How to calm a hydrocodone craving?

[billyboy1965]

If you're going through withdrawal I would suggest suboxone.

She has cravings, not withdrawal. Read through the entire thread. The last thing this person needs is Suboxone. While you're reading, take note ~ she's 19 and read between the lines. She wouldn't follow your advice regardless. She's still searching for buzz land.

Also take note, she has not logged on in over 24 hours.

[deadhorse]

I would not recommend suboxone for a habit as small as hers. At least try a few times getting clean without it at the very least before even considering that option.

[billyboy1965]

@Aven @nopizza I'm missing something. I've never known Alumni to go off topic.

[deadhorse]

Its ok auskick, don't feel bad for me, I just want to see this young lady clean up while she still has a fighting chance, if she keeps using, she won't have a chance in hell, and that's no way to live.Ask any methadone maintenance patient, or long term junkie, they don't get high anymore, they just get "well", except on special occasions when they spend hundreds of dollars sometimes thousands, at a time or sleep with enough people to get that money. They are shells of their former selves, and I have never met one that was happy with their situation. I didn't read the whole thread, but it's common for people to justify their addictions, but the fact that she started a thread about this means that at least a part of her wants to get clean. Unfortunately the recovery rate for opiate addicts is less than 10%, but if this girl starts recovering now, before she is in too deep, I am 100% sure she can do this if she puts her all into it. Yeah she may relapse a time or two, or make excuses, but you have to crawl before you can walk.

[deadhorse]

btw billyboy- I mean no disrespect about disagreeing about suboxone. I just think she should try it the old fashioned way first, at least a few times. There are alot of people who are stuck on methadone or subs, possibly for life, because many of these clinics only care about the money. Granted methadone and subs are a different thing, but I get really sad when I hear about people being put on methadone for a 20 mg a day oc addiction. Thats like fixing a splinter with a hand grenade. Suboxone might give her a chance to practice living life without feeling high, but if I was on opiates, I would much rather taper down, and eventually quit hydrocodone, then deal with the long drawn out w/d of suboxone.

[Good Apollo]

@nopizza I am not against tough love AT ALL. I endorse it. In fact I have kept quiet through most of this thread because I can get too brusque and I felt as a new member it was better to leave this in the hands of more seasoned members.

My criticism of alumni was that he/she was taking the thread off topic. I have no doubt alumni knows what they are talking about.

Aven, its not a prob, and I apologize, my post was a little more confrontational and defensive of @alumni then needed. We are all good, at least on my end (alumni is a he btw).

*This post was auto-merged. The following text was added 3 minutes after the last post:*
@billyboy1965; it was on page 3 and I think it was a non issue- just different posting styles and the general higher anxiety levels of people on PR this week lol

[TenaciousE]

@billyboy1965 and other curious folks this is in reference to post #48 made by alumni inwhich I replied in #51. It is a non-issue and @nopizza's analysis of the situation was spot on. It was also a matter of me getting my members with names starting with an "a" confused.

[Good Apollo]

My job on PR is peacemaker @Aven ... still waiting for that first paycheck

[billyboy1965]

btw billyboy- I mean no disrespect about disagreeing about suboxone. I just think she should try it the old fashioned way first, at least a few times.

I think you misread my post. I agree with you.

She has cravings, not withdrawal. Read through the entire thread. The last thing this person needs is Suboxone. While you're reading, take note ~ she's 19 and read between the lines. She wouldn't follow your advice regardless. She's still searching for buzz land.

[Bungalobill]

+1 to what @Demona said. I'm not sure where you are located, but I'm in the middle of helping someone close to me through oxy withdrawl. It took some looking and hearing a lot of people tell us we wouldn't find what we were looking for, but we found treatment for him as an uninsured person.

I'm guessing it's nationwide (assuming you're in the US) but any not for profit hospital HAS to do some level of charity work - it's part ad parcel of the whole not for profit gig. Some have more intense 'gate keepers' than others, but they CAN'T turn you away based on lack of insurance or ability to pay.

What they will do is find alternative treatment services for you sine the hospital setting is the most expensive place to render services.I work for a large healthcare system in the Southeast and one of the things people don't realize is tehse places have a staff of people whose whole job is getting people qualified for some kind of aid or findng other sources of care. There are attorneys who make a pretty good living dealing with hospitals who 'dump' patients'.

