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Tapering Help - Opiate WD - Desperate for advice

Great job Mom! Hope you get some sleep tonight . Night is always the worst for me . Im at 24 hours since last dose , not to bad just some goosebumps and a little grumpy . Dreading the night time but I?ll get thru it even if I have to take 10 hot baths lol.
 
Are you tapering or cold turkey ?
I found some Ativan of my mother in laws I may take tonight to sleep , it is .5 mg.
 
10 week taper plan mapped out above. I'm only 3 days in but I don't feel like deviating at all. I think it's really going to happen this time.
 
Hi Determined Mom. I wanted to share something with you if you ever want to listen to a little inspiration if you?re not on here.
I?m listening to it now while I?m reading these posts ?. For me, I have to think of all drugs and alcohol as one.
https://youtu.be/js4ZR1bu6DI
 
Day 7 - update - SO far so good. (I know I haven't hit the hard part yet) I actually did better than I was supposed to all week except for one day where I had some serious trauma I was trying to drown. I feel like I'm having a competition with myself to prove I can not only do it, but do it faster and better than planned. Here is what I say to myself when I want to deviate I remind myself of the truths:
#1 - It won't matter anyway cause I won't feel a thing (too tolerant) so why bother.
#2 - You want to get back to fit and fabulous and stop being fat and frumpy right?! This stuff is making me fat so big reason stay with the plan.
#3 - This is all I got - I have no way to get more so failure is not an option.
#4 - Remember how great it will be when you get your real life back!
That's it - trying to stay away from self pity - and focus more on the fact that it's short lived. This is only a few weeks - after this I will have my life, my fit and my fabulous, back. Back forever to never lose again. Tomorrow is DAY 1 on 2 pills a day. I think this next step will be easy so I will see you all in a week!
 
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PS - I've been reading some posts by people who feel they also got addicted to sweets and caffeine while taking opi's has anyone else felt that? Im starting to think that's at least half my problem - I have been eating so much more sugar than normal ever since the accident. Going to TRY to make some headway on that as well. This recent 10lbs had got to go. Another great reason to drop this crap that doesn't even work anymore.
 
determinedmom53 said:
PS - I've been reading some posts by people who feel they also got addicted to sweets and caffeine while taking opi's has anyone else felt that? Im starting to think that's at least half my problem - I have been eating so much more sugar than normal ever since the accident. Going to TRY to make some headway on that as well. This recent 10lbs had got to go. Another great reason to drop this crap that doesn't even work anymore.
Click to expand...
Kate so much sweet stuff while on opiates in my head it gave me a better buzz.In north India when opiates are taken it is followed by really sweet tea and sweet Indian deserts.I was having six sugars in my coffee and loads of chocolate bars.Once I quit my sugar eating stopped I now have two sugars in coffee and hardly any mars bars.Its weird how the body craves sugar when on opiates
 
That's crazy but I feel the same - nothing but carbs and sweets all day long and I used to be so healthy. That's all going away with this crazy crap. Just one more thing to give me strength to make this happen. I will say I'm on day 2 of week 2 and I do feel much worse than I did all last week. Going from 3 to 2 is not as easy as I thought and I'm only starting day 2. I have to keep reminding myself more won't help, in fact, it will only make it worse because I have no more so I need to stay the course. Although if I feel even worse by weeks-end I'm wondering if I should just take the leap instead of dragging it out. Since I started stepping down I have had pretty constant blues, sweats and extreme lack of energy but I'm not puking or anything so part of me feels like I'm doing it the right way but part of me wants to be done already and if it's going to take me 8 more weeks to step down maybe I could just jump now, take the 10 days and get it over with? My stomach has been wrecked for weeks - it would be nice to not feel bloated and fat all the time. Is stepping down the best way after 3 years or should I just jump and be done?
Nevermind - I just re-read all the posts in this thread and I'm repeating myself. Going to stay the course and not let feeling icky get me down. Tony and everyone else was right - the jump from 3 - 2 was harder than 4 - 3 but it's okay. I only have so may pills left so it's got to happen. I need to focus on other steps to be healthy like quitting all the sugar and get outside for a walk even though I want to be in my jammies binge watching something 24-7.
 
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heyy - yea i tried to do the tapering thing but could never really get down past 60mg a day (at my high i was doing 120-150mg a day). I kept gettin down to 50-60mg and then ending back up at 90mg.

i really reccomend maybe trying to get down to 2 and then go 'cold turkey' and switch over to kratom - which is prettyy much what i did. I got down to 60 mg and then switched over to kratom - taking 5-7grams every 4-6 hours (or whenver you needed it at first). the first week isn't pleasant at all (i took off from work), but it is nothing compared to the cold turkey WDs without it. You could maybe take your last dose on friday night - have a nice night sleep, and then wake up with "the flu" - which is just a cover story as your body adjusts from the oxy to kratom switch over the first 3-7 days.

Thats pretty much what i did. And then I took kratom daily for about 4 months before taking another week off from work and kicking the kratom - which was a few days walk in the park compared to trying to get off oxy.

it really was a life saver and game changer for me - i was feeling pretty hopeless as i had beent rying to quit through cold turkies and tapers for over a year. some people are against kratom - it as a miracle for me.
 
