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I have been using it as prescribed (40 to 60 milligrams a day). I am no longer in severe pain and would like to stop taking it. Does anyone recommend cold turkey or weaning? I am definitely dependent.

2007-01-21 14:48:24 · 9 answers · asked by loveroffreedom 3 in Health General Health Care Pain & Pain Management

9 answers

Take it from someone who knows, the best way to deal with any type of opiate when coming off of it is to wean down. I have been in chronic pain for 15 years. I have been on every type of pain killer you can imagine. If you are definately dependent, you are going to need to wean down. Have you tried going even one day without? It can be very uncomfortable. I am not saying it isn't possible but, it is definately rough to say the least. If you are taking 8 pills a day now, do that for a week then try 6 a day for a week, and then 4 a day for a week, and so on. Once you get down to nothing get rid of your remaining pills so that you aren't tempted.

I really hope this helps, email me if you need anything or have any other questions. I admire your willingness to manage your opiate intake. It's a really HARD thing to do. Good Luck.

2007-01-21 14:58:05 · answer #1 · answered by Mrs. Wizard 3 · 1 0

I've done cold turkey- for half the time you say. I took vicodin for 6 months and then quit. Here's what will happen, the first month is the bad part. You wake up in the morning and everything feels wrong, bloodshot eyes, adrenaline flowing, feel like your body is on fire. Every nerve tingles and tells you it just wants to cool off with that little white pill. You will know its an addiction ending, you'll want the pill. But you don't, at the end of the first month your body has sped back up to normal metabolism. Then all you have left is the little psychological quirks for the side effects. I'd hate to seem unkind, but I'd recommend getting off of it as quickly as possible. Its been a year since I took it, and now I'm back to normal for me. That's actually some cheap, nasty stuff.

2007-01-21 15:04:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

You never go cold-turkey on a strong narcotic like vicodin. Not only could you get the detox symptoms, such as: nausea, dizzyness, vomiting, anxiety, shaking, irritabitlity, bradycardia, tachycardia, and even sometime syncope or heart failure! I would recommend slowing reducing your number of pills a day, day after day. Lets say you take 10 a day. Take 10 the first day, then 9, then 8, then 7. And that should pretty much handle the withdrawl symptoms and take care of your dependence. Maybe even get some valium to help calm the detox symptoms, or if you cant get that go to your local health foods store and buy some valerian root, it will help a lot. Hope this helps!

2007-01-23 18:50:59 · answer #3 · answered by Chris S 1 · 0 0

I can relate to this problem. I had persistent ear infections and was on narcotics for about a year and got dependent. Of course you should consult your Dr. First of all, either way isn't going to be easy. These are powerful drugs. I believe you should try weaning yourself off of them to avoid the withdrawls and if you do that I feel you will have a better chance of staying off these. Start with taking half your doses, then skipping doses, then stopping completely. You are already on the right track by recognizing the dependency! Hang in there, you will feel much better once you have gotten off these drugs. Best Wishes!

2007-01-21 15:02:41 · answer #4 · answered by tecTn 1 · 0 0

You do not want to go cold turkey that can cause severe reactions due to the lack of the drug. You should wean yourself off of it. Maybe cut your dosage down in small increments once a week and see how your body reacts to that. If that is too much then go once every two weeks. Take it slow, and don't cut back too much at one time.

2007-01-21 15:10:20 · answer #5 · answered by Paramedic2007 2 · 0 0

Speak to your Doctor, cold turkey can start a chain of events in your system that are both unpleasant and unnecessary.

2007-01-21 14:53:00 · answer #6 · answered by Lisa 2 · 1 0

Subutex or Suboxone (prescribed by a doctor).

2007-01-21 18:27:30 · answer #7 · answered by spiritualjourneyseeker 5 · 0 0

Weaning and have your doctor do it properly. Don't try it on your own.

2007-01-21 14:58:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

i would not stop taking it cold turky....you will have very uncomfortable reactions...just wean yourself off slowly, take my word for it please do it slowly, and carefully

2007-01-21 16:16:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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