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
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