whtrash

hello please keep your guard up.i got clean in 94 while being sentenced to 4 years in prison.after my release in 98 i did very well.then in 2000 a friend asked me if i would like a hydro.i said sure whats the harm.now here i am hooked for almost 9 years agian.cannot believe i got myself into this addiction agian.i have tried quitting but after 3 weeks still had with-drawals.no i will not try other drugs to get off drugs.i am seriously considering gradual tapering as this seems the only easy way out.please share with me what works best for you.thank you -wht-

scaredtostp

There is no easy way out, for me the gradual taper, which i tried for a month was like dragging out the torture, every drop in dose, i felt tired and weak for 4 days, then not bad for three, then the next small drop, the same thing all over again, I would suggest medical detox, its supposed to be over in seven to ten days and they give you lots of meds to help with the wd compared to cold turkey, the key is to get your doc out of your system as quick as possible and the brain will reset itself in four or five days. Good luck my friend...you can get off of it......

Timebuster

I was on some heavy stuff when I quit. It took me around four to seven days before I started feeling human again. Seven to ten days before the cloud was lifted. Personally, I never had w/d last me three weeks unless there was something else in the mix.

Tapering never work for me, its like Chinese torture, I always caved in. Also you might want to try being around other recovering addicts F/F who understand what your going through. When I quit, I started going to NA and it help me tremendously in a time when I was at my weakest point.

An addict alone is very dangerous.
Stay strong.
Ivan

Stagebear

At one time, I had 15 years clean, so you're playing my song.
Have to agree with my boardmates above. Tapering is a risky playground. While I have personal opinions about long term OPT, I did a short term suboxone detox, five days only. Worked wonders for me. I don't recommend it or discourage it, it just was what I needed. Still suffered some residual w/d, but nothing like what I would have done c/t.

If I tried to taper, I'm quite sure I'd have played the "Well, I'll start again tomorrow" game and just kept on using.

SteppingItUp

I needed to quit, and there was no tapering. What I did was a little like what Bear did, a not-recommended, not-discouraged (by me on the latter anyway but only because it ultimately worked for me) 10 day home detox through lower doses of methadone. I did go through withdrawals for about three weeks, so it happens. The first week I felt H withdrawals (despite the methadone, but likely because of the low doses of it), and once I stopped the methadone, I went through another whole series of withdrawals that kicked my ass again. There was no real let-up in the middle. Let's say that what I went through was somewhat severe and probably unusual, but I certainly lived to tell the story. (There's a thread on here that starts on day 4 off the methadone, and you can see the rest, including the passing of the symptoms and other very positive changes, if you're trying to get a better idea. I'm on day 27 off the methadone today).

It just pains me that you went through 3 weeks and threw in the towel. There's a very wise saying, you know: This too shall pass. You were probably nearing the tail end of the symptoms, or about to anyway. Barring extreme cases with underlying issues, the body does recover from withdrawals all on its own. Withdrawals suck, but they're not so bad as to make doing what you're doing a better option. Withdrawals are signs of healing!!

Bottom line: Do you need to get off drugs? ::Yes hypothesis here.:: So, there's no postpone the inevitable. You go through whatever your body needs to go through, and then you come out on the other side as a new man. Take the leap!!

Detox or home detox, whatever you choose, you need to know what you'll actually stick to. Tapering is usually not as effective a plan as it sounds, better on paper than it is for an active addict. It's just very, very hard to do, and few manage that way. Of course, as far as I'm concerned, the solution that counts is the one that works for you.

I'm wishing the best for you.

SugarScars

Oh, honey, I really feel for you. I've been where you've been.

The first time I got clean was in '03. I quit cold turkey. Of course, I could do this because I wasn't working 70 hours a week then like I am now.

I found opiates again after years of staying away. Of course, I'd stopped going to NA meetings, stopped calling my sponsor, and started thinking that I was the bee's knees again. As a result, I fell flat on my face and had to get with the god of my understanding again.

This time around, I've chosen to do a gradual taper. For me, it works. It works AMAZINGLY. Since I work so much, it's not an option for me to be dysfunctional. I must be functional. Therefore, I must taper. It's that simple.

I began on 24 mgs, and now I'm down to 4 mgs. I'm doing very, very well. My dose before this one was 6 mgs, less than one month ago. Yes, I'm tapering quite rapidly. I'm ready to be done with it, though. I've considered just quitting altogether.

However, you've got to listen to both your doctor and your body when you taper. It's a delicate balance of chemistry. If you do it correctly, you will actually HELP your mind. I remember the first time I quit, cold turkey, my mind was a fog FOR A YEAR. Not for a week. FOR A YEAR. I can't do that again. Not this time.

I've got a sponsor, and I'm eager to start working steps. Imagine that! I actually WANT to work steps. This is how bad I want what they have - this time.

My sponsor told me that she won't let me work steps until I have 90 days clean, though. So, this gives me something to work towards. For the first time in my entire life, I'm going to be clean. Really and truly CLEAN!

You can get back on the wagon, buddy. Yeah, you fell off, and hard. But you can get back on.

YOU JUST HAVE TO WANT IT!!!

Don't give up on yourself!

Luvs,
Sugs

change4penny

After abusing opiates for more than 10 years, before going to rehab, I was taking 30, 10mg hydrocodones or oxycodones per day just to keep from being dope sick.
Tapering down never worked for me...didn't have the will power.
While in rehab, I was in detox for 6 days before my insurance approved 'suboxone maintainence. So I'd already gone through the worst of the w/d's. My counselor recommended me be on a low dose of sub even after going home due to the fact that I was addicted for so long.
It's been six and a half months now and I've been free of both addictions, eating pain pills like candy and crack/cocaine. For me, I believe that the sub works for more than getting you through the w/ds, it also has allowed me time to live a life free from what I'd been doing for so long...a life in recovery, working a program and going to NA meetings. When my doctor and I feel ready, we'll start tapering the suboxone.
If you can do this on your own...more power to you. But it's gonna take more than just abstaining from opiates, you need to a plan of recovery in place so that when the cravings come, (and they will) you'll be ready and able to resist.

Good luck to you



Penny