Please, Please! I need HELP!!! Don't skip this question!!!

[cris385]

I was doing a fast taper of vicodin.  I was taking approx 100-150 mgs a day !  ( omg! I Know).It was for less than 6 months and grew gradually into a 150 a day habit!   But last friday I began tapering by 5mgs a day!...  I know now that it was way to fast because I relapsed today big time, and took 140mgs today. I had a fight with my Fiance and 3 kids to keep up with along with working a 7 hour shift tonight... I was overwheled and weak and I caved! I have been crying for two hours because I am so upset with my self and my situation.  I was miserable with the creepy crawlies, lethargy, and stomach cramps for three days, it was getting better though!! Am I going to have the full blown wd's again. Im so upset and confused and I really need advice and answers!  Can I pick up where I left off in the morning, or am I going to be back in full blown wd's again! Please help me, I am scared and miserable, ashamed and afraid! I so badly need some reassurance, maybe a little motivation! Anything will help... PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ella789]

  This has been some of the best "reads" on this forum.  I can see myself in some of these posts and it is so very true.
  Thank God I am one of those who did succesfully tapper, it worked for me.  Like we all know, sooner or later we all will face the inevitable, the detox time, and it ain't fun, but it is doable.  Then we learn to live a life free and deal with the mental detox. Watch out for it, it will come too!!

Ella

[whipper]

The best advice I can think of and I am sure the best is to see your Dr.  The Dr can help you and its much safer.

Whipper

[beatingthis]

Ok I did the taper thing. I had a big Lortab problem. I was taking 12 or more.
10/325's Norco is the real name. I cut down the first week to 1 3 times a day and Yes I had w/d I did this for a week. Then went to 1 2 times a day for a week then 1 split in 1/2
for a week and then finally I went to just a 1/2 once a day for a week. Tapering is hard and you must want to do it! It worked for me and I am now 12 days clean. Nothing!
The will to stop one way or another is what drove me. As God is my witness I will never pick them up again. I get stronger everyday.
This board has been such a big help. It's up to you. How bad you want to it.
You can do it one way or another. Hope this helps.

T.

[cris385]

Thank you so much for all of your resposes!!  I will think a lot about all of your advice!  I have got to take care of the kiddos, and I have to work til 11:30  but I will be on later!!  Please keep posting!!!
Dezdon... I like your idea very much!!!!!!!

[CleanUpTime]

Well Said Vic Addict...I tried the "taper", even handed the bottle to my wife, but I always snuck around and found a way to get more...C/T is HORRIBLE, but only for the first fe days...I'm on day 11 and feeling a ZILLION times better than I did my first few days...

The first step in this entire process, you've already conquered; admitting you have a problem. That is a huge accomplishment...now, the next step, how to get and stay clean...

there are SO many great people on this site and every 1 is here and we can help you, step by step, day by day...

once the fog is lifted, you will feel SO much better!

Peace
CleanUpTime

[VicAddict26]

I thought I would share a little of my story with you, I gave up an addiction of about 300mg of hydro's daily 29 days ago,, I had tried the tapering and had a very big fear of w\d.. I didn't think I could make it through, I was forced into w\d many times but never by choice and it was terrible.. Then one day it clicked in my head that the only way to avoid w\d is to complete it, and I went off of them cold turkey, yes it's a hard process to go through but at some point you will meet that awful w\d if you are using,, And my fear of ever feeling like I do in w\d is enough to make me want to continue this journey towards sobriety,, the other side of addiction is so much clearer.. yes it's a battle and yes it's hard but it will only make you stronger for having indured it,,, I also used my kids and job as an excuse to keep using because I didn't see how I could go through the process of w\d and maintain my life,, I found a way by not letting the drugs win.. I worked and took care of my kids to the best of my abilities through the entire process of w\d, because I didn't have an alternative and I wanted these pills out of my life, I learned more about addiction, I figured out what my triggers were and how I would avoid them, I figured out what vitamins would best work for me, and I found the support that I needed to make it through this time.. Anybody can give up these pills, it's if you're willing to make that game plan of what is going to work for you, It does get easier, but there are still battles to be won with addiction for a long time,, I hope that this helps in some way, and good luck fighting the good fight..

