Quit percs yesterday......

[SomeRandoGuy]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this whole outreach for advice thing. I'm just gonna start off by telling you a little about my situation.

For as long as I can remember I have had a constant pain in my mid to lowerback area. I've seen doctors and chiropractors to try and get this problem fixed. Nothing, my doctor about 6 years ago just told me to read about pain and how it can be "in your head". So taking the docs advice, I read. I learned alot about the spine and the surrounding muscles.

So since learning all that information I have started working out, doing stretches, friggin even done Hot yoga a bunch of times. It all made my back feel great! for about an hour.....then back to the constant, dull, frustrating pain... . About 4 months ago I invited a few friends up to the cottage for some fun in the sun. A friend there who I've known for a long time but never really knew, you know? had overheard me complaining about my back pain. He offered me a 2 Percocets. I took them because I was looking for any chance of reliefs I could find.

Snap! Hooked on them. The pain just fluttered away! I felt lifted! Anew, reborn! OK, so now Im excited. There is a medication out there that works the way I want it. So I talk to my doctor he tells me Hi everyone,

I'm new to this whole outreach for advice thing. I'm just gonna start off by telling you a little about my situation.

For as long as I can remember I have had a constant pain in my mid to lowerback area. I've seen doctors and chiropractors to try and get this problem fixed. Nothing, my doctor about 6 years ago just told me to read about pain and how it can be "in your head". So taking the docs advice, I read. I learned alot about the spine and the surrounding muscles.

So since learning all that information I have started working out, doing stretches, friggin even done Hot yoga a bunch of times. It all made my back feel great! for about an hour.....then back to the constant, dull, frustrating pain... . About 4 months ago I invited a few friends up to the cottage for some fun in the sun. A friend there who I've known for a long time but never really knew, you know? had overheard me complaining about my back pain. He offered me a 2 Percocets. I took them because I was looking for any chance of reliefs I could find.

Snap! Hooked on them. The pain just fluttered away! I felt lifted! Anew, reborn! OK, so now I'm excited. There is a medication out there that works the way I want it. So I talk to my doctor he tells me ''Percocets just mask the pain, they don't solve it or cure it, It's just a coverup''. So at this point I'm like F you, obviously you don't know **** about how I'm feeling.....Maybe he was Right.

Now here I am, 4 months later.. Miserable....broke...on the verge of loosing my girlfriend of 10 years......spent the money I was gonna use on her ring to buy percocets on the street at $4 a piece.     50 of them might've lasted me 4 days if I was lucky.(I take my last 2 percs now 9:30am) So I go to the doctor yesterday(10:40am), hoping to get some perks cause I was all out and couldnt get some until this friday.

(I don't mention my addiction to percocets). He gives me Naproxen 500mg. An anti-inflammatory!!! . So whatever I get home and down 2 of these take only every 12 hours pills(2:00pm). Nothing.... (5:00pm 4 tylenol and 1 more naproxen) Start feeling really weird, got a little sweat goin on. My gf's got her friends over watching teen mom and reruns of real housewives.

(10:00pm) Whoa! cant sleep....moving allover the place like the girl from the excorsist.....drink water pee...water..pee...1 hour of sleep (I swear i just blacked out). Got the sweats.....Hot....cold....cold....hot.....cold.....hot...cold....pee.....twitch....
It was horrible called in sick today, finally told my girlfriend about the percs and also the $3000.00 debt I've been trying to hide....and she cries? asks me why I didnt tell her sooner,  She's so upset that I didn't come to her for help before this got the way it is. Doesn't even care about the money.....wow she's amazing!                                                                                            

Now here I am 9:17am. (Had to pause writing a few times as it seems my intestines are flushing themselves.) Writing here on this blog, spilling my soul. It feels good! I feel more alive now than before! (getting all tearry eyed now..)

My names Andy and I quit percocets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(whoa full on waterworks for me there......lol)

Please don't hate or try and bring me down I only wrote this to get it off my chest and out in the air. I feel good....

[CKN30]

Congrats :) I am 30 days clean from percocets/Vicodin. After the first week the physical stuff got better (except the sleep and restless leg). Finally the RLS and sleep are getting better. The mental aspect can be tricky. Stay close by to this site, it has saved me! I have mid back pain as well, a T8 blushing disc. I have been going to the gym and strengthening those muscles, it really has helped just stay persistant with it. If you need to vent we are here!!

