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quitting low dose of hydrocodone

I’ve read what others have gone through with pain medications. Here’s a little history.  In November of 2018 I quit taking hydrocodone (first was 10/325 which made me nauseous, then lowered to 7.5/325, then down to 5/325) as the first of many drugs my drs had me on. I felt like I was dying, my body was shutting down. Scary stuff. I was mostly on psych meds. Took a year to successfully get off all the psych meds which was hell. I started getting neuropathy due to my brain and nerves readjusting. My PCP has been wonderful and supportive in helping me. My psychiatrist was the one who wouldn’t get me off what he put me on. Well here I am in February 2020 and quitting hydrocodone again. Was trying to quit Xanax which I only take .5 in the morning and .5 in the evening. The pain in my body got worse, so I started taking hydrocodone again, Dr knows, only allow myself one pill a day of .5 or 7.5. I’ve decided I really don’t want this poison in my body anymore. On day 2 of quitting and having headaches, peeing a lot, cold/hot sweats, nightmares. Oh I also quit taking Ambien when I quit the hydrocodone. Now only take a Xanax in the morning and evening. I use melatonin to help sleep. It’s better than nothing. I don’t really know how damaging taking such a low dose every day of the hydrocodone is. I do know it sucks. I have real pain in my back and knee. I cannot eat Tylenol or Advil all day because it’s just as bad for my organs. I’m really at an impass as to what to do. Hate the pain, hate the pain killers. Any advice? I’ve taken the hydrocodone for years and never felt the need to take more than 1 (occasionally 2) a day due to how bad they made me feel in the past. Seeing a pain management Dr in a couple of weeks and haven’t found alternative pain relief through research without side effects. I used to be an extremely active bicycle rider, walked, went to the gym, all kinds of activities. Just want my life back. Afraid dr is going to say live with the pain or take medications they prescribe. Holistic only goes so far. Feeling crappy as I’ve not taken anything since Friday and today is Sunday. Looking for relief in a healthy way.
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18524847 tn?1465595901
Hello. Welcome!!!  How are you.  I'm seeing this now but hope that you are doing alright!!  I am glad you are taking these steps but yes, so very very  hard.  That is such a hard situation when you have pain. Legitimate pain.  What about alternative things?  Physical therapy? Massage therapy? Acupuncture?  (I always think it would be nice to have unlimited funds to do it all, ha ha). Have you tried yoga? I know these are all things that aren't instant relief.  But they all are supposed to have benefit at some point.  But first things first.  How are you managing today, right now?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hello. Thank you so much for asking and your suggestions. It’s Tuesday and it’s rough. But sticking to my guns. Had to take an Ambien to sleep last night, but since it’s only 1 in 4 days I’m trying to not beat myself up. Headaches are horrible. Just want to feel good and normal again. Trying to stay out of my head.
18524847 tn?1465595901
Hi there sweet ChaOde63.  How is it going this weekend?  Yes, you sound like you had done terrific leading up until Tuesday.  Hope the rest of the week went well.  Not sleeping and headaches can feel unbearable.   Give yourself loads of tlc. Let me know how you are doing.  
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Avatar universal
Quitting Hydrocodone is actually pretty damn excruciating beyond belief… what most of the population does not know is that Hydrocodone is converted by the liver and turns it into, “Dilauded” which is very powerful stuff. There’s actual “dilauded” aka hydromorphone and than you have Norco/Vicodin which is Hydrocodone that is converted into hydromorphone/di-hydro morphone via the liver. So basically if you’re hooked on Norco it’s the same thing as dilauded but depending on how many Mg you take per day and how you dose each day is gonna determine what the w/d is gonna be like. If you dose high all at once a single time per day the w/d will hit faster and way harder but won’t last as long but you’ll definitely have most of the symptoms if not all of the symptoms of opiate w/d. If you dose low and spread it out each day the w/d will come on a little bit slower and not as intense but will also last a little longer as well. In my experience either way it’s gonna be very difficult for some and easier for others. I had to get on methadone maintenance therapy for my issue with norco because I was taking amounts unheard of almost every day and it was beyond severe… I went from 65mg of methadone and now down to 21mg as of this week. Going down 2mg once a week due to this covid Bs and just needing my life back after fighting so long. My best advice is to stay off no matter if you have pain or not if you already kicked this habit. There’s “Kratom” sold at smoke shops and many swear by it to wean off opiates. Xanax is way easier to kick than opiates for sure even though it causes horrible anxiety it’s still not as physically severe. Opioids will get you hooked after a few weeks of constant usage even at low doses.
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Avatar universal
2 words. Medical Marijuana
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1 Comments
Many states have recreational marijuana too.  It works wonders for opiate withdrawals.
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