tummy calmed down life improves slightly. Look at the Thomas diet. I'm doing most of it except all the vitamins. My tummy doesn't like a lot of vitamins. Epsom baths. All of this together will get u a little relief. For a short time then do it all again. I'd rather have natural childbirth than go thru this. So trust me. Do some of this stuff. I can't say it makes it easier but you will feel less like calling 911 lol We gotta go thru it. But since we are in it, no sense in letting all the ******** be in vain.
Tuyguy I'm exactly where u are this minute. It's all hellish but I get sleep if I take a Benadryl the restless leg pills eat some bananas Gatorade water. Sometimes a low dose Xanax but I'm not a fan but it helps. The Benadryl will help the sneezing. Take Imodium. Plenty of that. Of u can get ur tummy calmed down life improves slightly. Look at the Thomas diet. I'm doing most of it except all the vitamins. My tummy doesn't like a lot of vitamins. Epsom baths. All of this together will get u a little relief. For a short time then do it all again. I'd rather have natural childbirth than go thru this. So trust me. Do some of this stuff. I can't say it makes it easier but you will feel less like calling 911 lol We gotta go thru it. But since we are in it, no sense in letting all the ******** be in vain.
Yes honey, that is what I mean. I did one on one counseling and became of member of NA. Both of those things saved my life and taught me to live without using drugs. Heroin is my drug of choice and that stuff nearly killed me. I went down so far I was underground. Aftercare brought me out and showed me a new life. I am forever grateful. Her is the link to find an NA meeting near you if you decide you want to go:
http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/meetingloc/
Whatever you do..just don't use!! It will get better if you work for it.
http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/meetingloc/
Whatever you do..just don't use!! It will get better if you work for it.
P.S.- if you have some in your car or in a drawer, of course you are driving yourself mad. If I had that access to them, I would go crazy obsessing and I feel fine. I just can't be near them, I will want them desperately. Maybe get your girlfriend to do the digging and throw them out for you. If you can't get any right now, you'll prob be in a little more peace and acceptance. Yes, the cravings become lesser. I never thought they would but they did. They are still there, but you learn coping skills. And others things to focus on. Remember that? Having a life where you thought about other things?
Yes, she means meetings or counseling. I can tell you are panicking. Okay, listen, you are 72 hours w/o opiates, that is fantastic. But, you are already worried about the fact that you want some desperately. Of course, you want them desperately, your brain and body are in agony and you are so used to the pills "fixing" everything. Now your brain and body are screaming "WTF???!!!" You have been using a quick fix for every. single. uncomfortable. feelings. That's why we use them. You drink nightly on top of that so you completely forgot how to cope. You have to have patience. Patience. You can't expect to feel normal in 3 days after abusing meds and drink for however long, right? You can give in to your cravings, feel better for 2 hours, then what? You have to start all over. Trust me, I wish this was easier. We all do. None of us wanted this or intended to get hooked on this sh!t. But whatever is "missing" or "effed up" about our brain chemistry makes us not deal well w/ life as it is so we used our band aids. Until they dont work anymore. It always, always ends up coming right back to where you are now. It took me 3 or 4 times trying to quit before I figured that out. That's my experience and others from everything I've read and heard.
Aftercare, aftercare, aftercare. I can't say it enough. Just because you put the drugs down does mean you are cured or you are not an addict. You will be an addict for the rest of your life. You can either be an addict using or you can be an addict in recovery. Our problem is not the drugs..our problem is ourselves. We don't know how to do things without some sort of stimulation..whatever it may be. This didn't sneak up on us. We have bee this way all our lives.
You need to first of all delete all those phone numbers to eliminate the temptation. Next you need to learn new behaviors, life skills and relapse prevention skills. You need to learn what triggers your using so you can deal with it when it comes up.
For me I did one on one counseling and I became a member of NA. Both of those helped me to live my life drug free.
Whatever you choose is fine but just remember that you can't do this alone. it won't work. So if you think you can do it you are in big trouble. Your best thinking got you here. It's time for you to get humble.
