start of day 3: OHHH MAN! - Addiction & Recovery Message Board

hvaclou2 · 01-26-2009, 04:23 AM

well here i am at the start of day 3 its 614 am and im wide awake another night where i get zero sleep and constant un comfortness. i never in a million years would have thought how hard this is actually goin to be.especially trying to hide it from everyone the stress is impecable, is there anyone out there goin through this and they cant tell anyone? i find these message boards sort of as a therapy and i look foward to seein what people that have gone through this or are going through have to say becasue this is like wow i really hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel . i would take on average about 8-10 thousand milligram vike a day, i went cold turkey on this starting saturday, i ahve the worst of the worst withdrawals , based on my dosage how long will these horrible withdrawals go away or at least start? i heard something about it takes one week for your natural endorfens to start flowing again any tryuth behind that statement? thanks for listening everyone its great to have people to talk to about this .

ANGELINMICHIGAN · 01-26-2009, 06:08 AM

hvaclou I just read your post and have just gone or are at the end of my withdrawls. It has been almost a month. First of all, I think you shouldn't have gone off vicodin cold turkey taking as much vicodin as you had been taking. That is a very large amount. What the doctor and many people on these boards (or all of the people on these boards that have been in your situation would say) that you should have tapered off and then jumped off at a much much lower dosage. This is not going to be easy. First of all you should talk to your doctor (but I am not telling you to go back on them) and see what type of a plan he suggests. I was on xanax, vicodin, oxycodone,ambien, for chronic pain for a few years under strict doctors orders and I started to go into withdrawl by having restless legs for 6 months and the doc treated me for restless legs until I realized that it was withdrawl. I decided to go into a withdrawl clinic as I didn't want to take any more pain pills. They put me on "suboxone" apparently it is what they are using now to get you off of opiates. They don't put you on it (in this clinic at least) until you are off of your pain pills for 24 hrs at least and that 24 hours was bad enough and then you take the "suboxone" which you can read up on a lot of these boards. You think you are getting help and it calms you down, but it still has a "synthetic" receptor in it that tells your brain that you are still on opiates. So if your doc suggests that read up on it first as they say "you are just trading one drug for another and I agree 100%) That is my opinion and I would like you to get other opinions also on this matter. My story is through these boards several times so you can maybe read them on your own. Anyway what I wanted to say is I have just come off of "suboxone" 28 days ago and "withdrawl" is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. You can get through it but....you might need to tell someone because you will need support. It is very difficult. I am thinking about you and just know you are worth it and it is time for you to quit. You will get all kinds of support on these boards and post any time as we will be here for you. Good Luck, just remember your "mind is a powerful thing" and you will get your life back when you are through this but....I think that you are going to need some help from family or friends. Also a few things I did was take hot baths all the time, someone suggested that you eat bananas and drink V8 juice which I did as they have potassium, also there is something called "Hylands leg cramp" solution (not sure where you get it) that they say works for "restless legs". I have not slept properly in 4 weeks maybe if I am lucky 2hrs. a night and haven't got any help for that yet. Now of course, no pain pills, I am in "chronic pain" again and that is difficult. Sorry getting off track now.

If you need to ask any questions I am here. Take care of yourself Lyn in Michigan

Sorespine · 01-26-2009, 06:33 AM

Why do you have to keep it a secret?

I tapered off under direction from the doctor, and went into detox where nurses monitored withdrawal symptoms 24 times a day in a 24hr observation detoxification unit run by the government.

It was the hardest thing in the world, I've been off Methadone since 10 November; I don't know about Vicodin, only that it's what House is on.

Good on you for wanting a better life, it will get better.

Please at least phone a drug/alcohol counselling or information helpline, don't know about over in America but here in Oz they have them. It's confidential. Or a confidential/anonymous health information line?

There's a reason for the 24hr obs on people withdrawing. Please take care.

Good luck

mel486 · 01-26-2009, 12:31 PM

Hi hvaclou2,

Welcome to the group. This is where you can get the support you need.

I think you might be taking the wrong approach going cold turkey. That was my plan and the people in this forum convinced me otherwise. I am now detoxing by tapering down. You might want to consult your doctor, whether or not you were on the drug legally and together come up with a plan to get you off of the drug. Tapering off lessens the withdrawals.

A support group is really needed to help you ask questions and get answers and just to talk about your problem to get ideas that may help you. If you don't have that, here is the place to be. My dependency was caused from an injury and I have been very open about it and the problems that I am going through to my family and friends and they are very supportive. Do you have anyone that you can confide in to help you out?

At the top of this forum is a "sticky note" on Sample Home Detox Rescue Options" that you should read.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm looking for it along with you.

amed225 · 01-29-2009, 08:58 AM

hi, if you've stayed with the cold turkey, keep going. you are thru the worst and you are only putting it off, because even if you lower the dose you will still go thru withdrawals. i think day 3 is the worst, you should start to feel better. i know your post was a couple days ago, how are you doing? if you decided to taper that is fine, stay with it, don't give in. try not to go on suboxine. it seems great at first but turned very ugly for me. am finally off it for 8 days! each day is better. hang in there, stay strong!!!! amed