I was on hydrocodone for 4 years for back pain. I did not abuse it but I just quit cold turkey. I found that the effect of the drug on my liver was making my back pain much worse by overtaxing my liver so it could not do other necessary functions. Quitting dropped a whole degree from my back pain. I had one restless night where I could not sleep and tossed and turned and then I was free! I will never go back to it again. Get your vitamin D level checked. Alcohol is also very bad for the liver. Both opiates and alcohol eat the vitamin D in your body leaving none for bodily repair. JUST QUIT and get high on the feeling that you will be clean and your body will be able to repair itself MUCH better over time. LET THE SUNSHINE!
Ive known some pillheads and very few that Ive seen can cold turkey their way out of addiction to opiates--maybe they can--but depending on the level of use the "I can quit at anytime" people are usually deceiving themselves in my experience and generally dont quit unless they are very light users.
Im highly in favor of Rehab, even if its only a 3 day dryout, but preferably it should be longer.
Most addicts that I know have to change alot more than their pill taking but also a lot of their other behaviours that bring them to want to use in the first place.
Some people find meetings like NA helpful, although some people cant stand them--but I'd say at least get some counseling of some sort to get some tools to fight off triggers and to build a support system.
I cant oversstate enough the need for some good support system.
There could be alot of other issues involved that might need to be addressed, if someone is willing to ingest opiates what else are they doing/not doing?
Addicts notoriously leave a lot of things undone--try getting them to eat 3 square meals a day.
I guy that works with me came off oxy's last year--it was a tough fight but he was successful---
whoever it is, give them all the tools and support that you can
"The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross is a fabulous book that discusses treating addictions with amino acids. Many of the things people are addicted to are actually ways of coping with amino acid deficiency.
Pam Killeen also has a podcast interviewand discusses her book, Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic. It's a good podcast and a friend of mine won a copy of the book. It's a really good book and discusses many healthy options for healing addictions of all kinds.
I was on oxycontin for 2 years for a failed back surgery. It was a wonder drug for me at first, best I had felt for years and I was able to do things that I couldn't do for a long time. Unfortunately as time went on my body got use to the drug and it didn't work anymore so I went on to fentanyl patches. After a year on fentanyl I became lethargic and again the pain returned. My biggest problem was I couldn't sleep on narcotics and that was wearing me down so I decided to stop cold turkey. That's when I discovered what addiction was all about, most uncomfortable feeling I have ever had.
For a month I weaned myself off the drug taken a little less each night. When I finally stopped completely it was a very hard two weeks but I did it. I craved it for a few months but to this day (it's been 10 years now)I refuse to take narcotics even after open heart surgery a year ago. The day after my heart surgery I only asked for Tylenol.
I stopped without telling my doctor but I believe I should have asked for his advise and help.
As for pain relief now I take a few puffs of medical grade marijuana before bed, I have a State Card for it and it works great for sleeping but I don't use it during the day.
Next month I an having surgery for a neuro stimulator implant in my back. After 25 years of pain I hope it works.
My doctor told me, you know you can't stay on this drug forever, eventually it will start working against you. At first I was mad because he gave no alternative but after I left his office and thought about It i realized he was right and only looking out for my best interest. Tylenol was the worst part of it actually. Taking the drugs out of the equation actually lowered my pain considerably to a manageable level. (That is once I found out I had a vitamin d deficiency and addressed that too.)
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DrWearWord
I was on hydrocodone for 4 years for back pain. I did not abuse it but I just quit cold turkey. I found that the effect of the drug on my liver was making my back pain much worse by overtaxing my liver so it could not do other necessary functions. Quitting dropped a whole degree from my back pain. I had one restless night where I could not sleep and tossed and turned and then I was free! I will never go back to it again. Get your vitamin D level checked. Alcohol is also very bad for the liver. Both opiates and alcohol eat the vitamin D in your body leaving none for bodily repair. JUST QUIT and get high on the feeling that you will be clean and your body will be able to repair itself MUCH better over time. LET THE SUNSHINE!
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excathedra
thank you so much
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cman
Quiting cold turkey works for some but not all.
You cold cut down and even break them in half, to take only half the dose.
