HOME DETOX RESCUE OPTIONS

[jam338]

Note:
The Sample Home Detox (w/OTC WD Coping Options) has been established by the Moderator as a sticky post and can be found as the top "sticky post" at the top of each list.

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Following are the various discussions regarding it and detox in general.
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My personal experience with the OTC Coping Options List:
3 times----first with Vicodin, Xanax, and then Tramadol. It has been a year since I last detoxed. And, I am having surgery again in a month and came to the Boards to find information on managing post-surgery concerns. Several people were on the same board in the middle of detox and on bridge of aborting so I went digging for all my personal journal notes on how I did the home detox. It is a compilation of home detox suggestions from various people on various boards, and as written represents my own personal detox plan. I thought I would post it here to help others. I was sooooooo greatful to find OTC relief to help me get through it that I wanted to give thanks by giving back to others. The more that we can help others get off this crap the better. It is a horrible demon to have on your back-----as we all know, you transition from painfree euphoria to an imprisoned Vicodin haze that blunts and controls everything in your life where nothing else begins to matter except counting and splitting pills to get to your next RX date

For me, each time I used almost everything on the list. The only thing I didn't need was the Immodium; never had the runs that most do...so that shows that everyone will not experience WDs exactly the same, but there are universal things as stated on the list. For me the Xanax and the Tramadol detox was far worse and longer than the Vicodin. Though let there be no doubt that Vicodin is difficult as evidenced by the fact that so many end up having to professionally detox to be successful. However, with this list and self-dertermination folks can do it. The worst of the Vicodin detox is usually days 2-4 for most people where you are definitely not functioning well, and not sleeping hardly at all. After Day 4 things start stabilizing where you can at least sleep some and that helps. I definitely was not able to work during that time. As to what works, everything on the list collectively helps. For what works best, if I had to single any one thing out I would have to say hot baths. Almost always when I was absolutely at the end of my rope I would run a bubble bath of water as HOT as I could stand it as that would settle nerves and leg twitches, but only temporarily. For the first 4 days I probably took somewhere between 6-10 HOT baths a day. Next, would be the hot rice socks to settle the same symptoms whenever I was too waterlogged or exhausted to get in the tub. It is really hard to single any one thing out though. For example, sleep deprivation is horrible and all the things that helped induce sleep also helps. But then there is the 20-30 min day exercise----sooooooooo critical to get that body working for YOU again...it takes 20-30 min a day to get your endorphins jumpstarted and producing natural dopamine. When that kicks in the WD joint pain subsides considerably. Now, I can tell you that the Zinc/Magnesium part of the formula is a recent addition, and that was not part of my original formula, but based on the experience of others it seems extremely critical. Every last one of the people that added it, and they were in the middle detox, felt some relief right away and said the relief built everyday. From their experience we concluded that if you were to start the Zinc/Mag 1-2 weeks in advance and build up that it would make a major difference. It not only helps w/WD pain and depression, but folks after detox stated it helped them with pain management since they were no longer on RX pain meds.

When I did my detoxes I researched and prepared well for it as I was terrified to detox at home, but there was no way I was going through the open humilation of professional detox center. I am sure I spent over $200 for everything I bought to do the detox. Sounds like a lot, but pales in comparison to what I had been spending for years on medications....so, I reconciled it with myself that it was my insurance policy to ensure success of ridding myself of that tether to a pillbottle.

As to percentage, I have not detoxed without using the formula so its really hard to say on that. I have no doubt though that without the formula, for me personally I am not sure that I would have made it through the Xanax or Tramadol detox without it. I would have likely made it on the Vicodin detox but I think it would have been twice as bad. I can tell you the most recent gal to do it, just got her Vicodin RX for 120 pills filled last Wed and by the following Tues she had only 1 pill left. She was forced into this because no more pills....cold turkey from 120 pills in one week type habit to 0, OUCH. I gave her the list to help as she was terrified as to what to expect and could not tell her husband what she had done. Well, today is Day 3 cold turkey for her which is usually one of the worst days, and she remarkably states she feels pretty good and thusfar is having minimal WDs---pretty phenominal, but things could be delayed...who knows, bless her heart. I know the principal thing from the list of what she is using that she seems to be crediting the difference to is the Zinc/Mag (must be taken w/food or it will make you sick). I know that she is also using Immodium and other things from the list to help, but she has not yet specified exactly what things. She was thrust into detox with no planning so no time to plan and shop in advance so she is having to use things that she already had at home, and fortunately she had Zinc, Immodium, and a few others. I will ask her specifically what she has.

Once you cut that pillbottle tether rope, the rope wraps tightly around the pole for a few days while in WDs, but then it loosens, lets go, and hangs straight giving you control of YOUR life back....FREEDOM. It is a wonderful feeling to be a full functioning memeber of my family again and not thinking of pills the first thing when I wake up in the morning. Anyway, hope I have answered your questions; am happy to help.

