Surviving Your First Detox; What to Expect
I still remember the first time I detoxed from opiates. Back then it was heroin that I was kicking, and I had no idea what I was in for. Though the symptoms are very similar, I must say that withdrawing from vicodin (hydrocodone) is far far worse than the heroin. I’m not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the way vicodin is synthesized that makes it much more painful when it comes time to detox. Vicodin is a semi-synthetic derivative of opium. It is essentially codeine with a hydrogen atom attached to it. Scientists believed that by hydrogenizing the codeine molecule, they could make it easier on the stomach. Well I guess they didn’t account for what happens when it begins to leave the body during withdrawal.
Vicodin Withdrawal Symptoms
The stomach pains are the least of your worries. A full list of symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Headache
- Inability to sleep
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Chills
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Muscle aches
- Runny nose
- Watery eyes
The list goes on and on…
If you’re going through detox for the first time, all of these symptoms are going to be foreign to you, and one hell of a shock. But, you must understand that the pain of going through it will only last for a few days. They may feel like the longest days of your life, but preparation will help you to deal with what’s to come. I personally believe that every detox should be approached with a decent amount of planning and preparation. You can’t expect to just “kick” your habit anywhere and at anytime; especially if you’ve been using heavily. Knowing what to expect will definitely help in that planning phase.
The first thing you must know is that you cannot by any means just detox while your going through your daily routine in life. For me it has been next to impossible trying to coordinate my withdrawals and my life at the same time. You’re just not going to be able to do it…period. Even if you have a mild detox, you’re still not going to want to conversate with anyone, and you sure as hell won’t be able to concentrate on getting anything done. So make sure you set a few days or even a full week aside to “clean out.”
Withdrawing from opiates is a very taxing process, so make sure that your are 100% positive that you want to go through with it. Put everything in place to make it your first and last time that you ever have to do something like this, because trust me, you only want to face down this demon once in your life…that’s it!
If you believe that you have an addiction to the drug, and it’s going to be hard for you to stay away, then seek help in the form of a support group or whatever you feel will assist you in staying sober. If you don’t feel like you’re addicted, you still want to make sure that you have some sort of support system around. You’re body and mind have become accustomed to the drug, and they will play every trick in the book to get you to use again. It’s much like fasting, but you have to stay strong. After a few days the cravings will subside and you can move on with your life.
The physical symptoms will vary from mild to intense depending on the size of your habit. Unlike alcohol and benzodiazepines, opiate withdrawal is pretty safe, as in you don’t run the risk of dying just by going through it. There is much speculation, but from what I have read there have been no conclusive reports of deaths related directly to vicodin or other opiate withdrawal. Even so, if you’re a very heavy user, you should either try and taper your dose down to something a bit more bearable, or check yourself into a supervised detox program.
In my next post, I’ll offer methods that I’ve used in the past to ease the pain of withdrawal symptoms making the process as easy as possible.
41 comments
Thanks for this information. I am currently on day 3 of opiate withdrawal (Oxycodone 15mg (15 – 80 mg / day for approx. 1 year). I was pretty prepared and am seemingly doing well through this cold turkey process, thanks to information like this. However, the insomnia is killing me due to restless legs and arms. Last night was a bit better than the night before. My question is, in your opinion how long might this insomnia and RLS last, I can’t imagine going another week with no sleep. I have no prescription sleep meds or benzos assisting me. It’s all natural and otc meds. Thanks.
Hi Kevin,
Usually by day 7 the RLS is tame enough to let you catch some sleep. But, if you’re that deprived, you’re body will probably just catch like 5 minutes here or there. I remember that after about 3 days of no sleep, I would just pass out for like 15, then wake up to the RLS again. It’s terrible.
I know it sucks, but unless you take some other medication, there’s really no other way around the RLS. Tell you the truth, I still suffer from RLS, but I honestly think that I had that problem before I ever even did any opiates. The withdrawal just aggravates it big time.
Oh, and if this is your first detox, you’re probably going to recover sooner. As you go through them over and over, it takes much longer to get back to normal.
