Desperate to get clean

[bellamuerte]

About 10 months ago I was prescribed Percocet for my teeth. At first I only took 1-2 a day but my tolerance increased very fast and soon I was going through a months prescription in a week. Besides taking away my pain I loved the feeling it gave me, physically and emotionally- nothing could get me down when I was high. I found a source besides my doctor and had an unlimited supply for percocet and oxy's. Now here I am wanting to get off these pills alltogether, my teeth are fixed and I no longer need them for pain. I also realize now that the "take on the world" feeling is a facade, and only temporary. It takes me so much to get that high and it only lasts a little while. In the meantime I'm miserable, tired depressed and taking so many pills to chase that high. Not to mention the financial implications.

I've tried to get off them before and the withdrawals were unbearable. The sickness completely crippled me and the depression was so bad. I thought of killing myself. Instead I gave in and took more pills. I have also tried to wean myself down, and I'll get back down to a pill a day but could never stop completely and my dosage just climbed back up. I would use any excuse to "give in".

Up untill a few days ago I was taking anywhere from 10-20 percocet 5mg per day. Plus about 2-3 oxy 40's a week. Then I tried cold turkey, which lasted one horrible day. Then I got some dilaudid (hyrdomorphone 8mg) and had an idea...

Can I use these to get off percs, or am i prolonging the inevitable? I stopped taking the percocets 48 hours ago, usually by this point I would be in hell, but am taking the dillys to alleviate the wd's. I wake up feeling the wd's really bad and so I take a dilly and they don't go away but are bearable. It helps with the symptoms but doesnt make me high, I just feel normal. (Something I haven't felt in so long). 1 dilly lasts all day and then by 10-11 at night I start feeling crappy again and take 1 more.

My plan is to take the dilly's for the next 5-7 days while the percocet leaves my system and then stop, hoping that 5-7 days isn't enough to make me withdraw from the dilly's. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions or information that can help me? Am I making a big mistake doing this? I don't know what to do anymore and am desperate to stop taking pills. Nobody knows this is going on and I feel ashamed, lost and alone. These dilly's are the first hope I have felt and I am praying it works.

Thank you and sorry for such a long post!

 

[suessmayr]

Isn't hydromorphone actually much stronger than oxycodone? Whether or not this is a good decision will depend on (1) the bioavailability of the dilaudid by whatever route you're using; and (2) hydromorphone's half-life, or the half-life of the preparation you're using.

Usually something like hydromorphone would not be used for detox, for the same reason that you wouldn't use fentanyl - it's too potent and short-acting. But maybe you have an XR formulation or something and the net result is that you're getting less opiates - I'm not sure.

Can't you get your hands on any benzos? As long as you're taking the hydro's you're still absolutely dependent on opiates. See if you can get a weaker opiates like tramadol or codeine and some long-acting benzos like valium or klonopin. There's also great over-the-counter anti-histamines to put you to sleep like doxylamine and diphenhydramine.

 

[Aporia]

The best way to do it (if you don't want to cold turkey it) would be to step your way down at first. Or if you are trying to get something to help with the DT's, a few (and really only a few, one a day should be PLENTY) 10mg methadone would get your body clean of the opiates with out the dt's. But be careful because methadone is addictive too, and the withdraws are much stronger and longer lasting than an opiate. If you can't get methadone, the step down method with a few benzo's like valium or xanax to help you sleep at night on the really bad nights. Then keep yourself BUSY and well fed with GOOD FOOD. It'll help the body become stonger if you replenish all nutriants you've lost. And excersize too! Good luck, will power is the key