[toothfairie]

Hi and congrats on stopping the pills!!  Yea it will be a tough few days but you can get thru it!! So glad your gf is on board with you. That will help alot. Look up the Thomas recipe at bottom of the page. It has some good stuff in it to help ease the WDs. Just hang tough. You can do this!  Stay close to this site. Amazing support system. Let us know what symptoms come up and we can help with it. :))  

[SomeRandoGuy]

Thanks! I'm glad to see there are people out there fighting the fight with me.. I apologize for the jump in paragraphs up there.I don't know what happened. That aside.   I hope we all stay strong!! and get passed this nightmare.!

[poopieskoopie]

Hey...sorry we had to meet this way but it is what it is. You can definitely beat this or at least get it under control. Glad your feeling good :)  Keep us posted.

[Overwhelmed10]

Hi and welcome!  I too was hooked on Percocet.  You can do this....so awesome your gf is so supportive!  I see the other posters have given you great advice.  I also recommend Immodium for the bathroom issues.  ;).  Stay strong-you WILL get past the physical wd's, and then there am be some lingering mental, but you can beat this.  The best part is being free of chasing those darn pills!  I'm really rooting for ya.  Keep posting and updating!

[CKN30]

Yeah you kinda lost me there for a sec haha but I follow you! So is it day 2?

[SomeRandoGuy]

So 10:20am. Getting lots of love from you people. This would be day 1 complete. if you go by 24 hours and not night and day. I wrote the post and felt great doing it. Got alot out. At the moment I seem to be doing ok I just have this constant sweaty skin and my head feels really weird. I took my dog out for a walk and sunlight didn't help at all.  I'm staying strong though. I'm about to go run a hot bath and my leave the shower on shooting cold water in my face, because i dont know what i want right now.

Thank you all for your support I will keep updating this every few hours, seems to give my head something to focus on. Thanks for the support!!

[CKN30]

Yes the sweats and chills were pretty bad the first 48... Completely normal

[DaleGirl]

be proud! That's amazing you quit cold turkey.We are here for your  support we understand. Keep up the good work. You can do it!

[EvolverU]

Hey there Andy & Welcome! A HUGE congrats to you on your Big decision, on telling your GF & on passing that first 24 hr. mark. You're doing great & you're in the right place. Stick with this. This site pulled many of us through.

As my friends above have mentioned what you're going through is completely 'normal'. We tend to be on an emtional roller coaster during acute w/d's & early Post-acute withdrawal (PAWS) as our brains start to readjust. It just takes a little time. I promise this will ease. The great news is that you were only hooked for 4 mos. So, now is definitely the time to stop & not go back! The more habits you have -- the longer the time you have in -- the older you get -- the harder it becomes.

If you go to the searchbox & type 'Thomas Recipe' you'll find some excellent detox tips. Here are the highlights: A good vitamin/mineral supplement, a healthy unprocessed diet (cut out caffeine, sugar & fried/fast foods if possible), good hydration (Sooo important -- 2 to 3 liters of plain water per day -- especially with gut issues like you mention), Imodium as directed (it'll be your best friend 'til you're over 'the hump'), hot salt baths as needed for muscle aches & anxiety & a powdered cal/mag/potassium formula for RLS, charley horses & muscle aches.

You sound like you have an excellent attitude. Please, stick close to the forum & continue to post for support/advice whenever you feel the need. There are many wonderful folks here who will share their hard-won experience with you. You're DOING IT!! Yaaaay you! We're here & we're in your corner.

[howlingshadow]

I have not been on here for a while and now I remember why I need to once in a while to remember just how horrible it was for me. I was on trams, of course Dr. said a long time ago that they were not addictive, boy where they wrong. lol. so honestly not everything a Dr. tells you is Gold but it sounded like you have one that knows better. You have a G-F with a heart of gold one that knows life happens. :))

[SomeRandoGuy]

Ok so it's 12:26pm.I have the sweats and this real anxious feeling like I should be doing something. I've been just hangin out trying to overcome this. Taking the dog for a walk, cleaning, all sorts of stuff. I had also told my parents about my problem....my mom  is coming over at 1:30pm to see how I'm doing. Gonna be akward because I normally tell them everything.  I know she'll understand. Whoa just had to pause there, started watching this series CRACKED and some little girl just freaked out with a bat. Anyways, so far so good. The way I'm feeling now I dont ever wanna even hear the word  Percocet. (Unless it's an unlimited supply)

No I'm kidding,  but it's hard and I thank you all for the support. I'll let you know how it goes with my mom. Thanks guys/girls!

