how to get thru the first 7 days cold turkey or wean?

[jane1964]

i have been using hydrocodone for five years.  it started out as prescription and  year later the doc jerked them clean out from under me.  so i buy from others.  i have been in the hospital with pneumonia and demerol eased the first three days,  when i got out, its been hell and misery so i couldnt take it along with not having the nicotine (smoker of 26 years)  and i have taken less of the hydro but when burning starts and the anxiety attacks, i have to feed it.  i am so ashamed of myself,  its like i have just woke up into a nightmare.  i am in trouble financially and cannot afford to buy these things,  i cannot tell my husband what i did with the money, he would freak.  he really wants to help me thru this,  i cannot talk to anyone near me about this, for fear of losing my job.  cannot go into rehab or drive two hours every day to get methadone.  so i am going to have to do this by myself.  i need some support from people who have been thru this,  i am a good person who loves helping others and i promise that if i get off these, i will help others to do so with my knowledge.,  i know i am lucky to just have an addiction cause there are a lot of people worse off than me.  thanks for your help

[worried878]

jane..be sure u post daily...it helps..it really does..and when u kick this/and i know u will//u can come back and post and help others..it helps u with ur long term recovery but so few take advantage of staying on this forum to help themselves stay clean...from my experience reading the aches and painful stories about people who r just now facing this disease..makes me remember everyday why i dont wanna go back there

[jane1964]

thanks for all your help everyone!  i have gotten rid of my problem finally and i am not dealing with anyone in my life that does drugs.  finally free,  mind and body!  i will have to fight everyday for my life to be clean, and learn how to deal with my problems in life as they come and take it one day at a time!  if anyone needs my help i will be coming back to this website,  so just holla at me.  thanks jane

[moomooclan]

I am in the same situation only my use has progressed to injecting dilaudid cause the peolple I thought of as FRIENDS said it would save me money. They were wrong I broke down today and tried to call several rehab facilities If I could just get thru the detox I know im bull headed enough to not touch em mine were for medical issues but with 4 kids it made lifes issues a little less of an issue wehn I popped a pill. I told my hsuband about the detox not about the new way of taking them. My youngest sons dad is a police officer if he finds out ill lose him so a full stint at rehab not an option Tomorrow I start cold turkey until a rehab place calls me If they do youd think someone wants to quit worry about insurance later start helping now but ill leave it at that. I am wide awake scared to death about how im gonna feel tomorrow I have one pill left and Im saving that I feel better knowing I haveit than if I didnt but Ive been here a few times on this site and the people here are helpful and great support. sorry about my punctuation lol

[worried878]

Best of luck to u jane and I do hope u r doing well...a new post about where u r in ur quitting process may help as this one has gotten so long it is hard to follow!  good tho cos means lots of support for u is here on this forum

U were/are a heavy user i think...i will have to scroll up to c where ur dose is at/daily dose, DOC and length of use all play a factor in wds..most pill poppers are thru wd physically in a week tops..some drugs like sub or methadone take longer...the mental aspect lasts a bit longer and is why aftercare is crucial to longterm recovery

I would imagine u have skimmed the health pages and saw the thomas recipe and there is a great article on tapering...and yes/if someone can taper very slowly and control their taper it can be good//but in the real world of an addict that is a huge feat since we have no control over our DOC as a rule..we r all different and i have seen a few low dose users like 60 mgs a day taper and quit but they still felt it/and who knows if they r still clean cos the people i am speaking of dont post anymore...i have seen people do wonders tapering from methadone and sub/which r tough tapers for sure..I cant give much advice on tapering cos i suk-ed at it...all i can say is it is best not to hold ur pills and give them to someone u trust, write out a schedule and stick to it, pick a quit day and that is it!...no more after that day no matter how bad u screwed up the taper, if u do screw it up which I did...small doses throughout the day is the way most taper..i decided to ct but i was at 100 mgs of hydro for 4 yrs..My physical wd was not that bad but I was just so OVER IT!  Like u I was slowly going broke and I am frugal at heart..when i got money out of my 401k cos i couldnt pay my bills...it really bugged the poo poo outa me!

