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

[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