Please tell me it gets better

[seekinghope]

Not many responded to my Newbie post a couple of hours ago. I think it's because I just made my story much too long for anyone to be interested in reading it. I am new to this so please forgive me!! In short, I am trying my best to wean of (4)7.5's of vicoden 3x a day. this has been going on for over 2 years and my first time with any addiction. I am 40. is this unusual??? Anyway it takes so much will power to wean, and I think I cut to much at once, I cut out one dose which would be a little over 30 mg of the hydo per day. I already have loads of anxiety and wake up with a terrible stomach ache every morning!!! I started all my extra vitimans etc today so hopefully that will help. My biggest concern is going into a deep depression cause I have been prone to those in the past!! And MOST of all, does the desire to have that Euphoric feeling ever go away??? Thats my biggest weakness. I think I can get past the physical part(I think)

[Amaryllis1974]

Hi...and to all who are in this same predicament,
I am on day 3 of tapering off approx. 10 lortabs per day. It is going well all things considered. The euphoria craving will only go away, I suspect, after you start working on yourself internally- mentally, spiritually etc to remove the bugs, so to speak. To find out why it is we NEED to have the euphoria all the time. To find out why we can't just live like normal people who are genuinely happy with moments of unhappiness. For me, I am a person with unhappy moments craving a happy one at any cost. So I think if I can start changing the things I loathe, the urge to find it in pseudo emotion will not be necessary. Good luck to all of you, and me as well. WE CAN.

[merrymaria]

my own personal story...i went cold turkey.  i could not taper cos i would eat them all.  i used my two week vacation to do this.  it sounds like you cannot do this.  some people detox over a long weekend if this is possible for you.  i smoked a little pot someone gave me on days 3 and 4.  i helped with the pain and depression somewhat...but not sleep.  that was the worst for me.  i take a sleeping pill now every night.  i just can t sleep unless i do and i don t feel they are that bad.  whatever you feel will help you...just do it.  it will be so worth it to get those pills out of your life.. i m here if you need me and good luck to ya.  keep the faith and keep posting...maria

[brook978]

so tomorrow I will start cutting down I am thinking of taking only 1 750 vic 4 times tomorrow instead of the 10 to twelve I take now........I am getting dangerously close to the end of my prescription I want to be thru all this soon.  Does it just prolong the agony if you just cut back on the pills?? Is it better to go ct?? I cannot do that and work, I am an accountant and I have to be able to think straight and communicate with people, I need input from people who have or are going thru this, tiger39 said the pot helps with wd does anyone else think so.......I would just use it to get thru the rough part..any thougts or suggestions would be appreciated very much.  Thank you all

[Tiger39]

Just an FYI -  Marijuana DOES help me with my w/d symptoms..... if I smoke a fair amount during the day, I can really get good sleep that night....Wish there was a pill you could take ONE time for w/d and you'd wake up and they'd be gone  - NOT rapid detox shot, tho.

[betterdays01]

Congrats on wanting to ween yourself.  I too was on 4(7.5s) 2 times a day for 2 years.  I have quit cold turkey, i have fallen off the wagon twice, but I still end up quitting.  Today is day 3 again of being clean.  I did find that when I was clean the longest it took 2 weeks for the stomach aches to subside, and the runs.  Anxiety is my worst enemy,  I knew that the mental addiction would stay,  I loved being high.  Still do, however I want to be able to feel normal again. and you will too.  Keep posting that has been my way of release.  Good luck to you, you will do great.

[Tuck24]

If I understand, your cutting out a dose by not taking the extra dose? Maybe take 3-7.5's at a time and take your four doses. See what I'm saying. That way it will stay in your system longer and you can still taper.

Wannabefree: Maybe she's not an addict...........Here is the quote from a pretty good ADDICTION SPECIALIST:

Dr. Drew: No gene, no addiction. You may become dependent on a drug and have withdrawal, but once you have completed withdrawal you will leave the drug and have no desire to return. Addicts don't do that, regardless of their wish or beliefs to the contrary.
Supposedly, they are working on tests that can detect the addictive gene and maybe it will work in the next 10 years.

[wannabefree330]

Regardless of if you have 'the gene' or not, once you are an addict you will always be one.  Whether you have just a habit or the gene does not matter once you finally have to face the issue that a chemical controls your life.  I come from a long line of family who has "the gene' (only way I know this is both my parents were heavy alcoholics, and their parents were too).  However, I don't blame my addiction and my choices to abuse pills on anyone but myself.  It is important to take and accept full responsibility for my own actions.

