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Old 02-28-2006, 11:44 PM   #56
Sarandipity
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 672
Re: quiting vicodin right now! here goes

Cailiforney, Bridget, and Jam...

Thank you for the replies... question: Can I take meds to help me sleep during the first days of detox? Or is that just completely out of the question. (Comm on, Im waiting for the right answer.) Im just so sad. I keep wanting to put this whole thing off. But I know its not the right thing to do.

jam- talk to me about the stuffed animals. They helped you?
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Old 03-01-2006, 01:24 AM   #57
jam338
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Re: quiting vicodin right now! here goes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarandipity
Can I take meds to help me sleep during the first days of detox? Or is that just completely out of the question. (Comm on, Im waiting for the right answer.)
Hi Sara, there is no doubt that sleeping as much as you can is best during the first 2-3 days. The Thomas Detox Recipe (internet Message Boards around 2001) recommends using high levels of benzodiazepines (BZDs) to induce a sleep state for the first 2-3 days. Personally, I have concerns about that part of the Thomas Detox Recipe because of the high addiction risk history of BZDs, particularly with folks who abuse opiates. According to the American Family Physician Report, April 2001, 80 percent of benzodiazepine abuse has an multi-drug abuse association, with the other drug most commonly being opiates. Is a person likely to become addicted with 2-3 day use, no. According to the report it takes approximately 1-2 months usually, shorter if you have a drug abuse history. So, for someone detoxing from a tolerance dependency status associated with prescribed opiates for pain, there would likely be less risks. However, for a person who is procuring drugs online or through 'other' sources to get high or chase the high.....it is playing with fire to put another euphoric drug in the mix. Only you know which category of risk you are in. There are less risky OTC alternatives....though not as effective.....Nyquil, Tylenol PM, Benadryl, Valerian Root, RobitussinDM, etc.

Im just so sad. I keep wanting to put this whole thing off. But I know its not the right thing to do.
Fear is a very powerful thing. Fear is very scarey....causes people to hang on the ledge of uncertainty about when to let go....and if they haven't done their preparatory work will scare the hell of ya once WDs commence UNLESS you are prepared about what to expect and what your coping options are. Once you are prepared as things start to happen, rather than feel free you recognize it as something you were to expecting to happen....your body is able to better cope with things that it expects to happen. As an example...getting hit in the stomach out of the blue knocks the wind out of you....but if you know the blow is coming your body prepares for it....it still hurts like hell physically of course, but doesn't knock you mentally off center. Once you have asked enough, learned enough to conquer your fear you will be ready.

jam- talk to me about the stuffed animals. They helped you?
LOL, ohhhhh about WinnieI and WinnieII. Yes they did. It sounds crazy I know, but it did. The idea for me originated after seeing a piece on Winston Churchill's struggle with depression. He called the depression "The Blackdog" and it somewhat became code among his innercircle where days he was out of sorts with it all he would just say, 'sorry, The Blackdog is visiting me today'. As we all know, Hydro Hell definitely brings depression. So, I bought first bought a handful of those lil pound puppy~beanie baby type dogs---put them all around the house to remind me and make me smile...in the kitchen window, on my makeup table, bathroom counter, computer desk, etc. It was working great for me ....then I was in Big Lots and found these HUGE 3 foot floppy stuffed wrinkle dogs....I bought 2 of em, WinnieI for downstairs and Winnie2 for upstairs....they are my guarddogs against The Blackdog and they keep the drug demon out...every time I see em I smile and know they are on duty working to help me....makes me feel I am not alone....crazy I know, but hey it works for me.....AND, they are that soft furry fleece material making them extremely cuddly so I use em as body pillows to cuddle with to help with my back pain....the Winnies were something I did for me....I thought my hubby would think I am totally nuts...I didn't tell him what they represented to me for some time...I did a discrete detox where no one know....anyway, I did eventually tell him everything.....I was pleasantly surprised to learn he thought it was precious and understood their purpose completely....go figure. Now, during the day sometimes he calls me at home from work and asks me how the Winnies are doing and if he needs to pickup dogfood yet, lol...they have become quite a family giggly-poo which is just what I needed....but only he and I know they are there to keep The Blackdog and the Drug Demon in their place.

