When does hydrocodone withdrawals BEGIN????

I am responding to all who are describing their experience coming of Norco.  I started taking Norco prescribed by my pain doctor about three months ago ---the third month I was taking 10 -15 pills a day --of course I would run out, get panicky and run to the ER to get a shot and some more pills until I could get some more from my doctor.

 

I got to the point where I just got tired of trying to keep this habit going, so I decided to go cold turkey ---- I don't want to detox using other narcotics ---- I understand the relapse rate is very high doing it this way.  I have been off Norco now for 7 days.  The first three days were a nightmare --I had to drink every night to sleep and try to forget my discomfort (body aches, anxiety, listlessness, trouble breathing and tiredness).

 

I am just starting to get over the hump --I've been able to function and go to work, but it's reaqlly hard getting through the day.

 

Hang in there ---- it won't last, and eventually you start feeling yourself again.

 

I NEVER DREAMED I WOULD GET SO STRUNG OUT ON THESE PAIN MEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was taking hydrocodone from may 9 through about 2 june and now i have major insomnia my prescription ran out and i decided that i wasn't going to need anymore cause the pain from my wrist surgery subsided. now i cant sleep i tried every thing out there showers reading sleep aids nyquil nothing seems to help. how do i help beat this and how long should it last? please needing some help he

I am a 61 y/o male and have ben fighting stage 4 leukemia for 4 years. Ayear ago I started having chest pains and was diagnoised witha bad heart valve.  I take a lot of medicine includind my 3rd round of chemo.  I have 5/325 and 10/325 hydrocodone that I heave been taking for three years.  I decided to quit 5 days ago and its been rough.  I'm down to 1/2 of a 5/325 twice a day but it's really bad at night. After chemo this week, I'm going to cut back one-half of this.  Anyone there no of a better way to quit?  I have a lot of pain and also take a lot of NitroStat for chest pain.  I don't think they adversley interact.

Thanks for the help. 

I've been hooked on Hydrocodone for about 2 years.  At first, it was for pain management, then I got hooked and took them when I wasn't in pain.   I used to love the way they made me feel.  I was getting them from 3 different doctors and using 3 different pharmacies.  My mother is on them for a knee replacement she had, and when I would run out, I would steal hers.  When I ran out about a week ago, no doctor would approve a refill for me, cause it wasnt enough time since my last refill.  I was taking 6 to 8 a day.  When I stole my mom's last few pills, that's when I hit rock bottom.  I did not want this to get worse.  Like stealing for money to buy the pills from a dealer or turning tricks for drug money.  I stopped COLD TURKEy.  Now, I'm not gonna lie, I feel like sh*t.  I can't sleep, been having diahrea and a little moody.  But I'm dealing with it.  I fould the name of a natural herb online that helps alot with my mental state.  It makes me not so moody and kinda chilled and happy.  And it's NOT habit forming.  It's Valerian Root.  It's the same kinda thing that's in Valium, but it's an herb and therefore, not addictive.  I recommend trying it!

Just wanted to say don't ever start taking thEm more then the recomended dose.. I have been taking the 10/325s for two years start out with just taking one on weekend went to takin them more and more.. I got to a very rediculouse 7-8 at a time 3-4 times a day... Withdraw is the worst feeling in the world. I have been going through it for 2 weeks and still am fighting it.

Guest wrote:i got hooked on norcos and morphine 6-7 narcs a day an one morphine tab a day i stopp taking everythng 4 days agoe but the withdrawl an detox suck... dr get u hooked and then refuse to help you through the whole getting off of them process.. an let me tell u it sux. not easy im in sso much pain cant sleep have rls all the time headache very grouchy an moody and i just wanna take one to fill all better. its been 5 years that ive been hooked and it doesnt matter how many you take it the lenght of time that u take them.. 5 years is a long time i got good at workin the dr and pharm to get what i wanted i could get ne one of my rx filled 5-8 day early wasnt hard i became a pro at this just to keep gettin my next fix and now i dont want them anymore but my wil power is running on slim right along with my irratibility an nerves there shot.. i want to pop that next vicodin so bad,,,,

