Need Some Hope...

waldogirl · 07-31-2006, 02:17 PM

Hello. I've been reading this board for a few weeks now, but first time posting. I was addicted to Darvoct for almost 15 years (phew!),starting out with a normal dose for real chronic pain, and increasing steadily over the years until taking 15-20 day for the past 5 years at least (Tolerance issue). Well, I was afraid I was gonna kill myself (I'm 53F) so I decided it was time to stop, and I did. I checked myself into hosp for 4 days to detox and am now on 21st day without meds. I also took xanax, but never abused that, taking 1-2 mg a day as prescibed. Have stopped that too tho.

The thing is, I expected to feel better by now but maybe I'm asking too much. After all, my system hasn't been without pills in over a decade so I try to tell myself it will take more than 3 weeks to feel better. Am I right?
Has anyone else been an addict as long as me? Or does it matter?

I have this restless, antsy feeling from deep inside and everytime I have a day or two without it (rarely) and I think its getting better it comes back again! I'm so discouraged and feeling sorry for myself, I know. I can't sleep and that's awful. And all the real pains I took the meds for in the first place seem to be magnified now, and I'm hoping that will pass too. Also, I've had panic attacks since I was 14, and now w/o the xanax, I keep trying to talk myself out of those. I keep thinking "maybe I can take the xanax still since I didn't abuse it", but I'm afraid to take it, after reading all the horrible posts about it.

Anyway, don't want to bore you all to death on my first post, but can someone tell me truthfully it will get better? Even if I know it will take awhile that's ok, as long as I know it will happen. Between the pains, panic attacks, extreme fidgety feelings and no sleep, I'm hanging on by a thread.
I know, as much as you can, that I won't take the pain pills again, but it's really scary. It was such a part of my life forever! Thanks to you all for listening to me.

ozzybug · 07-31-2006, 02:42 PM

Waldo-
Congratulations on getting off of the Darvocet. I've heard that Darvocet is really one of the milder pain medications, and then started agreeing with that when I had my wisdom teeth removed and they gave it to me for the pain afterward. Tylenol helped much better than the Darvocet, so I ended up throwing the Darvocet away.

You were taking it for many, many years and were taking quite a few each day, so it may take some time for you to get over the physical symptoms that are still hanging on. Your metabolism may just be moving it all totally out of your body slower?? Your body was used to having massive amounts of this stuff for so long, that it now has to gradually get back to normal.

If you are 21 days clean, then hopefully the worst is over and the physical symptoms that do still occur will start to lessen for you. I know this 21 days has probably seemed like a lifetime for you, but you've managed to make it this far, so I'd say you've made it over the mountain and should be on the "down slope" now.

I'm not sure what the half life of Darvocet is, but I'm sure someone here will know and be able to give you more concrete information.

Again, Pats on the back for you for making the choice to get off of the Darvocet. You should be very proud of your accomplishments, and I hope to see you post more often and let us share your wonderful success!

Lezlee

waldogirl · 07-31-2006, 06:33 PM

Thanks Lezlee and Tim for your replies. I'll try to be more patient AND do some more exercise. I've been trying to keep busy every day with cleaning, visiting my granddaughter and playing with her, a morning walk, going to stores and walking around, etc. Some days I think I should be really pooped, and still can't sleep.

Anyway, I'll keep hanging in and keep you posted how I'm doing. It helps just to talk about it. I know Darvocet's not up there with cocaine, oxycodone and such in strength, but it sure was killing me. But I'm sure you are right that the high dose over an extended time was what did it to me.

mpvt · 08-01-2006, 03:08 PM

When you abuse opiates for many years your opiate receptors physically change.You also stop producing endorphins the little molecules that make us feel happy and kill pain.
So, when you stop using outside opiates your brain doesn't have anything to fill the receptors and you begin to feel depressed ect.
That's why your diet and exercise are very important especially right now.You should also be drinking those sport drinks like gatorade ect, they restore electrolytes in your body and will help with your energy level.If you find you can't take it feeling like this then by all means go to your doctor and get an anti-depressant for a couple of months.Believe me you will feel better but just remember that you didn't get addicted overnight so you won't get better overnight either.You have done a great job at quitting and you should be proud because propoxyphene is an opiate and it is very addictive.Also remember that any opiate that we take we mtabolize it into morphine,so it doesn't matter what opiate your addicted to because it all ends up as morphine in the brain.Good luck to you and way to go on kicking the darvon....Dave

ozzybug · 08-01-2006, 03:18 PM

Dave-
That post was very informative....thank you.

Icontinually learn new things here. I never knew that all opiates are metabolized into morphine. That's a scary thought! It never ceases to amaze me how much I learn here on a regular basis.

Walso- Keep up the good work, and I hope you gain as much useful information during your recovery as I have gained while posting here. Knowledge is a powerful thing and can only serve to help you druing your recovery!

Take Care Everyone!!
Lezlee