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KICKING OXYCONTIN & HEROIN ADDICTION COLD TURKEY

hello all. this is my first post on here. i am trying to kick an oxy/heroin addiction. today is day one. i feel like i have to do it cold turkey and none of this methadone **** and weening yourself off. that dosent work. i feel as if it just prolongs the inevitable. i have been hooked on oxys for about 2 yrs and just started sniffing heroin.... BLAH BLAH BLAH
we have heard it all, anyways... what do you think of going cold turkey? should i try the thomas recipe? i am hoping to find some support. i havent taken oxys in about a week but i have been using heroin(sniffing). i think the oxys are out of my system. is it easier to withdrawal from oxys or heroin? i have withdrawn from oxys, not by choice, and it was hard the very first day. it seems as if the heroin hasnt been that bad the WD that is. who am i kidding its only day one.
25 Responses
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960021 tn?1270662682
Posting to the forums is definately the first step to recovery, and you're not going to regret it either.. Today, I'm 15 days sober from Percocet and I owe it all to this forum. You can do this CT, but if it gets to the point where you feel like you can not do it alone, then please go see a doctor. I did mine CT and it wasn't a breeze, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, either.

Keep posting here on the forums, it helps out more than you'd think. The more you post, the more your mind is preoccupied with something else other than going back to the drugs. If you need someone to talk to, just let me know!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Not true on weening it does work, I weened off oxy's 120mg a day to 0 in 3 months without a shake a tremer or nothing. Anything will work if your committed enough. Weening is the way to go if you have the will power. I am 35 days clean and no cravings, no nothing..like a child i am clean and free.
Helpful - 0
942290 tn?1252618549
depends on how strong willed you are.  most have had the best luck tapering. but I have gone total CT on methadone/opioids, and it was pretty #$@% rough.

the big question is are you %100 determined to quit for good?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
yeah i started posting hear a while ago and im coming up on a year clean, my drug of choice was the same i did the oxy's and than i got into sniffing dope i couldnt do it cold turkey never worked for me..... what worked for me was checking into a detox/rehab and going to NA meetings after i got out and forgetinng al the excuses like "oh i have a job" "o this o o that" bottom line you will die if you continue to use heroin. i can only share my experience ive been where you are and now i have a year clean. Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!
Helpful - 0
980052 tn?1262967079
I do not believe we addicts can quit "cold turkey" there is always the option of using when the wd's get really bad (which they will). My experience of kicking oxy's and dope are the oxy's were more painful but anytime I did it alone by day 3 I was using to feel better! I am now over 60 days clean off shooting dope and feel great really positive and on the right track. i did a 30 day residential treatment by choice and couldn't be happier! wish you the best hang in there or check in somewhere then you never have to do this AGAIN!!
Helpful - 0
1065045 tn?1272462838
I'm quitting Oxy's and have been weaning off for about two weeks now. I've been on & off (on more than off) over the course of about a year. It's still gonna be tuff though as I'm around 50mgs/day. This weekend I have a date with Satan and I'm totally not looking forward to it.
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Avatar universal
my wife and i came off a 13yr heroin addiction c/t after a few attempts but only after we found this site i know everyonre is different but tapering never worked for us it only delayed the inevitable but as i say everyone is different and coming off heroin is like going toe to toe with the devil and believe me we did it was horriffic there is no point in trying to make it sound easier than it is coz it isnt with heroin you have to change everything your circle of friends the lot we moved house and had to lose a lot of friends but it was the only way or we would probably have died we smoked heroin but its all the same when you go into w/d we used the thomas recipe and had some valium and loads of help from everyone on mh i had friends here who sat up all night with me as sleep was something that took a long time to come but it is worth it in the end i think you can do this but you must be 100% dedicated to doing it or it wont work i found that out over the years i believe you can do this keep posting i wish you the best off luck as life is great after heroin we can taste smell feel everything which we couldnt before i wish you all the best
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Avatar universal
I am worried sick about my nephew.  He has a dr. In Florida prescribing him 300 tabs of oxycontin(per month), methadone and valium.  My nephew says the dr. fills the prescriptions at his office.  Is this even legal?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i just quit ct off oxys im on day 5.  first 3 sucked but i kept busy and man did that ever help.  i went to work i worked out i walked i did it all and the day went by so fast.  just sitting in your house starting at the clock pasing around just kills you.  this site is amazing.  when imj home im on here.  but you can do it.  get out keep your mind off  it.  youll feel like **** but when you get out it all goes away.  it wont be as bad as you think.
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Avatar universal
Me and my boyfriend started shooting dope about 1 and 1/2 ago. We have talked about quiting the ENTIRE time. I had attempted to just quit one time and one time only. I just went to my moms house said I have the flu and need help. I ended up right back where i started the very NEXT day. The sad thing was, when i got my fix that next day you would think i was depressed that i didnt do it, no i had never been so relieved. At that time i was not 100% dedicaded to kickin it. It is now about 5 months later and I finally decided it was time for me. I am now 100% committed to this now, I have told my family (which is very important that you have a supportive group of ppl who have seen you how sick you are for wds), and have cut ties with all friends and the boyfriend who continue to use. I tried to quit at home with my boyfriend, the 1st two days (which day one i took 60mg, of liquid methadone, day 2 15mg of methadone) but it wasnt enough to fight the mental urge to just get high, which i did not have until i watched the boyfriend walk in to the bathroom with the "plate n spoon". I hit my low when i though a tempere tantrum like a little kid for him to just give me some. mind you i was not a bit sick, well day one he gave in and just gave it to me, i didn't even feel it, its hard to (i hear) when your on methadone. I finally just had to come to terms that i had to cut all users/sellers out of my life, if i really wanted to quit. I found the Thomas Recipe, i cut out the valuim and klonopin (i didnt feel i needed them, just used the herb Valerian) and stuck to just all the herbs and supplements. Today is day 8 and i feel better then i have in nearly two years. No one asks me if im sick, or tired anymore. I am slowly regaining my identity. Its still early for me too. Just do what you think you need to do and really stick to your guns and stay as busy as POSSIBLE, EXCERSIZE everyday. Excersize helps so much with the leg pain. Which for me was very intense in my w/d. So I started out with day 1 a good size dose of methadone, then day 2 3/4 less than day 1 (day 2 was the only day i experienced w/d symptoms!), day 3 started the "my version" Thomas Recepie, and have fallowed that and daily walks, and just forcing myself to get outta bed and start moving, but i've done it now for EIGHT days! Good luck, and never give up!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went cold turkey 35 days ago from Oxy ..  250mg one day, went cold turkey the next ..
I may have tried tapering, but I never thought about it ..

