Addiction Recovery :: How I Overcame Opiate Withdrawal

Addiction Recovery :: Need Help With Opiate Withdrawal

I am 34 I am married and have kids. I had gotten kidney stones during a pregnancy since doctors couldn't give me anything to help pass them I ended up taking vicodin 2 500 every 4 hrs. It was a prescription well I ended up giving birth and finally passed them about 2 weeks after delivery. By that time I got hooked I couldn't stop and I ended up buying off the streets. It started as 1 or 2 a day then ended up going up just to get the same feeling. I could take up to 12 a day sometimes and sometimes it would only be 4 a day. It was basically whatever I can afford. I never thought I could end up like this!!! From never taking anything to being dependent on a pill. I was spending all my money on these pills If I didn't use one day I would be sick I just wasn't me anymore. Finally 7 days ago I finally had enough and stopped. The physical symptoms are gone but it's the mental part now that's hard to deal with. I feel very anxious especially in the am because that's when I first started using. I have a lot of ups and downs through the day. I guess I was just numb to any feelings all day and now I feel very anxious. I wish I can push a button and skip this part of my life. I am so depressed but I manage to get up and do some things around the house. I tried to stop one other time and all I did was lay down and cried my kids thought I had the flu this time I am not doing the same mistake I am trying to be more motivated but I run out of energy fast!!!! I started taking a multivitamin when I stopped taking the pills. I take tylenol pm to sleep at night and started effexor for the anxiety which seems to be helping right now that's why I think I made it so far. I really just need to talk to some of you about your experiences and kind words

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Addiction Recovery :: Methadone Withdrawal

I'm going to a clinic in 3 days. I'm sick of the pills.. I'm sick of being in withdrawal a lot when I run out. plus I do have pain issues and the tramadol doesn't help . vicodin doesn't even touch it, any words of wisdom? ( hopefully a few positives? )

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Wellbutrin Can Help With Opiate Withdrawal Syndrome?

Can Wellbutrin help with opiate withdrawal syndrome? I need to go off opiates real soon and I don't want to go cold turkey. I've been through too many already that nearly killed me. Does anyone have an answer or have tried Wellbutrin with withdrawal successfully?

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Subutex And Opiate Withdrawal - My Story

I'm a 36 year old male and I work as an executive for a global corporation (not trying to "show off" but it plays into my story a bit further down). I tried opiates for my first time at 18 (1997) when I had two wisdom teeth removed. The Dr. at the time prescribed me 30 500MG Vicodin's. It was love, rather infatuation, once the effects of the first pill kicked in. I know many of you have exactly the same story and you know that wonderful warm feeling you had the first time you experimented with opiates whether you received a legal prescription or otherwise. In fact, I could hardly believe how good I felt, no physical or emotional pain it was if I was laying on a cloud of cotton candy. I actually took that prescription as prescribed and enjoyed the 10 or so days I was on it. Once I was done, that was it, I didn't try it again for years but I never did forget how wonderful it made me feel.

Fast forward to 2003/2004, I started dating a girl whose brother was a pain management Dr. She worked at his practice on the East Coast and had loads of prescription medication at her house which her brother had given her from the tons of samples the drug reps would leave with him. At first I thought this girl was an addict but the funny thing was that she NEVER ingested any of these meds. There were Vici-Profen, Percocet, Muscle Relaxers, Seroquel, and injectable Dilaudid! Now I had never heard of most of the drugs she in a cardboard box in her closet but I had hear of Percocet and Vici-Profen. She gave me a few here and there just to get a little buzz every few weeks until later that summer when I was helping her carry a new dresser up the stairs of her two story house. The dresser itself wasn't "that" heavy but I twisted in just the wrong way as we turned the top of the stairs and felt a lightening bolt of pain throughout my entire body as I collapsed to the ground. I couldn't believe the excruciating pain I was experiencing (turns out I had torn a muscle in my lower back), this pain would be almost laughable compared to the withdrawal I would have a few years later.
To make a long story short, her brother the "Dr." was also heavily addicted to Dilaudid (which I never tried thank God) and wrote me huge prescriptions for anything under the sun. This lasted for a year or so until a medical board investigation almost shut him and his practice down for over prescribing narcotics. My cheap and easily accessible supply was almost immediately shut off. Keep in mind I was never into drugs prior to this, sure I'd tried weed and coke a couple of times but nothing really appealed to me, until the opiates that is. At this point I was used to eating 6 Norco's (Oxycodone 10MG) just to get out of bed in the morning and another 6 or so to round out my day. I had maybe 12 or so left when the Dr. cut me off, no problem I told myself worse comes to worse I'll have withdrawals for a couple of days...no big deal...YEA RIGHT!

