I need help im new to here an need advice!!!

[roxielee488]

I been taking hydrocodone 10/350mg  8 pills a day for a year an i want to get off of them an i dont know where to start can someone please help me!!! what way works best to stop taling this pills without it being noticable to my family??

[IwillDoThis]

HA HA posers!  that made me laugh!

[littlebit667]

I had to go cold turkey..never had the strength to taper..tapering is good if you can do it.  You will still have some withdrawals, but probably not as much as cold turkey did for me.  The trick with taper is to give your body a chance to get used to the new dosage....slow and methodical seems to work for those that can do it.  Medically, we are not doctors so one thing to try is to tell your doctor (I got my pills from my dr.) and together we worked on a plan. I had already cold turkeyed by then, but she gave me some supportive non addictive meds that helped at lot.  I had tried before, but did not tell her and I relapsed twice.  By telling her, I was effectively cutting my supply off.  One thing to consider.  Otherwise, if getting them off friends or the street....cut the ties....block their numbers.  

I kept telling myself...YOU HAVE the FLU!  It will be over and I will feel so much better.  My brain seemed to get that and settled down a little.  It is hard, but doable!  The Thomas Recipe (bottom of the page) under Health Pages will help.  I did not to the tranquilizers and had to cut back on the Ltryosine, but the rest really helped.  Imodium, Imodium, Imodium (liquid or pills if the liquid can't be found or you can't swallow it) will help.  I took double the dosage for a few days (personal choice) and it helped so much..even with the withdrawals in general and the opiate trots which sucked.  

Hydrate and eat! ((gatorade is good) Even if it is just a little every hour or so.(boost or ensure might work for both food and drink)  You have to eat something to keep your energy up as much as possible.  

If you have Restless legs..it is hit or miss what works.  Walking seemed to help me some.  Hot bath with epsom salts..a little.  I finally had to get my doctor to refill my restless legs meds (non addictive) to get some sleep.  If nothing works,your doctor might help.  Benedryl or OTC Alteril helps some with sleep issues and you will have them.

One hour at a time is all anyone can ask.  After 2 weeks it gets a little better and I started to say, One day at a time!  Your brain will do all sorts of things to get you to take a pill.  I found if I was hungry..the cravings got worse.  I would try to eat a banana, a few grapes or a few crackers to get that under control.

The hardest part comes after the detox.  Your brain will be all over the place and will try to get you back on the pills...It is having to work and not depend on the pills to help.  

Good for you.  I hope all goes well.  You have made a good start coming here....this site has helped me so much!!!  Keep posting!!!!!

[LostNoMore]

"Posters"  LOL! We are NOT posers!

[LostNoMore]

Hi. The above posers have given you excellent advice. I was right where you are in January, now I'm almost 4 months clean. Your daily dose and length of use are very close to mine. I tried a taper, with little success. I quit CT and the withdrawals were no fun but like Iwill says, like a really bad flu. Day 4 was the worst. After that, it started to get better. One thing more; The FEAR of WDs was so much worse than the actual withdrawal. I was a nervous wreck thinking about how bad it would be. Make a decision that you're going to get clean no matter what and you will succeed. We can help you with minimizing the physical WDs and support you with encouragement and love. We are in this together. That's what this forum is all about. We help each other stay clean one day at a time. Take care and keep posting.

[minn66]

Hi and welcome. I was taking five to seven Lortab 10's a day. After trying to taper (did okay for a while), I finally quit cold turkey back in November. You've already been given excellent advice, just wanted to offer encouragement and support and let you know that yes, it can be done. Posting here has helped me get through many a rough day. I hope you stick around.

Best wishes,

Minn :)

[IwillDoThis]

Hi Roxie and welcome.

I'm over 100 days now hydro free and was taking less than you but for a much longer period of time.

I tapered down my daily dose until I got down to 1 per day (over a period of about two weeks) and then I stopped.  Within about 16 hours after my last pill I was in withdrawal.  You are going to be sick there is really no way around it but perhaps you can just let them think you have the flu.

Honestly if you are prescribed these pills for pain you can just explain to them that your body is dependent on the medication which happens to EVERYONE.  Are you addicted or just physically dependent?

I always think being honest with loved ones is important as if you are addicted secrets keep you sick but if you must just let them think you have the flu.

Get yourself some immodium, gatorade as you will need to hydrate and stop the diarhhea.  I took lots of hot showers and you can also check out the Thomas Recipe which you'll find by scrolling down this page and looking at "Most Viewed Health Links" in the right hand column of this forum - some say that helps.

The only way through opiate addiction/dependence is straight through it.

How will you be managing your pain when you get off them?  Having a plan will help.

Days 2 & 3 are usually the worst but you will feel horrible a good 5 days.  You could function if you had to probably by day 4 but it would be rough going.  After that the mental stuff can surprise a lot of people so be prepared.

It would help to know some of the questions I asked above to give you specific advice for your situation - addicted or dependent? Pain patient?

[IBKleen]

Hi & Welcome,

Congratulations on wanting to stop the pills. You can stop by trying to taper down and jump or you can just stop providing you don't have any other medical problems that you have not mentioned. Having said that, know that tapering is hard and it leaves a lot of room for temptation. It is always best done with a good solid plan in place and someone to hold the pills for you. It is also going to be difficult to hide this from the family. You will experience flu like symptoms for the first 5 or so days and unless you flat out lie about it, it will be hard to hide.

Let us know what you decide and we can recommend some natural supplements and such that can help ease the process.

Keep posting!