Pill popping?? Need to stop

[Elmijack15]

I've best posting on and off here for about 3 weeks and haven't run across any advice on how to get over the mental part that you need to take pills? How do you do that? Would therapy help? I'm tapering on suboxone so the narcotics aren't even on my mind, it's just that every 3 or 4 hours I feel like I need to take something!! I hate myself and get really down and now can't sleep all that good, so I told my doctor and he added an antidepressant and sleeping pills and it helps but again it's just more pills so I'm always looking at the time to see what I can take. Is this normal??
Thanks for any input/advice!

[scaredmommy2005]

First thing you NEVER need to apoligize to any of us. We are here to help others like somebody helped us. Now does any doctor know all of the medication you are taking? The reason I ask is because of drug interactions. I dont want anything bad to happen to you. Another thing it is great you have a goal your goal is to taper your subs and you are doing that. Keep going with that as seeing how that is the first one you want off of. As for sleeping have you ever tried a natural sleep aid? I take melatonin and it works better for me then lunesta did ( but that is just me everybody is different). Are all your medications perscribed to you? I only ask because again I am worried about the drug interections. I legally cant tell you what kind of doctor to see but I do think somebody who you can be open with and tell them everything will be a good choice, keep in mind it may take you a few tries to find that right person. I am sure a lot more people are going to respond to your post with more ideas on ways to help you. I am personally very proud of you for taking the steps you have taken so far. you posted, admitted you had a problem and you told us all of your medications that you were scared to say. That right there is great. Why dont you also make a list of the medications you would like to get rid of first and start a plan of action. A lot of us found out that when we stopped all of our medications a lot of our symptoms for why we took those medications went away. I know you can do this. keep talking to us even if you are just rambling away we will still be there for you and offer as much advice and support as we can. We have all been there and we all know what its like.

[ImDONENoMore]

A therapist/psychiatrist sounds like a good idea.  You need to find out why you feel the need to "take" something every few hours.  Getting to the root of why you abuse the drugs or feel the need to be on something to get through life is something you need to focus on.  Most of us addicts have to do that to get clean and more importantly, stay clean.

trust your gut and find that therapist.  Good luck to you.

[Elmijack15]

Well I've never been honest as to all the meds I take daily so I'm going to come clean and hope to get some ideas. The gym and getting into body building may be something to think about..,but I feel like I need professional help. I go to a pain management doctor for the suboxone and they still have me on 8 mgs a day however I've tapered to 4 mgs a day but I've been stuck there for the last month! I don't tell the doctor cause I'm scared of getting less pills, even if I don't take the 30 pills I get I'm scared of not having them if that makes any sense!! He doesn't take insurance so I have to pay $180 every month for a urinalysis and a script! But anyways getting back to all the meds I take, it's really embarrassing but here it goes, 2 mg sub as soon as I get up with a .25 Xanax, then if I have a headache mid morning (which I've had for years) it's either 2 Tylenol or 2 excedrin, then at lunch I take my Cymbalta, started 3 weeks ago and still get nauseous so then I take a Phenegran, then 2 mgs sub on my way home and another .25 Xanax, and then I'm watching the clock to see if it's time for my Lunesta (to help me fall asleep). If the 3 mgs don't work sometimes i'll take another half ( they are 3 mgs pills) or if not I'll take a soma and over the last couple of days I'm trying to take only 1/2 xanax so then I took a 5 mg Valium. And during all this If my headache comes back I'll reach for more tylenol. So as you can see I'm taking sonething all day long, funny thing is I don't feel high, I work full time and drive an hour to work and an hour back. Just scared of what I'm doing to myself, but I've Never told a doctor what I truly take. Oh and during my period I get real bad cramps so then I add ketorolec to the mix! What a mess huh??? I haven't set any goals except to taper the subs but I'm scared that when I stop, I'll replace it with something else.  What kind of doctor do you think I should go to? Sorry for the long post and thank you all!

[theboy967]

hi i no wat you mean iv poped pills sins i was 15 or so the illigal kind and now the legal kind.im curantly adictid to patches at the min but thats a hole nother story how i got over my need to pop something i realy got into the gym and bodybuilding now its not for everyone nut it helped me its a full time job you need to allways think wat your eating wen your going to eat next and stuff whitch helped to a point but my hands keept going to my mouth still after a while i noticed my hands stoped going to my mouth because it just went from my mind the dreams stoped but i found myself twidling things inbetween my fingers anything i could find string id make a not in it and twidle it until its smoth trouble is its got so bad im twidling the bottoms of all my t shirts and puting holes in them i twidle so much.wat im geting at is talking helps to a point you have toi find something to do with your hands its allways going to be with you the urge i mean but try to find something outher than twidling coz it does get on your nerves good luck

[scaredmommy2005]

You dont need to hold back on here. We wont judge you believe me nobody judged me when I spilled my guts and they should have. I am currently looking into a drug therapist because this is their field of experience and I think they would be able to help me better then a general family therapist. I was doing what you did as well I would take my pill wait awhile check the clock, think to myself do you still feel the pill? if not I would take another one.  From what your saying it sounds more like you are having a hard time letting go of the motions to take a pill and not what they do to you. I am sure somebody on here as been through that. Maybe if you do list what you take daily somebody on here might have experience with that and be able to help you and give you more ideas. It took us a long time to become addicts we didnt become like this over night and it will take us a long time to get our lives back together. I was told it takes 90 days to break a habit and that is my goal right now. Have you started setting any goals for yourself?

[Elmijack15]

What is the amino acid protocol? I've thought of starting vitamins just to take something but again it's the pill popping I can't stop! I carry one of those 7 day pills things in my purse and I'm always digging it in. I've tried leaving it at home only to stop at Walgreens and get some excedrin I feel hopeless