By the morning of day two I was freaking out, I had a high position in another company at the time which demanded me to be at the office almost 100% of the time. This may not be obvious to most people but when you become an executive there's really no such thing as "sick-time". You have a number of responsibilities and are expected to go well beyond the call of duty. I was freaking out because as each dreadful minute passed I was feeling worse and worse. I did some research online and learned about the firs of two "miracle" drugs I ended up trying throughout my struggle to sobriety. It was called Methadone and it would take away ALL of your withdrawals. YIPPIE I thought, now I have a solution to this horrible problem (I'm sure you can see where this is going). So I drove my new BMW 7 series to the "clinic" which was in one of the worst neighborhoods I'd ever seen and I grew up in a major city on the East Coast (NYC). At this point however, I didn't care, I was barely able to drive that morning and I knew things would be getting a lot worse as time wore on. I parked my car worried that I wouldn't see it again and proceeded down the sidewalk to the dilapidated clinic. Along the way I saw a number of individuals which fit my "idea" of drug addicts. At this point my ego refused to even fathom any relationship between myself and these "addicts". In my head, since I hadn't (up to that point) done anything illegal to score my DOC I was "better" than these people.
I sat in the waiting room, feeling like death, for over two hours until I was able to meet with an Indian (form India, not American Indian) counselor who asked me my story. Well, I wasn't about to throw my Dr. under the bus no matter what questions this guy asked. He informed me that I would have to take a drug test and wait around for the results before he could dispense any Methadone. GREAT, I thought, the withdrawals were getting really bad at this point. A month or so later (it was really just an hour but you know how time crawls when you're hurting with withdrawals) the little Indian man proceeded to inform me that he could NOT give me any methadone that day because there were still opiates in my system. This made me REALLY freak out, I didn't think I could go another day feeling like this. "OMG, what the hell am I supposed to do, I took the morning off work to come here and I have to go back to work this afternoon!!!" I commented with a shaky voice. The guy basically told me he couldn't do anything for me until I tested negative and to try back the next day. After some further protesting from me he advised me to go to the ER which I did. Four or five hours later I left the ER with 15 500MG Vicodin and took nearly all of them that day which barely took the edge off. I was back at the Methadone place the next morning at 7:00AM (which was usually the time I was neck deep at work in the office). I finally tested clean for the opiates and was given my first dose of 45MG liquid methadone. Another, more powerful and terrible infatuation began that day. One that would lead me down the road to hell...
I struggled to make it to the dispensary every day and had to continuously come up with new excuses for work. Among the many "wonderful" things opiates have brought me is an uncanny ability to lie to EVERYONE in my life. To this day NOBODY knows that I'm currently an addict, no one!
As I was finishing the methadone treatment and my doses were minimized to 5MG, I started feeling withdrawals again although these were already much worse than the ones I'd previously experienced and I was STILL taking the methadone. I only had another dose and they would cut me off, I was on a 28 or 30 day program. I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with the hellish withdrawal that would soon follow so I had to think of a way of getting my hands on more. Now I was an upstanding citizen if you will up until that point and rarely did I have any issues with the law besides a speeding ticket or two so I didn't know any drug dealers to feed my habit. After much debate I knew what I had to do and it was really risky. I went over to my girlfriends house while she was asleep (I had a key to her place) and snuck in and "borrowed" the keys to her brothers medical office. I don't want to incriminate myself but let's just say I had an almost unlimited amount of prescriptions for methadone which I would drive to various pharmacies to have filled. *NOTE: I have altered some details of my story to throw off any authority figures out there looking for targets. I don't know if this happens or not but better safe than sorry I always say.

Fast forward another year, I was now taking as much as 120MG of methadone per day!!! CRAZY I know but I was an addict with an almost limitless supply. I had moved to another state a year or so later and my "method" for getting new pills was coming to a quick end. One day I found myself without ANYTHING and the following month was the most hellish experience of my life to date. I came closer to feeling what eternal damnation must be like. I had to quit my job because there was NO WAY I could make it into work in the zombie like condition I was in when withdrawing COLD TURKEY off 120 MG's of Methadone which I had been taking for the better part of two years. I also had to breakdown and tell two of my family members because I couldn't move let alone feed myself. Thank God that they took care of me albeit to say they were highly disappointed and shocked is a gross understatement! I had no choice but to suffer through this and other than taking a number of OTC sleeping medications (none of which worked) I did this the old fashioned way.

I promised myself once I came out of this horrendous ordeal that I would NEVER AGAIN USE OPIATES of any kind...famous last words. I was clean for about a year and then I started dating the craziest woman I've ever had the displeasure of knowing. She did everything to emotionally destroy me and it worked. I couldn't concentrate on work and I was having tremendous anxiety attacks. I went to a Dr. and was diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder) and was prescribed Xanax. As I stated before I was never into any other drugs and this included benzos. I hated the Xanax because I could barely stay awake taking this stuff. I stopped and the anxiety continued, next time I visited my Dr. he prescribed Tramadol. He told me it was a mild non-narcotic pain reliever and it had some success as an anti-anxiety medication. I gave it a shot and low and behold I started feeling great again! Please don't think me an id**t, I did my research after taking the Tramadol and I was aware that it was indeed an opiate-like drug but I not only became an expert in lying to others but I mastered lying to myself like most other addicts. I started a regimen of four 50MG pills throughout the day but like most addicts I quickly outgrew this and began taking more and more. Soon I told my Dr. that I didn't like taking the "number" of pills I was taking and if there was a form of Tramadol that I could take only once or twice a day. As addicts we are naturally manipulative so I knew well beforehand what I was fishing for, Extended Release 200MG Ultrams. Sure enough my Dr. had an epiphany while hearing my story of angst and prescribed me the aforementioned meds.

