MACEDAWG333

I am 3 days out of detox and I am still having terrible withdrawls. My chest feels like it is going to explode and my arms feel like they are going to burn off. I am starting to become weary in my head from detoxing. I came off of 150mg of morphine and 100-150mgs of hydrocodone 10's per day for the last 9 years. I stopped the morphine 18 days ago and am on day 7 being off of the hydro's. The detox center sucked. They basically asked me to leave because I was the only one in there. We ate jail food for dinner and they didn't give us much else to eat. I was just wandering how long will I experience these horrible symptoms. I am trying to hang in there, but I am starting to get worn out and feel like I want to give up. HELP!!!

Anna

Hi,

Please talk to your dr or go to your ER if you are concerned.

We cannot give any medical advice here.

I wish you well!

MACEDAWG333

Thanks for the reply 51anna. I called my internist today and she said I just have to stay home and fight it out. She would not give me anything to help. I have history of heart attack, blood clotting disorder, spinal degenerative disease with 4 herniated disc's. From what I was told, here you can not just go to the hospital for withdrawl's. You have to have another ailment and they will treat the withdrawl secondary. I just don't know. I am starting to lose hope.

cpg121774

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I am on the other side, trying to quit without detox. I am on 75mg vic/day, and ready to quit. I have been through the w/d so many times, and it always makes me go back. In my opinion, it is 75% mental, 25% physical. The withdrawls always seem to involve lots of achiness and diarhea, but mostly the constant preoccupation with the whole idea of not being on the pills.

I am by no means a doctor, just someone going through the same problem.

Best of luck to you...

christin1225

((Macedawg)) I think that you deserve a hug and some encouragement. Hang in there. You have far too much time behind you to go back now. Your w/d symptoms are somewhat different from mine and much longer lasting than what I experienced coming off oxys and so, I don't have much advice in that regard. Still, I wanted to encourage you to stay the course. I've picked up twice after more than a week clean each time because of the mental stuff. I promise you that using doesn't get better... only worse. My use escalated and the drugs don't even work as well, if at all (oh, they'll trick you the first few days or week to suck you back in for more than one time). And in the end, all that is left to do is to quit again (for those of us who survive it). Don't even look back to using. Keep moving forward.

MACEDAWG333

Thank you so much Christin! I am 20 days without morph and 9 days without hydro's. I am feeling so much better now. I still have some anxiety but everything else seems to be pretty good. Each day seems to get better. Will keep updated. Thanks for the support.

chairmanma084

Mace,

I've quit tons of times myself but never took as much as you've been using. The only way I ever dealt with it with any comfort was by tapering off. Did you stop cold turkey?

I am not condoning using the same thing that's got you in such a bind, but it is not very encouraging to really quit if you're this sick...

MACEDAWG333

Yes, I did quit cold turkey. Tapering does not work for me because I always want more because of my pain. I am finding out that this really is more mental than physical. If I feel like I am getting the urge, I go through all the pain that I have already been through in my mind and the consiquiences and it pulls me out of it every single time. I am 110% commited to this and I have a pretty strong will. I am not trying to get ahead of myself because I know it will blind side you. I did stop from bindge drinking 10 years ago cold turkey and I have never drank again. I don't want the day to day and month to month agony of trying to have enough meds to get me through to the next refill. It is way to much and not for me anymore.

kelsh

Hi Mdawg,

I quit alcohol with a medical detox....drank to get drunk every day of the week after work for four years. The Alcohol Program was under the Umbrella of Mental Health. I had a counselor for my alcoholism and one for my depression at the same time. I was very determined to quit for myself & no one else because I felt no one else wanted a 48 year old drunken woman.

This was 21 years ago & I am still sober & still taking meds & have follow-up appointments with my doc for my Depression/Anxiety.

My Brother has just finished detoxing off methametaphine (sp.) & alcohol. He drank to help him get off of drugs...doing it by himself. He ended up having a heart attack so was then admitted to a facility for medical detox. He has been clean & sober since October 31, 2008. He is 67 & I soon will be 69.

My husband doesn't have an addiction problem but has severe chronic pain from an old injury in a logging accident in 1964. When he had surgery for a bone infection & removal of part of his pelvis he was started on Oxycodone for his pain. In 1964 he did have his left leg amputated and about 17 more surgeries. He was in the hospital six months & then released to finish recovery at home.

He is 72 & has slowed down a lot...his whole body has worn out so just to do a simple camping trip with our motorhome & boat for fishing....takes everything out of him.

I have simular back problems as you...Osteo-Arthritis in my back & neck & Rhumatoid Arthritis in my hands, feet, and where ever else that has joints such as my knees & shoulders. I had one back fusion done after I retired & still have two deteriorating disks but am going to give it my all without surgery again.

The night of the back surgery I quit breathing & before that I was very agitated and angry with my family & staff at the hospital. I woke up in ICU & couldn't feed myself or walk until the next day. They determined that I am not able to tolerate any type of narcotic so just take anti-inflamatory meds.

There are pain clinics....but imagine they are simular to many detox programs that deny any medical help to ease detox. It does take honesty between a doc & patient...and I suppose as addicted as you have been they might not prescribe much of a pain medication. If it was cancer or some other painful illness their would be no problem would there be????

Keep us updated & be good to yourself.

orchards

chairmanma084

wow, mace.

you're one tough person IMO. every time i've detoxed, i've had to substitute something to get me through it, whether off the street (marijuana) or from a dr. (benzo's) or just something like a handful of Immodium, which does ease some of the serious symptoms of withdrawal.

the pain helps you motivate yourself to stop...i respect that. i just worry that intentionally putting yourself through unneccessary pain might bring on some symptoms of its own later on, whether emotional or physical.

i'm so glad to hear you're staying strong. try to stay positive and keep it going.

chairmanMA084

Tazman53

Macedawgg welcome to SR, I am an alcoholic who was medically detoxed so I have no experience to share on your detox, but let me congradulate you on your clean time.

Are you going to NA or AA? I know that for me I could have never stayed sober without a recovery program and face to face support from people who had walked in my shoes and stayed sober, but not only sober, happy also.