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Positive The Tapering Supportive/Social Thread

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I have been down to 45 mg / day oxy for two days now. Using Lyrica to get past the anxiety from wd's. It's not too bad but tolerance with the Lyrica builds FAST. Two nights ago 300 mg felt like I overdosed, and tonight 450 mg feels like nothing.
 
Hi guys: I lost my ability to log onto BL for several days... it was very irritating, to say the least. However, I was able to log on this morning.

Shroomy, glad to see you posting... yep... set those boundaries and post where you feel safe and supported. As for physical therapy... after each session, my P.T person would email me the exercises, some with links to videos that demonstrated them perfectly, to do at home. I have around 45 minutes - an hour worth of exercises to do daily, so I am not worried about returning this month. I have plenty to do to continue to build my muscle strength and my flexibility. I had been walking, when the temps were in the high 30's - 50. I will not walk today... only around 8 degrees and snowing. I do not need or want another injury, so will do my exercises here at home.

She told me I could do them more than once a day... so I am trying to motivate myself to do them twice a day. My knee pain has definitely lessened. The result being that my depression is lifting. My taper dosage is perfect right now for both my chronic pain issues and my depression. I will stay here for the rest of December.... well, I have to or take even less as I moved my pain appt out to January 2017. I am very happy about that and feel so good... physically and emotionally.

Squeaky: It sounds like you are definitely making awesome progress on your taper. Good for you!!! I understand about the Lyrica... the gabapentin "turned" on me... it was less effective and made me feel not so good. I am also out of clonidine so will not jump off totally without the drug in hand, or at least readily available. When my blood pressure spikes I get nasty headaches... which I had yesterday... felt like a migraine.
 
I'm in hell. Took 75 yesterday( took 60 the day before) when I wanted to break past my next level and only take 30. I'm going to try to get back to 45 today and work on 30 tomorrow.
It's really disappointing and makes me want more because the oxy helps me alot with stress in addition to my back pain.
 
Squeaky said:
I'm in hell. Took 75 yesterday( took 60 the day before) when I wanted to break past my next level and only take 30. I'm going to try to get back to 45 today and work on 30 tomorrow.
It's really disappointing and makes me want more because the oxy helps me alot with stress in addition to my back pain.
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Hi Squeaky: Are you in hell b/c of an opiate "hangover" or do you mean emotionally? Whatever is causing you suffering, I am sorry to read that. I probably have written this before, but for so many of us, getting to our goal dosage is a "process, not an event." You have been doing so well, over time, and those bad days sometime just give us the insight that taking our prescribed drugs at higher doses than we prefer really do cause us to suffer. You know you will get back to your baseline dosage... are you researching other ways of coping with stress besides using oxy's? That may help... but I find I need to have my coping skills ready to go b/c the drugs can be such a quick fix.

Hi Shroomy: Sounds like physio is a great fit for you. I think that having your physiotherapist being such a great motivator with the built-in boundaries that are inherent in a client-practitioner relationship sounds safe and yet motivating. Just think, you can make appointments for years, if necessary, and have someone there that you enjoy interacting with - without all the fuss and bother of a more intimate type of relationship.
Reading about how negatively you are affected by your doctor who prescribed your pain medication, I bet it is very refreshing to have a positive provider in your life now.
 
Hello Friends, Long time listener/First time caller.

Yesterday decided to go cold turkey off the roxy30's, was taking between 20 and 30 a day of the blue 30mg pils, mostly oral though 1/4 were smoked. I know, its absurd right.

Here's my plan, and a sanity check would be appreciated. I have 2 x 8mg suboxone and a bunch of klonopins and no opiates to speak of. Do you think I can get through WD considering this high a tolerance with such minimal tools at my disposal? One thing I am amazed about it my level of resolve to get of the Opiates as this is not something that comes around often. So far it has been 32 hours since roxy and I feel like shit even after the half strip of suboxone (4mg?) Your advice appreciated!
 
E30- just don't give up. Sometimes all you need to do is make it through one more hour. Figure out something for sleep, hopefully the klonopins will help with that. I did cold turkey before, and the biggest thing that almost made me insane was insomnia. Also..... Find a reason to get outside. Go for a walk if you can, as many times a day as you can. Distractions are very helpful to keep your eyes off the clock.

Poke- my hell is because I'm depressed that I went backwards. I get nauseous for a day or two on my taper right at 60-75mg per day. I have crossed that line about a hundred times it feels and I get sick every time. That's where I was yesterday and I was miserable. Hopefully today will be better as I took 65 yesterday and I plan to be below 60 today.
I have been tapering since September and only advanced 30 mg/day in the last 90 days. It's sad, but these drugs are an evil beast and they are very creative in the ways they have tried to break my spirit. Some days it feels like they are winning.
 