The real problem is in the mind, relying on what it does there.
DWW is correct for changing the attitude of mind addiction.
Having recently had hernia surgery I was on Vicodin more then a month.
Interesting thing is, it relieves the pain by changing the path of the body/mind,
and the way it perceives and registers the pain.
There is no healing properties to pain pills except that you can move without pain.
Which can be deceiving.
Cut down over a period of time to avoid the withdrawals your body could have, they are real.
Just as real is the mental addiction to taking pills to relieve pain, whether it does so or not.
On another note, if you need it, don't stop using it.
But use it according to the Doctor's orders.
Usually no more the 1 or 2 every 4 to 6 hours.
If more then that it's certainly more mental or the wrong drug.
Being dependent on a pill for relief can also affect your psyche.
Meaning you really don't want to be depending on it at all.
Even if you need it.
Don't let that get to your mind either.
You are still you, try to relax more and not think about it so much.
I know sometimes life is so boring one can think of nothing else but the relief drugs can do.
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mstar1
Ive known some pillheads and very few that Ive seen can cold turkey their way out of addiction to opiates--maybe they can--but depending on the level of use the "I can quit at anytime" people are usually deceiving themselves in my experience and generally dont quit unless they are very light users.
Im highly in favor of Rehab, even if its only a 3 day dryout, but preferably it should be longer.
Most addicts that I know have to change alot more than their pill taking but also a lot of their other behaviours that bring them to want to use in the first place.
Some people find meetings like NA helpful, although some people cant stand them--but I'd say at least get some counseling of some sort to get some tools to fight off triggers and to build a support system.
I cant oversstate enough the need for some good support system.
There could be alot of other issues involved that might need to be addressed, if someone is willing to ingest opiates what else are they doing/not doing?
Addicts notoriously leave a lot of things undone--try getting them to eat 3 square meals a day.
I guy that works with me came off oxy's last year--it was a tough fight but he was successful---
whoever it is, give them all the tools and support that you can
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Belle
"The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross is a fabulous book that discusses treating addictions with amino acids. Many of the things people are addicted to are actually ways of coping with amino acid deficiency.
Here is one podcast interview with her.
And an encore podcast interview with her.
Pam Killeen also has a podcast interviewand discusses her book, Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic. It's a good podcast and a friend of mine won a copy of the book. It's a really good book and discusses many healthy options for healing addictions of all kinds.
Hugs to you!!
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OnionEater
I was on oxycontin for 2 years for a failed back surgery. It was a wonder drug for me at first, best I had felt for years and I was able to do things that I couldn't do for a long time. Unfortunately as time went on my body got use to the drug and it didn't work anymore so I went on to fentanyl patches. After a year on fentanyl I became lethargic and again the pain returned. My biggest problem was I couldn't sleep on narcotics and that was wearing me down so I decided to stop cold turkey. That's when I discovered what addiction was all about, most uncomfortable feeling I have ever had.
For a month I weaned myself off the drug taken a little less each night. When I finally stopped completely it was a very hard two weeks but I did it. I craved it for a few months but to this day (it's been 10 years now)I refuse to take narcotics even after open heart surgery a year ago. The day after my heart surgery I only asked for Tylenol.
I stopped without telling my doctor but I believe I should have asked for his advise and help.
As for pain relief now I take a few puffs of medical grade marijuana before bed, I have a State Card for it and it works great for sleeping but I don't use it during the day.
Next month I an having surgery for a neuro stimulator implant in my back. After 25 years of pain I hope it works.
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excathedra
thank you all for your advice -- the nutrition aspect has really been a very positive direction
best of luck to you onioneater
many hugs belle
and to all thank you so much
it's tough when a doctor gives something that ends up hurting more than helping, you know?
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DrWearWord
My doctor told me, you know you can't stay on this drug forever, eventually it will start working against you. At first I was mad because he gave no alternative but after I left his office and thought about It i realized he was right and only looking out for my best interest. Tylenol was the worst part of it actually. Taking the drugs out of the equation actually lowered my pain considerably to a manageable level. (That is once I found out I had a vitamin d deficiency and addressed that too.)
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excathedra
yes thank you for the vitamin d info
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