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Hyrocodone Withdrawal Cure

FYI - I haven't read all the posts but my hydrocodone addiction started with treatment for migraine headaches that would put me in the ER. Turns out I have an underlying anxiety disorder and started abusing the hydrocodone to smooth out the mini anxiety attacks. When I got to the point that I was taking 30 10/650s in less than a week, I knew it was time to get help. A psychiatrist put me on Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, and Lithium. A pain specialist gave me Suboxone. Talk about a miracle drug! No withdrawal symptoms at all, and the other drugs kept me from being depressed, anxious, quick to cycle through emotions. I've done well for two years but recently realized I was using too much hydro again. I've got an appointment to get some more Suboxone. I get migraines once or twice a week so there is no way around the hydro. At one point I was on the oxycontin lollipops but those are no longer allowed for non-cancer patients. There is no getting around the fact that I am building a tolerance and must take at least four oxy at the onset of a migraine. Yes, I've seen a neurologist and have been looking for another migraine cure for at least 5 years. In the end I know that a hysterectomy will be my solution, but at 43, I'm not yet ready to go that far. My point is - go see a pain/addiction specialist and get Suboxone. No withdrawal symptoms and one week to being off your pain meds.
14 Responses
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684676 tn?1503186663
i think it would depend on if it was suboxone or subutex  , whether or not hydro would cause percip WD. as suboxone has naltrexone mixed in it.
Helpful - 0
1449909 tn?1289444859
i know that i started using hyrdos for headaches but i know that after using them for a little while your body gets too used to having them and start causing headaches its like a minor wd before your body actually becomes addicted people shuold take that as a warning sign first offf and another thing i know what you mean about nothing working for headaches i was in a horrible car accident and have a severe closed head injury and have spinal fluid leaking into my sinuses which causes even worse,more painful headaches but i also know that narcotics dont actually work for daily headaches or migraines,you're dr should be trying other options while you are still on these medicines because before you know it even if you werent an addict these pills have a way of grabbing everyone in,the physical change your body goes through when it doesnt have them anymore is enough to make you pick up another pill when you dont need one,and if you are either taking hydros or subs  daily than your body is probably more addicted than you realize,and if not i highly highly suggest that you find another option before you too ar sadly on this forum for the same reason the rest of are,for how hard it is coming off this crazy opiate stuff that has ruined our life
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Good advice. I am on day 39 clean. I am taking Suboxone and it sure is working for me.  Good luck all one day at a time. Deb
Helpful - 0
1320573 tn?1284658781
i too have severe migrane headaches- i was put in imitrex injectible pen, which worked wonders, until i was using it so frequently that it caused rebound headaches. then i found this miracle pill called maxalt. its amazing. ask your dr about it.
Helpful - 0
1427544 tn?1285013857
i've had migraines since i was around the age of 6....the doctor put me on every med. that was out there!!! this is how i got hooked on prescription pain pills! but i will tell you..hydro will give you headaches..and subs will give you even worse headaches! will it did me...narcotics are not for migraines...you should prolly really talk with another doctor about different options for pain...just saying..and i dont mean   to offend you in anyway.. believe me...i know what ur going through...i never thought i would be addictied...but it happened! and now iam paying for it...not saying you are but be careful..have a good day  
Helpful - 0
1427544 tn?1285013857
i've had migraines since i was around the age of 6....the doctor put me on every med. that was out there!!! this is how i got hooked on prescription pain pills! but i will tell you..hydro will give you headaches..and subs will give you even worse headaches! will it did me...narcotics are not for migraines...you should prolly really talk with another doctor about different options for pain...just saying..and i dont mean   to offend you in anyway.. believe me...i know what ur going through...i never thought i would be addictied...but it happened! and now iam paying for it...not saying you are but be careful..have a good day  
Helpful - 0
1427544 tn?1285013857
i've had migraines since i was around the age of 6....the doctor put me on every med. that was out there!!! this is how i got hooked on prescription pain pills! but i will tell you..hydro will give you headaches..and subs will give you even worse headaches! will it did me...narcotics are not for migraines...you should prolly really talk with another doctor about different options for pain...just saying..and i dont mean   to offend you in anyway.. believe me...i know what ur going through...i never thought i would be addictied...but it happened! and now iam paying for it...not saying you are but be careful..have a good day  
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
Sub isn't just used to treat addiction. It has been used in Europe for years to control pain. In lower doses it is used to treat pain. In higher doses it is used as an opiate blocker to treat addiction. I do agree that it could be dangerous mixing the vicodin and sub but maybe in lower doses it is okay to do so. Hopefully the prescribing doctor knows his stuff when it comes to mixing the two.