[EvolverU]

Hiya Andy, So very glad to hear that you've told your folks about this!! The more people you tell the more support you'll get & the more 'witnessed' you'll become (meaning it tends to keep us more honest as we have more than ourselves to answer to.) Soooo, my friend, how many hours in are you right now? That's great that you're staying busy. Remember, if you need to get into that tub -- by all means do it! (It really helps.) Also, since you've got a cool girlfriend massage & reflexology after a bath is good for anxiety. Many find that (including me!) find that music w/ earbuds/headphones is a lifesaver throughout detox. You might also try watching funny movies as laughter helps fire those endorphins. (smile.)

Glad to hear that your sense of humor is intact:

"I dont ever wanna even hear the word  Percocet. (Unless it's an unlimited supply) "

(Bigger Smile To You)

Hang in there -- you're doing great!

[SomeRandoGuy]

Well parents were pissed, understandably. My moms going to take me to the docs to see if theres a better way to withdrawl. 3:22pm. shivers shakes sweats uncomfortable. ***** soooooooo bad. Hanging in there though. Thanks for the support!

[EvolverU]

Dude! You can do this. It's only going to take five days or so. Please, try this first before you try Subs or whatever. I mean, you're already doing it! What your Dr. might help you w/ is Clonidine (Blood Pressure Med commonly used in opiate detox to help w/ anxiety) &/or Neurontin (Gabapentin which helps w/ RLS & sometimes w/sleep). He might try to give you benzos but I'd stay away if at all possible.

HOLD FAST & you'll own this!

[SomeRandoGuy]

5:24pm. Went to the doctors with my mom. I love my mom. Told the doctor about my withdrawl issues and he suggested I do a medicated drop off of the percocet. So he prescribes me 36 and gives me a 5-day wean off plan. So now I have these 36 lifesavers that I want sooooooooo bad. But I know in my heart I just can't do it.

The look my girlfriend gave me this morning when I told her all this was
crushing....She wasn't upset at all the money I had wasted, she was upset that I wasn't able to ask for her help. The look......those eyes stared right into my soul. She wanted to just make everything to be better for me. I love her so much....

Anyways back to the percs. I;m gonna do my best not to take them unless the withdrawls get sooo fierce then I will take 1. I figure if I can spread them out over the course of my withdrawl it will make it easier to come down off them. does that make sense?

God this is soo hard, this morning I never wanted to see them again and now there just sitting there staring at me....

5:31pm still shaky and sweating. but hanging in there!!

[diamondsontheinside]

Hey SRG, great job on quitting!! ur parents and ur gf must be so happy for you! Keep up the good work and hang in there when times get tough! You're doing great!

[CKN30]

Is someone going to hold the pills and give you what you need to taper?

[toothfairie]

I agree with CKN30...it would be better if you let your gf hold them and give them to you and help with the taper...if you are gonna just take one every now and then, that's only going to prolong the process... we can't give tapering advice on here...but slow and STEADY wins the race with a taper....your body needs to adjust to the dosage to get the full effect from a taper....hope this makes some sort of sense...

[Bobo0331]

2 weeks ago, I was sitting in a cabin by myself alone, had my first 24 hours of no percocet or tramadol in 18 months. 5 days it was really rough, and each day has been both a challenge and a journey. It's not perfect, I am dealing with underlying anxieties, but I no longer feel like a prisoner to pills.

I saw get those pills into the hands of your mom or girlfriend. Lean on those who love you.

[CKN30]

I too tried the taper method in February... First I kept the bottle, didnt work. I did not have the discipline to do it. Them I have the bottle to a friend, didnt work because I would get them from him, beg for more (he would give in) and I was getting more on the side. So after 5 months of my so called taper ( I think I tapered a week) I went cold turkey. I cut all of my sources and bit the bullet. Here I am, 30 days clean. I am not saying that tapering doesn't work but when it comes to addiction sometimes self control goes out the window. If I knew I had them I wanted them.

[SomeRandoGuy]

7:22am.  So I had to take some yesterday night. Was real rough. My girlfriend is keeping the pills with her. She's tough and doesnt give in to my bs sob story. God shes good.

So I got 2 pills for the next 12 hours, going to resist taking them as long as possible. Here goes the battle-of-the-day!

Man I love her.......

[diamondsontheinside]

Agree with toothfairie on this one, slow and STEADY. don't resist taking them cus you'll end up with a pile that you didn't take, and that is not a good idea! Ur body needs to adjust to a steady decline of pills in your system.

[EvolverU]

Hi, Andy & good morning.

I'm glad to hear that your girlfriend is loving & clearheaded enough to stand firm. Did your Dr. give you any comfort meds for when you come off? These would help. Hope you're doing well today.

While I agree w/ Toothfairie in principle, the other possibility is to simply flush the pills you're not taking if you can stretch the time out, thereby, making the taper shorter -- not as painfully drawn out. Either way, stick to your guns my friend!