hangin by threads

[HURTIN58]

hello ppl...i have been taking hydrocodone, anywhwere from 20 mgs a day to 40 a day for 5 years now, initially for some bad pain issues w bothched nervesurgeries in my arm. i just easlised its not pain but addiction. I wwnt off......tried cold turkey, whatta mistake, so now tryin weaning. since tho when i went cold turkey, i am highly agitated, anxious, sweats, chill..no sleep, no appetite my mind is wandering to too many bad places....its been a fwe days now that i went back on to 25 mgs and r now down to 20...this isnt getting any easier...i need some sleep! i need some food and a normal bowel movement. please! any suggestions for any of these issues and how long is this gonne b before it subsides? i'm afraid i may not b able to do this...home remedies? viatamins, supps? anything??????????????

[IwillDoThis]

I'm glad to see you came over - you will find support here!

[ed1111]

THANK YOU

[ed1111]

I understand. Pain meds are so so hard to come off of. They tore my mind apart. It is now 2 months later and still my mind wants me to continue. BUT,
it is getting better. HURTIN it is one minute at a time. This has to be your prioriy. Need plenty of liquids, eat. I lost 20 pounds when I went cold turkey.
That didn't work so I have now weaned off all pain meds. NOW the mind games seem to be at work.

1 MIN. AT A TIME. ONE MIN. IT IS SO HARD I KNOW.
BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE
SHAY

[IwillDoThis]

I just wanted to echo what everyone else said - Minn pretty much summed it up for me as well.  36 days ago I came off 4 - 10's per day but I tapered down to 10 mg per day then jumped off.  I was on them for chronic pain but at some point they stopped helping and I kept taking them.  There is no easy way around it and I just kept telling myself it is no different that if I had the worst flu of my life.  I took lots of hot showers that helped.  Keep reminding yourself once you stop taking the pills it will be 3 really tough days and then every day will get a little better.  The lack of sleep is the worst so I understand where you are coming from.  Just try to hang in there and know you will so much better off when you get through this - life on pain pills is not much of a life at all.

Keep posting for support!

[vicki595]

You're tapering much too fast and that's why you feel awful. Don't taper at all today. Stay where you are until your body adjusts and THEN taper by SMALL amounts over a longer period of time. You'll feel much better.

Be sure to drink plenty of water. For now, take a laxative. Get some potassium and magnesium tablets. Do hot baths with Epsom salts. Try to get some soup and crackers in along with juices and green tea. Rest for a day as much as you can.

Tapering takes patience and time. Go slow...

[minn66]

Oh, I definitely understand. I stopped taking Lortab 10's, five times a day cold turkey in November, 2011. Posting here really helped me a lot. I also have chronic pain issues so I can relate on that level, too. I had a really rough day yesterday and with the love and support of the wonderful people on this site, I made it through. You will make it. I have faith in you. Be kind to yourself and make sure you hydrate. The physical symptoms will get better. Also, I have found that working with my doctor on a pain management program that includes trigger point injections, physical and massage therapy, and other treatments has helped me cope with the pain.

I am pulling for you and glad you found this site.

Take care,

Minn :)

[HURTIN58]

caring friend..got the diet and gonna get started...ty so very much for your kindness.....i;m on a decrease day, si not sure how that will go, each one seems to b a new set of horrors but i'll continue the fight...ty again friend

[HURTIN58]

dear friend, ty 4 your kindness. an i am of the thought, the medicine is worse than the diease....i'll figure out what to do w the pain after i get my mind and body back..congrats on your ongoing success, i will fight the hard fight because of kind caring ppl like you...ty

[LostNoMore]

Hurtin. I was right where you are my friend. Same awful physical symptoms, insomnia, anxiety, mind that won't shut off, etc. You're on a fast taper and you will experience withdrawals along the way, just not as severe as C/T. I quit C/T from 50-70 mgs a day for 8 or 9 months, so I want to encourage you that
getting free of the pills is doable. The stomach problems, anxiety, RLS and
insomnia will pass eventually. You didn't become dependent on opiated overnight and you won't get free of them overnight either. There are some things you can do to alleviate the symptoms, and you've received some solid advice on that. Hydrate, and try and stay occupied...movies, books, walks, anything to distract yourself. Hot soaks will give you a break from just about everything. You can and will do this if you make up your mind and stick with it. I will tel you that getting to the other side is amazing. Take care and keep posting.