I had 10 years of abuse stacked up and the detox was really rough.. People talk about working on day 2-4, I could not walk.. It took 10 minutes each morning to unclench my hands and feet..

I had " nightmares" that haunted me for a week afterward's.. I was told that your brain knows your deepest fears, so I should accept the idea that your brain would use that against you . .

Its been a powerful experience.. one I will never forget.. On day 4, I was treated for high blood pressure, 161 / 112..  I was checked daily for 2 weeks .. today its 110/85..  

My councilor said that Oxy is especially rough because it has some slow release qualities.. so your technically high 24/7 when using .. No idea other than that..

I can tell you that the decision I made was to either end up in the psych ward, or die.. but I would not use again..

The last 4 days have been hell.. P.A.W.S every day and black depression .. I have an empty tank where strength is concerned.. but I am still committed .. if tomorrow gets worse, which is possible, I am checking into the hospital..  



Helpful - 0
1015921 tn?1251709372
I kicked CT. It was pure hell. I felt like I had died and gone to hell.

I didn't sleep for 5 days. I puked, sh*t and crawled around on the floor to relieve the creepy crawlies. I watched the clock tick the minutes and it just moved so slow. The cravings were so overwhelming, I would hit the wall with my fist to distract myself with pain.

I hallucinated a vision where an Indian came to visit me and told me when I was done to hike down to the river. I emailed somebody about this and they almost called 911 on me.

On the fifth day, I went to the ER, because I really believed I was having a heart attack.

The doctor there basically chewed me a new one. He asked why I started using and I said I was "self medicating." He scoffed at that and said that was the first time he heard that one.

He said I probably wouldn't make it. Maybe I would but he doubted it.

Btw, my BP was 180/101. They gave me clonidine which helped for a few hours.

The friend who took me told me the doctor was just being confrontational to put some fight back in me because I was so whipped at that point.

It worked because he made me mad as hell and determined to do it.

Exercising was not an option. I walked my dogs twice a day. I felt like I was in some dream world and so weak and feeble that I literally staggered around like a drunk.