Just wanted to let you know I know what you're going through. I hope to keep reading of your success to give me inspiration and hope for my own journey. I have been an opiate user (due to chronic back and hip pain) for two years. I was taking between 80-110mg a day. I am now trying to stay near 40mg a day and it is hard. I am a mother of an energetic two year old and I miss the energy and the uplifting mood that the tablets give me so much. I am struggling a lot to keep reducing. Each reduction is really hard. Trying to stay strong and stay on schedule is the hardest. I keep trying to justify to myself that I will take extra tablets today because I feel so horrible and then just do a week of really hard days on the lead up to my next script refills but I know its just prolonging the pain but this addiction is a terrible terrible thing. Im thinking of you and wishing you all the strength in the world.
 
Update - sorry for the late post but my computer died and it took 2 weeks to get it replaced. Big news on the taper - major failure and success.... About 3 days after my last post I threw my back out and maxed out on my meds till they were gone. No more taper - no more slow the heck down - just stupid pills to dull the pain. I took the very last one last Sunday so I am essentially on day 5 of CT and am ok! The strangest thing happened, I knew I was not refilling my scrip, every time I took a pill I told myself that was one closer to the last one and I felt anxious and distracted but determined. On Sunday I left on a work trip and had to spend the next 3 days speaking to groups. Yes - for the first 72 hours of CT I was working 14 hour days and speaking to groups. On Tuesday I went for a walk at night. A walk! I was smiling the whole time telling myself it was all going to be okay. I had some symptoms of course with weakness being the worst part besides the sweats and no sleep of course. Actually it's even more weird - for my last 5 days of meds I almost stayed in bed the whole time - not just for the back injury but a bit depressed knowing that was the last bit of energy I was going to have for a while - I don't know why I wasted it like that but - there it is. I was of course also happy that it was almost over. THEN... last night... day 4... I started feeling really bad. Today I am weaker than I have been all week. I called in sick cause I can hardly get up. I have been taking some tramadol all week - just 2 or 3 a day but it doesn't seem to do anything. I have been wondering if it is masking the symptoms but I don't feel anything at all from them. Am I actually in CT or not because of the tram? I hope I"m not fooling myself cause I was pretty happy with this week until today. But the bottom line is I only have about 5 tram left and I'm going to pass on the kratom cause I don't like it and it only gives me a 5 min boost followed by 8 hours of yuk so pass on that. So to anyone still watching - I'm happy. Happy that it's over (or almost over) and determined not to go there again. Ever. For me the real trick was not having any more. I couldn't toss it - but I don't want to be treated like a criminal anymore so I can't go through the process of getting it again. I had to use the last of it constantly knowing that was the end. I think that mindset helped me a lot. I will keep posting my updates but if I can do this anyone can. I'd like to know about the tram and if I still have total hell to look forward to when that's gone but whatever. I have no choice but to let it go and I can't wait to get my life and energy back. I may have no energy now but I know it will come back and life will be better. It was good before all this crap happened and it will be good after. I'm determined and that's what is carrying me through. Good luck to everyone trying to get off - If I can be any inspiration then great. No judgments and no worries. When I first started this thread someone said not to worry about the setbacks and that saved me. I did relapse - many times, but my determination to stop never wavered and now I am 5 days clean-ish and loving it. More to come as I make it through this living hell. I will never ever ever take those crappy meds again. Ever. Oh - and happy side effect - I already lost 10 pounds and am back to my usual skinny self.
 
Also - one more question - what's with this jaw thing? I can't stop clenching and my ears are so clogged. Is that a symptom of WD and if so does it ever go away?
 
I hope someone is still reading this - but if not I will keep writing for myself. Now that it's been 5 days and even though I'm just beginning to see the light I can say one thing for sure - I am so happy it's over. Getting my brain and body back to where it was might take a very long time but anything is better than being a slave to that crap. I can't tell you how nice it is not to be totally consumed all day about when I will take my next dose, how many I have left and when can I get the next refill. I can't believe how much more time I have to think about other things now that it's not an option. Sweet relief.
 
Thanks Mel - Day 8 and so far so good. I'm not using any more comfort meds now and other than being weak and can't decide if I am hot or cold I feel pretty good. It was easier than I thought and if I had known I would have done it long - LONG ago instead of worrying and waiting. I know my use wasn't as high as many but I had much worse WD's while I was still under care and ran out so it seemed like it would be worse. I'm thinking my few weeks of stepping down that I didn't blow probably helped. One thing is for sure - I'm out. I'm never letting another doc prescribe that crap to me again. I know I'm not out of the woods but having no access to anything is a Godsend. Since I know sweet relief is only a few pills away it would be hard to say no but I think I would. Say no that is. Now that I'm on the other side I feel really great about my decision and can't see myself ever looking back. I'll keep checking in at longer intervals to report how it's going and hopefully encourage one person to make the same decision. Not a total cake walk but much easier than the alternative.
 
Dmom- Oh My God. You are doing great! I'm so happy for you and excited and, just, wow...did I say happy?

I'm so glad you're here. And Congratulations!!!!!!
 
I'm not sure if you need/want the "advice" but I partook in some mj, when I was in your shoes (within a week or so of CT-ish wd), to be sure I wouldn't, even if I wanted to, be able to go back to my RX. I know you have the same pain issues I do. I found it helpful so I'm passing along the info. Man, I couldn't be more excited for you!
 
Keep it up! Having people in your corner esp for accountability is huge.....BL is great, I have been reading threads on here for years but never joined. I used to regularly attend NA and other group meetings but over the last couple years I have gotten things back together and work a lot so I am unable to attend things like I used to. I forget how comforting it is to have you guys/gals to learn from/with.
 
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