Vkjames

Hi everyone. I'm embarrassed to say but I'm ignorant to withdrawal symptoms and understand everyone can have different withdrawal symptoms.
As a side note, I have generalized anxiety disorder related to health issues and it quite often takes over my life with googling different medical conditions that I think apply to me. This i think is due to a bone marrow transplant I had when I was 19 due to leukemia. Haven't dealt with some of the trauma from that from 20 years ago.

So I've been taking Lortab for a year and it's always been one or two pills a day. No more than that because that's all I could handle to function in day to day life. I stopped taking the Lortab last Sunday. I noticed I had a couple itchy small hives and was also dealing with some bronchitis and general body hot flashes. A couple days later I noticed my face felt like it was burning, literally like a bad sunburn. It looked normal, no rash. Maybe just slightly red. Then it got worse over the next couple days, the burning went from my face down to my neck, chest, inside bend of elbows and palms. I also have been having night sweats for the last week or longer. Not sure if they started before or after stopping Lortab.
I freaked out and went to the ER and they couldn't find anything wrong other than bronchitis.

Today, the burning has calmed down pretty much other than an odd sensation in my left hand/palm area.

Had anyone experiences anything like this as a withdrawal symptom? This is so frightening not knowing if this burning skin with no rash is withdrawal related. I guess I thought that after only taking 2, actually usually 1 Lortab daily for a year, that I wouldn't get withdrawals from such a small quantity.

Please help anyone with any advice or experience with this.

OpioPhobe

I have never had a 'burning' sensation from opi withdrawal, per se. It would be more like a skin 'crawling' sensation. I am having trouble finding the exact words for it, but it would come when I felt extremely restless. I would feel hot one moment covered in sweat and then I would be freezing cold the next. It would be impossible to get comfortable, and I would continue shifting positions on the couch or tossing in the bed. I never had anything that felt like a rash, hives or sunburn though.

cleaninLI

Hi VKjames welcome to SR!

I will list my usual symptoms of withdrawal:

Hot and cold flashes....that is when you feel like a burning skin type feeling or all over hot and sweaty.....accompanied by chills...or chills immediately after that.
Runny and itchy nose
Creep crawly skin....those were mostly in my legs and arms.....like restless leg syndrome....where you feel you need to move them around all the time.
Body aches and pains....similar to how you feel when you have the flu.
Diarrhea or very loose stools.
Nausea /vomiting
Insomnia
Severe anxiety

cleaninLI

Yeah opio you're right that burning skin type feeling wasn't like I would have hives....could feel a little like sunburn if I didn't know what was happening. But I pretty much knew I was withdrawing....the symptoms became very familiar to me...unfortunately.

Dee74

Hi VKJames - no experience to share, but I wanted to welcome you
If you're concerned please do see your Dr


D

cleaninLI

Oh I just want to add one more thing. My acute withdrawal symptoms lasted between 5 to 7 days. Certainly, no longer than 10 days. Just thought that was important to note. I agree with Dee definitely see your doctor if you are concerned.

Marcus

Definitely see a doctor if you are truly concerned, but with Heroin withdrawals my arms and legs would feel like they were on FIRE during withdrawal. I actually welcomed it sometimes because I knew that meant the dope was leaving my system. It surprises me though that you felt that with 2 lortabs a day so I am not sure if we are talking about the same thing. Hardcore Heroin withdrawals feels like an exorcism and if you have ever watched the movie Trainspotting it is not that far from the truth. In the end withdrawal was just the very tip of the iceberg for me. It was great to get past the physical symptoms, but the mental assaults were what kept me coming back. Good Luck to You!!!

Ashamedof

I've had this feeling before! My face and body would get hot, like a hot flash or my bp shot up..that does happen during wds. That's why clonodine is used so often in detox, it calms down the adrenal system which goes into overdrive, that's why anxiety is high during thus time too.

I never had a rash though, that's a new one. Could you be having an allergic reaction to a new soap, detergent, cleaning supplies?

I would see a dr for that one but it sounds like an allergic reaction to me.

I hope you feel better!

Vkjames

Thank you all for the replies. It's really just the burning skin but no rash and can't really see anything on my skin that would account for this burning feeling. It's definitely not an allergic reaction. I realized on sept 2 when I started first with hot and cold flashes, runny nose and cough, I just thought I had a cold but i had missed a few daily pills around that time. Maybe this was withdrawal. The hot and cold flashes freaked me out, never had that unless i had a high fever, which i did not.