The next option if u cant taper is to CT...do-able with any narcotic..not benzos or trams tho..may be he11 depending on ur dose..but it can be done

the last choice/if it were me and it is not cos this is about u/would be sub or methadione short term..less than 21 days to get thru wd and avoid addiction to either of those drugs..cos both of those r a real b1tch to wd from...risky to go that route/but if it is a choice if u tried everything else including  intense aftercare along with the taper or the CT

Final option///geez i hope i never have to go there..is maintenence drugs like sub or methadone to keep u off the street buying drugs while u do the aftercare u need and get stronger..then u have a wd again but the goal would be to be mentally ready to let go....99% of this whole thing is mental..the depression and fatigue//loss of motivation is often what causes relapse vs the runs, headache, etc....Insomnia does cause alot of people to not make it thru wd..if u dont sleep u become weak..so being sure u have the sleep issue covered is very important if in fact u have this wd symptom..i did not/opposite and slept all the frickin time if i was not at work....which also can cause relapse cos i felt i had no life cept work/work took all my nrg....

all of this passes and looking into the future is not what u need to do right now other than be prepared for it....right now making a plan and going day by day, sometimes hour by hour/even minute by minute/in ur battle to get clean....a plan is important..attending counseling or meetings/some type of aftercare would help u right now..it is ok to go to a meeting if u r still using...just listen...or talk to a couselor trained in addiction/costs money tho and meetings r free

keep posting..and Ijust made this thread really long!  LOL

[Revann]

slowly cutting down is the easiest. But quitting cold turkey has been said to put you threw so much hell, that you will never want to do this again. I was taking 18 pills of vicodin a day. I went from 18 to 9 to 6 to 3 a day. Now im going threw the quitting process. It has helped but the real quitting part is still a struggle. And you can do it. Just have someone to talk you threw it. And if you dont, we are always here.

[jane1964]

you know the i think the only thing that keeps me taking them is the fact of wd and the hell it is.  if anyone out there has weaned thierselves successfully by taperring down, please write with info.  i dont get a paycheck this week due to illness, so i dont know what i am going to do.  the credit only is good with one person, and i dont want to owe them my whole paycheck.  its not the high anymore, its the fact of i dont want to and cant afford to be feeling bad.,  my job will not allow it.  i dont get it, some people can go to the dr and get thier prescriptions for what they need.  and i have the back prob, sciatica and the rls slipped disk and they wont give me anything.  and then there are the suppliers healthy as a horse and they get them and make killer money.  whats the deal?  i am on the losing end of this thing.  and dont want either end.  i take the one in the morning to get moving.  and the rest is wanting to feel better than i do and not wanting to burn.  has anyone ever tried niacin to flush this out?  i was looking at a herbal book and people use that before they go do a drug test.  thanks

[Charetti]

I am tapering with the help of my pharmacy.  Of course this only helps if I keep to the perscribed dosage, and dont buy them elsewhere.  I too told my suppliers to not sell to me and so far so good.

No one in my life knew about my addiction (outside the dealer) but when I told the pharmacy I was going to taper down and then off they looked at me kindly and said "thats wonderful, if you need anything let us know"  They KNEW I was in trouble cause about every other month I was trying to pull some scam to get my pills early.

They are giving me my pills weekly and are willing to do daily if needed.  I guess my point is that 'its theres a will, theres a way"  and you will be surprised at the supports you will have if you ask.

[hooklineandsinker]

Day 3 is the worst. I caved too on that day. But I quit again the next and surprisingly it didn't send me back to day 1 and start all over again but where I left off.

So through the hell of day 3 again and then the next day it got just a little better and then progressively better from there. Around day 6, I was actually able to function.

WD is hell. And not being able to sleep through it makes it even worse. I took enough valium to knock out a horse and it didn't even faze me. So much for that helping.

For me, it has to be CT. The positive thing about that method is it leaves such a lasting impression that you won't want to go through it again and it will hopefully keep you clean long enough to start making changes in your life.

And like a wise man, who used to post on here but is now banned, told me, "When you get clean, you'll find out what it was you were running from."

Then the real fun of recovery begins. :)

[Revann]

i've been doing opiates for 4 years, and im at the point were its either quit or die. but as long as look into your future and see yourself a happy sober person. then your making a goal for yourself. and reaching that goal yes, will be hell. but you will come out of it a better person, with a better understanding of life.

we can do it

[WAYTOOTIRED]

THATS THE THING....ITS HARD ENOUGH DURING THE DAY TO GET THROUGH THE HOURS..THE WITHDRAWLS....BUT, TO BE AWAKE ALL NITE...EVERY NITE..FOR DAYS...AFTER ABOUT THE 3RD DAY, BECAUSE OF LACK OF SLEEP.  YOU HAVE NO WILL LEFT....YOU'RE SOOOO TIRED.  SOOOOO EXHAUSTED...ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE THE RLS.   I KNOW WE ALL WILL MAKE IT...THE SLEEP WILL COME, ETC.   IF, YOU DON'T LOSE YOUR MIND FIRST.   JUST SLEEP...THATS ALL ...JUST SLEEP...TO HELP GET THROUGH ANOTHER DAY....RLS  IS PURE TORTURE...I HAD RLS  LONG BEFORE PILLS....BUT IT WAS A RARE THING...AND MILD....THIS IS HORENDOUS....EVERY NITE...ANYTIME YOU SIT DOWN, ETC.....YOU CAN ONLY KEEP MOVING FOR SO LONG.   I WAS SO TIRED..I COULD HARDLY STAND...YES,  HOT BATHS WORKED..WHILE YOU'RE IN THE BATH...  I TRIED AMBIEN....DIDNT FAZE ME...STILL NO SLEEP.   YOU JUST CAN'T GIVE UP....WE ALL KNOW ITS THE WITHDRAWL...WE HAVE TO KEEP TELLING OURSELF THAT....IT WILL PASS...SOONER OR LATER...YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT ANYWAYS...SO, DON'T GIVE UP....