Brian
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
I can relate to what you are going through. I was the same way due to chronic back pain. There were days I could hardly even move and couldn't even play with my kids even if it was sitting on the floor just playing with toys. I was miserable both physically and emotionally. That is what ended up causing my addiction. I wasn't masking feelings or other things going on in my life, I was masking my pain. The pain was making me an emotional wreck. I knew why I was taking the pain meds, for complete pain relief so I could function. As my tolerance grew my use got out of control. At one point I was taking over 400mg of oxycodone a day. That's when I finally decided that I had to stop. I finally found other ways to manage my pain such as steroid injections, physical therapy, accupuncture, and non narcotic type meds.
If the suboxone is controlling your pain that is wonderful! Suboxone has a ceiling effect so even if for some reason you started abusing it it wouldn't do anything for you. In low doses it is used for pain control but in higher doses it is used for addiction, pretty much like you described.
I'm sure you know but taking suboxone too soon after a dose of vicodin it can throw you into precipitated withdrawals. I'm not sure how it would work if you already have suboxone in your system. Suboxone has a very long half life and will usually block any other opiate effect if you try and take one. I've never heard of a situation where someone was prescribed both vicodin and suboxone. I'm curious as to how this combination works. It may be a good way for an addict with chronic pain to manage their pain. Does the suboxone keep you from taking high amounts of vicodin? Does the suboxone keep cravings down even though you are taking vicodin also? I know as an addict if cravings hit and we do end up taking a vicodin we usually end up taking a handful. I also wonder how you are not thrown into precipitated withdrawals when taking suboxone so soon after a dose of vicodin. When you took your first dose of suboxone how long did you what after your last vicodin? I wonder if once you get the suboxone in your system if you will not have precipitated withdrawals even if combining the two? I'm sure you already know but just be careful. Lets say you go a 3 or 4 days without taking sub. Make sure you are having some withdrawal symptoms from the vicodin before taking the sub again. I've heard precipitated withdrawals are much worse than regular withdrawals.
Sorry for all the questions. I tend to get curious about things and love taking in new knowledge! I'm happy you found something that works for you. Not everyone that suffers from pain can go on with life without some sort of narcotic pain medication. I thought you were prescribed the suboxone to help you get off of the vicodin with you thinking you were just taking another pain med. In your situation you are being prescribed suboxone for pain. It is used all that often for a pain but is getting used more often everyday. When people hear the word suboxone the immediately think it was prescribed for addiction. Sorry for thinking that also and thank you for clearing it up. They are constantly researching new ways to control certain pains and I'm sure migraines are high on the list. Hopefully sometime in the near future they can find a cure for them. I wish they could find a cure for everything so we wouldn't have to mask our symptoms with a pill.
Like Vicki said, you should check out the pain management forum also but you are more than welcome to stick around here. I think anyone taking narcotic pain meds should poke in on addiction forums. Doing so may help someone to catch it before it becomes a problem. Medhelp may also have a migraine support forum. At the top of the page click on forums and it will bring up a list of all the different forums.
Best of luck to you and I'm so happy you found something that helps!

Brian
Helpful - 0
1428440 tn?1287390379
I agree with Vicki. Most of us here are trying to fight our addiction and admitting we are addicts. You  may not know it, but you just explained in detail the reasons why you are not an addict. That is the number one thing in addiction. Making excuses for using more and more, trying to convince someone you are not.

