Help with Withdrawl

[CourtyB]

So I have been addicted to Tramadol and Lortab for a year and a half, taking 20-30 a day. I was actually calling them in for myself at my job. This past Thursday I was fired and arrested. I am now going through withdrawl and I need help to get through this. I'm so relieved this is over but this is the hard part I know. Please help me. Do you you think suboxone or methadone would help me?

[Pat1956100]

Hi there
What does your lawyer say?  Is it possible for you to enter a rehab?  It would be very beneficial to you as well as to your case, I think.
I am concerned about you going cold turkey off that amount of Tramadol.  How much Tramadol exactly were you taking per day?

[katmandu516]

Hello...and welcome to the forum. I really couldn't say anything better than that has been already posted.  If you start taking Methadone or subs, you will get addicted to them. And they are a beast to get off of compared to what you were taking. I am an opiate addict, been clean 57 days today. But have no experience with Meth or subs, except what people post on here.  They say the w/d is 100 times worse than the other stuff you were on. I agree with Phoenix, you are w/d right now. I would continue taking no other drugs and go c/t from here. Just read everything the Phoenix wrote and follow the steps to get clean.  We all did it, and it's not very comfortable, but it is so doable and you will feel better in a few days!!  Hang tough...keep going...and Keep posting and let us know how you are feeling so we can help you. Good luck and God Bless!!

[Whollymolythathurt]

Hi Courty - Like Phoenix mentioned methadone or suboxone will be harder to come off of.  I too have no experience but have read hundreds of posts here that state this.  The longer you read and stick around the more you will learn.  I'm sure someone with experience will post very soon.  The people here are great and the information & support they offer are invaluable.  

The physical withdrawals are no fun I won't lie & then the mental aspect will take a bit longer to overcome.  This is where I'm at in my journey.  Once at this point you may want to start looking into AA/NA but I'm guessing it will be done for you with the arrest.  

You have found a great support forum here.  Good luck and keep us posted.  Even if it's just to blow off some steam by all means post.

[ThePhoenix75]

hello and welcome. I am sorry to hear of your story, sounds like it was quite a rock bottom moment for you.

Are you ready to get clean and stay clean?  If you are, it would be the best gift you can give yourself.  If you are, you are in the right place.  We are all addicts on this forum and have a weath of knowledge to share.

The one thing I would not recommend is suboxone or methadone.  The bottom line is that you are going to go through wd at some point, and it sounds like you are already there and have made some progress.  If you were to take methadone or subs, it would only postpone that withdrawal process, and make it much much MUCH worse when you do go through it.  Tramadol and Lortab wd's are difficult, but they are a cakewalk (I've heard) compared to subs or methadone.  The reason is because the half-life, or amount of time it takes for the drug to be metabolized by the body, is much longer for subs and methadone. The longer the half-life, the longer the withdrawal.  The longer the withdrawal, the more misery you will be in.

Soooooo, I suggest you make the best of this situation and look at it as an "aha" moment!!  There ARE ways to make you detox more comortable.  If you look at the bottom of the page, you will see a link to the Thomas Recipe.  Most people find the supplements on this page to be invaluable.  If I were you, I would go to the store (or see if someone can do it for you) and get:

Immodium-- you will def have stomach issues and some people claim this helps with the wd's as well

Emergen C-- loads you up with vitamins esp. C and helps keep you hydrated because it is mixed with water

calcium / magnesium / Zinc--helps with the restless legs and body aches

melatonin and or valerian--you will need some help with sleep

epsom salts--dump a cup or two of these into a hot bath and sit there.  the magnesium in epsom salt helps soak through the skin and provides relief to the muscles etc (same reason we suggest calcium, magnesium and zinc)

lots of gatorade, soup, crackers, protein shakes, anything to help keep you hydrated,  if you get dehydrated, you will def notice you feel much worse.

This is just a short list, there is ALOT more you can do if you are interested.  Please keep posting and let us know how it is going.

Phoenix