Desperately Need Help

[LukeJ12]

I am new to this board and I guess I'm seeing it as my last hope. My story is a long one, but I'm going to post the short version. I have significant problems with my back and have gone through the gamut of treatments including surgery. Along the way I became addicted to hydrocodone and was clean for almost three years. My pain has been controlled through a combination of spinal injections and MS Contin 15 mg. twice a day. I've been on the MS Contin for almost a year and I never abused it. I also had no desire to use the Norco and the morphine really gave me a much higher quality of life.

Last year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had surgery. Afterwards I had just about every complication one could have. They were giving me my oral morphine but they also were giving me hydrocodone and oxycodone. To make a long story short, it took a while of "playing" with Norco after I got out of the hospital before I got to the point that I am now seriously hooked again. I am taking about 25 to 30 10 mg. Norcos a day. I am seriously depressed over this situation to the point that I have some suicidal thoughts. I cannot tell my doctor the situation because I know he will cut me off the MS Contin and I have never abused it and as I said earlier it has been a blessing to the quality of my life.

I am trying to cut down but am not having much success. What I really need if someone has this information is a plan for cutting down on the Norco until I am off of it. I can't do a cold turkey as when I tried that I ended up feeling so bad I used more that day than normal.

I am literally begging for some help here. Does anyone have a "recipe" for slowly cutting down on the Norcos to the quit point? I would be eternally grateful for any help I can get. I know I could follow a cut down plan to the T because I did that before but I don't remember how I did it and I am so anxious and toxic now that I can't think straight enough to put together a plan on my own. Will someone please, please help me?

[kim4074]

I'm gonna go back some I know at one time there was a post about tappering off and that might help you some too. Kim

[LukeJ12]

Kim, thank you for responding. I would certainly be appreciative if you could find the post. I just feel so hopeless right now.

[kim4074]

here is something I have found but will continue looking I will know the name if I see it and I know it was either in april or may that is was posting since that was my time quitting. this is from a different member not the one i was looking for but this might help some. Good luck Kim



The withdrawal/detox itself will be over in 5 - 10 days. Those symptoms you describe are all typical and there is no shortcut to getting through them. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

However, after the withdrawal itself, a person still undergoes a sort of "rebound effect" due to deprivation of narcotics which makes one quite weak and restless and susceptible to chills, night sweats and insomnia for some time (up to 30 days) even after detox. The rebound effects can be marked enough to seem like continued withdrawal and can lead to relapse, so you have to be extra vigilant during this time.

I have been clean and sober for years and found that the worst rebound effect following narcotic withdrawal is INSOMNIA. Not being able to sleep a full night for a month is no picnic, and many people crave some sort of relief during this period, including going back to the opiates.

SOME TIPS TO DEAL WITH post detox WITHDRAWAL AND REBOUND EFFECT:
-Avoid any drugs whatsoever. Sleeping pills, benzodiazepines like Valium, muscle relaxants like carisoprodol (Soma), etc.; these do not really help as much as you might think and simply prolong the recovery period. The sooner you allow your body and brain (neurotransmitters) to adjust to functioning without any drugs the sooner you will feel better.
-Try herbal remedies for the rebound effects such as weakness and restlessness, chills, night sweats and insomnia. Do not discount the proverbial warm glass of milk at bedtime.
-Proper diet -- essential. LOTS OF FLUIDS -- flush your system out and hydrate your dehydrated body recovering from detox. Vitamins and other supplements may help your body recover sooner as well.
-Exercise as soon as possible, even if this means just taking walks or getting out of bed to walk around. The sooner you get back into some form of real exercise, the sooner your body will recover.
-Try sauna and steam rooms if available and repeated hot showers to "sweat it out" and ease the chills. Hot showers will also help you sleep.
-Try not to focus on the rebound effects and instead focus on recovery and the fact that as long as you stay drug free you will be FEELING BETTER EACH DAY. Attend as many recovery oriented group or therapy meetings as possible.

The key of course to staying clean and sober after any withdrawal is a program of recovery, whether “powerlessness” 12 step oriented like Narcotics Anonymous,
or “self empowerment” oriented like Smart Recovery.
was my w/d time.

[Philster2003]

Luke;

I certainly could help you devise a taper schedule, I've done many for so many in the past. If you did a search of this board for "taper schedule" you would find many examples. I'll paste in a few links also

If I knew exactly how many pills you take a day at what frequency like 3 or 4 every 3 hrs or 8 every 8 hrs or 6 every 6 hrs.

Glad to help you out, I’ve had a lot of experience tapering, successfully I may add. I've also gone the CT route so I've had plenty of experience, to much experience ha

Take care

[url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=10896&highlight=taper+s chedule[/url]

[url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=10824&highlight=taper+s chedule[/url]




phil