Aa
Going Cold Turkey after a long bout w/ Kidney stonesss
OK so heres a quick run down about my story....I'm a 30yr old married mom of 3. Typical soccer mom who has had a long bout with kidney stones about a year. I have dealt with this in the past but over came it in the past just assuming I had the flu. I'm addicted to vicodin it started about a year ago when I needed the pain relief now I still have stones but don't need the pills. I'm on 6 5-500 vicodin a day. Its time to stop for myself and my family I know I'm truly addicted!!
Going to my urologist and explaining my issue is out of the question....#1 embarrassment, #2 he is my fathers Dr. also and this is my deep little secret. My question is how do I go about doing this the right way...COLD TURKEY there would be no weening for me, it would not work. I have been lurking on here for a while contemplating on quiting I had seen someone on here said go to the ER and tell the truth and they would help you ease the WD with blood pressure meds. I want this now more than ever but I want to know how to do it....I know wds are not fun as i have been through them before Please i need info
Going to my urologist and explaining my issue is out of the question....#1 embarrassment, #2 he is my fathers Dr. also and this is my deep little secret. My question is how do I go about doing this the right way...COLD TURKEY there would be no weening for me, it would not work. I have been lurking on here for a while contemplating on quiting I had seen someone on here said go to the ER and tell the truth and they would help you ease the WD with blood pressure meds. I want this now more than ever but I want to know how to do it....I know wds are not fun as i have been through them before Please i need info
A related discussion, what kind of Dr. to be referred to? was started.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hey, thanks-- my story looks good now, but my wife and family didn't enjoy 'reading' it! I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here... but google 'mens health' and 'the junkie in the OR'-- that was one of those 'good news, bad news' things-- hey mom, the good news is I am discussed in Mens Health, an international magazine! Oh, the bad news? well, the title is the junkie in.....
You can see the dilemma!
OK, about you-- I am not a big fan of getting too much into the plans for detox--- simply because the hard part is staying clean. I hear you -- you want to stop this stuff. And that is great-- the problem is that most people will lose that motivation to stay clean somewhere down the line, often long after the misery of withdrawal is gone and forgotten. So IF you find yourself back on opiates, please bite the bullet and get help, sooner rather than later-- residential treatment and meetings, or Suboxone, whichever. Find the one that works for you.
As for a trial of 'cold turkey'... the bottom line is that opiate w/d alone will not kill you (you only wish you were dead-- that's the rest of the gallows humor). For my last one in 2001 I got nothing-- I was pretty sick, but I kept telling myself that people have tolerated worse. I'm sure having a baby hurts much more! But the way to handle the w/d is to target the symptoms; first, clonidine is the classic med for opiate w/d for decades-- it is also a blood pressure pill. Immodium is over the counter and controls stomach cramps and diarrhea. Clonidine helps with sleep and the 'creepy crawlies' on your skin. I have found that I'm not the only person to treat fatigue or anxiety with meds that have the potential for addiction-- but I am not going to get into a mess arguing for them here. The actual risk of getting addicted to something used for a week to treat opiate withdrawal is very low-- there is a 'knee-jerk' reaction against any addictive substances used with addicts, but there is a big difference between short-term targeted use of a medication, vs buying addictive drugs on the street-- which I never support, particularly after working as a psychiatrist in a maximum security prison for over two years!!
The community forum will have much advice on managing w/d as well.
You can see the dilemma!
OK, about you-- I am not a big fan of getting too much into the plans for detox--- simply because the hard part is staying clean. I hear you -- you want to stop this stuff. And that is great-- the problem is that most people will lose that motivation to stay clean somewhere down the line, often long after the misery of withdrawal is gone and forgotten. So IF you find yourself back on opiates, please bite the bullet and get help, sooner rather than later-- residential treatment and meetings, or Suboxone, whichever. Find the one that works for you.
As for a trial of 'cold turkey'... the bottom line is that opiate w/d alone will not kill you (you only wish you were dead-- that's the rest of the gallows humor). For my last one in 2001 I got nothing-- I was pretty sick, but I kept telling myself that people have tolerated worse. I'm sure having a baby hurts much more! But the way to handle the w/d is to target the symptoms; first, clonidine is the classic med for opiate w/d for decades-- it is also a blood pressure pill. Immodium is over the counter and controls stomach cramps and diarrhea. Clonidine helps with sleep and the 'creepy crawlies' on your skin. I have found that I'm not the only person to treat fatigue or anxiety with meds that have the potential for addiction-- but I am not going to get into a mess arguing for them here. The actual risk of getting addicted to something used for a week to treat opiate withdrawal is very low-- there is a 'knee-jerk' reaction against any addictive substances used with addicts, but there is a big difference between short-term targeted use of a medication, vs buying addictive drugs on the street-- which I never support, particularly after working as a psychiatrist in a maximum security prison for over two years!!
The community forum will have much advice on managing w/d as well.
Wow your story was so inspring! Changing the world one person at a time
You are reading content posted in the Addiction Forum
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