The ER's are supposed to be swallowed whole and 200 MG's of the drug are consistently secreted into your system. I didn't want to wait this long so I would bite them in half which would give me one heck of a nice high. One a day turned into 2 and 2 turned into 3. At any one time I was taking 600 MG's of Tramadol and all at once. I did this for a year until I moved to another state yet again for a new job. I had roughly a months supply of meds and as I was running out I simply called my prescribing physician and told him I had moved and not had a change to find a new Dr. He promptly sent a well known national pharmacy a new script for 90 days...I was safe! It's funny though, no matter how many pills or DOC an addict has it's never enough and we are always stressed and worried about where and how we're going to score our next fix. As the 90's approached their end so did my cache of pills....I called the Dr. again once I was a day or so from running out and asked him to refill them just one last time. This time the answer was no and I began to seriously worry about where I would get my next fix. Now I've never known any real drug dealers especially in a new state so that avenue had always been closed to me and I wasn't about to drive around the worst areas of town in search of my DOC. It wasn't for fear of being robbed or killed but it was for fear of getting arrested. The biggest nightmare of my life is to end up in jail or worse yet, end up in jail while going through withdrawals...UGH!

I've always been quite the resourceful fellow and I decided to go to an Urgent Care. I talked of horrible back pain and even had my MRI slides from when I tore a muscle in my back, they had no idea the injury had occurred years earlier. I also told them that I didn't like "Narcotic" medications like vic's and percocet and I prefered something much milder and NON-addictive like Tramadol (Ultram). I would tell them what my previous Dr. had prescribed and they would happily write me a 30 day prescription relieved to discover I wasn't some "drug addict" hoping to score some opiates...little did they know. For those of you who don't know, Tramadol has is a much lower classified drug than say Vicodin. Most Dr.'s are so happy that a patient wants something other than a straight narcotic for pain that they write you a script for the stuff without batting an eyelash. After hearing the amount of 200's was taking one well-meaning although moronic Physician's Assistant informed me that Ultram now made a 300MG ER and I would only have to take one of those...SWEET!

I abused the Tramadol for the next couple of years when someone I worked with offered me some Oxy's and even Methadone...Like the id**t that I am I got hooked on those again as well. Fast forward another year, I moved once again to another state for a phenomenal executive job and lost my professional drug dealer. So what did I do now you ask? Same thing as before, went to a number of Urgent Care's got my meds and all was well until one fateful day last year. I pulled my usual routine at the Urgent Care but made the mistake of telling the PA to please give me something with little to no Acetaminophen. This must have raised a red flag for this guy and he told me he'd be back with my prescriptions. He came back and asked me the last time I'd taken any narcotic. I flat out lied to him and said my mom and given me a couple of yellow vicodin (norco) for the last coupe of days for my horrendous back pain before I could make it to the Dr. (hoping he would write me a script for that exact medication). He looked me straight in the eyes and said "You're lying to me". I had an instant panic attack but tried to keep cool although I'm sure my face turned as bright red as a ripe tomato. "Excuse me I responded, what are you talking about?" Well, it turns out that this particular state has a Federal program which tracks ALL of the controlled substance prescription any patient has at any given time and this PA had run my name so he had a list of the 250 or so Norco's I'd picked up just a month earlier, and the ones before that, and before that, etc. I was caught red handed so what did I do? Did I admit to lying and tell him I needed help with the problem...NOPE....I pretended to be really upset and that he must have mixed me up with someone else. He told me to leave and I said no, let me talk to your supervisor. He then said "Why don't we talk to the police instead?"...MORE ANXIETY..."Fine, I responded why don't we do that" and I followed him to the front desk while he actually called the cops (remember my biggest fear boys and girls me+jail=LIFE OVER. I actually stood there while he spoke to the cops and told me they were on their way and to wait in the waiting room. I calmly said fine and walked into said room where I made a hasty retreat out the back praying as hard as I've ever prayed for God to help me just this once. I was petrified the cops would arrive just as the elevator doors opened. Once I made it outside I was certain they would arrive when I walked up to my car. Let's just say I walked briskly across the lot to my car and "calmly" drove out of there trying not to attract any attention to myself. I have a fairly expensive foreign sports car which would be easily recognizable had anyone from the Urgent Care seen me drive in or leave. I made a left onto a major street and who do I see pull into the Urgent Care lot not 5 seconds later? That's right, a patrol car!

That friends and neighbors was a HUGE wakeup call, my life was mere seconds away from being over. I would have lost my job, my family and my friends. The next morning, again suffering from withdrawals, I made a number of calls until I was finally able to see a Suboxone Dr. that very day. I was experiencing pretty strong withdrawals by that afternoon but nowhere as bad as my methadone withdrawals a few years earlier.

The Dr. is a great, well informed guy...and VERY understanding. He put me one 16 MG's of Subutex and didn't give me a hassle over what I'd done to myself over the last several years. I've been on Sub's for the better part of a year until roughly 53 hours ago. It took me almost a year to tapper from anywhere from 24 MG's (yes, I know that's more than originally prescribed but I'm an addict, what do you expect?!?) to 0.5 MG's 53 hours ago. BTW: I was on the .5 for a couple of weeks before finally biting the bullet and stopping all together.

