When does hydrocodone withdrawals BEGIN????

I have been taking hydrocodone for about six years. I had a bad knee injury, but Im not using it as a cop out...I took them somewhat before I hurt my knee, but I take them to get high. I wasn't getting the large prescriptions before that I could get after the surgery. I no longer get prescriptions. I only buy them or should I say bought them illegally. I take anywhere from 6 to 15 a day...it really just depends. Ive gone through withdrawal many times and they have been different almost every time. I think it has to do with how healthy your body is, what you put into it, how much exercise you get etc. The withdrawal is definitely hard, but when you become addicted to a substance, and I mean REALLY ADDICTED, you don't look at it as a substance, you look at it as its a part of yourself. You relate to it, you in some sad way love it, but only when you have it. After time you see what it does to your body and your drive and truthfully, once you are addicted.....It doesn't get you high, it just keeps you feeling normal, Vicodin has a very short euphoria, its sometimes just a small moment for me. I eventually saw the restraint it put on my life. I have to have a supply, if I go on a trip I have to have it....It consumes you and you dont even acknowledge it. It makes you that wife that get beats by her husband but just keeps coming back because she thinks she needs him. Some people have an easy way of letting go of things, others not. Im at about the 31 hour mark of sobriety right now and Im right in the belly of the beast but I do have the small satisfaction of knowing that I will be released. But to answer your question, it all depends on how addicted you are...I can take my last pill and within an hour I start feeling like Im sick...the mind does screwed up things to us.

i feel you

im on my 56th hour of sobriety and im going crazy!! unlike most of you taking norco 5-15 times a day i consume 20 yellows norcos at a time i know  this sounds ridiculous but i am telling the honest truth and am not proud of myself at all!  i first started at 1-2 at a time with my ex girlfriend just to last longer in bed before i knew it i was really dependent upon the drug i would to whatever i had to do to get money to feed my next high.  the only time i could stay sober is when i go to jail ive been there twice and went 30 days sober on both occasions but as soon as i get out im back to my old antics, my tolerance will be low at first but eventually ill be consuming 20 at a time again.  I really want to stop, this has been going on for about 5 years now and i cant take living like this anymore.  someone that can relate to my situation please give me some good advice i really need it.  What makes it most tough is i cant get a job no where i think if i occupy my mind with positive thoughts and surroundings ill get over this but for the moment i feel really depressed and am very lazy im 26 years old life shouldnt be like this.

200Mg of Hydro at a time is a lot.  I think you need inpatient care in order to kick the habit.

oh yes,I went through the most hellish feeling with 24hrs of cold turkey and this has happened 5 times.This time,I'm convinced to ween my self down and now I know why most doctors don' feel right about it.Anyway,I have two crushed discs and most docs say it's inoperable.I feel sympathy for any one with this sh*t.I'm a marine and my dad is a career marine,old school and he told me (suck it up marine) OH WELL,I'LL GIVE IT HELL!!!! I FEEL BETTER THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY 1 THANK YO FOR YOUR STORY,SEMPER FI

I've taken lortab for six yrs and kept it under control until recently it dawned on me,take action,so pot seemed to help alot so the v.a busted me for that and now I'm taking tramadol,is this a mistake or what ?I'm considering valium or something but I really believe to cut down gradually and learn to deal with it as mentally it's not as hellish I guess. thank you for your reply and hope you get it under control because I coming down now and have a better grip,pure grit and guts wil help me I HOPE AND FAITH IN GOD THANK YOU AGAIN

If your'e like me,I reached the top of my tolerence level and it time to get wise or suffer the consequenes.TRUST ME, THERE IS A CURE BUT IT TAKES TIME.TRY WEED AND VALIUM IF YOU CAN AND DONT DRINK ALCOHOL AS IT IS A SERIOUS ORDEAL Also,don't go to anything stronger.GOOD LUCK AND THANKS

O.K.,I can relate to your hell and jail is really depressing.I'm 51 yrs old and an honest Marine.My Dad is a retired marine with high honer.Iasked what to about this hell and he said(suck it up MARINE!Oh well,grit and guts with wise choices and experienced good people or friends will help you.It will take some time.Keep your faith in God if you believe because it can help too.Try valium or weed if you can as it make things alot easier but I dont advise any addiction

Stay off of the meds. Go thru the withdraws, you will not die. I have been on hydrocodone for 4 years. I am tired of chasing the pill and dropped them cold turkey. withdraws really wasnt all that bad.