I pray that this will be your first and last.
hi kevin- really helps reading your information. my question is on chest pains or tightening of the chest. would this be common or should i look into check this checked out? just going cold turkey. thanks
Hi Grace,
I apologize for the late response, it looks like Kevin might not have subscribed to this thread, so he probably didn’t get your question.
If you haven’t already gotten it checked out, please do go to the doctor for your chest pains. I personally have never gotten chest pains while detoxing, so it might be a sign of something serious. You don’ want to play around when it comes to symptoms of that nature.
Definitely get it checked out.
Best of luck to you, let us know how it went.
Thanks
I am on my 5th day w/o any opiates..then wd pain has subsided, but the mental anguish is killing me. I started taking these pills for a reason,I have a bad back,hip and i belive sciatica…so needles to say I am in pain everyday of my life…i have been through countless injections in my spine,SI joint, had radio frequency( where they literlay burn my nerve endings) so i can live a pain free life…they all seem to do nothing..the injections last for days if im lucky…The only thing that truly helped was the pills…I used to take em when i was hurt,,then i had elbow surgery, then when ever turned into everday…40vicoprofens turned to 60..60 turned to 120 whiched turned to 150 then to 180 a month….this all happened in a course of a yr a half..so now i graduated to percoset 10/325..180 of them..same thing happens i need more each day..I seem to go crazy for the 1st week after my new script, then i realize ” hey, I better slow down”..plus my mom also gave me some not realizing i had a problem…any way….THis is acxtually the 3rd time i have been through this hell and the longest i have made it w/o calling the Dr. or beging my mom for some to “ease” me through all this…I am gonna have to deal with tis somehow…I am not trying to enable myself, but i have legitamate pain, runs in my fdamily…so i have an appt next week with my DR….I am at a crossroads b/c i know ill need to forever be on some form of treatment but o what extent???It took me like 10ys b4 i had the courage to go to the Dr and ask for help…I know this is my fault for abusing the drug to which i was prerscribed..But again ,I am prescribed this medicatin for a reason..i NEVER bought it online( afraid to ) or in the streets…I know everyone here will tell me to stick it out…but im just afraid that all the pain i had which led me to this drug will come back at me witha vengence, and now my body is like 2 1/2 older and more brittle??
I am not a man of faith, so prayer doesnt help at all…I look to my children as insparation….I quit smoking 11 yrs ago..And boy , I thoguht that was hard….JUst wanted to share my story…im on day 5 hoping to make it to day 6……………..peace
What’s up Jimmie?
180 perc’s a month is no joke. At my worst, I was popping like 14 – 5mg vicodin’s a day, so I know how you feel.
You’re right about the fact that I’m going to tell you to stay strong. You’re at day 5 now, and in a few more days, everything will be much more manageable.
I know your main concern is about your injuries and the pain that you’ll have to deal with in the future. I haven’t personally had to deal with the amount of pain that you describe, so it’s hard for me to make any recommendations, but I can say that there have to be some alternatives for you besides the narcotics. If I was you, I would consult with my Doc. You don’t have to raise any red flags. Most Doctor’s freak out when you tell them that you think you might have a problem. Just tell him/her that you would like to try something different for a bit. See what he/she says.
At this point, you know that you can get the opiates whenever you want, so why not just put them aside for a bit, and see if you can find a better alternative. If you’re not too addicted to the stuff psychologically , then you won’t have any trouble doing that. You also won’t have any trouble tapering yourself in the future should you get back to your original levels of use.
Either way, you do need to stay strong man. I know you’re not one of faith, so focus on your kids. Stay strong for them.
Best of luck.
Hi all, Peace, Love and Strength to us all. I’m on Day 7 in my quest to get off of Dilaudid, Xanax AND Soma. I suffer from migraines, back pain an severe anxiety. I retired from a civilian job on a Navy base a year ago, and went back down the road to pill abuse. This is my 3rd detox from Xanax, my 2nd detox from Dilaudid, and my 1st from Soma. Ouch!
I thought for sure that by Day 7 I’d feel MUCH better. I still have the gambit of symptoms, and pretty much just want to flop around on the bed with my dogs. I can’t sleep, food jacks up my system, and I cry all the time. I have 2 awesome teens and a wonderful husband wo are all extremely supportive. Also friends and family now know what’s happening. But the monster that is withdrawl lives inside of me, and is invisible to everyone.
