Getting Off Pain Pills - Maybe

[Jamie]

At 7 weeks now, I decided I needed to try and get off the pain meds (Darvoset) if at all possible. I have been down to taking 2 twice a day now for a couple of days - 2 at bedtime and 2 in the morning about 9:00. I really don't have bad pain in my knee and I want to see if I can sleep better by not being on the pain medication. So, I stopped them as of 9:00 Wednesday morning.

I was pretty good at bedtime Wednesday night when I usually take them. My knee ached a little because I had done quite a bit of activity during the day, but I thought it would be okay. I fell right to sleep in my bed around 11:15.

But I noticed I did have a general yukkie feeling again starting mid evening - less, but kind of like when I stopped the hydronodone abruptly at week 3. I also was getting periods of the "hots" --- sweaty and had to ditch the covers for a while when I was in bed. Then I'd get chilled and need them back a few minutes later. And, wild dreams....crazy, lots of action, almost scary dreams.

I have been thirsty beyond belief too. I would wake up from those dreams every hour or so and drink a fair amount of water. But I was still able to go back to sleep okay each time until now at 2:00.

I got up to go to the bathroom, and just could tell that sleep was not going to come....a bit restless in both legs. But, interestingly enough, my knee pain was less than when I went to bed. So I'm guessing that some of my discomfort then was from the slight swelling I get sometimes. I think maybe lying down in bed helped it go away for the most part.

When I woke up each time, I thought about taking the 2 pills (or a lesser dose of 1) and sort of instinctively knew that if I did, all these little sicky feelings would go away once the pills kicked in. Is that what an addict feels like????? But I decided to wait it out and see what life would be like without them in 24 to 48 hours when they were out of my system (at least I HOPE they are gone in that time).

I decided to get up for a while this time in the hopes that maybe I could get myself tired enough again to fall back to sleep. It's funny, because I even had DREAMS of giving in and taking the pills, even though I didn't. I write all this partly to keep me occupied while I get sleepy again and partly to let all of you know what it feels like for me to stop the pills like this. Some of what I'm feeling sounds like symptoms you guys describe when cutting back on your meds...maybe not as strong as if I was taking a stronger prescription, but still there.

Does anyone know how long it takes pain meds to get out of your system? I want to be able to accurately evaluate where I am in terms of pain once that magic time arrives.

I'm still betting I'll be okay just on Tylenol later at some point. I have not been taking even the Tylenol during my "withdrawal period" because I want to stop it for a while also to give my system a rest (Darvoset has a little more - 625mg vs 500mg - of the same pain reliever per pill as an Extra Strength Tylenol). And between the hydrocodone and Darvoset, I've been taking the maximum level of Tylenol now for all 7 weeks.

I'm rambling a lot here....sorry to make the post so long....it served as therapy for me, you know! Thanks for listening and I'll let you know if I managed to get back to sleep. ....Jamie

 

[JenniferG]

Maybe your DR could give you some better guidance as too reducing. 2 To none might be to quick, Tapering off makes more sense. 1 in am & 1 at pm. then halfs if you can cut, then maybe just 1 at night to none. And what is your night time routine. Maybe something needs to bechanged there to help you sleep better.

 

[kiddthekatt]

Hi Jaimie;
Detoxing your system is one of the hardest things you can do. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be until I tossed my in meds two weeks ago. I have been taking huge does of pain meds 3 times a day for over a year. I was taking Lorcet 10/650 3x a day, Neurontin 600 3x a day and Soma 350 2x a day. I could feel my system trying to shut down, or that how it felt to me.
I got so tired of the mood swings, feeling depressed all the time, weight gain, crying at the drop of a hat. If there was a side effect on the meds, I was having them. I knew that going cold turkey was the only way I could get off of the meds period. It was very difficult, but I made it. I woke up on day 5 and felt human again, and it's getting better every day. The first 4 days were he!!. Hang in there kiddo, you'll do it.

XX
Hugs to you,
Angel

 

[Jamie]

Jenn, I have tried the 1 pill at a time route back when I needed them for pain relief and it didn't work very well for me. I guess my personality is just more of an "all or nothing" type of thing. I weaken when I taper. I felt like I needed to stop them completely all at once. I don't know why, but it just feels like the right way for me to do it. They aren't quite as strong as a narcotic like percoset or hydrocodone and the doctor has told me that I would know when I didn't need them anymore and then I could stop. He didn't see any problem with going cold turkey at the dosage I was on. And I actually have tapered off from 8-10 pills a day to the 4. The pills are coated and you are not supposed to cut them into pieces.

Angel, I appreciate hearing your story. Like you, I just knew I wanted to do this all at once even if I felt bad for a while. I did the same thing with hydrocodone at week three when they were making me feel bad - sort of like you described - and it seems like it took about 2 days for me to feel more like myself again. But then I started the Darvoset shortly after (I was still having a lot of real knee pain then) and eventually have worked right back up to the "needing them" stage. Your story lets me know I am doing this the right way for me.

The GOOD news this morning is that I woke up at 6:30 to go to the bathroom (DANG, all that water!!) and now I do feel a difference. My head is clearer and I just feel a little more like "me." When I went back to bed at 3:00, I was able to fall asleep. I still had dreams through the night, but the scary violent stuff was gone and they were just dreams. I feel a little "sickie" at 6:30 this morning, but somehow more rested than when I had taken the pills. Don't know if it's real or just me WANTING to feel better, but I'm hoping it is real. I'm going to go back to bed here in a few minutes and see if I can sleep some more. I've just been so tired all the time lately I feel like the quality of my rest has not been good. If I can make one day, I know I can do the rest until I no longer have any trace of the Darvoset in my system. I have no appointments or anything special to do today and plan to just take it easy at home, do some exercises, and nap if I can. This is GOING to work!!!