So here I am once again, in the first stages of what's sure to be a long, painful, and daunting experience. At the beginning of this epic novel I told everyone that I was an high-level executive for a fairly large corporation and this is where it comes into play. I do not have the luxury of taking ANY time off to recover except for weeks which are going to be difficult as well because I'll HAVE to spend time with a girlfriend who has absolutely NO IDEA that her boyfriend is a major opiate addict. No one knows my story other than you fine people, not my family, not my friends, not my colleagues, not even my Dr. knows the whole tale. I'm not an optimist nor am I a pessimist, I consider myself to be pragmatic. I've heard many people say that "God will never give you more than you can handle..." well, I don't really buy that because who would one then explain suicides? Certainly those folks had a heck of a lot more going on that they could handle. That's not me at all, I'll NEVER go down that road because I have to much to live for.
I guess I just finally wanted to share my story with someone, maybe someone reading this is going through the exact same thing or something similar. I know this is going to be horrible, especially going through this all alone and pretending everything is fine even at a meeting as I'm sweating like a w**** in church and feeling as though I want to crawl out of my skin but it's the price I have to pay. We ALWAYS have to pay in life, sometimes it's a little, mostly it's a lot, and sometimes it's with everything you have.

In closing, I do believe in God, there is too much wonder in the world for God not exist so I ask all of you to say a little prayer for me. I'm 53 hours into a long and perilous journey, I hope to see all of you on the other side.

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Substance Abuse :: Depression Due To Opiate Withdrawal

I have tampered completely off opiates and basically got through the physical problems but I feel so depressed and I just need to know how long this will last. Is this from getting off opiates and can someone please give me an idea of how long I have to go through this? It's almost unbearable. I've searched and searched for an answer but people only say to talk to a doctor, and I play on it if I have to but I wish I could just get through this without getting on medication. I have take anti depressants in the past but I don't like them very much but if this isn't going to stop I will talk to my doctor.

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Substance Abuse :: Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal?

My family member said she has a drug called gabapentin and said maybe it would help me thru the tough part of my wd. As its a med for nerve pain. The worst is the crawly skin for me..anyone had any experience. I don't want to take something that is going to minimize the pain then once I stop taking that it come on stronger than before. As I've heard with people taking tramadol for wd.

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Substance Abuse :: Suboxone For Opiate Withdrawal

Looking for all those who have tried subs as part of their detox from opiates. I failed everytime going ct. i will also be seeing an addiction specialist to work on my recovery. took my last hydrocodone at 2pm yesterday. Appt is at 6pm with a psychiatrist who will administer the sub. im so scared and emotional today. All feedback is so appreciated. i just want help so bad. im a single mom and need to be better for my daughter.

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Substance Abuse :: 19 - Tips For Opiate Withdrawal?

I have been taking them for about 3 months, and my doctor has been rotating between norco and oxy during that time. I was either taking 4-8 per day of 10/375 norcos or 4-8 5mg oxy per day. While being out of pain felt fantastic, I felt like hell when I wasn't on them because of the sense of euphoria I was given. Being so dependent on these meds for my sheer happiness made me ask my Dr for another pain management medicine (non-narcotic, opiate, etc) - which I have, and are working in a decent manner.

To top it off, I have another medical issue which will (2-3 times a month) get triggered. I'll end up taking 2 norco for it and it will be gone for a while until it gets triggered again. I've had this nearly all my life and it's the only drug, outside of an intense hospitalization where I'm on an IV 24/7, which works.

I'm on day 3 of withdrawal! Great! I've been through the restless leg syndrome phase, and have been on a ton of sleeping meds to get me through the worst of it thus far. I can now sit still, and other than the first night, I haven't been struggling too badly to get to sleep. I have a fantastic network of family who know about my issue and are helping me get through it, which has been a lifesaver.

So what else should I expect? How long will the physical side of this last? More importantly, how long will the mental part last?

I'm currently exhausted 24/7 (prob an effect of the sleep meds), not eating or drinking much, and I have waves of anxiety that make my heart pound out of my chest, but I'm alive and while I'm not super happy, I'm not depressed either. I've never gone through withdrawal before, and I feel like I haven't had as rough of a time as 90% of the posts I've read. It's mainly the feeling like I need to take another pill.

One of the toughest parts is that I am living alone with a bottle full of norco for my other medical issue. When this other issue comes about, I will need to take 2... I can't just uproot my life for quite a few days of the month to stay in the hospital. I'm just afraid of relapsing and having a lot of my progress thus far erased. Any tips?

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Opiate (percocet) Withdrawal - How Long It Takes?

I have been on percs 5mg how ever many i liked a day for 7 months and my doctor just took me off and put me on Subutex,Baclofen,Gabapentin, Now I am done with all of those and now I am withdrawing how long till i can actually sleep and have no muscle pains and my life is back to normal.. I can't deal with this I have small children and it's hard will this torture end

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Imodium Helps Cramps During Opiate Withdrawal?

I'm currently on Seven to 8 days clean. I'm still having stomach pains and anxiety. I read about Imodium helping cramps. So if I take 2 on day 7 is it going to set me back? I would take recommended dose for cramps

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Lyrica - Opiate Withdrawal Without Side Effects

If you are addicted to painkillers you can get off fluidly with no side effects by taking lyrica! I promise you, I don't give a damn what anyone tells you or what a dr tells you it works! I was taking 16 Norco 10 a day. Was scared of being out and suffered when I was out. I started by accident because I was out and haven't felt as good and focused. They last all day and I started with only 2 a day. I haven't been so happy in my life! Pain free also

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Opiate (percocet) Withdrawal :: Vomiting, Diarrhea / Stomach Flu?

