Been On Norco For 2 Years-need Off

[shelley2977]

hi All, I Had Breast Cancer In 2003 And After Breast Removal Surgery Was Given Norco For Pain. I Had A Botched Reconstruction And Stayed On Norco, Then Chemo Which Caused Pain And Stayed On Norco, Then Arimidex (which I Take For 5 Years) And Causes Severe Joint Pain And Stayed On Norco. I Sleep Till Noon And Was Blaming The Chemo Which Ened 2 Years Ago This Week! I Have Been ********ting Myself Int0 Thinking I Need This Drug. I Roll Over In The Morning And Grab For 2 Pills Cause I Have So Much Pain But I Am Not Sure If It Is Withdrawal Pain Or Real Pain. Monday I Hit Rock Bottom As I Was Shopping At 2 In The Afternoon As I Make All My Appointments For Later In The Afternoon. I Want To Thank You All For Letting Me Tell You The Truth About Me. I Was Taking 6-8 Pills A Day. Tuesday I Took 3 Pills Total And Took Jam233 Advice About Withdrawal Symtems. I Still Have Bad Withdrawal Eventhough I Am Taking The Pills. Today I Have Had Only One Pill (3pm)and I Feel That I Can Do It. My Family Is Concerned And Thinks I Should Be Medically Supervised. But You Guys Know Exactly How I Feel. I Have Ativan And Benedryl. I Think I Stayed On Them For So Long So I Would Not Have To Really Think About Cancer Coming Back Since I Am Stage 3. If There Is Anyone Who Got Off Norco And Has Time To Write With Any Other Ideas I Would Appreciate. I Am So Sorry I Went On And On. Anyone With Ideas On Helping The Withdrawal Easier Please Write Me. God Bless You All, Shelley

[vmom]

Shelley,

I have no advice (still contemplating posting about my own addiction) but wante dto say I'm sorry for all you've been through.

I'll keep you in my thoughts and keep an eye on this thread. Cancer is a tough pill to swallow.
Elizabeth

[shelley2977]

Elizabeth, Thank You For Responding To Me. Yes, Breast Cancer Is A Nightmare. I Hope You Can Somehow Find The Strength To Share Your Story On These Pages. I Feel So Much Better Knowing I Am Not Alone. God Bless And I Hope To Hear Form You Again. Shelley

[LisaC2]

Hi Shelley,

I too got addicted to norco. I am on suboxone now. (if you don't know what that is just ask me). I have been clean since Nov 24. I went out of state for treatment, as I did not want my physician to know I was addicted. I got my meds off the internet) So I know how you feel about wanting to keep things confidential. It is a hard habit to break, but I have read countless stories of successsful tapers. Try and get plenty of rest, and I would ask around about a good energy supplement for the PAWS. I wish you luck. Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. LisaC2

[toughtime]

Hi Shelley,

How are you? I too was addicted to Norco, for maybe 3 years.... My addiction and tolerance had progressed to where I took about 20 a day. Some days 15, some 30. But I was going through scripts for 120 pills in about 5 days and my habit was out of control. I quit cold turkey on Jan. 22. I knew I had to. I had gotten yet another script about 3 days before I quit and the bottle was almost empty, and I was thinking about how I would score again and it hit me- whoa- this is out of control. I'm a single mom and got laid off in October, so the fact that I even managed to afford my pills when the rest of my life was going down the drain is super pathetic.

Anyway, that's my story. I always heard not to go cold turkey b/c of seizures, but my brother had gone cold turkey years ago. He was on oxycontin, vikes, everything and his kidneys actually shut down. He was in his thirties. He had to quit immediately just to urinate again. Scary. So he has told me that he quit w/out anything and didn't have sympathy really for my plight.

I told my mom about my problem and quit. The first 3 days were ROUGH! Withdrawals.... well, I recommend Immodium highly! I also followed the thomas recipe for detox, which says to spend a lot of time in hot baths and or a hot tub (I have a hot tub, just got the electric bill for my week of with withdrawals- YIKES, but it was worth it!). That recipe also recommends taking L-tyrosine w/B6 in the morning an hour before you eat, and a good multi vitamin later. I added liquid b12 vitamins, st. john's wort and an amino acid pill. (I'm still popping pills, they are just vitamins now- LOL!)

Anyway, I've had 15 days clean. I slipped on 3 different days. My 4th or 6th day couldn't take it, I even flushed a bottle of pills I had hidden and that sent me into a spiraling depression. But it's been a solid week since I've had any pills. I'm so glad!

If you don't have people you can turn to, just say you have the flu. It's flu season and withdrawal mimics the flu. You can do it!!!! If I can quit, anyone can quit. Now I feel foolish for not quitting sooner. It physically hurts to think about all the cash I've wasted on those stupid pills, and the mental pain is guilt to my daughter. But I'm straight now, so not mentally beating myself up nearly as much as I used to! The energy comes back even. I thought I wouldn't be able to cook or clean without norcos, but I am a better cleaner now! I still suck as a cook, but hey, that's a whole other support board I guess. :-)

Let me know how you do. You've taken the best first step, admitting you have a problem and posting on this board. There are some of the nicest people on this board I have ever met! Or not met. But they are truly kind and awesome and will support you in this. It's worth it to get through the withdrawals and get clean again. :-)

Debbie