So, I finally am motivated enough to sit and write about the experience of a hydrocodone withdrawal. After using this medication for over a year & my doctor decided that he would take me off of it without notice, I was only taking 1 1/2 a day luckily of a 10/325 dose, which the last time he did this I was at 4 pills in a day. I became dependant, I couldn't wake up without it, I couldn't function without it, I couldn't do anything without them, and this was due to dependency but also the herniated disc I recieved from a fall at work. I was always in pain until I had them, but now I am without. Let me explain what I went through and I hope this will help someone else to cope with it too. The first 72 hours is hell, I'm sorry but it is. You'll have nausea, vomiting, loose stool, back tension, neck tension, pins and needles feeling in your body, and worse you'll feel very depressed. Trust me don't reach for the bottle, don't buy them off the street, and definately don't try going to another doctor for them. Do this instead, load up on liquids, and easy foods to eat. Nothing high in fats or oils. Make certain that you have melatonin at hand or if you have alternative sleep meds, somas, or zanex I suggest those for sleep. A cold shower before bed with a big fluffy blanket to wrap up in helped me to get rid of the pins and needles making the blood in my body cool down. For me, I had a comforting boyfriend to help with all of this, the first few days I wanted to just lay around, and we did. Then after day 4, I started to feel alot better. I occupied my time those first days with laying around and light exercise, it really does help. Try not to be dependant on other drugs for help, tylenol, ibuprophen are ok but they will not really help til day 5. On day 5 you will have some of your receptors back, this enables you to really feel normal again. For me this was my milestone, waking up and actually not being depressed, wanting to eat, and feeling ready to go back to work. I have a parttime job now so it helps alot that I only had 2 days during the week I felt like this. Anyway, if it gets too bad talk to your doctor, explain whats going on, even if you are using them illegally the doctor cannot report you, they can only help. My doctor is a sadist, so I went to another doctor who gave me the zanex to help sleep on day 3. By then I was able to sleep on my own. Don't use the pills if you don't need them. I hope that this helps, and don't worry it will be over soon. Everything will eventually go back to normal, and life will return.

All I can say is I have read alot of the posts, and feel your pain, as I am currently going through the F'ing withdrawls and They Suck, but unlike some of you I have broken down and called my doctors office for a refill. I am in day 2 of this sh*t and can't work... I have made it through before but this time is the worst ever.  I have been taking hydrocodone for 4 years either by doctor or finding them on the street.  I too am taking them for a back and neck injury I suffered while in the Army... but the Army wont provide me with any help so I sought treatment  else where.  My wife just thought I was getting sick again but I told her that it was withdrawl this time so maybe that was a step in the right direction. I don't know I just can't think right now.  my eyes are burning, and I am cold and it's 75 in my office, my nose is running ,,,, I feel like dog dodo... I don't know why I logged on hear to tell you all this,  I am taking anywhere from 9 to 12 or more heck I lost count, I know I need help but asking for it is another thing, If I was in front of my dr. maybe, but to go and ask do think that will happen, unless they don't refill my script, I can barely type this I am starting to shake that's a first, I want my bed..............................sleep......................sleep.................die...........................either one at this point works for me.............

I found for the rls involed to go get a script of requip. It will help alot.

Hi this is my first post every about this, but like many here I have had bad luck with my back.  So good surgeries and some not so good.  I am taking 6 325/10 per day along with 4 15mg fast acting morphine per day.  I feel like im in withdrawl all the time but for short time when i take them.  I sweat/chills/goosebumps/yawns/twitching hour or 2 after taking the last pills.  Its driving me crazy.  I am trying not to increase the dosage but what else can I do.  sigh just hopeless.

Hello
I am feeling extremely sick right now but i decided to post to let you all know that by reading all your comments i felt i was snot alone in this battle and that is why i decided to kick this addiction now.  I started yesterday and i was taking 8 to 10   10/500 vics a day all started with an injury to my back got prescribed some vics I started taking them and got hooked then i stopped because neither my specialist nor my POR would give me no more, then my wife was prescribed with fibromyalgia and her specialist started giving her those 10/500 like candy 120 each month obviously she wasn't taking all that many but still taking prescriptions because i keep telling her that i needed them for my back at some point we had over 300 sitting in our cabinets because back then i was only taking 2 or 3 a day but having that many got me crazy and started taking them more often and 2 at a time.
Well the rest is history she is still getting them from her dr but now we dont have 300 now those 120 she gets a month are all gone within a couple weeks.
Just to add something else i also take ambien to sleep but anyways her dr got married and went on honeymoon we are done with the last 120 she received last month and she trued to get a refill ( oh yeah her dr do refills over the phone even before the end of the month) but since he is away we wont be able to get anymore for 2 weeks

So ai am taking advantage of this time off to kick this addiction and once i am off completely my wife wont accept anymore of those pills besides she is pregnant now and she hasn't been taking them for a few months i am the one taking them all.

so today day 2 leg cramps, moody, sleepy tiredness depression and on top of that i got a cold.

i will keep posting my feeling and hoping will inspire someone else just like all of you inspired me!