Tapering w non cooperative roomie

Hi All,

I have tapered from large amounts of xanax & klonopin very successfully and rather easily by staying AWAKE FOR ABOUT 8 DAYS (HOUR A DAY OF SLEEP) and a lot of neurotin (gabetne) during.
Before I knew about Neuroton I had horrible times and did the passion flower, magnesium, valerian root, 'end of the world' nitemares & shaking I still recall years later.

HERE IS MY QUESTION. I am on 6 mg of Ativan & 4 mg of real xanax per day.

As usual, I want to cleanse and hope it last longer than 10 months which was my max. Anyhow, I now live in a TINY place (share bathroom and closets) w a roommate & he just does NOT allow me to be up for longer than two days (I am called a spooky Zombie). So, w out the 8 days up, how the heck will I cleanse myself? I am not one to do things the slow Dr Ashton way. Did once but when you know trick of neurotin and 8 days up how can I say OK I'LL TAPER FOR 6 MONTHS? It isn't logical. I do not have funds to go to a hotel for 8 days. I thought about it! Any insight would be appreciated. Hugs.
 
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CleansMe- I did a rapid taper off Ativan once. 50% reduction every 5 days. Taking majority of dose at bedtime. I slept about half of normal for first 3 or 4 days at each step and using Gabapentin to assist at night with wd's and sleep.
No zombies here, and it only took about a month starting from 6 mg/day Ativan. Only real problem for me was headaches just about every day.
 
Thanks Shroomy. It helps to get advice from someone with experience. And you're right- my biggest problem is the roller coaster of wd stress. And I have always been horrible at taking my own good advice. I have about 4 weeks to get off the oxy now so I can get my job back( not getting it back is not an option). I am on a taper plan of 10 days till zero oxy. And I will have to stick to it this time or die trying.
 
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Squeaky said:
Thanks Shroomy. It helps to get advice from someone with experience. And you're right- my biggest problem is the roller coaster of wd stress. And I have always been horrible at taking my own good advice. I have about 4 weeks to get off the oxy now so I can get my job back( not getting it back is not an option). I am on a taper plan of 10 days till zero oxy. And I will have to stick to it this time or die trying.
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Squeaky: I am sort of having the same experience as you are, with my levels being inconsistent. I completed 48 hours of cold turkey today, after locking up my opiates in my time lock safe for 48 hours. I wanted to try a cold turkey without that 1 15 mg oxycodone that I had allowed on my last attempt, the 8 days I completed with that 1 pill a day plan. I found that the one pill did not help at all compared to my experiences this time. The medication I do need is clonidine, and I am completely out and need to find a new doctor if I am to get any more.

I also have work related goals for quitting, and had cleared my schedule for December to get off the meds, or to get to a very low dosage consistently. This is hard to do, isn't it?? I really do not know what my plans are... however, it sounds like you are tapering off and then going cold turkey. I send you nothing but positive energy, as I remember reading that you really need to return to work for financial reasons.
 
I have been posting mostly about my oxycodone situation, but I am also needing to get off 6 mg per day Ativan (lorazepam). Been on that for 6 months. Three days ago I dropped to 3mg /day. I take it all 2 hours before bedtime and no wd's or side effects so far. My trick is Lyrica.
I came off the same dose cold turkey about a year ago. Did not sleep one second the first night and had a small seizure the next day. I did a quick taper - dropping by 50% each step. 5-6 days per step. All together about 4 weeks. Had headaches the whole time and some insomnia, along with depression and anxiety etc.
So far for me the worst part of wd's, particularly with benzos, is the insomnia at night and the fear of it all day. I found about Lyrica, and since I already have a few bottles scripted, it has been a godsend. 450 mg two hours before bed makes me sleep 8-10 hours regardless of wd's. Taken during the day I feel totally drunk.
This is getting me through my oxy taper too. When the night is still too early to go to sleep, but I have already taken my oxy for the day and now I am going to be in some bad pain/wd's 2 hours before I would be tired enough to sleep, the Lyrica will knock me out regardless and I'm snoring through the pain for the whole night. I'm taking it for three nights at the beginning of each big drop in my dose. Then not taking it for a day or two to reduce tolerance.
I did have to taper off Lyrica once before, but that was easy. Just dosing at night and cutting by 50 % every two days. A 300 mg/day usage took less than two weeks to taper off from. No wd symptoms.
 
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Hey everyone idk if i should put this here or start a new thread, only because everyone seems to be on their way working through tapering. Here goes a quick run down (if I need to post somewhere else please let me know) I am an alcoholic that has now added other additions. I have gone through detox, too many times to count and rehab. My bf is also working on quitting the same things. Right now alcohol isn't my concern it's mainly Coke, adderall, and pain pills. I am trying cut back but living with another addict makes it hard. It doesn't take much for one of us to get the other one craving. We both want to get clean and I know (from very bad personal experience) how hard and bad it is for two addicts to try to get clean together and honestly I'm to the point to have him move out if we keep triggering each other. I'm in therapy and I used to go to AA 3 times a week. I'm ready to start again. I will be going through withdrawal from pain pills soon. I'm hoping to taper down where it won't be as bad. I'm really just looking for support. I have not had a chance to read the whole forum because I can't focus and I'm exhausted right now. Oh another thing to add is my bf is prescribed pain pills for his back. I just wanted to put my story out there maybe if even to help start making me accountable for my actions. I look forward to reading this whole thread and thanks for reading
 
