Need help, for my addiction!!!!

[bammzzee]

Hi, I'm new to this site, so please bear with me. I'm a pain pill addict, percocet 10/325. Prescribed 3 a day, but take 8-10 a day. When I'm off of them I'm very sick aandhurt all over, I can't take it. I have a lot of things wrong with me, that's why I take my meds. I've thought about going on methadone, it's suppose to be great for pain and help with withdrawal symptoms. Also heard it's very addicting. Please can someone help me, I can't keep doing this. Thank you

[lulu747]

I would third the above posters by saying NO WAY to methadone.  So many people I know have suffered so much coming off this drug.  The percocet withdrawal will be about a week bad physical flu like symptoms.  You will suffer.  You will feel more pain than you are currently in, but if you can maintain sobriety for at least a month, then you will have a better idea of what your pain levels actually are.  I have 3 extremely painful medical conditions.  After six years on opiates ( THE HIGHEST DOSES AND STRONGEST MEDS THERE ARE) and 4 surgeries, I realized they were not working for me and I felt like I was losing a little piece of me every day.  So I tapered to a reasonable level of 100 mg of oxy and 40 mg of hydro and I went cold turkey.  The physical withdrawal was hard- ain't no way to sugar coat it.  But man, it was EMPOWERING.  I involved myself in a rigorous after care plan- counselling and support groups and after a month I found that my pain was 75% LESS than it was on pills.  I enjoyed nearly 3 years of clean, manageable pain living.  A recent flare of one of my diseases has me in excruciating pain.  I am waiting for yet another surgery (some time this summer)  I tried every other pain management strategy before finally succumbing to pain meds.  I take the minimum dose, have a contract with my doc which we evaluate every two weeks, and my man holds my pills.  I still work my recovery.
Don't do the methadone.  Taper if you can, and if you can't do the C/T method.  We can arm you with an arsenal of tools to help with this.  Then after some clean time you can evaluate your pain and see if you can come up with alternative pain strategies.  OPIATES ARE NOT A GOOD SOLUTION FOR CHRONIC PAIN.
I do believe that many of us that become addicted can take pain meds responsibly with proper support and while working a recovery program for as short amount of time as possible.
Give yourself a chance, you deserve it.
The freedom is PRICELESS.
Lu

[hopefullycleanagain]

Hi, my doc was also Percocet.  I took about 10/15 pills a day. It started out with a legitimate script and progressed to a full blown addiction that I continue to battle. I am not going to sugar coat it, the withdrawal stunk, but I am 95 days clean and I have good and bad days.. .. however, the joy of not chasing pills is priceless.

As far as methadone is concerned, I know it is used as a pain reliever and I believe it was first introduced in Germany to be used as such.  
I have also learned from this forum, a little research and my father in law, that it is horrible to get off of. Like vicourageous,  there are several people on this forum that have gone through methadone withdrawals and it seems to last longer than a short acting opiate like Percocet, it also sounds pretty awful as well.  Many will tell you that they wish they never would have started it. I did consider it about a year ago, but with a little research, decided "NO WAY."

There are a lot of great people on this forum that can help you get ready for detox and recommend aftercare. You don't need to be a slave to your meds any longer!! Take one day at a time, put one foot forward,and begin your own personal journey.  Everyone here is in one form of recovery or another and we are here to help.  You are not alone!!

Good luck and God speed,Michelle

[VICourageous]

Please Say NO to the Methadone..It is one of the hardest drugs I have ever detox off..I have done those other opiates and it was not as intense or long.
Can you go to a DR and ask them to help taper you..If you do that you must hand them to someone you trust to dull them to you. Many of us had to just go c/t. There is so much to this Disease..SO much to Learn and SO much to Work on.
There are TONS of people on this site that are in really bad pain but they have found other things to work that are not Addicting..You will have to really want to do this with all of your heart and soul and then continue to work in Recovery. The detox will be over soon..It will be working on staying clean that takes the cake.
We have lots of caring souls out here, so just try to stick to one post and we come in & out..Some have days in some have many years in, but all of us took that first Step and many of us have gotten outside Support as well. I wish you the Best.
Bless