My husband has been taking 5mg Percocet (3-4 daily) for about a year and a half for chronic back pain. He has never abused them. He is tired of taking them and decided to wean himself. He bought an inversion table and wanted to try a more holistic approach to helping his back pain. He started taking 2 percocets on Sunday, then dropped down to 1 on Monday morning. About 4 hours after taking his pill on Monday, he started vomiting. He also had hot flashes, body aches and intense nausea. He feels like he has the stomach flu. He threw up about ten times on Monday. By Monday night the vomiting had stopped but he started with diarrhea. The diarrhea lasted through the entire day/night on Tuesday. He felt a little better by Tuesday night, but again this morning (Wednesday) he began vomiting again. He isn't sure if this is opiate withdrawal or the stomach flu. He has also been under a lot of stress at work and thinks this is a combination of the stomach bug and stress, but I am afraid it's opiate withdrawal. Has anyone been through this? Does it sound like a stomach bug or opiate withdrawal? Any tips on how to ease his discomfort?

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Tramadol (Opiate) Withdrawal - Marijuana Helped Me Coming Off It

I would like to first off say i did not relapse on opiates. HOWEVER i ended up taking some tramadol after a few surgeries. I asked for NON OPIATE pain relief afterwards. That is what he gave me. I took them did not get high i thought that was great! However a few months later i found myself dependent on it without the high its a stupid drug. So i gradually cut back..i went back to my doc and told him it was not easy to come off of and could he help me. He gave me a taper plan to work so i started working it. I noticed as i reduced my dosage is was worse and worse like usual.. So i do smoke pot from time to time and the last time i got off subs Marijuana really helped me get off.

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Substance Abuse :: Opiate Withdrawal And Natural Endorphins

So, i've been struggling to stay clean from opiates this week and have so far been doing excellent until today. I have gone a whole week and the past 3 days i have been feeling much like myself, good mood and energy probably because i have been forcing myself to exercise like a madman. Today a severe craving led me to relapse and now i just feel incredibly guilty and depressed about it. Since i made this mistake is it likely that i will have to go through hell all over again to feel normal again? Or will the amount of exercise i've been doing makeup for the pain, or did i just lose all my natural endorphins by introducing a foreign substance that my body and mind craves?

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Percocet (Opiate) Withdrawal :: Restless Leg Syndrome - How Long To Recover?

I have been going through opiate withdrawal (withdrawal) for about 2 months I haven't had a percocet for a while I did relapse and take 1 a day for 3 days.

But how long will this RLS end and back muscle pain so I can sleep at night ..

How long for the rls to stop ....

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Tianeptine (opiate) - Successful Withdrawal With Imodium (loperamide) And Tagamet (cimetidine)

I have had a long history of pain med abuse but oddly enough the two withdrawals I went through were for a synthetic opioid (Tramadol) and a substance/drug that acts just like an opiate but isn't one (Tianeptine).

I was taking massive amounts of tramadol from 2007-2009, 250 mg three times a day every day during those years. I finally decided enough was enough and quit cold turkey. I went through pure hell back then and used the internet to talk to others and use all of the remedies that were known at that time (vitamins, st john's wort, baths, etc.). These 'solutions' did very little and I was in a living hell every day for a good two weeks. We all know what that entails so there's no point in going over the details.

Fast forward to a couple months ago and I found this wonderful substance called Tianeptine. It's not scheduled nor marketed here in the US despite it being very effective for depression and it's effects are nearly identical to a good dose of hydrocodone or oxycontin. Since it's not regulated in the US, I was able to buy it on a certain popular auction website as well as through some online US vendors. Granted, they sell it as 'not for human consumption' but they know very well that their buyers are buying it to take it.

The dosage is only 12.5mg but if you take 80-125 mg or more you get a fantastic opiate high but it only lasts for a couple of hours as it's half life is very short (about two hours). I quickly picked up a habit of taking 100mg doses 3-4x each day for two straight months. I quickly realized I was becoming addicted to it and decided when I ran out I would quit it for good.

Just 3-4 hours after my last dose was last Sunday afternoon and I was already starting to have withdrawals. I expected to feel a bit tired and have minor cravings for maybe a day or two but nothing more. I was in for one hell of a surprise though. The rest of the day it was like my tramadol withdrawal all over again. I felt like I had the flu, was sore all over, felt incredibly depressed and tired, couldn't get comfortable, nose was running, etc. and so on. Then night came. I couldn't fall asleep at all and within literally 5 seconds of changing positions in bed I was immediately uncomfortable and rolling over again. No matter that I did, I couldn't get comfortable or fall asleep. This constant tossing and turning went on all night for 8-9 hours until I had to go to work.

I still felt like absolute garbage and couldn't even function at work. I was constantly running to the bathroom the previous night with the runs and I was still having that problem at work too. I went home sick after about 4 hours that felt like an eternity. I went home where I continued to relive the hell I went through from tramadol withdrawal a few years ago. That night (Monday evening) it was the same thing trying to sleep-- It simply didn't happen! I was so miserable it brought me to tears and extreme anger at feeling like c**p, not being able to get comfortable for more than a few seconds, having extreme RLS and not being able to get to sleep.

