I have never taken medicine of any kind before having a total knee replacement on Aug.1. I have since been on percocet and then lortab. I have worried the entire time of becoming dependent but I had to have something for the pain. I realized this weekend that I wasn't taking the lortab for the same reason and it wasn't even having the same effect on me as in the beginning. I had only been taking at the most 3 a day. It is now 8:31Pm on Tuesday night and I haven't taken one since yesterday at 11:45 a.m. I went to my regular dr. yesterday to talk to him about how to stop. I had kept a log of everytime I had taken one and he said that I had basically stop cold turkey already and to just stop. He said I was over 1/2 way there so why go backwards. I am miserable. I feel like I am going to explode. I can't quit crying. I feel like I am never going to feel better or happy again. I have always been such an upbeat person, the one who takes care of everyone else. I am not sleeping at night since the surgery. I sleep some but when I wake up I can't go back to sleep. I quess I just want to hear from someone that it will get better. Someone who has been there. My husband is so supportive and I really want to find the "old" me. This whole surgery has just thrown me for a loop. I would appreciate any advice I can get from this board. When I read some of the other posts and saw how much some people are taking I don't understand why this has had such a bad effect on me.
Thanks,
Jane

Jane,
I wanted to repond to you, but I only come here very infrequently, so many others may have better advice. All I can add is that I took hydros or about 3 years, starting them legitimately, then abusing them. The emotional w/d's for me were far worse than the physical w/d's, although eventually one plays off the other. I just wanted to comment that even 4-6 hours off of any opiate seems to start some type of w/d's including emotional/psychological responses. We know we can take immodium for physical reasons, and advil for pain, etc., but the w/d's from these drugs will also bring on depression and anxiety. All of us that have been there attest to that. I do believe that knowledge is power, and if you know what you are feeling is going to end, that it's a result of not taking the opiates, you can fight it and look forward to those feelings, tapering off as your brain receptors adjust to life without what it had. We don't think twice when we have the flu to take a break, a couple days off, to get better. You may just need to let yourself be sick and get better. Three to five days seems to be the norm although, after that, it may not be over altogether. However, it's at that time you may have the strength to better understand what's going on and take it when it comes and know that it won't last. (Think about life before any addiction whatsoever.) Every day does gets better..just like the flu. Be kind to yourself, be strong, and you'll get through this and recover. There are some things you can do, exercise, water, B-vitamins, etc. (read the posts here), but more importantly come here and post your progress so you know you're not alone.

Lisa

HI Jane,
My story is so much like yours except I took 8 to 10 10's a day for the past year. For me it was hard when I tried to cut back to 5 pills a day I started drinking a fifth of bourbon a day. My husband was having hip replacement and I was so stressed because I knew how hard it was going to be to pick up the pills for him. Anyway, I ended up in E.R. for blacking out and falling, left there checked myself into a detox program for four days. It was hard but so worth it. It is hard every day and I only try to make it through that day. I can't think about how long it will take, just to get there. It's been a couple of weeks and I get a little weepy sometimes but the pride of stopping helps. I had the addiction pretty bad-sounds like you didn't abuse them so much you just got stuck with it. Stop beating your self up. The ole NanaJane will be back soon. I'm not a doctor but I'd guess you're over the worse of it and you will make it because you want it. I know you may be limited to the type of excercise but anything that you can do will help. Stay strong and always know that you're in my prayers. Jane just get through this day and tomorrow may be a better day.
Hug's to you
Bre

Hey there. Welcome to the board. Emotional w/d's are quite normal. You will start to feel better and start to feel like your old self very soon. Exercise was the key for me-still is. You are prob limited to the type of exercise that you can do because of your knee. I would look at doing some swimming if at all possible. It still amazes me at how these pills can do terrible things to your body in such a short time. I'm begging you to not take another pill. If you keep it up, you will end up like I was. The amount you need will only get larger and larger.

Well, today is Wednesday morning, I had taken my last lortab at 10:45 on Monday morning. I basically feel like crap. Not that that is a big surprise. The diarehha has passed, I think. Probably the worse feeling other than the sad feeling is this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach...I wish I could get rid of it. It's like a nervous stomach but 100 times worse. My knee has really hurt, I don't know if it's that since the pain medicine is getting out of my system I'm feeling more or what. It's not unbearable but it seem to be hard to take my mind off it. It just makes me want to take another pill so it won't hurt. I read about how some of you have continued to work. I don't see how. I can barely sit here at this computer and type this. I just can't believe how sad I feel. I feel so bad for my friends and family having to deal with this. I can't begin to say how supportive they are. I just need to get better so they don't have to see me like this anymore. I just want to be "me" again. I look in the mirror and wonder where I have gone....am I still there?? I am so grateful that I found this board. You all have given me the little bit of hope that I do have.
Nanajane

Hey, glad to have you here. A lot of us can totally relate to how you are feeling. You will be back to you again. Its hard but you have to be patient. As long as you do not take another pill, you will never have to go through day 1 or day 2 again!!! I developed some pain in my left shoulder last week. Over did it while working out. I'm sure someone that didnt have a pill problem might have went to get it checked out and got some percs or something. Well, I used a lot of ben gay, ice, and anti-inflams. Pretty much did the trick. Still a little sore, but nothing which warrants narcotics. Hang in there, you will feel better. Please trust me on that.