At Day 7, on my 3rd battle, any words of wisdom?
Again, peace to us all. I am a woman of faith, and I just pray that this is soon over.
Tracey Anne
I am at t third ay here vicodine and the only problem i am haveing a bad back aches I take valium bevause it is prescribed by my doc but i just want to know how long is this going to take i have only being vicodine for two monts any suggestions?///
Day 1 is official.. This has been so hard… I have 2 small children & a mother to take care of.. I am so angry … the mood swings are awful.. It would be so much eaiser to “kick” this without having to take care of so much…. The chills & sweating have set in..yes, the hot shower helped… thinking i should try the Thomas recipe.. any feedback if this works?
I have used the Thomas recipe before..(15 years on this stuff ..yea..Ive had a few detoxes) it does help..its not a miracle..so please dont get discouraged if you dont feel wonderful in a few days..you simply wont..
the mood swings are killer..but they dont last forever..keep that in mind..
also…if you have too..lock yourself in the bathroom…you need some you time right now..even if its for 10 min while the kids are watching tv or sleeping..been through that also)
good luck..
Have been taking vicodin and Percocet on and off for last 11 yrs. Have been daily for about 3 yrs. I am taking 20-30 mg daily or 4-6 500 mg tabs. Went off of them two days ago. Today should be day three but I broke down and took 1/2 of a vicodine. My symptoms were mind until last evening when I started getting restless, chills and could not sleep. I know I need to stop and I know the time is now. Any suggestions or support would be helpful.
has anyone ever had a weird lip, facial twitchy thing? my face and lips feel “wrong” when i detox and movement helps. when i move around quickly or turn my head i get the spins.
i realized i needed to detox when the 8, 10mg vicodins did nothing. i mean not a damned thing…….i took them and wound up taking a handful of tylenol after to kill some of the pain. goodbye liver!
i am sifting through the last dregs of the physical side after 6 days off, and will now be going through the mental stuff. yay!
i have facets disease, which is a degenerative spinal condition where the protective and shock absorbing carteledge between the vertebrae erode to nothing. it hurts me the most when i sleep. i have come to terms with the fact that i will have to do it without pain killers, and i am determined to make that work!
i give anyone who reads these pages my best wishes and love. you can do this……we all can!
greg
been taking 10\325 qty 10 at a time maybe once a day
Greg,
It’s funny that you speak of that. Yes I remember my eyelid would twitch a lot for like a month or so after detox. Back then I remember I was in rehab, so I asked the Doc about it, and they told me it was just a side effect of not having the opiates. Your central nervous system will be out of whack for a while, but it’ll all go back to normal.
scorpiogirl,
I urge you to try and cut back or find something that doesn’t have Tylenol in it. The liver toxicity level for acetaminophen is 4,000mg, you’re almost there. I know your tolerance is way up so you can probably handle the 100mg of hydrocodone, but that Tylenol is a killer!!
Been on Hydros – then to oxycodones 10/325 for about a year for neck pain after a car accident. tapered down, and ran out early – doc didn’t fill, so i’m going cold turkey. Sweats are driving me crazy. Taking muscle relaxers to keep things from cramping, and immodium for the runs. On day 3 now and still feel miserable. Have little kids and its REALLY tough.
Took a few days off work to do this, and have crazy shakes, sweats, and not really eating very much. When will this peak, and when will things get better???
Going nuckin futs,
Douglas, CA
I am a single mom and am finding that the vics are making me really irritable and angry. I have been taking about 3 5/500 hydrocodone’s a day for over a year or so but am having severe headaches daily. I need to stop taking them and i keep saying I will but then I get a refill and its the next bottle I will stop. This cycle is terrible. I am a recovering alcoholic and have been taking this for back pain. It does work for a few hours then I become a royal bitch until I take another one. This medication is evil. I dont like the way it is making me feel. I have started to isolate and dont enjoy life much anymore. None of my friends know about this inner hell I am living in. Does anyone know what I’m saying?? I feel horrible all the time. I am debating stopping cold turkey or going to detox. I have excellent insurance so I dont think that would be a problem or maybe just taking methadone. I dont know if my dosage is high enough for detox. This is all new to me and I gotta say everyone’s feedback is extremely helpful. I know I am not alone in this struggle.
