Please I need advice addicted to vicodin

[ascott2010]

I am very embarassed to say this, I AM ADDICTED TO VICODIN. I have been for some time. I have been clean then relapsed, clean and relapsed. I was clean for 10 months last year because I was pregnant. But as soon as I had my baby they gave me pain medication when I left the hospital (C-Section). The drug is controlling my life. I feel the mood swings is affecting my home. I am spending a tremendous amount of money on them. I can't go to rehab. This is my dirty little secret. I am a mother of 3, have a husband, dog, etc... You get the picture. How can I get off this stuff? Please I need the support. I can not go to my friends, most of them are mothers that use vicodin too. UGH!! I am taking 5 a day. I make sure I take them every 3 hours as though I am prescribed. Silly huh. This is just a way I down play my usage. I just need some help.

[chris970]

Its been three hours since you asked for help.   We are here to help you.    Let me know that you didn't call to get some.   I could pick up a hundred 10/325s any day of the week but I will not destroy my life any longer.   Look ahead to the days in front of you and remeber if you make that call you will eventually have to start this all over again.    You always have to remeberhow horrible the first few days are so we don't ever have to do this again.   I will talk to you all night if it keeps you from making that call.   Let us know you are ok.    We will do this together.

[chris970]

Hey don't make that phone call.   I too am on day 4 and the first three days sucked but today was much better....You are past the hardest parts....actually quitting and the first three days.   Everyday gets better and better.   Keep your mind and body busy so you are not clock watching.   Type on this board if that helps.   We can do this because we are past the hardest part.    I will talk to you all night.if that's what you need.   Just don't make that call.   Your dealer wants you to keep spending all your money with him.....we do not want you to do that.    I was up to.20 10/325 a day at 4$ to 5$ a piece.    Thousands of dollars thrown away.   You can do it take a bath....watch a funny movie or go for a walk.    Don't give in now because your doing so good.

[DayToTry]

Yeah if you're on day 3 you've almost made it.  It does take awhile to get full energy back but the worst of it is almost through.    You will feel so much better about yourself it you just stick it out.  I'm over a month now and I feel great.  I went for a walk tonight with my mp3 player singing down the road just like I used to.  I was like, "wow, I'm back!"

So yeah, it does take awhile to get all your energy back but day by day it'll come.  Definitely the first 4 days are the worst.  You'll get there.  Hang in there.  I'm so proud of you.

[jeffclowns]

just keep on doing what u doing u already on day 3 the worst usually subsides after or around day 4 so your almost there man and yeah this site is full of hopeful people so just keep at it and try to get some ingredients from the Thomas recipe it actually works, it's posted on lower right hand side of page .try it they worked for me remember one day at a time...

[ascott2010]

Ok so I'm back.. 2 months later. :( I am on day 3 off vicodin. Feeling the urge to call one of my many dealers. Last night was the worst. I took some IBrfen PM just to sleep. Today there is no motivation to do anything. Please I need all the support I can get. I don't want to go backwards. I didn't realize how difficult it is not to take them during the day at the times I usually scheduled myself to take them. Daycare drop off.. pill, lunch..pill, meeting... pill, home...pill,.. u get the picture. I HAVE NO ENERGY. I think this is the worse. My job requires a lot of face to face and client interaction. I am almost not there. People have commented for 2 days on how tired I look. Ugh!. Please any advice on how or when my energy level will come back would do me a world of good. Thank you all forr the support. I must be honest I logged back on not thinking I had soooo much support from my previous post. Wow! I immediately ignored the urge to call my dealer. Thanks

[Mommy2328]

I am on day 5 of being clean as well.  I was taking 1-3 vics a day, more if i could get them (I did not have an RX, just bought them off the street or stole from family members who had a script).  I am also a mother of a 19 month old son.  I too was clean for 10 months while preggo - and started again after I got Percs forthe C-section, then 2 weeks later more for dental work - and that was all it took.  I TOTALLY understand how you feel you NEED them to get the chores done, take care of the kids, do the food shopping, go to work, whatever...  this time last week I was counting the last pills I had, wondering where and when I could find more, never feeling i would be off of them, I just couldn't... then a light switch went on and I knew on Sunday night i had to stop.  Monday wasn't too great, Tuesday sucked, much better Wednesday, yesterday was fantastik other than about 2 hours in the AM...today i feel like back to my old self again and you probally won't belive me - but i feel BETTER than when I was taking pills, i have more energy now (all day) then the few hours that the pill would last and ....the most important part.... I am enjoying my son so much more (did not think that was possible!)  So please consider stopping, you will not regret it.  Taper down if you must...  It won't be as bad as you think it will be!  Good luck!

[Jaybird30]

I'm also on say 5.  The first day was the worst, yesterday was great but today the mental demon started.  It's okay to get pills today cause your body is clean he keeps telling me.  By far the worst part for me!  All the physical stuff is gone except for some stomach issues and a hot flash here snd there.  I can't wait till day 7 cause last go round that's when I felt 95% normal!  Let's do it together!!!!!

[pattifan]

Hi,

I'm one of those that believe it's best just to chuck the pills!

There's no right or wrong answers here, and it's what you feel is best for you that counts.

There are simple OTC drugs from the pharmacy that will help with withdrawal symptoms:
RLS Remedy, Paracetamol (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen (Advil) plus imodium.

Valerian, Melatonin and 5HTP from your healthfood shop, help with sleep disturbance and anxiety.

