I am really scared to stop taking vicodin. I only have eleven left and I know after that I'm not going to be able to get anymore unless I go through some drastic measures. Is cold turkey an okay way to go? I'm hearing about some of these withdrawals and I don't know if I can handle it.

Also, do you typically get painkillers after you get your wisdom teeth removed? I'm just wondering, I'm getting them removed in a couple of weeks and am wondering if there's a certain subsistute I should ask for if they prescribe me vicodin..

I didn't get any pain killers after my wisdom teeth were removed - and the top and bottom were removed by different dentists. Frankly it didn't hurt that much - and they had to drill away parts of my jaw to get them out. Now - I know there are problems associated with wisdom teeth removal that can hurt quite a bit - like dry socket and what not.

To answer you questions on withdrawl and quitting vicodin you'll have to give up some more information. How much were you taking and for how long? I've been through what I would call full withdrawl from vicodin and it was - ugly - but nothing that I couldn't handle. It's a weird feeling - not anything I've ever been able to describe. It's like having the flu and anxiety and wanting to do nothing and not being able to sit still all at once. Sometimes I can sleep for hours - and sometimes I can't sleep at all. And at nightime my legs start to cramp and feel like I have to move them (Restless Leg Symdrome) Once I took too much benedryl to sleep and it made things REALLY bad!! Since then I've been more careful to taper. This time it's only emotional - no physical stuff although I have a cold - but so does everyone else so I think it's REALLY a cold!

It's not as scary as it seems to you right now. A lot of it is how you go into it mentally. You have to be taking a lot of pills to go through some kind of really bad W/D's.

I am really scared to stop taking vicodin. I only have eleven left and I know after that I'm not going to be able to get anymore unless I go through some drastic measures. Is cold turkey an okay way to go? I'm hearing about some of these withdrawals and I don't know if I can handle it.

Also, do you typically get painkillers after you get your wisdom teeth removed? I'm just wondering, I'm getting them removed in a couple of weeks and am wondering if there's a certain subsistute I should ask for if they prescribe me vicodin..


It depends on how many a day you are taking.

When my son got his wisdom teeth taken out he got pain killers.
strong ones.

Give us some more information; how many pills are you taking and how long have you been taking them. Also, what are you taking them for????
Are they from an MD?

7.5/750 for about three weeks. I take one or two a day. I first got them after I went to the dentist for some emergency work on a VERY infected tooth abscess, it was the worst pain I've ever been in, ugh. About a week and a half later got 10 fillings, a root canal, and a temp crown. I got another bottle after I told them darvocet wasn't doing anything for me. So it's just a few weeks, so maybe I'm not too hooked. I do have a really hard time focusing or sleeping without them though.

Oh you poor thing, I can really relate to your problem.
I have really bad teeth too, and it can be heck.

Since you have only taken one or two a day for about 3 weeks, I would say that
it is going to be "kind of" hard. You will be going through withdrawls I would say.


Do you still have the 11 left?
I would just taper off of them the best you can.

Sorry I don't have very good advice but I am sure that someone else here will
have better advice. Good Luck to you.

1 or 2 a day will not be hard to stop if you only have been taking them for 3 weeks....you should have very little withdrawl..........but once you stop never take them again and you won't become like alot of us here..........its not easy to stop when you take as many as some of us did for the amount of time we did.........so stop now
GOOD LUCK
JCS

I agree!!!! Stop now before you get like I was............20+ a day!

It can happen...

You will be uncomfortable for several days, but it won't be that bad.
Just stay strong.

Thank you all for the support, I think vicodin is doing me a lot more harm than good. Lately I've been noticing that the effects are getting less and less strong, I'm getting used to it I guess. Yesterday morning I felt extremely depressed and ended up slashing my left arm with a razor pretty badly, there was a lot of blood. I have self-mutilated before, but not in a long, long time. I thought that I've grown past that. I was also contemplating suicide. I don't know if it's related to the vicodin, but it's scaring me.

Listen....suicide is NOT the answer. It sounds like the vikes are getting to ya. It is o.k. we have all been there. Don't mutilate anymore, i know it is a form of stress relief, but you don't want to start that again. You have found your way here, and that in itself is a blessing. You aren't taking all that much, so the w/d isn't going to be bad at all. A lot of this is in our heads....this is why so many of us can't seem to kick it. Stop now while your dosage is low. I will promise you that if you don't, it will escalate up to 10 or even 20 a day. Pills give us a false sense of well-being, and as addiction grows, they turn on us, leaving us feeling alone, desperate, and sick.
If you have 11 left, taper with what you got...or hell just go cold turkey. It won't be bad if you have a positive attitude. I have cold-turkeyed off of many, many more pills a day and functioned and took care of my kids and house. It can be done....alot of w/d is the state of mind you are in.
Hang in there and keep posting. You found a really good site, we are all in or have been in your position before. You can do this....NO MORE SELF-MUTILATING!!! Kick the pills and you will see in a week or two, that you are mentally SO MUCH BETTER< Don't go on using, it will inevitably turn around and bite you in the *ss. Get clean now while it is still early in your addiction, it will be slightly uncomfortable, but definitely do-able. Let me know how you are doing today......
Be strong
luv,
LISA

I know how you feel. I've had depression all my life and I have never been MORE depressed than when stopping opiates. I did try to commit suicide while withdrawling once when I didn't even realize what was going on - YOU DO know what's going on because we are telling you. It's the PILLS. One day very soon you are going to wake up and feel better - and then better and better. Make sure you wake up that day. It's a good one. Life sparkles again, you hear, see and feel wonderful things again. The problem with drugs is as Lisa said - it gives you a FALSE sense of well-being. Therefore you miss the stuff going on around you that really does give you that feeling. You stop taking care of your senses as well as your body, mind and soul.

Take the energy you have and instead of focusing on the absence of pills focus on a new life.

Eat better then you ever have. Drink more water then you thought you could drink. Walk, run, hit a pillow a lot. Join a gym, try yoga, meditation. If you are religious - go to church. Find God - in your own way, shape or form. Get addicted to taking care of yourself. Read books about how to. Redecorate your bedroom to be a haven. A can of pain and some fabric can do wonders.

I'm not making light of your feelings and frustrations - I'm just trying to tell you how much easier this is if you fight back!!!!!!! Don't let it beat you up - BEAT IT up! You know you aren't that weak person - you are a strong and powerful person and it's time to break out the big guns and fight for your life.

You can do it -

Tori

OH and when you go back to have your wisdom teeth out - tell the dentist you seem to be allergic to opiates - to please give you a substitute. Tell him NOW - cut yourself off from that new source in two weeks. Do you want to do this all over again??? No way. Write this down - how this feels - yell at yourself in two weeks to NOT do this to yourself ever again. You can't just get the bottle and take it for the pain - and put it down - your addiction will tell you that you can.

We will all do this with you...

Tori