[jane1964]

hey girl i am broke as a convict,  i still have a few more pills left but i know i am not going to have a any left in a few days.  and no more money.  i have credit with my suppliers and on good terms.  but do i really want that anymore?  the third day without any pills was pure hell.  i was up at 5 in the morning with no sleep.  i even took lots of nyquil and anything that was supposed to help me sleep.  nothing,  i was begging god to help me sleep.  nothing.  pure hell and misery burning, rocking, anxiety going out of my mind.  rls sooooo bad.  i think if i could have made it to some sleep i might have been allright.  so i know i need to plan this carefully,  but i keep on taking at least 4 a day.  i cant stop with the knowledge of what is to come.  i know it will be worth it.  i just got to get there

[jstntime]

Hey Amy, great decision!!!!!

You are ALMOST out of the woulds.  Hang in there girl, you can do this.  It's going to suck for a little bit longer but it DOES get better.

Go and read a few of my posts when I was in day 3 and you will see it is not esay.  I came so close to breaking down so many times it is ridiculous.  I litterally can tell you about the worst night I have EVER spent on this planet!!!

Now for the good part, you dose, while still a problem for you, was not too high.  Your WD should not last too much longer.

Think of the effort you have put into this to this point.  There is only one way to prevent it from happening again.  Read the other posts about what to expect, ask questions, and make sure to come back here everyday.

You are not alone in this Amy.  I am just getting to day 6 and still look to others for that encouragement to stay the course.  I'm just a couple of days ahead of you Amy, so keep in touch we can get through it together.

Good Luck Amy -- you'll start to feel alive again soon!!!

bob from Canada

[amysue1017]

Hello,
I found this forum while researching information on length of withdrawal from oxycodone.  I just maxed out on my prescription of (3) 5mg tabs three times a day.  Even though it does help the pain, I know I will just need to keep increasing to get the same effect and want to stop here.  I am 48 hours into quitting cold turkey and want to know how much longer I can expect the symptoms to last.  Any information anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.  Never been thru this before, so I have no idea what to expect.

[jstntime]

I suppose tapering is the best route in terms of WD but also the hardest part because of who we have all let our selves become.

I'm doing the cold turkey thing and am a couple of hours short of day 6.  I trully can't believe I lived what I experienced just 2,3,and 4 days ago.  Delete your suppliers numbers and get away from anyone you know uses.  It is too hard to have them around when you are begging God to help you and you know it would be easier with just one more.

I told all my suppliers that I was no longer their customer and not to call.  They have been supportive actually, and understand my need to do this.

My habit was 400-500  (sometimes more) mg/day oxycontin chewed.  This process is the hardest thing I have ever done but I am seeing the light.

Nights 4 and 5, i took a few ativan to try and sleep and they worked amazingly.  Night 4 I slept 7 hours and 7 more last night which has made a WORLD of difference upon my psychological state upon waking.

Good luck all, write me if you want to know anything,

bob from Canada

[jane1964]

i am going back to work today.  first time in over a week.   i have cut my usage down by 4 pills a day,  big deal for me,  for those of you that taped off while working, i dont know if it helped u or not but i am only taking one with me,  i have a job that is very mental and more than physical,  i have to be on top of things,  i took a zanax last night at bedtime and this morning i dont feel the need to take one of the others like i usually do.,i know some said i might be trading out for another addidctrion but i dont even like the z because it makes me sleepy and the codone hypers me which is what i need,  i went to the dr yesterday and she gave me miramax for the rls which i have had rls for about 6-7 years now in both arms and legs,  hubby wants to help but cant hang in for the long run when the sleep dont come to me and the rls and burning starts,  so i have myself and hhis moral suppport which is better than nothing,.  so have a good day all and god bless and help each and every one who is fighting the good fight.  jane

[worried878]

NUMBER ONE: Being an addict does not make u a BAD person!  U just R...just like gay person is gay, or a diabetic is a diabetic..u just r!