You need to first of all delete all those phone numbers to eliminate the temptation. Next you need to learn new behaviors, life skills and relapse prevention skills. You need to learn what triggers your using so you can deal with it when it comes up.
For me I did one on one counseling and I became a member of NA. Both of those helped me to live my life drug free.
Whatever you choose is fine but just remember that you can't do this alone. it won't work. So if you think you can do it you are in big trouble. Your best thinking got you here. It's time for you to get humble.
Believe it or not, other than some stomach cramps and some back pain that I was able to tolerate with a bath and some OTC meds like advil, I feel better than expected and I'm almost 72 hours sober.
How do you deal with the mental cravings? I know all I need to do is walk out my front door, look in a random drawer, go through my car, make a quick text and i'll have one. I can't get it out of my mind, and even by keeping busy with movies, blogging, talking on the phone, swimming, walking, its all I can think about. Does this ever go away? What happens if I cave in? Does that mean I start all over? This is the first time i've ever detoxed, and for the first 2 years I followed my scrip of 2 to 3 5/500 per day without EVER abusing them. Then the last 6 months I just went out of control and started getting more than my dr was giving me. I just don't feel strong enough at all.
How do you deal with the mental cravings? I know all I need to do is walk out my front door, look in a random drawer, go through my car, make a quick text and i'll have one. I can't get it out of my mind, and even by keeping busy with movies, blogging, talking on the phone, swimming, walking, its all I can think about. Does this ever go away? What happens if I cave in? Does that mean I start all over? This is the first time i've ever detoxed, and for the first 2 years I followed my scrip of 2 to 3 5/500 per day without EVER abusing them. Then the last 6 months I just went out of control and started getting more than my dr was giving me. I just don't feel strong enough at all.
This is rebound pain from the pain receptors in your body screaming out for drugs. Long term opiate use creates MORE pain. It takes a month or more for you to level out and properly evaluate you pain. When i was detoxing I felt EVERY injury I'd ever had. I have Rheumatoid arthritis and my joints hurt something fierce. Don't give in. Use Ibuprophen and tylenol and heat to deal with the pain. You don't want to go backwards.
I promise this is a totally normal part of detox and you just have to keep moving through it.
I had been told my all my doctors that I would need pain meds to function for the rest of my life. I decided this was not an option for me and after about a month clean I was in 90% less pain than I was on opiates. I went back to exercising for the first time in 6 years. After a year clean I was in the best shape of my life and even went back to dancing which I hadn't been able to do since I was 21 and broke my tailbone in three places (I used to be a professional dancer)
So I hope this gives you some hope and inspiration to keep moving forward.
Opiates are NOT good options for long term chronic pain. Never.
You are almost over the hump. Hang on tight.
Lu
I promise this is a totally normal part of detox and you just have to keep moving through it.
I had been told my all my doctors that I would need pain meds to function for the rest of my life. I decided this was not an option for me and after about a month clean I was in 90% less pain than I was on opiates. I went back to exercising for the first time in 6 years. After a year clean I was in the best shape of my life and even went back to dancing which I hadn't been able to do since I was 21 and broke my tailbone in three places (I used to be a professional dancer)
So I hope this gives you some hope and inspiration to keep moving forward.
Opiates are NOT good options for long term chronic pain. Never.
You are almost over the hump. Hang on tight.
Lu
your pain is going to intensify right now. your brain is trying to get you to give it what it wants----opiates. it is like the devil trying to seduce you into using. don't listen to it. in a few weeks or a month you will be able to really access where your true pain level is. i have severe back pain and i feel for you, but take a hot epsom salt bath and try and stay active. laying around will really make it worse. take advil and tylenol.
Start of day 3, roughly 60 hours in from last norco. Used Xanax to sleep last night, and surprisingly got a good amount of sleep. Today is the first time i've felt my back pain this bad since my injury 5 years ago. Im sure its from laying around the last 2 days, but its bad enough to where I don't want to get out of bed. Its all I can think about to take just one pill, not even to get high, but just to ease the pain. What can I do about the pain? Between water and gatorade i'm probably drinking 1.5 to 2 gallons a day, so I know I am staying hydrated and shouldn't be having disc pain like this. Anxiety is only bad because of the pain. What can I do? Is this where most people throw in the towel and give up? From what I've read I am only just getting into the worst of it and this could last 2 more days. I don't know if I can take the pain that long. I need some relief or I am afraid I am going to use again. Any advice?