Okay, I’m just realizing I have to get off of the meds. I was in a motorcycle accident 7 years ago and have 4 blown disc in my neck and several other injuries that can’t be fixed. I take a liquid form of hydrocodone (the pills make me very sick to my stomach)….500mg a pop several times a day. I have run out before and the RLS and insomnia were immediate. I do have pain everyday and I am scared. The stories above are scaring the heck out of me. I’ve been taking it for 1 and a half years. Does anyone know if the liquid leaves your system any quicker than the pill form???
Tracie, Mi.
I’ve been taking three to four 7.5 vicoden for ten years for severe back pain. I was actually doing okay with them until about two years ago, when a new doctor decided to wean me off of them, but gave me no warning of what might happen to me after eight years of daily use. I got no warning, no advice and no medical support. I was sick as a dog, and had horrible cravings that hadn’t been present until he started lowering the dosage. I ended up changing doctors, but I feel like the damage was done. It’s been a constant fight since then to keep to the original dose. The analgesic effect seems to have been lost as well, or at least depleted. About a month ago my new doctor quit and moved out of state, and I had to find a new one right away. The new doctor gave me a one month script, but when I requested a refill, he flat-out refused, and more or less told me that he was fine with me going into withdrawals. He, too, offered no help, no advice, and seems to not care. I use the meds for a legitimate purpose, but feel like in many ways my life has been held hostage to them. I’ve had doctors treat me badly, like taking meds for chronic pain is a character flaw. Although the meds met my pain needs for a very long time, something changed when it was withdrawn two years ago. I wish that I could stop needing them, but my illness isn’t going away. My insurance doesnt cover alternative or maintenance therapies, which is how I ended up on pills in the first place. Plus my husband recently lost his job, and now we have no money to pay for other treatments. I spent years in pain, trying to get a doctor to listen to me and take me seriously. I finally got help for the pain, and now I need help for the help. I’m afraid of being in that kind of horrible, disabling pain again. Looks like I’m going to be feeling the effects pretty soon though, since I took the last pill this morning.
Hi Michelle,
It’s is a really scary place, dependency. The feeling of ambivalence is overwhelming. Wanting to stop vs. I need the pills is really gut wrenching.
How we get clean is a very individual choice. I am from the camp that when going from a dependent state to a state of freedom the bridge we cross or choose is up to us.
For me, cold turkey was the path I choose, I then was very sick physically for about a week. I stopped on May 23.
There is a ton of information on this site. When used it is very helpful.
I’m not sure if there is a comfortable way to move from dependency to freedom, but I am sure that the pain is temporary.
You mentioned your a recovering woman, so you know how great the freedom reward is.
For me I realized, that tiny voice telling me. “You gotta quit these pills” was my spirit. And if I listen to it, it will lead me where I need to go, and do what I need to do.
Posting here daily during my withdrawl was EXTREMELY helpful.
Best of Luck, Please keep us posted
Can anyone tell me how many mgs. = 1 norco. I have been on vicodin for almost two years. Tried to quit by using metadone, withdrawing from that seems far more painful but I substituted norco and haven’t had metadone for over .a week, I think some of the withdrawal symptoms are still here, not sure. I have to get off everything and know it is going to be hard. Talked to my doc and set an appt. for therapist. I’ve lost over 50 lbs trying to kick this stuff, I weigh less than 90 lbs now. I’m reading the blog to find out what I’m in for but don’t know what millegrams a norco is any advise is appreciated
Hi everyone,
I started my detox today. It has been about 14 hours since my last pills and man am I in for a treat! (no pun intended)
I have the chills
Off and on headaches
Horrible lower back pain and pain that goes everywhere kinda
Heartburn
Some nausea and throwing up
But whats bad is… HALLUCINATIONS and hearing car doors in the driveway shut when there is nobody out there and hearing sounds in the house and stuff…. paranoia is a problem.
Then… I go to try and fall asleep and I can’t cuz my head starts hurting again. It’s freaking horrible and these damn chills won’t go away. I feel worse than I probably did when I was first prescribed them, if that’s not a shocker enough!