Tuesday morning I had to give up and get ready for work early in the morning. I felt just as bad as I had the previous day on Monday but I forced myself to tough out the day despite being horribly unproductive and each minute feeling like an hour. When I got home from work I decided to look up opiate withdrawal on the internet to see if there was any new home remedies since my last trip through this hell. I was shocked to find out that high doses of Imodium AD were all I really needed to be symptom-free from withdrawal. I immediately got in my car and drove to Walmart to stock up. When I got home I immediately took 4 of the pills. About three hours later it was time for bed so I took another 4 along with my usual Zantac, melatonin and doxylamine (I've taken these three things every night at bedtime for many years so this wasn't out of the ordinary).

I laid in bed watching my usual 30 or so minutes of TV until I shut it off and try to fall asleep. I was feeling a little bit better since taking all that Imodium but thought it could have been placebo so I was skeptical about it working and me being able to sleep for the first time in 72 hours. To my surprise, I was able to get comfortable right away, stay comfortable and fall asleep easy. I didn't have to be to work until the afternoon so I was able to try and sleep in. I woke up two times in the night to go to the bathroom but was able to quickly fall back asleep. Unfortunately I wasn't able to sleep any later than 7am but that did give me a full 8 hours of sleep so I was very pleased.

That morning on Wednesday I took another 4 Imodium followed by breakfast. I was feeling great and withdrawal-free for the most part. I didn't feel 100% normal but I was probably about 80-85% and felt that the reason was because I was still sleep deprived from only slept once in the previous three nights. I swallowed another 4 Imodium pills before heading out the door to work and was able to work at about 80-85% of my potential and was in a pretty good mood as well, which was 1,000 times better than how I had felt in previous days before finding out about Imodium!

I got off work really late and took another 4 Imodium and went to bed. I slept another 8 hours but was unable to get any more than that despite today being my day off. I got curious about some of the other supplements for withdrawal such as the Tagamet HB and Aleve. Although I have been feeling just fine from the Imodium alone, I decided to go out and buy some of these other OTC meds to see if they help. When I got home this afternoon from buying them I decided to take some Tagamet and Aleve followed by 4 more Imodium pills a few minutes later. I think they do indeed help the withdrawals even more and so it must be true that they aid in the Imodium's action in your body/brain. I can and will conclude that, in my case anyway, they are unnecessary as the Imodium itself is definitely enough. That being said, if you feel you really, truly need that additional little boost to overcome your withdrawals then by all means go out and buy some generic Aleve and Tagamet as well because I can confirm that they do help a little bit more! I would not say that I am 'high' or 'buzzed' off the combined feeling of these meds but I am definitely in a happier mood, withdrawal-free and with a bit of energy!

I know there are already 100s, if not 1000s of documented cases on the internet about these OTC medications being extremely effective for opiate withdrawal. I couldn't help but to include my story as well but I feel it's even more important for me to help spread the information that this "opiate withdrawal cure" also works for addictions to "opiate-like" substances as well, such as for tramadol and tianeptine! I sincerely hope my post helps out all opiate and opiate-like addictions out there that are giving people trouble in their withdrawal. It is absolutely crazy that these simple, common OTC drugs are so cheap and effective at overcoming your addiction!

In the two days I've been using Imodium (along with today's added drugs of Tagamet and Aleve) I have not had a bowel movement yet. That may be TMI but I feel it's important to give as much information as possible. I am not too concerned yet as I was only having a bowel movement a couple times a week while in my tianeptine addiction the past couple of months. Because my recent addiction was relatively short-term at just two months and the abuse wasn't crazy-insane, I am planning on tapering out my Imodium use over the next 2-3 days. I will update this post with any progress or further information I feel necessary to share. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Here's another breakdown of what you need to overcome your withdrawal:

Imodium AD -- Loperamide 2mg (get the Walmart or other generic brand). Take 4-6 at a time and if after an hour or two it's not enough then take another 4-6 until you find your right dose. When you find your right dose you'll know because 80-90% of your withdrawal symptoms will be gone!
Tagamet HB -- Cimetidine 200mg (get the Walmart or other generic brand). Take 1-2 about 30 minutes before you take your Imodium dose. Remember that you don't have to take this as well as Imodium itself is truly good enough but if you feel you need a little more than definitely invest in some of this as well.

Aleve -- Naproxen Sodium 220mg (get the Walmart or other generic brand). Take 1-2 about 30 minutes before you take your Imodium dose. Remember that you don't have to take this as well as Imodium itself is truly good enough but if you feel you need a little more than definitely invest in some of this as well.

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Opiate (percocet) Withdrawal :: Sore Throat, Runny Nose, Shaky Hands

I have been taking painkillers for about 4 years now off and on every other week. Buying 4-10 lortab at a time then taking them within about two to three days. I love Codeine I'm not gonna lie, you talk better, you argue better, you can have amazing sex on it, it calms you down and it can wake you up. I don't want to quit.

Two weeks ago I bought a full bottle of Percocet from this guy and have taken about 5 every single day. I know to some of you that doesn't seem like much but I do my best to manage my addiction in a responsible way. I just got married last week. I love my wife we have been together for a long time and she's never even suspected that I take opiates. I can hide things pretty well.

I want to stop because I know I'm better than this. I want freedom I don't want to feel like opiates have my leg in their trap. I'm going through my first withdrawal. It sucks sore throat, runny nose, shaky hands and legs, insomnia, all I can think about is hydrocodone syrup or just tablets.