VIC-tor

This is VIC-tor
I just want to say there is light at the end of the tunnel, i went thru a 2 weeks of hell but now i am feeling excellent i am thinking straight once again and i feel no pain and no cravings for those darn pills.
If you read this i hope it helps you to take this step, it's going to suck for a few days but at then end you'll beat it and you'll feel way way better.
stick in there and don't look back!

I am glad I stumbled on to this discussion! I am about to run out of my script of hydrocodone in a few days. I have been on them for a few months before, and now after, my neck surgery. A week after my surgery, i was at the maximum dosage prescribed for about 3 weeks, and have since weened myself down to 1.5-2  10/325's a day.  I reduced the dosage I was taking by a half a pill for each dosage, except for bedtime where I take a whole pill so I can sleep. And then started eliminating doses all together.  I went 3 days each time before I reduced the dosage or eliminated a dose. I now do not take any at all until about 2-3 in the afternoon when the W/D symptoms begin, and I only take a half a pill. Some days I'll take another 1/2 when I get home from work if the symptoms persist, but those days are fewer and fewer as time goes on. Then I take 1 pill after my little girl goes to bed so I can sleep. At this pace, i currently have enough for 8-10 more days, then I'm out. I have made up my mind NOT to ask for a refill, and just see if the pain will be manageable with over the counter Meds. I have not told my doctor about experiencing w/d symptoms, but plan to. I want to give him the info so maybe he can help steer future patients away from what we are all going thru.

My goal here is not to brag or gloat. Getting this far has not been easy, and I now see I could be considered a lightweight compared to the alarming amounts I see some here are taking. I just wanted to share my experience with this addiction so far, in hopes it helps someone else in their own effort to quit. I'm not clear of them yet myself, but feel good about where I'm at. I applaud everyone's efforts to quit taking these things. I know we all started taking them for very good reasons. It just sucks that we are all where we are now. My best wishes to everyone. Just reading the experiences of others here has strengthened my resolve to quit taking them.

As a doctor, it is difficult to admit that I have in fact been taking vicodin daily for over 20 years. I have decided to stop three days ago. It is as horrible as I imagined. When I have my mind back, I am hoping in about 2 weeks, I will not take them again. When I took them I was a different version of myself and that would not be a better version. While high I think it is a better version but your relationships are not 'real', what you say and hear are not 'real'. You (I) become delusional that you are acting and thinking normally, maybe even better. I believe I have fooled many patients and staff...maybe maybe not. My goal in life now is to get rid of this burden I have self administered for over 20 years. Faith helps, but you have to want to quite. Period. By the way, I started years ago when I started to get free samples of all medications...my office had boxes of all narcotics I liked vicodin best. I was a fool but it is never to late to change I believe.

I know how you all feel I was on methadone for about 5 years. I didn't even get high off them anymore. The first three years I was up to about 50mg 10- 5 mg pills. I started weening myself down, and the last two years I took about 25mg give or take. It was extremely difficult to get off of. I didn't have a prescription for them. I bought them from someone. So as you might imagine I was always broke. I wanted to quit taking them for years. The only way I even got the courage to get off them was. The person I was getting them from died so I didn't have much of a choice. He went slow so I was able to stock up. And started weening myself off them. Just about everytime I would get down to 5-10 mg I'd end up taking more to catch a buzz. But I new I couldn't keep doing that unless I wanted to die.so about every week to two weeks I would drop down 2.5-5 mg depending on the withdraws. Once I got down to 10mg I really had to minus just 2.5 mg. Even when I was taking those I still couldn't sleep with restless leg syndrome. And extreme anxiety. But like I said before I didn't have a choice. I finally weened myself all the way down to 1/4 of a 5 mg pill. Then went without. I did have some Ativan that helped a little. And not to condone it or for you to do it but I also did some meth to make me feel better. I figured I couldn't sleep anyway so what the hell. I still remember I was up for three days on it. And when I came down I actually fell asleep. I'm not one to ask people for help. Plus I was embarest and didn't want anyone to know. Anyway just to let you know it is possible. It won't be fun, but you can do it. I would recommend getting help from a doctor. Ask him to prescribe you something to help. (valium) or something to help you relax. You must ween yourself down though even when you do that you will still get side affects. Good luck