I think the aa will certainly help you.  Alcohol is not my doc, but I also attend mostly aa meetings.  The chemical we use (alcohol, pills, inhalants whatever) is only 10% of the issue.  The tip of the iceberg!  AA and such groups are great tools to learn the WHY of our disease.  Getting to the bottom of our emotions and past experiences we have not let go of or dealt with is the real key.  Get together with someone from the meeting and find out what worked for them.....how they did it.  Its also great to have a meeting to go to or someone to call when the urge to get high is sooooooo strong!!  as Flmagi said, as time goes on the craving of that euphoria does go away.  But every no and then will hit you when you least expect it.  Doesn't mean you have to use over it, just know it may come back.......know what to do when it happens..........and know it won't last very long.

[seekinghope]

Thank you all so very much. I am thinking about aa group (even though na is for me) my doc suggested aa over na for me for some reason, but anyway, this group i feel is just as supportive. Tuck24, I agree with so much that you have said. my mom & dad had no problems with drugs or alcohol. I do know my grandmother drank alot. But my younger brother was a herion addict and he is in jail right now but it took 3 shots in rehab for him to get clean. Is there a test to see if you have an addictive gene?? I almost feel like I have just developed a very bad habit like you said, and habits can be extremely hard to break especially when it's a craving for a euphoric feeling. Of course my body is physically addicted as I am going through the horrible dirreaha right now and slight depression and anxiety. The morning is the worst. At least I know the vitiman c is working and the magnesium is helping lots with the restless legs. Like I said, I have only cut out one dose so far per day and i should have tapered slower. Is it normal to go through these symptoms with cutting out 4 7.5's in a day but taking the other 2 doses??

[flmagi]

The depression may or may not go away. If it becomes to severe or lasts to long, go to the Doctor and get an anti depressant.
The cravings for the high is the hard part of recovery. The longer you're clean the less they will be, but can come on strong sometimes. You must learn to fight them and never be fooled when your mind tells you, you can take just a few. Never let your guard down, be prepared for situations where you may be faced with caving in to the cravings.
Being clean will be well worth all the effort you put into your recovery.
Good luck and stay strong.

[laurel453]

hi, welcome to the forum, you are not alone here, maybe because of the time it can take a little bit to get the answers but you'll get them, , this is normal but we read and care here, ok ? :)

pls, before taking anything like the 5htp or stuff concerning  serotonine, be sure you are not taking any ant9idepressant (SSRI ) i sort of remember from your other post that maybe you are taking them ? be careful in that case not to take both of them, go to the health pages ( thomas recipe / amino acids protocol and you can find there these warnings about mixing them with serotonine aminos ...) . You can also find there some  good advices about eating, exercising, etc, you could find helpful too )  and good luck, seekinghelp, it can be done sooo ... you can do it :) !!.

[snowflake620]

also try 5htp and L-theanine the 5htp will help tremendosly with your depression and the L-theanine is for your anxiety they can be bought at any wal-mart or GNC hang in there and stay away from the weed
   snowflake

[dominosarah]

Am glad to see you started your vitamins.........try and get some exercise too even if it means walking around your house........that will help with the depression.  The euphoric feeling you get from the pills will go away and will be replaced by a different feeling of being clean and just enjoying your new freedom.  It is alot of hard work but so worth it.  Keep posting and talk to us...........sara

brook978.............You will feel good again......you will actually feel better once you have stopped. Just leave the weed alone.......You both can do this.........sara

[Tuck24]

After 10 years of addiction to painkillers, I quit Methadone cold turkey and have been off of it for three months. Is it hard......yes. Can it be done....People do it everyday. For the depression, wait about two weeks clean and then get on an anti-depressant. They never worked for me before while I was taking narcotics because the narcotics overshadowed the effect of my zoloft, but this time .....wow.

Also, there are are two differnt kinds of people who take drugs:
1. Those who have the addiction gene, and are at greater risk. Does anyone in your family have an addiction?  and,

2. Those who just have a habit. You can break free of a habit.

Here is something Dr.Drew said:   You need to see a family history of alcoholism or addiction, i.e., a genetic predisposition.

Dr. Drew: The same gene or genes are responsible for all forms of addiction. Regardless of your manifestation of the addiction gene, you will have about a 50% probability of passing that on to your children. But remember, genes are not destiny, and what you are passing is the predisposition.
Dr. Drew: You don't have addiction if you don't have the gene. You can have bad habits and you can manifest abuse and you can hurt yourself. But you may not have the progressive disorder of addiction. Look carefully at your family history, however. There can be hidden clues: Were you adopted? Are your ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, Central Europe, or North American Indian?
Dr. Drew: No gene, no addiction. You may become dependent on a drug and have withdrawal, but once you have completed withdrawal you will leave the drug and have no desire to return. Addicts don't do that, regardless of their wish or beliefs to the contrary.

It gets better.......and I'm no religious phanatic, but do believe Jesus went through Hell to get to Heaven.

Hang in There!     Vance

[brook978]

I want to try to stop also.....I am scared though that I will never feel good again, has anyone tried smoking marijuana to help with wd symptoms?? does it word??