Taper vs Cold Turkey

Question

I will post more about my personal story later as I'm on my cell. I need feedback as to which is the better method as far as least withdrawal and length of detox for a career person who can not take time off and needs to take care of her children at home too with Zero help.

mellie4 · Answer

Hope you're doing okay.  Tapering vs CT is such a personal choice.  Everyone is so different.  I chose to taper because of some underlying health issues and because I have 4 kids and  an elderly dad to take care of.  But for me tapering isn't a problem in my head.  I'm not tempted to take more.  But the withdrawals, though being mild most of the time, are drawn out and it can wear on you a bit.  I had a bad few days earlier in the week.

Have you figured out how you'll deal with your pain?  I'm still working on that one but I figure I'll piece together a whole bunch of things that help a little and hopefully that will work for most of it.

wherestheresetbutton · Answer

Just wanted to check in on ya, how are you?

kajama · Answer

hey...just in my experience, i had an addiction to lortab and soma. I was taking 10-12 10mg lortab a day. i did go into a drug detox center and got clean in 8 days. then about a month later I started all over again and this time worst. I knew I had to detox and had to do it maintaining a full time nursing job and 3 children while my husband worked offshore. and I had to keep it from him to cause he wouldn't understand why i went back to it. i tried to taper but i found it just took longer and then i would give up and take more. I decided to just ct. I had maybe 2 days of being really sick which I started on a Friday night. i think the fact that I had to take care of my kids kept me going and by monday I was feeling a lot better and was able to go back to work. I still delt with the insomnia but all in all, no one knew I even did this. It was hard but definitly worth it....as of now I am over 9 months clean....good luck to you and I hope all is well :)

like_mom · Answer

Inga. Would you mind sharing more of your experience with me? Either here or in a private message. I'm beginning to think that tapering is better for me personally.

Eebb26 · Answer

I'm doing a slow taper( deducting 1 pill every 5-6 dys) I've had no or little WD and my dr said I shod not have much WD if I continue to taper slowly. If u can be strict and do that then I so far find it easier. I know plenty if ppl do ct but I can't and I also have kids and a husband . Why not try to slowly taper and then if it doesn't work, u can always ct then. Just my opinion but there r many more here w much more expieience then I. Good luck. Write/message anytime

inga511 · Answer

I'm not on the same meds as u but I did tapering and it worked a lot better for me than "jumping off." I have three kids and am pretty busy myself. Tapering is more managable with the symptoms but you have to be really committed in your heart to see it through, 

Inga

like_mom · Answer

Thanks again. I guess I'm wondering if I am going about it the wrong way or if I should do a slower taper so I stay on top of my game at work and home. But then again I dont want to lose any progress I've made thus far and don't want to stretch out total recovery longer than necessary.  I've made my mind up and am confident that I will stop all together. 3 months ago if I said that, it'd be a lie. But I know what I want and need and the last thing I need is to place more burden on my family and possibly lose my job over missing days, not performing at peak. Etc. Are there threads you cam point me towards that discuss tapering success?

ImDONENoMore · Answer

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Mom.  Please know you have my sympathy.

And now that we know it's opiates you're talking about.....

It's tough to answer as everyone is different when it comes to this decision.  There was NO way I could have done the tapering because I know myself and had NO discipline whatsoever when it came to tapering.  But I have read stories of successful tapers.

And it really comes down to how YOU feel - a lot of times you see members just "jumping" off when they're getting down to such a low dose.  But if you do decide to just go ahead and stop, just get yourself prepared for the next few days or week with the home remedies suggested here on these posts and in the thomas recipe and amino acid protocol (links are found on this page lower hand right side).  And as you move forward, the members here will be a wonderful support system to help you get through whatever struggle you may be experiencing at any given moment.  Of course, it would be easier if you were able to take a couple of days off from work?

But bottom line - your family is getting the best thing they can and that is a SOBER and clear-headed wife and mother right?  So focus on that and not the way you're feeling at this very moment.  You should feel GOOD about this decision!!

like_mom · Answer

Thank you both! I'm so overwhelmed and embarrassed bc I swore I'd never be like mom. Hence the nickname, yet here I am. Your welcomes mean more to me than you know.

reallyneedhelp76 · Answer

I dont' know but would love the answer to this.  We are all here to support you through this and i wish that i would have started the valarian root a day before i stopped taking the pills. we are all her for you! Welcome

like_mom · Answer

Ok. More about me. I beat an oxycontin addiction after 5 surgeries in one year cold turkey. Yet the pain remained. So once again I found myself on meds, norco this time. 8-10  10 mg per day. I decided to taper to 5 yesterday and have taken 1.5 today. The withdrawals are horrendous. But much more bearable than the oxy w/d. Am I making the detox longer than necessary by tapering quickly vs cold turkey?  I can not take time off work and I've taken the 3 halves from 3:30 am til the last 30 minutes ago just to function and take care of my kids. I can't let my husband know I've taken this road again bc I don't think he'd understand. I lost my mom to her addiction 3 years ago and am following in her footprints. I've noticed my relations with my kids and spouse are at an all time low. Am I doing more harm than good with the fast tapering or am I doing somewhat good???