Time to quit the hydrocodone.

[UserAlias13]

Hi guys. I'm a 29 year old male who has battled different addictions throughout my life. It's been a bumpy road and most of the times I beat one was through incarceration. Needless to say, I have no desire to, and I've changed enough in my life to not have to go that route this time. My problem now is opiate addiction. Specifically the hydrocodone 10mg pills which I eat 4-5 10mg tabs about 3 times a day. I have been doing this for over half a year at this dose and have been taking them for about 2 years. I've read several posts where people talk about their symptoms and the different things they have used to aid them on their journey through detox. I tried quitting cold turkey and after 24 hours I thought I was going to die. A friend told me that after taking that much, just going cold turkey could give me seizures or all kinds of things, all of them bad. I have to be able to function at work which I have a very physical job (electrician). I was wondering if there was a complete list that I can take with me and go shopping. I'm going to need some help. I'v read alot of other peoples posts and different things are all over the place. Is there a general list somewhere? Or does anyone mind taking a second to pass their knowledge on to me? I also have a small group of friends who are willing to support me. I havent told my family yet becasue of everything else I have been through in life and I have been doing so well that im scared to let them know that once again, their son has been addicted to something. I know though that I will need all of the support I can get before this is over. Also, can anyone help me with the choice of weening myself off or cold turkey? Any suggestions and information would be greatly appreciated. If anyone needs any information from me to specify what might and might not help, feel free to ask. I will check back as regularly as possible. Thank you to anyone who is reading this and more so to anyone responding to me. Bless you.

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome to the forum~  Glad you found us and are ready to be FREE of your hydrocodone addiction.  That was my DOC (drug of choice), too.
Sounds like you are taking a total of about 150 mg/day now, huh?

First, let me tell you that when I finally made the decision to be free of hydros....I had heard all the war stories about w/drawal, too.  Since you are young and IF you are not on any drug other than hydrocodone...you will NOT have seizures.  That warning is for people addicted to benzos, or tramadol or an anti-seizure or anti-psychotic meds of some kind.

Second, your question about going CT or weaning/tapering down....that is solely a personal decision because many of us don't have the ability to taper.  I know I couldn't.....if the pills were in my house....they were in my mouth.  In fact, just cutting back from 30 pills/day to 10 pills/day put me in a panic mode and made me actually WANT to take more.  Tapering also draws out the process....and you have to have A LOT of patience and be willing to feel the cut back symptoms...level...and then do it again.  It's a very slow and deliberate process if done correctly.
You can pick a Thursday to quit....the worst are the first 3-4 days.  You could work Friday and have the weekend....possibly even taking Mon and/or Tuesday off.
There are several Health Pages that we used to have around here that have been removed (?don't know why though)....but I'll copy the links for you so you can have a read and see what you think about getting some of the items to prepare for detox.  Just be sure that if you are taking ANY kind of other meds (antidepressants) that you make note of those cautions when reading these tips.  
The first is the re-posted Thomas Recipe.  Ours doesn't include a benzo.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Addiction/Thomas-Recipe-Re-Posted/show/16?cid=66

The other one is an Amino Acid Protocol...it is helpful as well:

http://www.medhelp.org/tags/health_page/45/Addiction/Amino-Acid-Protocol?hp_id=15

Hope this helps you in your decision making process.  The important thing is to read all you can ahead of time...form a plan.....be prepared....and then just get r done.  Cutting off your sources, sharing your secret and adding some aftercare are CRUCIAL if you intend to actually STAY clean.
Wishing you the best....and bless you, too~
Connie

[jifmoc]

Hi there! Let me first tell you your friend is wrong about you having a seizure while going ct. Not true!!! It's only true for benzos, not opiates. So, you feel like your gonna die, but you won't. You know as an addict there is no way around this. You just gotta go thru it. Are you sick and tired enough of this to make a change? Also, since you mentioned this is not the first thing you've been addicted to, what have you done for aftercare? You gotta do it or you won't beat any addiction.

If you wanna quit now, let us know. And look up the Thomas recipe on here and you'll find all the stuff you need to get.