Today is day 3 of my withdrawal never felt anything like this. My throat is so sore I went to the doctor to see if I could get a steroid shot or something to boost my immune system. I got there and told him how I'm feeling and he gave me an antibiotic and hydrocodone syrup...I know right. I didn't tell him about my addiction or withdrawals. I guess I want to be the only one to know about it with the exception of the people on this site. Rock meet bottom.

I've taken an ounce of the syrup already and I feel great. I know I'll run out soon because I only had a four ounce fill. I need someone who understands this feeling. I'm better than this I just want to get past this point and try to forget about this part of my life. Please respond I need support at this point and don't have time for NA meetings. Thanks guys

John

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Addiction Recovery :: Day One - Suboxone

So I made the big plunge yesterday and went through with something I'd been tossing around in my head the last couple months. I went to a clinic and got a prescription for Suboxone.

Since I'm a school teacher, one of my biggest worries was actually walking into a Suboxone clinic and someone recognizing me. It would come as quite a shock to some (in my mind) to see Mr. B____, the local English teacher, lined up to get a prescription for his opiate addiction. Just goes to show that addiction doesn't pick and choose whom it affects. But I overcame my ridiculous fears and went on in today.

There are actually two clinics in the small city where I live (at least nearby). One clinic as open on Saturday, looked to be a nicer looking facility, but they don't take insurance. It would have cost $500 for the first visit, without even considering the cost of the drug itself. So I went with other clinic that did take my insurance, and I was only out 35 dollars (My prescription copay was to be $40 for the name brand strips, but the clinic gave me a discount card that took care of my copay, which was a pleasant surprise...this wasn't a one time deal...it will cover my copay each time I get the med). Being a teacher with a wife and three kids...every dollar helps for me. For those interested, the card will help those who are either pay in cash or use have insurance other than Medicare. The card pays up to $50.

The clinic is only open two hours (two days a week), so I was a little curious how they handled so many patients in so little time. The answer came to me as I was shuffled through the clinic cattle at a sale barn. Though there was a thick stack of papers to sign, some of which asked detailed questions about my addiction and health history, I got the feeling I was getting a product wrapped up and sold for the masses, not for me as an individual. It is sad for me to think of those who don't have the ability to educate themselves on what it is they are taking. Even I, after months of research on the internet, am still confused on quite a few contradictory opinions and ideals regarding Suboxone.

The clinic is located in a less than desirable part of town, and the waiting room did not exactly make one feel comfortable. It was hot, and everyone in there looked pretty miserable. I was comforted, though, by the fact that there were no familiar faces. It also gave me comfort knowing that we were all there for the same reason, and none of us had anything to hide. I could go into more detail about this experience, but I have jabbered too much already.

Long story short, I peed in a cup, the results of which I was not told. I knew coming into the clinic that there was no dispensing medication at the clinic, so there was no worry for me to stay clean for 24-48 hours. I took 40mg of hydrocodone at 7:00 the night before, so I wasn't completely miserable at the time of the appointment.

Strangely, my vitals or any other normal "clinic" methods were practiced. I went straight from peeing in a cup to talking to the doctor who was sitting behind this big beaten up wooden desk in a stale smelling office. The doctor thumbed through my file and asked basic questions about how much I was using and where I was getting it. I was in and out of his office in less than 5 minutes.

I didn't lie about my drug use, and I was prepared to share much more. I pretty much told him that I got hooked on opiate painkillers after multiple operations that required them. Also, I have had two DVT blood clots that required me to be on blood thinners, and thus not able to take most standard OTC painkillers such as naproxen or ibuprofen. I had been fed hydrocodone for years with few questions asked. My problem is that I like the way they make me feel and have spent the past ten years trying to get my hands on enough to manage my pain and feed my addiction.

I believe it us by the grace of God that I have not found myself in a worse predicament than I currently find myself. I have never injected anything, but I suppose that would have been the next stop for me. I had been doctor and pharmacy shopping for years and I knew how to work the system pretty well. Even in my heyday though I wasn't able to get my hands on quite enough. I was always counting pills and worrying about when I would run out. I soon found myself "borrowing" from my mother and other friends. I found myself doing things I never imagined I'd be doing. Shameful things to feed my habit. My wife discovered my problem years ago as and threatened to leave me more than once. To lose her and my children would have devastated me. One would think that I would turn my back on the pills considering all I had to lose. But that was not enough to stop me. I guess if my wife didn't love me (a lot) she would have left me tears ago.

I was fine while on my hydros,though, but when I ran out and became sick from withdrawals, I was miserable. I felt miserable , and I was miserable to be around. I made and broke more promises than I can count to my wife, mother, and father, friends, and family.

I have had many of those moments of enlightenment where it became clear that I could no longer go on with this. There have been months at a time where I was able to stay clean. But some kind of life event always drove me back to the pills. I would have a surgery or other physical problem, or life would become so stressful that I would choose to hit the exit door and insulate myself from the world around me by delving into the world of pills.

There is another component yo my story that is important to share. In 1995 I had a bad auto accident that broke several of my bones and kept me in the hospital about a week. Worse than the physical wounds, however, I found myself battling emotional wounds. By the time I turned 22 I found myself battling terrible panic attacks that marked the beginning of my struggle with chronic depression that has lasted until now (I'm now 41). I have tried. nearly every antidepressant known to man. In the end I settled good old Prozac and Klonopin. Neither of which has done a great deal to relieve my depressive symptoms. I currently take 40 mg of Prozac and 2 mg of Klonopin in the morning and 2 mg at night. No, I have never abused Klonopin in the way I have hydrocodone. I don't feel blissful on either medication. I only notice them in their absence. I have tried to quit both and have experienced hellish withdrawals with each. My sub doctor indicated that he would like to see me come off of both quickly. I understand that taking benzos with Suboxone is a dangerous combination, but quitting cold turkey, especially with the Klonopin can be equally dangerous. He said he would like to see me off of both within six months. I don't see this happening but maybe Suboxone will allow it?

