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Fear has got me....What can I expect?

The past three months I have been taking morphine twice a day 30 mg.  Before that for a year I took about 8 hydros a day, none for the last three months.  I want to get sober, the pain is gone and I have been in recovery before but it seems so long ago right now.  In between the hydro and morphine I took no break.  Now I decided if I take 3 tabs a day and get off the morphine and taper off the hydro I might make it without a lot of pain.  This may not seem like much of an addiction but to me, I have no business with the morphine and the year of 8 hydros a day.  So it changed my way of life.  I have pancreas trouble and there is no doctor to help.  I am open to any and all suggestions.  Thanks
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Avatar universal
Hi, I thought I would comment your situation because I believe it requires immeadiate attention.  As a nurse, I feel it is important to tell you that your pancreas problems, I am assuming it is pancreatitis, can be HEAVILY affected by your Vicodin intake.  It is a sort of catch 22 - pancreatitis is painful, so you take painkillers, which exacerbate the pancreatitis and cause more pain, and lead to you using more painkillers, ect...I feel in your specific case, I would taper faster. Trust me, you do not want to cause any additional damage to your pancreas, it is VITAL to so many processes in your body, and these problems will catch hup with you eventually.

Here is my suggestion for you:

Vicodin has a half life of about 4 hours. After 3-5 "half-lives," close to 90% of the drug is no longer affecting the body. 5 half-lives for Vicodin would be about 20 hours.  WHY am I telling you this? It determines your dosing schedule during your taper. Waiting more than 4 hrs can cause w/d to creep in. Until day 12, you don't wait more than 4 hours between doses.  This makes sure your decline is gradual and smooth.

***If you feel like you can, you can taper even faster or go cold turkey.  Opiate w/d WONT kill you (alcohol and benzo w/d can be dangerous if not done right). Use your pancreas problems as motivation! W/D WILL be uncomfortable, but it WILL END and can be minimized with support and supplements (use these forums for additional ideas).

***Assuming you sleep 6-8 hours
Day 1: Take 1 pill every 3 hours while awake - should be about 5-6 pills.
Day 2: Take 1 pill every 4 hours while awake - should be about 4 pills.
Day 3: Take 1/2 pill every 2 hours while awake - should be about 4 - 4 1/2  pills.
Day 4: Same as day 3
Day 5: Take 1/2 pill every 3 hours while awake - should be about 2 1/2 - 3 pills.
Day 6: Same as day 5
Day 7: Take 1/2 pill every 4 hours while awake - should be about 2 pills.
Day 8: Same as day 7
Day 9: Take  1/4 pill (a small chunk) every 2 hours while awake - should be about 2 pills
Day 10: Take 1/4 pill (a small chunk) every 3 hours while awake - should be about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pills.
Day 11: Take 1/4 pill (a small chunk) every 4 hours while awake - should be about 1 pill
Day 12: Take a 1/4 pill ( a small chunk) every 6 hours while awake - about 3/4 pill
Day 13: Take a 1/4 pill (a small chunk) every 8 hours while awake - should be about 1/2 pill.
Day 14: Take a 1/4 pill (a small chunk) at mid day
DONE

Throughout this process use:
Hot baths, ibuprofen, B vitamins, Tyrosine (amino acid), stretching, EXERCISE (even a brisk walk), eat healthy, prayer, positive reading, clonidine (if possible), and try your best to stay positive, you are claiming your lifeback - freedom is a couple weeks away. Feel free to ask anything else, and remember, I am only a nurse, this is just my opinion based on what I know.  Best of luck!

~Fentynl_Fanatic


Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would like to hear some more from you as you took the time to do the math to talk to me about the taper.  Hopefully when I go thru this I can talk to you on here.  Thank you   I do go to meetings already
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Avatar universal
I really appreciate you answering.  I was concerned I wouldn't get any answers.  I really didn't know what I was doing when I got on the morphine.  I started researching it all and discovered the ratio of hydro to morphine and it scared me and I just want to be clean and sober.  Thanks
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If you get off of the morphine and use three hydos for a week,  then two a day for a week, then jump off from there or use one a day for a week,   It still will be rough but you know what you will be in for anyway.  It will just be so much better than ct is,  even tho alot of people on here say that they could not tapper.  
I think it is prob. a good idea to talk to your Dr. abt. this anyway,  since you have pancreus problems,  and that sounds pretty scarey to me.!!    I know you said there is no Dr. to help, but am not sure what you meant,  you are not under a Dr.'s care ?  even with pancreus problems???    Sorry, I wish I could help you more and perhaps others will come along who can.

best wishes
Ella
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