Does ANYONE have any sort of advice or help for me? That would be appreciated. Thanks. You can email me if you like at cacafrank5487@gmail.com thank you! Have a blessed night!
Michelle (and everyone else),
Withdrawal has led me to this thread. I can completely identify with you Michelle. Could not believe it when I read your post. I’m in recovery in AA also, with 27 years sobriety. But I suffered 2 herniated discs 18 months ago. The pain was bad and my long-time Doc offered Vicodin. I called my sponsor who said “Take as prescribed”.
I INSTANTLY fell in love with the stuff. It makes me feel good. Who wouldn’t want to feel like that? Period. It actually didn’t do too much for my particular pain. Buzz free Skelaxin relaxer did much more for the pain. And I got ESI treatments and they sort-of worked on the herniated discs, but I still have a pesky disc bulge that acts up along with bad hips. So I slowly started using Vicodin, hiding it from my sponsor and my AA tables, and my oldest child who is 6 years clean in NA! At first I used it once and awhile, and now on a regular basis, but I’m still keeping within my legal allotment of 60 7.5s a month. I have Asthma and was also offered Codine for a bad cold on top of that, and I filled the script immediately.
Now, 18 months later, what I’m doing is dropping three 7.5s all at once on Friday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday, along with an occasional dose of Codine (for more of a rush effect). One rush a day for 3 days. On “buzz days” I skip my AA meetings. And then I wake up Monday to face the week, and withdrawal. The first 3 days of the week are somewhat uncomfortable but I’ve gotten used to it. I’m on day 3 of this week right now, but I also had a cold and got a new script for Codine. This time I was buzzed for 4 days straight, because I actually needed the Codine to stop coughing all night. And of course, this time “weekly withdrawal” is much more serious. Along with symptoms, all I’m doing is thinking of the impending Friday evening when I can again start up my “self assigned weekly buzz allowance”.
OF COURSE this is abuse. God’s plan for me is none of my business, but I know my future. I’m an addict. I started this out as an alcohol addict prior to my first Vicodin prescription. Sooner or later I will need to stop Vicodin. I’m hoping sooner. Alcohol stopped working in my life because I’m an addict. I have that magic addict personality. Moderation of anything that I think makes me feel good is impossible for me.
I isolate too Michelle. I’m changing for the worse. All that 12-step-work to change for the better is now going to hell. Nothing worse than a fully-buzzed head filled with 27 years of good 12-step information.
God bless this site!
Robert
Hi!
Well im on day two so far, kits not where near as bad as your prepared! ive used for a long time and took 150mg a single dose….yes a single dose. That was just in the morning. My body rejected the Opiate after a while and the drug no longer had an effect. Luckily I am that will passioned when I know I can stop anytime I want due to a process that helps.
The Survival Packs are great info on here! tHEVE HELPED ME ALOT!
I did find engay help with ASL for a moderate of time from 1 hour to maybe even two. I put on plenty so the ICEY part was almost horrible at first but the heated part feels very good. The trick is when you put on to actually let the air hit it. I know, I know , its freaking cold! But after around 2-4 Min youll see a MAJOR difference. ALSO EPson Salt with 1/8 Cold water mixed with Full hot. The problem was my bathtub actually drained because the silver plate on the bathtub had to be covered or it will only fill up a certain amount. SO I put a pillow at the end and let it soak in the hot water. Once you sit in the epson salt tub for 30 min Minimum, Youll actually be able to move around sometimes. Ive been through this several times. I guess since this is my easiest one yet its really not that bad. Im ure we all have our Horror stories. I hope this helped!