Greeneyed- my advice is 1st figure out exactly how much of each thing you are taking and write it down(for both of you separately). Pick whichever one you think you can handle easiest and work on that one only, and work on it together as a team. Don't allow yourselves to increase or decrease your use of the other things until you have finished with the first one. When you get done with the first one you will have some momentum to tackle the next, and then the next. But you must write it down or you will compensate (for example) with more alcohol to help with the pain pills withdrawls.
Second.... And this one is important... If you are tied to someone who is drowning, then you will both drown. If you are committed to quitting but he cheats and hides pills or booze from you then you must get away or you will continue the way you have been and you will be addicts together forever.
Pick one, beat it slowly, and move on to the next. I recommend you do the pain pills first and the alcohol last, but you should work first on whichever you think will be easiest. Taper slowly. Get away from the people and places you used to do drugs with/at. Commit yourself to the time it will take. Get some new hobbies. Stay away from MSG and processed sugars ( they make wd's hurt a little more). Don't beat yourself up too much if you fail, just get up and get back on track.
You can do it. There is a big blue light at the end of the tunnel. I have seen it up close and I am trying to get back to it right now. It hurts and it is not much fun, but the feeling of accomplishment is better than any high I ever got from any pill or bottle.
 
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Hi Squeaky... it is nice to see you post. I am not doing well... I m continuing to look for a doctor to write a prescription for clonidine for me and am having no luck. I guess I will ask my pain management doctor for it at my appointment next week and tell him I want to attempt to taper. I know that is very risky in that he may just cut me off from my meds and send me for suboxone, which I will not take. I called Urgent Care and they said they do not provide any medications to people withdrawing from opiates... they refer them back to their primary care physician. I cannot get lower on my taper without getting withdrawals that impede my progress. I am stuck.
 
Poke- don't risk getting yourself cut off. You will have less trouble getting a new prescription for clonodine than for opiates. I think you're better off asking the pain mgmt doc for additional help with the clonodine than talking to him about your taper. There has to be another way to get the clonodine, or something you can use in it's place. You need a bigger stash of opiates before you risk getting cut off.
You have made it this far, and you have spent so much time getting here. Maybe you only need some more time at your current level so that you can continue your tapering. Perhaps if you spend a couple more weeks at this level you can get comfortable without the clonodine.
 
Thanks, Squeaky, I appreciate your advice. My appointment is tomorrow and my anxiety is ramping up. I know you are right... many doctors are uneducated about the use of comfort meds and I have heard that my pain doctor does discharge his non compliant patients without even a rapid taper. I know you have written about your experiences not always being positive with your medical providers.
 
Poke- just tell him your plan is to get away from the opiates someday and you believe the clonodine would be a step in the right direction. There's no question part of our dependance on the pain killers is stress, and if the clonodine can reduce your stress and help with sleep then your need for the opiates could be less.
Part of my current plan to get off oxy is absolute stress avoidance. Family and friends are cut off as soon as I start feeling stressed. And I go to bed early even if I'm not tired, just so I can decompress and relax before falling asleep. It has really been helping and I am back on my taper without stressing about my pain. I am slowly losing my fear of life with pain and no pills.
 
That is such a reasonable way to present my request for the clonidine, Squeaky. Thank you so much. And, as I have posted about in the past, I am entirely off of my prescribed ativan, as well as all benzos, b/c my pain management doctor has that as a requirement to be seen at his clinic. So asking for clonidine would be appropriate based on that fact that I take nothing for sleep at this time and nothing to alleviate anxiety.
Stress, both good and bad, is definitely part of why I continue to taper instead of jumping off. I had a wonderful Christmas... my house was so nicely decorated, I baked, and I hosted the Christmas Day dinner. I cooked recipes that were my children's favorites from their younger days. It was a beautiful time. I did give myself permission to use more of my prescribed meds, coming up close to but still not needing the regular dosage, thanks to my continued persistence at tapering these past months.
I am starting to realize that I do not have to be the "best mom" and available 24/7, even though it brings me joy. I will need to figure out how to lower the expectations I have for myself in those areas of life where I continually justify the need for "extra energy" which results in my choice to abandon my tapering efforts.
 
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I did the same on Christmas. I gave myself permission to take as much as I needed to be pleasant around my wife and kids. That got me 150 mg of oxy and 8 mg of Ativan. It set me back about 2 weeks on my taper, but I guess it was worth it. I hope to start @ 45 mg oxy today( per day)and I'm back to 3 mg Ativan.
It sounds like you and I are on the same track about not putting others in front of our own health, even our kids.
Good luck at your appointment today Pokemama.
 
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