Thanks, guys, for your support. I guess like everything else, each person is different and has to attack this in their own personal way. But I have to tell you that it means EVERYTHING to have you all behind me. God bless you all and this wonderful forum!

 

[gatiger]

Jamie, I am the same way 'quit completely or keep taking them'. The tapering off doesn't work for me. I wish you luck with doing whatever you decide to do. As far as the Tylenol, ibuprofen works much better for me as it helps with the inflammation and swelling, but that doesn't mean it will be the same for you, do what works. Your metabolism dictates how long it will take to clear out your system, but I am just guessing, 2,3,4 days. Regarding your, "Is this how an addict feels?" question, yes, IF that is the only thought in your head. If you can go about your day and function in a normal manner then you have no problem. For an addict there is NOTHING more important than the next fix. Everything must revolve around that. Kinda like checking on this board. lol. Thinking about taking a pill because your knee hurts a little, or relating a 'quessy stomach' or some other minor issue is NOT sign of addiction. When all you can think of is "How long before my next pill", or "How can I get more pills", then that is a problem. God bless you and keep you and give you Peace.

 

[Jamie]

Gat, thanks so much for your thoughts. You know, it really helps to hear from everyone and try to apply their information to how I'm feeling. There were some times when I was dropping back from the 10-12 pills to 8 that I had those - GEEZE, WHEN IS MY NEXT PILL COMING - moments. But they dissapeared a couple of weeks ago.

I was able to go back to sleep when I went back in to bed at 7:00 and slept well until 8:30. So, even considering that I got up twice in the night to type on this thread, I still managed a real night's sleep fairly easily. And....now this morning I feel even better yet. My knee has a little discomfort, but nothing that I really even feel the need to take something for. I prefer to be FREE! I'd love to be able to take Aleve (ibuprophen). It really works for me. Unfortunately the Coumadin (blood thinner) that I must take for a heart problem doesn't work well with it if I'm just taking it now and then for pain. I always have the option of taking Celebrex, as I was able to do it before, IF I take it every day. But....I don't really want to do that either. Since I'm actually feeling pretty good this morning, I think I'll just try to continue on my NO PILLS at all program and see how it goes for a few days. I do appreciate your comments and support so very much!!! Thanks!!

 

[edk]

There were a lot of hard questions discussed here but one of the easier ones you asked was "Does anyone know how long it takes pain meds to get out of your system?". An easy way to answer this question is to google <drug name> half life. For hydrocodenone you find its terminal serum half-life was 3.8 hour. So if you take 10mg it probabable takes 90 minutes to reach full serum potency and 3.8 hours later you've only got 5mg in your system, 3.8 hours later you've got 2.5 mg....

Which of course means you get rid of most of it really quick but some lingers for a really long time.

 

[Pattipoo]

Uh....ED, your brains are showing!!! Thought you'd want to know.....

 

[Jamie]

EDK, thanks for the google idea. I checked it out and found that Darvoset has a very long half life, so it will probably be a few days before it is completely gone from my system. No problem, as things are still going well today. But I am taking it a little easy so as not to get any swelling going that would cause me a big fat monkey. Don't need the monkey for a few days. Just stretching and working the bend for the next few days.....and a little walking.

 

[dw6928]

standard rule of thumb for opiates is 48 to 72 hours until its level in the bloodstream is of no consequence.

 

[Jamie]

Thanks DW....since Darvoset wasn't really an opiate, I was not sure about the length of time. However, I did find some info through the Google search that gave me some idea of times for this drug and it actually is about that. I'm looking forward to the "no consequence" stage.

 

[JenniferG]

How long does it take? As long as it takes one to stop taking them. Kinda like hey doc, it hurts when I do this, and he says then don't do this. Once I asked the butcher at the grocery store how to cook a particular cut of meat. His reply, "In the oven." NO lie and he was dead serious....... Gee thanks pal!

 

[Doug]

Afraid I would have had to ham hock that smart mouthed butcher.

 

[JenniferG]

Matter of fact, it was a ham hock, pork butt roast thing. Very ethnic type of thing that I wanted to try to make.

 

[Doug]

Ah, inject it with a creole butter sauce, wrap in tin foil, cook on 220 degrees for seven hours...Meat falls off of the bone...

 

[JenniferG]

Where were you when the sale was on. I'm gonna try that, sounds good and my huuby would love it........................

 

[Doug]

Rub the outside with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper.
Get the core temperature to 190 to have it fork tender.
Remove the foil the last hour bump the heat up to brown it.

 

[JenniferG]

What would you serve it with? Rice and beans.

 

[Doug]

Pinto beans, with diced up smoked sausage. onion and bell pepper also.
Yellow rice cooked with chicken broth rather than water.

 

[JenniferG]

Pinto beans, with diced up smoked sausage. onion and bell pepper also.
Yellow rice cooked with chicken broth rather than water.

Do you soak your beans (Gat leave it alone! You too Patti) or cheat and by canned. Smoked sausage, is that like endui (SP?) or chaizarrio (SP?).