Last edited by jam338; 03-01-2006 at 01:26 AM.
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Old 03-01-2006, 02:07 AM   #58
Sarandipity
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Posts: 672
Re: quiting vicodin right now! here goes

Jam,
Thanks for that. I KNOW fear is powerful. I have never liked benzos because they dont make me feel "high", they just put me to sleep. What Im so scared of is "d" day tomorrow... stopping the hydros at 4:00pm, by 10:00 I will be in w/d I will wake up feeling like death- but I have to get up and act like I feel good and go to work. My job cannot suffer in any sort of way. Im a single parent and I know I put myself into this.. but I want to do everything I can to act normal on Thursday, work until 3:30- then skip out to go to the doc's. I have a very good job. I can't mess that up. That is why Im going the whole tappering thing. Otherwise since Ive already been through it once I could put up with the pain, the runs, the chills, the runny nose and be sick for a week at home and get over "the hump" sooner. But Im scared as hell to feel bad and mess up at work by being late or calling in sick. It's just not an option. My kids depend on me for everything and Im the only income in our family. Im not married and do not get child support. WOW this is the pits. The demon needs to be done with... now... not tappering it out. This is the worst! Im so scared and my mind is having a war with itself. So far Im winning and Im not backing out- Im just scared of the consequences of taking these stupid pills. Ok, Im going to stop beating myself up. Im just going to be for right now and do what I learned in AA, one minute at a time, and have faith in the sober Sara.

Love and hugs to all of you.

-Sara
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Old 03-01-2006, 03:07 AM   #59
calforney
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Gadsden, Alabama USA
Posts: 15
Re: quiting vicodin right now! here goes

Sarandipity:
"Can I take benzos to help sleep during wds?" I'm sorry. I agree with Jam. My psych who was seeing me for benzo addiction had a mantra, "No patient I've ever treated has ever died from a lack of sleep." Really ticked me off every time he said it. But here I am alive and well two years later.

Actually, I learned in rehab that you can become physically/mentally dependent on benzos in as short as two weeks, depending on what you're taking and at what dose.

Some people have moderate success with benadryl. That would be my first try. The Nyquil is about 25% alcohol and has pseudophedrine (sp?) or some other kind of a decongestant that can cause agitation and sleeplessness in some people. I can't take it because it makes me so hyperactive I could build a Ark overnight.

As a former benzo addict, I'm leary of folks taking them at all. And again, I'm no doctor, but if you have a job where you have to sleep to function at all, or have no time to take off, or absolutely have to drive yourself and might be danger on the highway, I'd tell my recovery doctor your problem - full disclosure, that you are detoxing, ask him/her to prescribe no more than 5 (FIVE) benzos of some kind (maybe the new lunestra - supposed to be less addictive that other sleeping aids and some have said they aren't even in the benzo' family. DON'T KNOW THAT FOR SURE. LOOK IT UP.) BUT ABSOLUTELY ACCEPT NO REFILLS.

ACCEPT A SCRIPT FOR NO MORE THAN 5 (FIVE) PILLS, TAKE ONE (1) A NIGHT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH AN HOUR BEFORE YOU WANT TO GO TO SLEEP, AND SEE IF THAT GETS YOU OVER THE HUMP WITH A LITTLE SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. Even if you can't sleep through the night. A little REM sleep is better than none.

As I said in a earlier post, when I was coming off benzo's about 2 years ago, I went 9 nights with no sleep at all, so as a former benzo addict, asking for five doses sleep aids would be my absolute limit and a last resort. A drug is a drug. It doesn't take long to leap from one to the another AND I AGREE WITH JAM, BENZOS SHOULD BE TOTALLY ILLEGAL..

Good, good luck. I'm on late many nights. If' I'm on and you need to vent, I'll respond.
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