Keep posting and let us know what you decide to do. We'll be with you all the way!

Wishing you all the very best

[outcold]

So glad you came here. I'm starting day 5 and can't say I feel wonderful, but the withdrawals are easing quite a bit (only stomach issues and "flat" feeling are left). Now the mental ones are really settling in with me. I was down to taking 3/day but have to say the withdrawals are horrible, but for me, the first day was the worst. I followed the Thomas recipe and found it very helpful. Also, heating pad under calves and hot baths are still my friend. You can do this if you want it, but you have to want it. I'm with you as far as the "dirty little secret." I have a child, husband, house, etc....I have traveled 1.5 hours away the past 2 days to find a NA meeting. Maybe try that if your anonymity is crucial. Just my thoughts! Pulling for you!

[LeaAnn807]

Hi!  Look on the top right of the page at health pages.  Read the thomas recipe and amino acid protocol.  They have helpful info.  Also stay hydrated with apple juice and gatorade.  Take lots of hot baths....LOTS!  It takes 3 or 4 days for the physical WD, but the mental part can last a lot longer.  Be sure and get some aftercare and support.  That is really important to staying clean.  All the WD will be for nothing if you can't find a way to stay off of them, right?

Good luck!  Keep posting!

[Dangerous03]

Yes your habbit is not as bad as it will get. I started with a couple here and there and then I was takeing 15 or more a day of the 10/650.          
I AM NOT A DOCTOR!!!  But I was treated with a drug called SUBOXIN it was amazing it took all my withdraws away and after about 6 months I was off of both and felt great!!  But I was on the hydrocodin for about 4 years.  You might be able to just quit but if not you should see a doctor and resech the suboxin and talk to the dr Bout it.  It saved my life and I pray this will help you!!

[pillfree21]

Bmdad said a mouthful of some really good stuff.  I think the first step is admitting it, which you did, and not worrying about your image or what the other vic moms think.  They are most likely thinking the same as you.  No one has the complete and total answer, but the people on this board definitely have the experience and strategies to get you there.

The advice that sticks with me is that part about it being a process, I am on Day 36 and each day is a journey within itself.  I wish you the best and encourage you to keeping logging on and preparing to reclaim your life back.

[bmdad]

The good news is your habit isn't that big as of yet. But, addiction is addiction not matter what the amount. It is not so much the amount of pills but the mental properties that go along with it. Be proud of yourself that you caught it when you did. Most do not. I first started taking vicodin for back and sciatic problems I never took more than prescribed and was on them for a year. I finally had surgery and the pain subsided. I stopped taking them and didn't realize I was having withdrawals until I joined a forum. People told me I was fortunate I stopped when I did since I was only taking 8, 5mg vicodin a day. They said if I continued to take them I would more than likely double, triple, or even quadruple the amount I was taking. I kinda laughed on the inside because I didn't think it was humanly possible to take that many. I mean, where would I get them? Wouldn't taking more than prescribed kill me? I thought everyone was joking around about the amount they were taking a day. Anyways, it would never happen to me.
Fast forward a year. My back and sciatic pain came back due to scar tissue. I started back on the pills and my tolerance grew. And what do you know. I found out the hard way that the ones trying to help me were not lying about the amount one could take. I went from physically dependent to mentally addicted. I tried quitting off and on for a few years. I even had 6 months of clean time but always seemed to go back. I finally decided enough was enough and have put them down for good. I will not put myself or my family through it again.
Since you are taking 5 a day you could probably cold turkey off of them with little discomfort. But, since your use is not out of control you could also try a taper. Most here will recommend to just toss them but I have tapered before when I wasn't on too high of an amount and got through with little to no withdrawals. You could maybe try cutting back a bit and see what you think and decide from there. But if you want to be done today, just get rid of what you have and go for it. The worst will be over in 5 days or so. But like others on here say, getting clean is the easy part, staying clean is the hard part.
Check in to the amino acid protocol. It lists some supplements to take that will make the withdrawals more bearable. It really does help. It also helped me with the mental aspect of swallowing pills each day. I somewhat had a mental addiction to vitamins! I stopped taking all but fish oil and a multivitamin without a problem though. Be sure to start exercising. If the withdrawals are tough it can be hard to muster up the energy to do so but force yourself. It makes a world of difference. Take hot baths as needed for the chills. Be sure to stay busy. Read a good book, have some funny movies on hand, do a jigsaw puzzle. Anything to keep your mind off of the withdrawals. Don't lay around feeling sorry for yourself. I've done it both ways and the times I exercised  made it much easier. The easiest time for me was when I was working 7 days a week, 12 hour shifts. I didn't have a chance to lay around. So if possible, try to continue with your everyday routine. Anyone can if they keep a strong mindset and push through. It is by no means easy, but possible.
You may want to look in to NA. I know you said with your public status you need to keep this on the low down so maybe even an addiction therapist. You need to get to the core issues of why you are using. We can't do this on our own. Sometimes we know why we are or were using but cannot usually fix it or just bury it away.
I'm just happy you caught this when you did. I'm sure your thinking you use will never get too far out of control but over time it will more than likely happen. Get a plan together, pick a date, and go for it. Come on here and post often. Also, answer other people's post as it helps with the motivation factor while detoxing. We will be behind you every step of the way. Keep a strong mindset, stay motivated, and know anything is possible if you put your mind to it. You will beat this!
Best of luck!

Brian