[LVNMYLIFE]

Oh my gosh!!!

All I can say is thank you for posting this. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!! I am on a taper now and will be shopping tomorrow for all of this, whatever helps.

I am so motivated and you just fired me up even more. I WILL BE THERE VERY VERY SOON.

I went from 20 a day to 10 to 6 and today I took only 5. Almost there. (hydrocodone 10/325). It is working for me, I was fine today. a little sore but still manged to run the house (3 kids ages 7, 2 & 10 months, all with the flu, runs & puking).

[jam338]

Luvn, you are quite welcome. Its great that you are doing a taper. It is very hard I know....we have all been on some form of taper at some point if nothing more than splitting pills to make them last between RX refills....so I understand what you are going through is a real challenge, but good for you in your determination!! Focus on how great you are going to feel when it is over!!! Start building up your body nutrient base now w/good multi-vitamin and a multi-mineral, add additional C & E as they are excellent anti-oxidants. Most multi-vitamins have some minerals in them but you will need an additional broad spectrum multi-mineral supplement, plus extras of some particular vitamins; most importantly the Zinc, B-Complex pillform and B-Complex Sublingual Liquid Drops. The reason for both pillform and drops in the B-Complex is the pillform has higher levels of all the Bs except B-12 which is pointless to put in pillform because the body can not absorb it very well from pillform. B-12 is vital for energy and the central nervous system, but the body can only absorb it from natural dietary sources, injectable form, or sublingual liquid form under the tongue. The B-Complex sublingual w/B-12 has an elevated amount of B-12 w/very low amounts of the other B-Vitamins so it works well in harmony together.

Substance abuse in any form substantially robs the body of vital nutrients. For example, something we can all relate to as well is alchohol hangovers. Almost everyone has had one at one time or another in their life where the next morning you have the jittery shakes and jittery nauseous stomach. That is because high alcohol intake depletes the body of Vitamin Bs. If you take a VitB-Complex, 100 mg, before you leave the house or have first drink, it will substantially mitigate the hangover feeling. It will help even more if you also drink 2-3 glasses or more of water throughout the evening. Now will that work for heavy binge drinkers? Probably not. Will it work for people who have just a little more than they should? For most, probably yes, at least you will be somewhat functional the following day and not porcelain royalty or with one foot hanging off the bed

Vicodin addiction is not all that different, with the exception that the chemical composition in it blunts the body's ability to feel the full force of the nutrient depletion. However, once the Vicodin is stopped, that is felt full force and whiplash WDs begin. The goal is to mitigate that effect. Building a solid nutrient base BEFORE detox substantially helps and results in a more stabilized detox with lessened WDs. Adding the nutrients only AFTER the detox WDs have started requires substantially increased supplement levels and results in rollercoaster WDs, but can be done. The greatest success and the best for your body comes from the most stabilized and sensible approach; i.e., building a solid nutrient base first and supports more reasonable supplement levels during detox.

Exercise as much as you can. For the first several minutes your body's workmen are all trying, but they all doing different things and not working in efficient harmony together. It takes 20-30 min of exercise to get them synchronized and working in efficiently. Once they get used to it, they get organized and get on the job on their own more quickly. It is the only way to get your body's own natural factory working again. You see, not only have you been trapped in a Vicodin haze for sometime now, so has your body's workmen. They have all become slackers because they weren't needed as long as you were externally providing what nature designed them to do. So, they have been on a longggggggggg coffee break for however long you have been externally supplying a different source. Once the external source stops, it sends fire alarm bells loudly clanging and the workmen have jumped up and are running around all in different directions to finding to find their gear and figure out what the hell they did with the keys to the truck!!! It will take them a few days to get back on the job efficiently for you, but they will. They are designed by nature to do it naturally. By exercising YOU get them organized and it is your body's natural process of giving them instruction on what to do for you. If you don't give the instruction/exercise, they will eventually figure it out on their own, but it will take them longer without a crew leader, YOU!

[gina042]

WOW - Thank you, for having all this information on hand helps me to feel secure with detoxing!

I don't know what else to say but Thank you!!!!!!!!

~Gina~

[Twinlynn]

Jam -

Although I'm currently on Sub and not fighting withdrawal, I just had to come on and tell you how much your post will be treasured by all who have thought about--are going through--or remember detoxing from opiates. You are so, so kind to have given us so many specifics...and answered all the questions we can never think of when we need to ask them! LOL!

Your blow-by-blow, minute-by-minute detox "rescue guide" should get a Pulitzer prize for service journalism! :-) It deserves to be part of the "Dummy" guide series...."The Dummy's Guide to Detox"!!!!

Thanks a million, Lynn :-)