Around the 7th day I was able to eat a bowl of soup. A neighbor made it for me when she saw me walking dogs. All she could say was "Oh honey, look at you" over and over. And that was the turn around.

At one point I was googling "visions from Indians" or something. I found this Indian prayer.

My help is in the mountain
Where I take myself to heal the earthly wounds
That people give to me.
I find a rock with sun on it and a stream where water runs gently and trees,
which one by one give me company.

So must I stay for a long time until I have grown from the rock
And the stream is running through me.
And I cannot tell myself from one tall tree
Then I know that nothing touches me
Nor makes me run away
My help is in the mountain that I take with me

When it was over, I did hike down to the river. I sat on on a rock outcrop for an hour in the middle of the deep forest. I took the mountain with me.

The severity of withdrawal depends on the drug, the amount and the length of time. I'm glad some people can go to work and meetings and all. I couldn't get off the floor myself.

It can be very, very bad. People need to know that going in.

199 days clean.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Everyone is different. Going cold turkey can be dangerous though. I'm on 200-260mg per day and I tried going cold turkey while using clonidine. I didn't even make it through 24 hours, and I was in a treatment facility. I'm 19 and have been on oxy for 2 years. One thing that I'm trying now, is a monitored methadone tapering program. What happens is, you stay on your normal dose until the day before, then you go cold turkey for 12-24 hours to let the oxy start to leave your system, then the following day start methadone. What will happen, is they will match your methadone dose to the dose of oxycontin (there's a formula to figure it out). Every day they cut down the dose of methadone by a certain amount (it varies depending on the dosage) until the final day you will be off the methadone and be completely clean and sober from the oxys and methadone. Methadone works as a synthetic opioid, so it functions in your brain the same way heroin and oxycontin, but without the high. It will prevent the first stage of acute withdrawal, which is always the hardest. The inevitable muscle pain, spasms and contractions. For me that was the worst. I couldn't sit or lie down for more than a few seconds without having to thrash around, which helps while you do so, but as soon as you calm down it comes back. The methadone prevents that acute first stage, and makes it a lot more comfortable. With the methadone tapering program, it minimizes the withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, pain, diarrhea, vomiting, restless legs, insomnia, hot/cold flashes, the shakes, and everything else that comes with it. In some cases, if the dose is high enough, and administered properly, it's possible to experience a very comfortable withdrawal, with little to no symptoms. Everyone is different, and will have a different experience when they withdraw from the oxycontin. Doing the methadone taper, you get the help from the methadone, but when you're done the oxy withdraw, you're also tapered off and withdrawn from the methadone as well, and you walk out clean. For my age, I'm on a high dose of oxycontin, and the methadone tapering program, for me, will take only 8 days. It's strongly recommended by doctors and drug counsellors, that oxycontin patients do this methadone tapering treatment. It was originally designed for us. It's possible to self administer your methadone and taper yourself off at home, but it's risky because you may want to take more to get rid of any withdrawal symptoms you have and that gets dangerous, because if you use up your methadone dose before you're scheduled to get more, you're actually not allowed to get more and you have to wait and go cold turkey on methadone as well, until the next chance you get to obtain the methadone. If this happens, be prepared for hell. Methadone withdrawal is the worst possible experience. It's worse than meth, heroin, crack, morphine, or anything out there. Nothing compares. So i'd strongly advise to go in, and find a treatment center to monitor you and administer the methadone for you. If we had the self control to not take more methadone than we should, then we wouldn't be addicted to drugs to begin with. Sometimes it's not our choice. Mine was because of pain that I became addicted. I can't do this alone. Not many people can. Methadone tapering is truly amazing and is saving my life. I strongly suggest you oxycontin addicts to consider it. It will be the best choice of your life. Good luck to all of you, I wish everyone the best in their recoveries.
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1316708 tn?1310916182
Well Hello this is Only my 3rd day on this site but I have to say everyone seems Really Nice and I went Cold Turkey 8 days ago going off of Methadone been on pain pills for 8 years from when I got Cancer the first time and then I just kept in pain but the doctors never could tell me why I hurt so bad well anyway I like you said we all have are reason but it comes down to the same thing, Getting off the Crap.. I just got done Kicking Cancer *** 2 times now and I'm turning 45 this week and I can kick this also , If you want to talk just write and I'm with you..Good Luck.....Ladyrhea4
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Avatar universal
my fiance has been using for probably 3 years now. hes been in rehab, and went right back into it.  he uses oxys constantly.  he lies to me, leaves me and the baby to get drugs, and spends all our paychecks in 2 days...what do i do?? help me i love him n want to help him, but he won'tstop no matter how much he says he will...any advice??
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Avatar universal
Today was an eye opening day.. My 19 yr son told me he was using heroin.. Wow He just started college in a town 60 miles from me and lives with his dad.  whom he has lived with less than a yr. He is asking me not to tell his dad because he wants to stay in school and try to kick cold turkey... Is there any advise for me... Help
Helpful - 0
185545 tn?1331074866
Hi Kelliejones. This is an old thread. You might find that beginning your own thread may glean more responses. I have to go out so i don t have time to really consider an appropriate reply. Hang in there and im sure if you start a thread of your own you should get some helpful advise.