so now u gotta make a plan to stop that is sumpin do-able for u..what is ur dose of hydro?  and what types of ways have u tried to quit in the past?  sumpin has to change if u have failed quitting in the pasr..aftercare rox and is probably close by..i know u r afraid of anyone knowing//but i would a bit more afraid about where u r heading if u dont make a plan

keep posting

[twizted]

will your husband help you? can you go to the dr and get a script for zanax? there is a herbal drink/pill called valerian root that might help it does relax you some but if you get the tea it stinks to high heaven you might not be able to drink it the pills might work better and you can buy them at a natural food store, if you can find someone you can trust it would be good to have someone help wean you off and give you your valum/zanax as perscribed so you arent addicted to thoes also, someone told me the over the counter meds for rls accually work besides the ***** and throwing up rls and no sleep is the worst part of wd for me hopefully your husband will have some compassion and help you thru this difficult time, dont feel ashamed either addiction can happen to anyone even the presedint its not something we can always help yours started out as a reg perscription and also like someone said methadone is 20x worse to get off of than anything else

[Axl_0113]

The RLS is the worst part for a lot of people.  I am still having it, after 3 weeks of being clean....but I have had it my whole life.  Never this bad, but I have had it since I was a kid.  Just wanted to let you know, that there are meds (otc and from your doc) for RLS.  Years ago, they didn't understand what it was, or what caused it, and to some extent, they still dont....but they can treat it.  Xanex is highly addictive as well...so I would maybe talk to a doc about the RLS.  The pills I have for it (I forget the name of them) help tremendously.  Take one pill an hour before bed time, and I don't have them at all....without taking the pill, I have them in my whole body, not just my legs.  And there is a generic form of the pills too, so I can get a whole months supply for a few dollars.
Be careful taking the xanex....kinda trading one evil for another if you ask me...

[brookely]

hi there jane, my name is brookely. i've written a couple times about what i'm going through as well. i'm also on pain meds. mostly for my back, but long enough i got addicted and can't seem to go a day withought it. we all wish we could just cut off like that! but it takes time and emotional distress.  for 2 years now i've been addicted to perc 5's....at about 10 - 15 a day sometimes. thats horrible. i HATE  it when i run out. its a game everyday to try to find more. talk about being broke, it's all i think about to keep me going everyday,. can you please right back? i'll tell you more but i have to lay down. i have a horrible headache. hang in there jane.

[kiylen]

Please keep us updated.  That's what we're here for is to listen and try to help.  I have had so many people help me on here it's unbelievable.  Xanax will be helpful in withdrawals the only problem is that they too are highly addictive.  Just be careful.  You are already on the right track by wanting to stop.  Once you've made that decision, don't waiver at all.  Know that the decision is made and go forward giving it 100%.  

[jane1964]

i have tapered off and have found the answer to the rls.  zanax.  i am weak minded when it comes to this and it suprizes me because people always say i am hard headed and stubborn when it comes too something i want and i always push forward to get to my goals and dont usually let things get in my way.  thanks for your messages, they mean  a lot to me.  i have a ex employee who i remain in contact with and she also has the same prob.  so i am helping her also.  that is my thing, to help others and it makes me good at my job.  helping others helps me.  but i guess this is the time in my life that jane needs help herself from others who understands what i am going thru.  what really gets me is these doctors know what they are doing to us.  then they cut u off in a minute and here i am.  how can they do that to people then uers get in real trouble trying to get what they need.  i dont get it.  there ought to be something they can do.  last week i turned down a script for loratab and asked for something non addictive that could help me and the dr said sorry that was all i was getting.  i even told her i was a addict.  it didnt matter and no help was offered.  what the heck?  and thanks for the info about methadone and suboxone, i am not even going to go that route, one addiction is enough.  i just hope i can maintain.  my son is a marine and is going to afghansitan next week for a year.  i am a mother of all mothers and worry way lots.  too much for my own good and hydro is one of the reasons i can get out of real life.  it keeps me on a even keel.  thanks againn for listening

[kiylen]

If you have any more pills, try your best if you have someone to hold them for you, to slowly taper down.  It will ease it a good bit.  You will still bottom out and feel really bad but trust me, it could be worse.  I think the worst of the hydrocodone withdrawal is 3-5, maybe at most 7 days.  I completely agree with whitie, do not go the methadone route.  It is the worst situation you could ever get yourself into.  I am coming off of that now and it is no joke.  You're talking weeks, sometimes months to fully recover and the withdrawals from that are much worse.  It's also a much stronger and more expensive drug than hydrocodone.  If you don't have a few pills to try and taper down, just take hot baths, vitamins and try to at least stretch if you can't exercise every day.  It will pass, I know it feels like forever, but in the end it will be so worth it.  Please keep us posted and we're here for you.

[jane1964]

thanks i will read them.,  jane

[IBKleen]

Hi Jane and Welcome,

While most addicts are not successful at tapering for obvious reasons, there are some who have made it. I always suggest that if you decide to go that route that you have a loved one hold and dispense them.

Tapering may or may not be helpful for you but if you are considering it and hubby is willing to help then it may work for you. It will ease the physical withdrawal process to an extent but but will still feel it.

Let us know what you plan to do.