Getting to my main point. I have not been drawn to opiates because of recreational use. They were, as I've written, prescribed for physical pain. But the best aspect about opiates to me was their positive effect on the symptoms of my depression. Nothing I've taken comes close to making me feel "normal" as do opiates.

Hydrocodone, oxycodone etc... do make me feel "not depressed" but they are a kind of fools gold. My body and mind quickly build up a tolerance for them, and I find myself taking more and more to feel "not depressed". So when I started reading more and more about Suboxone, I became very interested. The medicine might be able to help me break the cycle of pill addiction, and help me as a type of antidepressant.

There seem to be two opposing camps on this issue. Some believe it is ridiculous to even consider Suboxone as a long term treatment for depression. Some might say I'm making the same mistake as I did with hydrocodone...expecting a band aid to heal a much deeper disease. There others who see Suboxone as a type of synergistic agent that might be legitimate weapon to combat depression. I can understand the viewpoints from both sides, but as for me, I'm willing to at the very least give Suboxone a few days to see how it makes me feel. I can tell you this, that I can already feel the positive effects of the Suboxone on my depression. There was an initial semi state of euphoria a couple of hours after I took my first strip, but I don't exactly feel " high". I feel rather normal capable of doing things that I would ordinarily struggle with (like typing this ridiculously long post that most people won't have the patience to read!)

I'm not sure how things will go from here. I'm not sure how I will sleep tomorrow or how I will feel with my next dose. But I will say that it feels good to have some hope. I have been worrying all summer how I would be able to gut out another year in the classroom with my raging depression and addiction cycles. I don't know how it will end, but at the end of the day it is nice to be able to look back and say that I did the right thing, that I tried to make the right choice.

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Addiction Recovery :: Norco Withdrawl

Today is day 3 for me. I am prescribed 90 norco a month and found this month for the first time I finished them 9 days early. So, I guess that means I take about 6 day. I use to take 1 at a time. I soon discovered that if I take
1 1/2 at a time , not only will my back/hip pain subside, but I feel pretty "good" also. I've been known to take 2 at a time also...

I ran out and had no way of getting anymore. I found myself waking up at 5am like clockwork for the past three mornings with the "bubble guts" and having to take these weird bowl movements. Truth be told, I am not in a lot of pain. I am just anxious to get more meds to avoid having the bubble guts first thing in the morning and using the bathroom at work (which is a very small office by the way =/). I don't like the sleep deprivation either since I have a very demanding job and three kids aged 13, 8, and 4.

Bottom line is, I know I take the pills for more than the physical pain. I can admit that. I do have physical pain, but there are times where I can hold off. No other pain med will do. My body laughs at Motrin 800 and Baclofen and I am trying to find a way to get to work tomorrow with a clear head. I have Tramadol and hate it. It just makes me feel in a cloud, but not so much "good". I am seeking the "good" sensation. It's the truth. I know meds aren't good for the body, so if I'm going to take them I'd rather take the good stuff-something that will work.

I feel sort of bad for saying this as I know there are some real troopers out there who can quit cold turkey...but, as soon as I can fill my prescription (in 5 days), I will probably pick them up on my lunch break. Sad. For those of you who can quit cold turkey, I applaud you because withdrawals SUCK. I didn't mention the other symptoms: runny nose (odd), cough (something in my throat causes me to go on these brief coughing episodes), goose bumps (chills), night sweats, irritability (and feeling like a crackhead for being in this position). I can totally deal with those things, but the deal breakers for me is the insomnia and the bubble guts...I will try to taper off. Until next time.

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Addiction Recovery :: Tapering Off Xanax

Hi, I am new here. Just looking for some advice or suggestions. Maybe even encouragement. I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Panic Disorder in August of 2012. I began taking Ativan. I was on it for about a year, my highest dose was 1.5 mg per day. This started out as needed. I didn't like the way it started to make me feel. I felt in a fog and "stupid". I was also getting "jerks" when I slept. I switched to Xanax in September of 2013, it did make me feel better cognitively, however I knew I wanted to get off this stuff all together. I started tapering from 1mg of Xanax daily. I cut .25 and did good. I had a headache and some muscle aches, but nothing unmanageable. After a week, I cut another .25. The first couple days were ok, then I was very sick. Dizziness, nausea, I just felt like staying in bed. No energy at all. I realized I must be going to fast, and being that I do have to function at work, I went back to .75. I leveled back out, and after two weeks tried again, but this time, only cut half of a .25 tab. So far, it is day 4 and I am doing ok. Much more manageable. I am taking .25 in the morning and then half .25 tabs three times. So four doses a day. Does this sound ok? And has anyone had experience with this? Or success? I am upset that my doctor never warned me off this. I do have to maintain my job and I am also a Mom so trying to be successful while keeping my sanity. Thank you!

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Addiction Recovery :: How I Overcame Opiate Withdrawal - Experience