Take care. Regards Jeremy.
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Avatar universal
being a herion addict for a good 6+ years of my life

i can say that quitting cold turkey isnt an option for hardcore users.

ive had multiple friends die from it, and have saved some from near death because of it.

sure you can quit cold turkey only after a bit of using....but after doing it repeatedly each day for the past 6+ years---plus opiate prescriptions---oxy 10x a day for 6 years on top of herion---plus all the morphine i could want and have...

i can say that quitting cold turkey is a deathwish.


ive tried it and ended up in the ER with my heart going from 40 to 130
in seconds flat

i also lost conciousness and hit my head on the kitchen counter---knocked me out---thank god my neighbor heard the thud as i hit the floor and got the landlord to come knocking and enter.

ive tried cold turkey many a time...and for someone with chronic nerve pain and a nuerological disease as well as a big addiction problem...

cold turkey just isnt possible.
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Avatar universal
being a herion addict for the past 6+ years of my life...along with perscription oxies--10x a day with morphine

i can say for heavy users...it is not possible to quit cold turkey....

sure you can quit after just starting something---but after shooting it everyday for the last 6+years---along with taking rx's on top of that

it is not possible to do. period. you'll die.

i tried it and ended up in the ER with my heart rate going from 30 to 140 in seconds....i passed out, hit my head on the kitchen counter and was saved thanks to my neighbor

hearing the thud of my body hitting the floor....so he got the landlord to investigate...

living alone, i would have probably died unconcious there.

ive had friends die from trying it, and have saved some from going into seizures over the withdrawals.

as a person with chronic nerve pain, and a nuerological disease---i can say it is not possible for me.

it will never be. and for most heavy users like me....its not an option either.
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Avatar universal
Hi,
My bestfriend has an oxy addiction. What I have exsperienced with her and her boyfriend was nothing in my wildest dreams I could imagine. She is 7 days clean, after using 160mg a day sniffing. I never had anyone talk to me the way she did and I know it wasn't her. like some of you have said, demons. Yes, i fully undersand. You brought tears to my eyes. What you descirbed is how she felt and is feeling. I'm trying to hang in there but it is so discouraging...... one minute shes good, the next she wants a ******* pill. We won't give in to her. Today was a good day. we went christmas shopping. I'm afarid for when she wakes up. She is doing this cold turkey..... please can you offer advice....... I don't want ot loose her to this, but I told her, if she goes back call me when shes done....cause i won't stand by.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

I'm not an addict. But my close friend is on oxy. He was recently exposed to his family after hiding it for 7 yrs. I'm estimating he has spent over 100000 for the pills in this time. His daily intake has been, as he has recently told me, 10-80mg a day.  Maybe more, as he makes good money and is ALWAYS broke.

He has told his family that he is quitting. Weaning I guess is the word. But I don't see any difference. I guess my question is... How strong is the addiction? Is this something that his family should be much more worried about?  I recommended immediate rehab, a la intervention, but they have resisted. Any info from other users, or former users is a great help.

Thx
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
im only 40 mg of oxycontin how hard will it be to quit cold turkey with only taking one a day
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Avatar universal
I need help getting off of sniffing heroin!! I do it like every other day and I can go a day without it feeling "normal" but then the coldness kicks in and I have so much saliva to swallow it makes me sick and I don't want to do anything..I need help..I need someone to push me through this! I can't tell my family because they'll ridicule and judge me.. I've being doing it for a little less than a year.. I want to get off cold Turkey but don't know how :( in desperate need of help!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi welcome! This is a really old post. If you go to the top right  corner where it says 'post a question' then you can start your own thread. There are many here that have been exactly where you're at.
Helpful - 0
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