I hope you are still hanging in there. I have fought the same addiction for 10 years. I have personally found it doesn't matter how much hydrocodone takes. I felt the same whether I was detoxing off 3 a day or 12-15 a day. The sickness starts when the brain receptors are no longer getting their "helper" and it begins to re-wire itself with natural endorphins produced by the body. It may help if you look at withdrawals as a healing process you need to go through to get better.



Whether I was taking 2-3 a day or 12 or more, I started feeling a lot better starting on day 5. Days 1-3 were pure hell with day 2 being the worst for me. Day 3 starting at 48 hrs was a little better,but not much. The Diarreah was still there,but the hot and cold flashes started to occur less frequently. I also had zero energy on day 3,but forced my way through it. Day 4 was a turning point. I woke up feeling weak,but felt better as the day progressed. Fatigue was still present,but no longer needed imoodium for the runs. Throughout day 4 I started getting "moments of clarity". Those would pass and the dragged down feeling would emerge again. I knew at this time it was a sign of the drug losing its grip on my body. Day 5, I woke up a bit tired,but after the first cup of coffee, I suddenly felt like my old self. I noticed I wasn't sick,just a bit tired.



I also tried a few tapers during my struggles,but they never worked for me personally. Even with tapers, a person will eventually have to go cold turkey anyway. I felt I just might as well get it over with.



I will also caution there are some drugs like Benzos, and Alcohol where a cold turkey detox can be fatal. Those must be triated down and under a clinical setting. Drugs with long half lifes like Suboxen and Methadone should be done under a doctors care also.

I just want you to know that SUBOXONE is only replacing a drug with a drug. Getting off that is just as hard if not harder. I watched my husband go from using vicodin to percocet or anything he could get his hands on and he would ask me for mine and also steal them from me. I then watched him go on methodone only to get strung out like a herion addict and then cam SUBOXONE that is suppose to be a miricale drug to keep you off opiates...Not true...it's no different than being on methodone just to let you know.

Gabapentin Tiazidine Cloidine Promethazine

I am so glad to read this because I take up to 10 tabs a day. I started to run out. Of course I knew this was going to be a b***h. I took 2 last night at midnight and am now feeling really sick! There is a stomach virus going around but, I started getting chills REALLY bad then started looking up cold turkey withdrawals and when the earliest you can feel them. Well, guess that's what it is and it's already pure hell!! I am thankful I saw your post about the 8 hrs after the last dose! Thank you

I had been taking 6 10/650's a day for the better part of two years. I have a Rx for them and like all of you I started small and before you know it, I was/am addicted. I decided to quit cold turkey a few weeks ago and went through the usual w/d's. Advil and Clonazepam helped but it still sucked. I have w/d before so I knew what was coming. On about day 4 I took a half of a 10/650 and it was liked the clouds parted and life was back to normal. The next day I did the same thing. It really helped me. This time I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE. I had my wife pick up my Rx and she has hidden the bottle. She gives me one 10/650 per day cut in half. I take one am and one pm AT THE MOST. Sometimes I forget and don't take them at all. I get a little pain relief and a little "buzz" but I don't crave them like before. My day doesn't revolve around popping damn pills. Is this the answer for me? Only time will tell. This is a one minute,hour,day at a time thing. Telling my wife although very hard is the only way I could do this. You have to be accountable to someone b/c if your like me, you can't be accountable to yourself with any luck. I have 6 Rx's on hold for this stuff. 60 pills at a time so I can run this train off the tracks anytime I want. You have to want to change! Find a reason. We can do this. Thanks for all the people who have posted to this. I read them all and took something from each one. Good Luck!!!

i was on 400mg of oxys a day 7 yrars ago and got ot a point and wanted to quit and found suboxone , one of the worst things ive ever done . i was on itfor 3 more years and it did help but the only thing is if u try to go cold turkey off 1 8/2 a day it is judt as bad as heroin, but the good thing about heroin is that u start detoxing right away, and suboxone i was having the same withdrawk symptons the third day as the third week it was horrible, sincerely wanted to stop taking everything so i just drank nightime medicine when i needed to sleep and just dealt with it the rest of the time, a lot harded done than said i know but in the end it was welll worth it. i am now 2 mos off everything and felt better than i have in years,,,,,,NORMAL, OFFICIALLY BOYCOTTING SUBOXONE ,HORRIBLE DRUG JUST A LEGAL HEROIN FOR THE DOCTORS TO FATTEN THEIR POCKETS WITH UR MONEY.