This is day 2 for me with vico, About a year two a year in a half of every day use… Have a headache and I am not able to sleep very restless….. This is my first time.. never even knew u would have to go through withdrawal for using something your doc perscribed for pain and nothing is said…. I hope this will be over soon!!!! Keep me lifted in prayer…
Im not sure what day I am on ( if any) but i was scribed 3 10/325 vics a day . mixed in with the occaisional OC for fun .Been trying to taper but never really been good at it. so in reality i was taking 4-5 a day and naturally ran out . been doing this for a year or so . but anyway only took ( i think 3/4 ) a vico . And have been surviving on a 5 OC today , No fun , weirdest thing is the pupils there dialiating and making focus diffucult , and i wish i could figure if i was hot or cold , this sux
Shoot. I’ve been taking 5-6 750mg vicodin for several months. 500 mg before that. I had no idea the trouble I’ve let myself in for. While getting therapy for depression I decided to taper and have been on 2 750mg, 1/2 four times a day. It’s been a week and all I’ve had is the runs every morning, for which I’ve been taking immodium, and, a fierce headache today. I’m almost afraid to go cold turkey so I’ll taper slowly. Trouble is, now my arthritis is killing me and moving around is really hard. That doesn’t help my depression! My shrink put me on Prozac today and suggested my depression could have been made worse by the vicodin. My rheumatologist had suggested that if the 5-6 vicodin didn’t work he would give me oxy. I’m glad I said no. Problem is, I don’t like arthritis pain–at all. Meditation is helping and I’ll keep up with that. Plus, I’m going to add some B vitamins. I’m glad I found this site; I didn’t know I was on a very slippery slope.
I have been on vicodin for at least 5 yrs or more and when I wanted to get off my doctor gave me fentanyl patches, I have degenerative disc disease, fibromayalgia,Rumatoid arthritis. I am going for a disability from work. A year and a half ago I went through to major surgeries 2 mos. apart. I did kick the habit once, but was put on the for 4 mos. waiting for shoulder surgery, then thyroid removal. I am now facing my 3rd withdrawl, I love the comments, it makes me feel I am not alone here. The doc also put me on celebrex,cymbalta,adivan, vicodin 750mg.and ambien cr, I am looking to go off of all of them, where do I start? which one first or just all of them? Please help me…………Maggie
Robert:
Hang in there , you have so much to live for. I too lived for that magic buzz, forgeting just how much pain i really had. I too started that way, You are so young and have a lot to go through yet. I too have the personality that get addicted easily.My advice is to come clean with you AA person and get the help you need. Snuggling up the the drugs is not the way to live, and I am truly talking from experience. I and clean 4 days now and feel so much better. I can thing clearly and I actually notice everything around me. I have my bad days but they all pass with time. God bless and keep trying, don’t give up……..Maggie
I have been taking vicodin in varying doses for the last year and a half. Cronic pain and a surgery got me started. I was up to 10 – 12 7.5/325 per day. I actually went through 180 of them in 2 weeks time. An all out record for me. I had them and I took them.
I am now down to 3 per day and am going to see my doctor tomorrow afternoon. I have my sister flying in to assist my boyfriend and me with a detox over the next several days. I tried to go cold turkey, but the 2nd day was so miserable that I broke down and took 2 late the 2nd night. I am truly terrified of what the next several days will bring. My plan is to see my doctor tomorrow afternoon. I will ask him for 6 more vicodin to get me through the next 2 days of work, then go off completely over a 4 day weekend.
My question: Is it better to ween off of them the way I have planned? Go cold turkey (the worst feeling I’ve ever had)? Will I be able to function work wise by the following Monday if I go off of them on Wednesday?
Scared.
My last vicodin was on Weds am @ 7.30am. Its now Sunday 1pm. I was just miserable while on them in the end. Its been 18 month since I started. Prior to that it was co-codamol back in the UK before I emigrated.
I have never taken more than the prescribed dose since I began taking “opiate” meds back when I was 23 yrs old. (I’m now in my mid 30s). I have Scoliosis.
Anyway, I was fed up with the irritable moods they make me feel. Although they used to be great for my pain, before, in recent times they are not sufficient, and as a result I been super irritable and pissy with my hubby, and generally depressed. I told my pain doc I have had enough of these damn pills can he put me on something else?
So…he gave me tramadol! They seemed to work after an hour or so of taking them, this was a week ago, or so, as I was “transitioning” from vicodin to tramadol, in otherwords, 1 vic @ 7am, 1 again @ 12midday, 1 @ dinnertime, and then 1 tramadol @ bedtime.
Well now I been taking tramadol 4 times a day these past few days. I was fine on thanksgiveing and on friday, but started feeling like crap last night…especially after reading some horror stories on Tramadol! They are worse to withdraw from than Vicodin. Needless to say, my pain is worse, and the RLS and sleeplessness is here !! :-s
I have decided after reading about tramadol, I am gonna taper them down to 2 a day then 1 a day and so on.