I had not completely stopped lortab until last pill sept 7 and then the full burning started two days later.

I hope this goes away, my anxiety is torturing me between going back and forth on whether it's withdrawal or some new illness (my case, cancer is always one of the main worries).

cleaninLI

VKJAMES my advice to you is if you haven't seen a doctor get checked out. If he finds nothing wrong with you then...then it's probably WD. Obviously, I'm no doctor and its against forum rules to give medical advise. I just want to calm your fears that I've gone thru withdrawal more times than I can count and have never needed medical attention except once when I was pregnant. If you feel your BP is too high....check it....at home if you have a machine or at the pharmacy....or make an appt with your doctor. Anxiety is a very common symptom of WD too. I think you mentioned you suffer from anxiety anyway.
The symptoms are bothersome but they are rarely serious....or life threatening. So try to take deep breathes. I've found mindfullness to be a huge help for combatting anxiety and panic attacks. We have an anxiety section on this forum too. Lots of useful information.
Here is the link.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/anxiety-disorders/

Are you taking anything for your anxiety? Have you discontinued Lortab completely? If you haven't each time you start taking it and stop abruptly, you will get uncomfortable WD symptoms. So it's best that if you are no longer on it.....stay off it. There are other meds that can cause uncomfortable WD symptoms too. Benzos such as Xanax or Anti-D's so if you are on those you must remain on the prescribed dose or you must work with your doctor to taper off them.

I hope I've eased some of your worries.

mkintexas

I can tell you that when I begin withdrawing from oxy it feels like I have a full body sunburn. I sweat and then get cold. The entire experience really sucks.

Vkjames

The support here is amazing, I'm
So very thankful. I did initially go to the ER for the skin burning sensation this past week. These are not like hot and cold flashes (although I did have those a few days before, I thought from a cold). After a chest X-ray, was told I have bronchitis (not a smoker) and blood work normal. He saw no evidence with the burning skin sensation so he just said its likely something related to bronchitis. Also went to my cardiologist (who I see annually just for blood pressure monitoring). He checked me out too and said everything sounds and looks good.
It just feels like a sunburn (very uncomfortable) but my skin looks fine.
Last time I took a Lortab was last Sunday. Anyone know if taking lortab once or twice per day for one year is really enough to cause withdrawals?

I'm also on Paxil for anxiety (10 mg) for the last two years and 1/2 mg of Ativan. My script for those is 30 pills per month. I take before bed to help sleep. Been on the Ativan also two years. It seems very mild. Don't take it daily. The lortab was my crutch.

cleaninLI

Alright well yes I do believe being on a low dose of lortab for over a year can cause WD! Yes! Anytime you are on opiate painkillers for any length of time....like a month or longer your doctor will need to taper you off them. Even on a taper you could still feel some symptoms....but they are usually much milder. Same goes for your Paxil....that would need a taper too if you ever need to come off it. You said you do not take Ativan daily right? Just occasionally? Then that is probably ok....but if you do take it every night consistently for over a month then stop abruptly you will feel WD from that too. Symptoms are different though.

But yes if your last lortab was Sunday, this is Saturday.....it means you are on day 6 of detoxing off the lortab. Most of my WD symptoms went away after day 7. But they can remain for around 10 days. You may feel a little anxious or lethargic or have insomnia or mental confusion for up to three months after detox. You were on a pretty low dose so those symptoms will probably be mild or nonexistent....and last a very short time. Ok?

Vkjames

Thank you CleaninLI. Yes, Ativan not every day. Like you said, this will hopefully be gone soon. Other than anxiety over the burning, I can't really identify any other withdrawal symptoms. Oh, not sleeping well but I think that has been going on for a couple weeks.

cleaninLI

Alright then....so you will be fine...just give it a few days and that feeling will go away.

Just a word of caution with the Ativan, refrain from taking it every night....just occasionally like you are doing....and keep the dose as low as possible...because benzo WD is worse then opiate WD. It is dangerous...can cause seizures if stopped abruptly after regular everyday use. So use it sparingly to avoid becoming physically addicted to it.



Take care!

Jdre

I just saw your post and hope you're still around and clean. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about with the burning skin sensation. I suffered from it bad during detox and felt like my skin was on fire. It would start during the 2nd or 3rd day into detox and usually last about a week. It's caused by anxiety. I suffer from a couple different anxiety disorders so detox really brings on my anxiety and the burning skin. It's rare and very few of us get it to this extreme but knowing that it's anxiety related and that it will go away helps somewhat.
Wishing you all the best on your journey.