[saddy6]

I got started on this rollercoaster in pretty much the exact way you did Hurtin. I had multiple nerve surgeries on both arms and had to have additional work done due to the first procedure being botched as well. Rather than fix it, the doctor just kept giving me more and more pills to mask the pain and away I went. I battled these pills well after the 2nd surgery on my right arm that fixed everything and soon just needed them to function. I have gone through pure torture with the wd symptoms as you are describing and relapsed so many times I lost count. Truth is when you are in the eye of the storm you cannot imagine how you are going to get through it as the sleepless nights, RLS, stomach issues and mental torture just beat you up. I dug in, made the decision I was going to beat this and made my plan. I followed the Thomas Recipe, ate better, sought out counseling and cut off all lines I had to pills. Taking it one day at a time I got better day by day. I've accepted that I'm an addict and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about pills because I do but difference is I know I'm better without them and I continue to fight and live a clean and sober life. I wish I could say exactly when you'll feel a difference but everyone is different based on how much and how long they were taking them. I wish you the absolute best in beating this and getting your life back!

[HURTIN58]

ty my friend....so very much...i may b hurtin terriblyright now as i am on another step down day...gonna drop to 10 mgs. i havent slep for 4 days now..i am tryin to eat..mostly pears and water, worse thing is the emotional breakdowns i am having..thinking god, i cant go thru aother sleepless night...anotherday like this...but, ty for your kind reply. it is greatly held close @ this moment

[indespairwv]

Hi, I'm Connie and we are in the same boat only I was also on the Fentanyl Patch along with about 60mgs lortab a day. The Fentanyl was the worst to get through. But I did it over about a 2 week period while still taking the lortab. Today I have weaned the lortab down to about 15mg/day. My plan is to wean down by about 25% Every 3-4 days and so far so good. I too was taking the meds for several years for real pain. I am still in pain but at least I can feel emotions now. I don't know if I will need to return to some sort of narcotic pain medication in the future but I do know that being on that level of medication for so long does make physical pain feel much worse. My primary doctor is pushing for me to go on methadone long term. There is no way I am doing that without trying to be clean for at least a couple of months to see how much REAL pain I am in.

If you are under a doctors care for your pain, I urge you to talk to them about this. There is no reason you should have to suffer from going cold turkey and most admire you for wanting to take this step. Just make sure that they understand that you need a safety net in the future if your real pain can not be controlled.

[littlebit667]

You CAN do this!  I detoxed off of 10 hydro 10's a day.  I took them for severa; years.

I kept telling myself...YOU HAVE the FLU!  It will be over and I will feel so much better.  My brain seemed to get that and settled down a little.  It is hard, but doable!  The Thomas Recipe (bottom of the page under Health Pages will help.  I did not to the tranquilizers and had to cut back on the Ltryosine, but the rest really helped.  Imodium, Imodium, Imodium (liquid or pills if the liquid can't be found or you can't swallow it) will help.  I took double the dosage for a few days (personal choice) and it helped so much..even with the withdrawals in general and the opiate trots which sucked.  

Hydrate and eat!  Even if it is just a little every hour or so.  You have to eat something to keep your energy up as much as possible.  

If you have Restless legs..it is hit or miss what works.  Walking seemed to help me some.  Hot bath with epsom salts..a little.  I finally had to get my doctor to refill my restless legs meds (non addictive) to get some sleep.  If nothing works,your doctor might help.  

One hour at a time is all anyone can ask.  After 2 weeks it gets a little better and I started to say, One day at a time!  Your brain will do all sorts of things to get you to take a pill.  I found if I was hungry..the cravings got worse.  I would try to eat a banana, a few grapes or a few crackers to get that under control.

The hardest part comes after the detox.  Your brain will be all over the place and will try to get you back on the pills...It is having to work and not depend on the pills to help.  

Good for you.  I hope all goes well.  You have made a good start coming here....this site has helped me so much!!!  Keep posting!!!!!