Hey just wanted to jump in here, add my support and say NO alcohol is a terrible idea during detox. For two reasons specifically- A. No mind altering substances is best- you are more likely to take 'just one pill' if your inhibitions are down B. Alcohol is seriously dehydrating and dehydration makes detox feel a million times worse.
You need to drink gallons and gallons of fluid and if you feel restless the best thing you can do is go do some exercise. Or have sex.
Yes I'm being blunt and honest in saying that but it will help you ENORMOUSLY.
The pleasure centre in your brain is screaming for stimulus. So rather than give it something that can alter and harm you (like alcohol or other drugs) Exercise or sex or better yet BOTH will hit that pleasure with something positive.
Good move on telling your girlfriend. If you want to get clean and stay clean the best thing to do is to tell your secrets. And listen, you need to stay away from alcohol not just while you detox but for a long while. You need to get into a recovery program and identify if you are just addicted to drugs, or both drugs and alcohol.
It sounds to me like you have a problem with both (brutally honest here)
If you drink a bottle of wine or a six pack every night you are going to have slight alcohol w/d's ( crave sugar, feel restless, not sleep) but IMO (I'm no Doctor or detox specialist or anything) that is not enough to give you anything dangerous like the Dt's.
I would also think about looking into some natural liver cleansers- Milk thistle is a good one.
You need your head on straight to find your way through this forest. You need to be healthy and give yourself a fighting chance.
I want you to win this and I'm rooting for you.
Lu
You need to drink gallons and gallons of fluid and if you feel restless the best thing you can do is go do some exercise. Or have sex.
Yes I'm being blunt and honest in saying that but it will help you ENORMOUSLY.
The pleasure centre in your brain is screaming for stimulus. So rather than give it something that can alter and harm you (like alcohol or other drugs) Exercise or sex or better yet BOTH will hit that pleasure with something positive.
Good move on telling your girlfriend. If you want to get clean and stay clean the best thing to do is to tell your secrets. And listen, you need to stay away from alcohol not just while you detox but for a long while. You need to get into a recovery program and identify if you are just addicted to drugs, or both drugs and alcohol.
It sounds to me like you have a problem with both (brutally honest here)
If you drink a bottle of wine or a six pack every night you are going to have slight alcohol w/d's ( crave sugar, feel restless, not sleep) but IMO (I'm no Doctor or detox specialist or anything) that is not enough to give you anything dangerous like the Dt's.
I would also think about looking into some natural liver cleansers- Milk thistle is a good one.
You need your head on straight to find your way through this forest. You need to be healthy and give yourself a fighting chance.
I want you to win this and I'm rooting for you.
Lu
The above is correct about your thinking. But for you, stopping your alcohol intake can be deadly since you drink a lot and every night. Others on here may know more about that but I would also post that on the "alcohol" forum. Because for you it could be very dangerous to just stop even though you need to. Will you do that and relay what was said?
No alcohol will make you feel worse. You have to think of new things besides alcohols and drugs to do when you are bored. If you drink you can then easily give into one pill will be ok.
Stay away from all mind altering substances.
Listen to music, go for a walk, watch tv, you should consider support groups
Counseling, new hobbies.
Keep moving forward.
Congrats on your clean time.
Stay away from all mind altering substances.
Listen to music, go for a walk, watch tv, you should consider support groups
Counseling, new hobbies.
Keep moving forward.
Congrats on your clean time.
I don't think alcohol has a place during detox and here's where you can change things up! Think of something else that could get you out of bed, other than a substance(drug). Boredom is a HUGE trigger to abuse so think...Movie? Music videos? New book? Call a friend? Journal? Cards?
From what people have said, they didn't feel good after having a drink or two but I don't know from personal experience; I don't drink at all.
From what people have said, they didn't feel good after having a drink or two but I don't know from personal experience; I don't drink at all.
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