I will tell you that I take suboxone and I don't know how you are doing but you should not be mixing the hydro with it. If the same doctor prescribes both medicines, I would be looking for a new doctor. Even if 2 doctors prescribe are you tell both the truth about meds you are on. If the 2nd doctor is where you get hydro you better make sure you have a physician who is not trying to kill you. The suboxone is to go along with a recovering treatment plan and not only to use to keep the WD's at bay until you can get a hydro down. It is serious business and a serious drug that can kill people if not used according to Dr. instructions. There are so many things that you should not mix with the suboxone. Even certain antibiotics and some vitamin nutrients cannot be mixed with suboxone.

Giving advice that freely to a forum like this one when there are so many young ones here it not a good idea. There is no miracle drug for anything. I got addicted to pain killers for chronic pain and fibromyalga. They almost destroyed my life. I took them because I was in pain. Did you also know you can have rebound pain from just taking so many pills. I had days where I would use pain meds. for pain and end up having to take regular tylenol to get rid of the headache I got from the hydro.

There are other ways to control pain that are not narcotic and work well if you don't fool yourself that narcotic pain relievers is what it takes. An addict is and addict and always will be. Take you own advice and research more about suboxone, side effects, dangers, mixing it with certain drugs and most important find the intended use of suboxone.

I use my suboxone for drug recovery and attend NA meetings regularly. I am building a foundation for which to base my life on instead of continuing to destroy my life and my health. I too did not think I would be addicted at 51, but guess what I am.

I am sorry about your pain and wish you luck in finding a cure for them. But please do not let this condition to continue, it will end up destroying you.

Best of Luck
   Janet
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I understand now.  You don't have a question. You are sharing information about using Sub as a pain reliever.

Most here are desperately trying to stop using or are now clean from addicting substances.

You may be better served over on the pain management forum.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Clarification:
1) It took one week to be off hydrocodone completely. I was off for about 2 months, then started taking hydro again, but only as needed.
2) I DO NOT take hydro and suboxone together! I take them at least 8 hours apart. I first try the subx and if it doesn't work, then 8-10 hours later take the hydro.
3) I know there are other migraine cures, but nothing has worked for me. And my family is fed up of having a non-present mom who is in her room lying down with a headache...again. And I'm tired of going to the doc in search of the cure. After two years I think my husband and kids were right to be frustrated. So I go with what works, addicting though it may be.
4) I don't take subxn every day so I'm not in danger of becoming addicted to it. Plus, it doesn't make me high - it knocks me out. I use it sparingly. And I was told that more than 8 mg causes it to cancel its own narcotic effect, so abusing it is difficult.
5) I never did addiction meetings, etc because I know why I take too much. A couple of mean migraines that put me in the ER and I get twitchy. Every little pain I throw hydro at. Just in case - to head off a biggie. Suddenly I realize that I am going through 30 pills a week, so it's time to pull back. In my case it isn't about addiction because I like getting high - it's fear of debilitating pain and the disgusted/fed up faces of my family because I'm not available to do the things they need from me.
Thanks for the concern and I hope I've cleared things up.
Helpful - 0
1047946 tn?1332608029
Suboxone can be a great alternative for some addicts to help get them out of their addictive behaviors. But before starting suboxone everyone needs to make sure they are educated on it. If you would take 30 hydros in a week that is about 4 a day. Withdrawals from the suboxone will be much worse than 4 hydros a day. I'm not saying that the suboxone is a poor treatment plan but not sure if you realize the effects sub has on someone. It is also an opiate, a very strong one in fact and that's the reason you are not having withdrawals. Sub isn't just a pill but a program. You need to spend this time while on sub going to na meeints, an addiction specialist, etc. Get to the bottom of why you were using. It may seem like a miracle pill because you are not having withdrawals now but once you try and get off the suboxone you will probably have some withdrawals. Just type in suboxone in a search and read about. Like I said, I'm not saying it's a poor choice but you need to educate yourself on it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi~  So,you've been off the hydro for a week?   You took hydro AND Suboxone before?

I would not take anything right now and get back to the neurologist for an evaluation for
your headaches. There are non narcotic,very effective meds for Migraine.  Also,the more hydro you take,the more frequent the headaches. It has a rebound effect.

Good luck~
Helpful - 0
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