You will have to be firm, dedicated, and most of all WANT to do this. The Oxycontin thing in my mind is scarey. Hospitals see this kind of addiction all the time. It's prohibitively expensive and it will eventually change who you are as you do what you need to do to feed the addiction .. and that's what it is.

None of this is said judgementally. As I mentioned I'm 5 months into this with a close friend. It's hard at times, ugly at times, and worth every bit of the effort.

[hatettopay]

Your posts in this thread are reckless and dangerous. I am not sure why you are keen on taking a stance like this. Addiction changes the brain and is serious business.

Maybe they are reckless and dangerous. I dunno. That's fairly common with a lot of truthful statements. For example, it would be pretty reckless and dangerous to encourage a muslim living in Saudi to become an apostate - but that wouldn't change the truth that islam is a pile of nonsense. I've made it quite clear that isn't going to stop me unless there is a rule against that. Although given that the consensus seems to be I should shut up, I will respect that as a de facto rule and not mention it - except of course if it's to correct falsehoods.

@hatettopay... Earlier you said if theres a guarenteed supply of drugs... On what planet lol?? Is the point that opiates should be easily available? If yes, my curiosity is what you think will happen to the mortality rates from opiate related driving accidents, over doses, etc... Just like we have with alcohol... I'm not tryin to flame ya on this but opiates be it heroin or Vicodin are dangerous... There are other forums that support your position on the net. PR isn't one of them, as far as many of the regulars on here... As I'm sure you can see. Dissenting opinions are allowed, but your post changed the tone of thread substantially, this is what is keeping it all hot and angry sounding- maybe this was not the best place for sounding off about opiates being healthy... Idk. Anyways good luck

It was only ever hypothetical. Having said that I would expect there to be very few opiate only related driving accidents. Opiate addicts have been shown, when on a maintainance type dose (i.e. not high) to be just as safe as sober people at driving.

Inevitably there will be deaths caused by legalisation through people who wouldn't be taking opiates otherwise. Also invetiably, there will be many lives saved as the main way opiates kill is because people misjudge a dose, far less likely with pharmaceutical quality opiates.

No surprise here with an addict like @hatettopay arguing that opiate addiction really "doesn't do any serious harm to your health."
Discussing a subject like this with an active addict's mindset is like talking to a box of rocks.

This is just an attack on me, not my argument.

[sophie30]

Just like you made a blanket attack on Islam? Fairly offensive, not to mention ignorant post..

[Good Apollo]

@hatettopay you realize your response to me, which I'm fine with, may be true, who knows, plays right into the points other members are making- no matter what anyone says about opiates, be it explicit or implied, you are defending the drugs! You know what they're gonna respond to that and call it, I'm sure. I respect you for defending your opinions though, too be sure... Just realize that I made a point that was about this discussion being out of place, mentioned opiates and driving as an aside.

You responded mostly to the part about the drugs... Hate to say that, but makes you sound like a big "fan" (not gonna call you an addict, I don't know you personally, and as I've stated elsewhere, who am I to judge?)

But observed behavior- this is a thread titles how to stop hydro craving- you have made no contribution to the subject matter of the thread. That is disrespectful, and is probably the biggest reason people are asking you to put your opinions in a more appropriate thread. It's like showing up at an AA meeting with a keg. Why would you disrespect what your fellow Community members are requesting of you? Just keep your opiate pro opinions out of this bread; which was about how to stop taking them:

Those opinions ARE OFF TOPIC AND DISRUPTIVE. Hope I'm being clear, and no offense to you as a person. Perhaps you've been missin the point of why ppl are giving you flack.

[alumni]

This is just an attack on me, not my argument.

Not really. Just stating a fact based on my experience.
Debating the lack of serious negative effects from drug addiction with an active addict is a complete waste of time.
Doing it on a discussion thread started by someone wrestling with staying off drugs is even more absurd.
Your misguided rationalizations are not at all new or unique in any way. I've heard them over and over always with the same unfortunate ending.

[Kat0711]

Has anyone heard from the OP of this thread lately? I have not talked to @panickminded since Sunday. Was just wondering if they followed up on my advice? Anyone?

