Hi, my name is "Durf" and I'm in day 6 of detox and it's hell!! Let me give you a little background first. I was a over the road tractor trailer driver since 1984, in 1999 I was involved in a MV accident, (Not my fault) with fatalities. I was also pronounced dead at the scene. Luckily when they were putting me into the bag and into the ambulance I must have moved and a paramedic caught it. I don't remember anything, this was all told to me by the hospital. I snapped my neck in 3 places, broke my back, had many, many broken bones and contusions. I was in a coma for over 3 weeks and endured many surgeries. I now have 4 plates in my neck, 3 plates in my spine and two rods, and over 40 screws. I was only 43 and my life was over. After over 2 years of recovery and learning to walk again I was on a regiment of narcotic pain meds. You name it, I took it, and got hooked on Oxycontin and a Morphine cocktail. I became "addicted" to it and was abusing it too. About 8 years ago my doctor switched me over to Methadone, BIG mistake!!! I was on 140 mgs per day. It worked to keep the pain at bay, but it was a very dirty drug. Over the years I had a heart attack from withdrawals, it ruined my gallbladder, which was removed, my liver, my bile ducts, pancreas, and kidneys also suffered. Plus I would go into withdrawals for no reason at all in places where I was in public and with no meds. Some mornings I would wake up in painful withdrawals, it was a nightmare!!
Now I'm 58 almost 59 and I wanted off all kinds of narcotics. So back in March of 2014 I had switched doctors, (we moved) and he would NOT prescribe methadone for me. I asked him to recommend a local pain clinic and he did. The doctor there saw what I was on and said it's not what I should have been on. What was I suppose to know, I only took what my other doctor prescribed. I told him I wanted off all narcotics and go on something non narcotic to control my chronic pain. Well he started me on Suboxone strips, 2mg/0.5mgs twice a day to get me off the "Done". After two weeks he upped it to 4mg/strips. I hated them with a passion, but it was keeping the withdrawals away for the most part, but now I was on another narcotic. I told my doctor I wanted off of it, so he weaned me back down to the lower dose. I then stopped taking it all together last Wednesday and today is day six of no narcotics and I feel like crap!!!
My pain doctor gave me some "comfort" meds, but they don't work all that well. I was also using medical marijuana, but that's also an opiate, so it was like what am I suppose to do?? I have the same symptoms as many of you that have or are going thru what I am. How long is this going to last? I feel totally wiped-out, my stomach is in knots and I'm dehydrated, even though I drink as much water and Gatorade as I can. I try to eat, but nothing goes down too good. I'm scared I'm going to have another heart attack and forget sleeping, it doesn't work. My mind is racing like crazy and my skin is burning. My comfort drugs my doctor gave me is Ondansetron, Baclofen, and Clonidine. I also take Lorazepam to help with the nerves. How much longer is this going to last???? I don't think I can take it much longer.........
Thanks for letting me vent, it feels good to get it out and off my mind. Sorry my post was rather long, but in my case it not about "addiction", but necessity to control chronic pain...........
DURF
P.S.; My doctor wants to put me on Cymbalta, but I've heard nightmare stories about that med too.