I am on 2 a day right now, I had one @ 10am, but it did bugger all for my backpain…in fact it just gave me a damn headache! I was practically tripping out when I had 4 a day of these things it was horrible. They have an antidepressant aswell as a “synthetic narcotic”…not good wehn your trying to get off narcotics!
Anyway I felt really dizzy a few hours ago. Feels like I got the flu! I heard it takes 4-5 days to get over vicodin WD, but 7-10 for tramadols. I hope that since my tramadol intake only began about a week ago, that this won’t affect me too much. I am not even sure if the tramadol is easing my vicodin WD! :-s so I feel like I’m wasting my time taking em if all they’ll do is make me headachey and icky! I am planning on NOT taking tonights dose…cos last nights dose did nothing…apart from headachey again!
Anyway, I am wondering in the meantime how long these vicodin WDs will last now. Am I over the worst or is there still more to come. I’m not planning on going back to the vicodin or even tramadol. I was most annoyed to learn the trams are still “narcotics”. Buh!!! Some caring pain doc my a$$!
Anyway, as a result I’m going off western medicine anymore…these drs just give you crap and you get hooked on it, and before you know it your spending $ and feeling like a zombie the whole time, I have not been myself for yrs!
I am taking B6 vitamins…but as yet…no energy. Went for a 20min walk yesterday it almost killed me…I was so out of breath, and my legs! UGH! Jelly!
Anyway,I realise I am/have been totally dependant on these stupid vicodins, even though I never increased my prescribed doses. So its obvious to me that you can still get hooked on them even on the prescribed dose! How sickening!
Anyway, I wish everyone here the best of luck on getting past this awful stage, and returning to a normal (and happier) lifestyle!
i read all these stories and think that my problem is not that bad but i must respond too. i started on vicodin for back pain in 1995 but was ALWAYS using it as prescribed,and able to not take it when the pain was gone. in 2006 had a baby with my new husband and 3 months later started with severe back pain again,this time i’ve become dependent on them and have continued since that time 2 and some months.i was up to (which seems minor to others) 60 per day of norco tabs(5 tabs daily) i have gone down S L O W L Y myself which is why i havent felt too bad ,i’m at 3-5 mgs a day 3/4 of a pill or 1 pill denpending ok my question i can go from 4pm to 10am the next day before i start to feel slugish… am i ok and to a point where i can go cold turkey WITHOUT major symptoms? i cant do any major detox week and ive tried to get as low as possible need imput please cariemartinez69@yahoo.com
well its been four days and ive only went down to half a pill 1 to 2mgs per day and ive had some minor headaches only but alot of irratation. i think tommorrow im doing cold turkey all day the motrin helps me feel better and the showers too i hope this all goes well and im glad for this website
I have a few questions. Whats considered “Heavy use”? Im only 28 and i have pretty bad nerve damage from a punctured lung surgery and recently adult Chicken Pox. My doctor put me on Norco’s 10/325 and I get 120 every month (yeah right like THAT lasted long) Im now up to 8-10 pills a day (instructions say 3) When I’d run out i’d use to be able to just go buy some more on the street but now I dont have that option and Im faced with an immediate cold Turkey detox. I’ve experienced the feeling like crap and the RLS (its more like restless ARMS for me) but only for like a day and now that I cant get anything I have to wait 2 weeks for my next refill. I dont have insurance and I make too much to go on any govt assisted programs, that means I I cant afford pain management so I have to keep buying the refill and masking this pain. My doctor gave me samples of Lyrica too but that had some weird effects so I stopped and he wont refill my script before the 30 days is up. What can I do to survive these next two weeks????
I’m on my firstt day,no by choice,and its hell. Chills, hearing things,cold sweats,angry… please some tell me how to get thru this. I hate myself for allowing it to get this far. I’m freaking out, I want to kick this habit,and read what you are all going thru and it helps,as there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but at the same time, I don’t see it right now. I’m scared…
I am in the process of helping my nephew kick his habit of 20 to 25 vicodin 10/750 a day habit. He gave me everything that he had today which is exactly 200 pills. I want to taper him off … can someone help me with a plan that will be helpful. He has been using for four to five years.. not really sure. ANY help on this would be appreciated. He is on his way to my house now to stay as long as necessary. I want to do this as painless as possible with what we have, but at the same time quickly?? Any suggestions on tapering schedule?? I am still trying to understand and be compassionate as possible.