[mtgoat911]

when you started you taper plan, did you write it down, figure out how many you would take each day, and what time you would take them
in an inpatient setting, patients are given a certain dose and a certain time
your home is not a controlled envioronment which makes it hard to taper, and when you are in a facility you do not have the addded pressure, you may have to take time off, and allow your spouse complete controll over your meds
i would love to see everyone who comes here to detox find professional health, but thats not a realistic expectation, 20 yrs ago it was so easy to find tx, now insurance companies are saying no, and state mental health budgets are too low for proper tx
so people are detoxing at home, but like so many others have said, home tapers do not work for everyone
i can send you more info on calculating a plan, and a list of nonnarcotic comfort meds

[outotown]

When i would run out of pain meds before refill date and go into w/ds when i got my refill i would be opening the bottle going out the door of my pharmecy and would take like 3 or 4 and every month i would run out sooner and sooner i think maybe that is what helps build up your tolerance, and every month the w/ds got worse. I guess what im getting at is i could not taper with my DOC. and everytime i went into w/ds and fixed it with my DOC next time was always worse. Please try and get some help wiyh this, you can beat this many of us have Goog Luck

[Dezdon]

Tapering takes special strenth,determination, and willpower. Not too many people can pull it off to be honest. Especialy tapering off with your DOC (drug of choice). When i used to need to taper, I would have to switch to a drug of lessor strenth and not my DOC. Im not recomeding drugs, this was just my experieince.
  What I did to taper was,Get in the mind frame of doing a sucessful taper. Wait and only take a dose when you feel a true symptom of w/d coming on. Make sure its a true symptom and not just a craving in your head. Then, you only take one pill. Wait 30minuets, are you comfprtable or still w/d'ing? If your still w/ding take ONE more. And wait. Do not take anymore pills till you feel another bonified w/d symptom coming on. It should be at least 4-6 hours at first (a regular prescribed dose) Then do it all over again, only take one pill and wait 30 minuets. If your ok, dont take another, then wait again. The idea here is to let the dose in your body gradualy disapate and not be loading it up with opiates over and over. You will notice over time, a few days, your need for a pill will become further apart (hours) and you will need to take less when you do need a pill. Soon, you can get by with just one pill for many, many hours. Keep doing this until your down to one pill in the morning and maybe one at night. Then start to 1/2 the pills. Soon, a 1/2 pill a day. And then jump.
  At night time, keep one or two pills all by them selves next to your bed, nitestand. The idea here is that if you wake in w/d's you only touch one or two pills, your not touching the entire inventory and tempted to take extra dose. Alos, try to take your last pill of the day right at bedtime, to hopefully get all the way through the night. Thats when you become the most frustrated and the tempted to cheat as you want sleep so bad and am willing to do anything for it in that mind set.
  If you have a prescription waiting to be refilled or a dealer on speed dial, this wont work. The temptation is too great.
  You have to be in the mind set of tapering. Its mandatory. If your still chasing the high, forget it, it wil never work and you WILL cheat. You have to understand and tell yourself, the parties over, these are for a taper. "I dont want to be in full blown w/d's". And if you dont taper, you will be in w/ds. Do you want very mild w/d every now and then for a short period of time, or do you want full blown w/ds curled up in a ball in total discomfort?    

[tommm70]

Have you sought professional help? They might be able to help with the detox.

Addiction as a disease will always be there, even if you quit. Even if you do make it through the physical w/d's, the emotional attachment (which many discount) will still be there, Stressful situations and triggers will keep it difficult to stay away.
I know you truly want to stop, I hated the w/d's, it was true misery. But I kept saying I would stop, go a couple of weeks, then go right back, and continue the cycle.

[finnda]

sometimes even worse thats what happen to me and the cravings are bad to

[cris385]

I know that about the tolerance.  I am asking about the wd's.  If some one qiuts for 3 days, and then relapses, do the withdrawls start all over again?

[finnda]

No matter what your tolerance will be the same It takes a long time for your toleance to drop im talking months

[cris385]

CT is so effin' miserable! I tried in Jan.  Plus I have ran out a couple of times and I know how it feels! have 3 kids and a job a big ole house to clean! Not to mention Laundry for a family of 5!  But like I asked, if I do continue to taper a little, am I back at square one??? Thank you so much for your prompt responses! I so needed someone to talk too!!!!!!

[finnda]

Sooner or later your going to have to quite tappering never worked for me just prolonged the process of quiting

[finnda]

I would say if your still getting high than your tolerance is probley less I never even got high when I was using 150-200 mgs  oxycodone

[cris385]

Kinda, but not every day. When I was tapering over the past few days I could go til 2 or 3 pm before I was feeling it.   10mgs per week sounds SO EXPENSIVE! I just want this to be over!  Thank you so much for answering me! Please keep posting I really really really really need it.,.. really!!!!!!
Some details...
I started using in october 08,  about 50 mgs a day, and my tolerance grew and hence formed an addiction!  So I know that there have been people worse off.  I know that I can do this.  I quit alcohol over 2 years ago, and ciggarettes 2 years ago as well.  Im just so ashamed and scared.

also Dave, the amount I am taking gets me "high" so is the amount I am addicted to less than that ?

[finnda]

If i were you I would taper 10 MG per week Do you wake up with morning WDs Dave