I’m currently on day 3 1/2 of my detox from vics. I began tapering last week, but it was still feeling the effects of withdrawal and decided to jump off completely and the last two pills I took was Monday morning at 7:30 am.
I took last week off from work to taper then stopped totally Thursday.
I found this website and tried some of the suggestions. The hot baths helped at first. Insomnia and tremors(chills?) are still killer. I came back to learn how long I can expect this.
I’ve got to go to work tomorrow and wasn’t expecting to be still experiencing this to this degree. Have some accountability buds at work pulling and praying for me so I believe I can do it. I can live with this a few more days and sneak a quick lunch/breaktime nap in my car at work from time to time.
I’ve read many of the posts above and am saddened/angered by the number of people who struggle with this yet don’t get the help from the very doctors that dished it out them. I started with back pain years ago, got cut off, and ended up buying on the streets. Have guys calling everyday with offers. NO FREAKIN’ WAY I’m going through this again!
Only problem…wife is addicted too. She’s watching me. I’ve got to do this for her.
Glad I got that off my chest. That helped…
My sister has been addicted to vicodin for more then 10 years. She had all her prescriptions taken away and the doc put her on non addictive pills to detox her. She has had major jerking of her body and stuttering to the point you can’t understand what she is saying. Today she got upset at a doctors appt and went into a grand mal seizure.. don’t detox alone!! She is now home with my mom resting. She is 50 years old..
I was reading on Jimmie AND I know where he is coming from…I at end of day 2 and hoping day 3 will be better. I would like to know how Jimmie is doing now! Please try to contact me even if you are doing worse or better. I would love to help and chat and get some wisdom from you.
Hello all! I am 5 days into my detox from vicoden. I’m 25 y/o and it all started for me when I had my first surgery at about age 21 and was given my first script. At that time I was already smoking a heavy amount of marijuna daily and had emotional problems also. Since then I’ve been diagnosed with BPD ( borderline personality disorder ) which is commonly associated with addiction in many forms. After my first surgery I convinced myself that the pain I felt every so often was much worse than in fact it really was. I had several operations for endometriosis, and an ovarion cyst. Then 2 years ago once I quit smoking marijuana after 2 bouts of rehab, I started to have pain around my gallbladder. The docs at the er found nothing, when in fact I had gallbladder disease and also stones. So of course they sent me home with a script for 20 or so vicoden. I replaced the high of the marijuana with the high from the vicoden. Every er visit was the same. An IV, some morphene or daludid, and some pills to take home. Finally after 2 years I went to another er ( even though I couldn’t afford it ) and got the right dianosis. Unfortunatly they took my usuall script of 5/500 to norco 10/328. So after several refills and a few weeks till my surgery I binged until my tolerance was insanely high. 10 mg of morphiene wouldn’t even put a dent in the pain after surgery. It’s been a month and half since my surgery and of course I’m out of pills, but I know that if I had kept on searching for that high I would have upped to a stronger drug like oxycontin since I had already started thinking about it. So now like I said I’m 5 days clean, but the craving is sooooooo hard to handle. I distract myself during the day but at night I sit down to relax and I start to climb the walls. I’ve watched movies, and actually done some artwork which is something I haven’t done in a while. I used to have a thriving career as a country music vocalist but I was derailed by drugs. Since I was 12 I was doing professional gigs with my own band and I really thought I was gonna be somebody. Now I don’t have much hope of that, but I do want to start jamming again with some of my clean and sober musician friends and I also want to start a family with my boyfriend of 7 years who is also now clean and sober. His only problem was the marijuana. I don’t know, I guess he could see the person I had become and wanted the old me back so maybe that why he didn’t get as involved as I did. Anyways good luck to all of you who are going through this and keep in mind something you really want that you couldn’t have had as your old self. For me that’s a child and my music.
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