Kat

[poocheroo]

Has anyone heard from the OP of this thread lately? I have not talked to @panickminded since Sunday. Was just wondering if they followed up on my advice? Anyone?

Kat

I hope so Kat, I know the OP had those intentions

[MellowMind]

Hope you are doing better panickedmind. The "emotional" withdrawals that you speak of are actually the beginning of your physical withdrawals. Opiates rewire your brain so-to-speak, especially in the emotional region of the brain. If you quit now, you may be able to stop taking these without feeling like you got run over by a train a hundred times over, but you still may feel like you fell off a bike (I know, bad analogy). One of the first signs for many people going through withdrawals is unexplained crying, even for big manly men. Now is the time when you have to identify that your emotions are being controlled by the lack of endogenous opioids in your brain. If you do this, you can sit back and let the emotions float away, moment to moment, like they are in a stream. Our consciousness is like a stream of ever changing thoughts and feelings. Let them flow and don't let them control your life, let them flow by, and try to focus on something else that is positive. This is not easy and it takes time. It is especially difficult when you are facing depression as well, but it can be beat as it gets easier and easier as time goes by, and most addicts learn to find peace eventually, and I have never met an addict who regretted quitting. What many do regret however, is that they didn't quit early enough. You have that chance to quit at an early age without a heavy addiction still. Don't take that as an excuse to keep using because you are not F'd up enough yet. Some people don't get physically sick after using for a year or more, so they keep on using thinking it's not as bad as people say. But if you quit while only experiencing emotional withdrawal, you have no idea how much pain you are saving yourself. Every day that you use, getting clean will be that much harder. If you keep getting deeper in your addiction, and keep using for years, you will lose your identity, self respect, and coping mechanisms making the process infinitely harder. Many people wait until its nearly too late to get treatment, at that point they are a shell of their former self. You probably will need some kind of help however. Thats the best thing about NA/AA in my opinion, it is free, and you can work with people who have redeveloped their coping mechanisms so that they can live their lives without substance abuse. If you had the money and could do anything, I would recommend at least 90 days inpatient rehab, as 28 days is not enough time to come back to the real world and live a whole new life, as if reborn. It sounds stupid but when you take away the drugs and have to fend for yourself, most people are completely lost without guidance, practice, and determination. You need to deal with the root of your problem, and its not the drugs. The root of the problem is whatever caused you to use drugs in the first place. In your case it sounds like you have emotional pain/anxiety you need to learn to deal with without the use of opioids. If not you will come right back wherever you left off. Unfortunately most people can't do this completely on their own accord, it takes help, and a lot of patience. If you do get clean and "relapse", don't keep using because you think you let yourself or anyone else down, or trick yourself into thinking you are n addict and can't quit. Just get up, brush yourself off, and keep moving on down that road to happiness and freedom. You can do this.
As far as benzos for detox, I would never trust an addict to medicate themselves, the nature of their disease often takes over and they are back where they started within a month at the longest. Not saying its impossible, but it is improbable. Besides, you said you aren't experiencing real "physical" withdrawal anyway, so whats the point. There's no painless way to do this, you may have to tough it out for a week or two. But in a week you should be feeling better already, but be careful, many people think they can use again responsibly after a week or two of being clean, and they make a mess of all the hard work its done. If you take meds I would restrict them to Gabapentin, clonodine (not klonopin), and/or copious amounts of cannabis, but only for a short time. It is good, especially in your first year, to learn to live without any mind altering drugs.
I'm not trying to scare you, but this won't be easy. The hard part won;t be quitting the pills, it will be learning how to cope with your depression/anxiety so that you can stay quit. Fortunately for you, you are taking a relatively low dose for a relatively short time. You still have "yourself". Many people completely lose touch with their former identity because they are so deep down that hole, you haven't from what you have told us. The longer you stay on, the harder it will be to quit. And if you keep using long enough, this "emotional" withdrawal will turn into a brutal physical withdrawal so horrendous I could only explain it to you as continuously being ran over by a train for 5 days-week while you have the worst flu you can imagine without sleeping for the entire time making you that much more emotional while your bones feel like they are being devoured by cancer.
Seriously, quit now while its still relatively "easy", you won't regret it. Dont give up when you are still feeling depressed after being clean a month, give yourself a chance and enough time to heal. It's normal to be depressed for a month or two after cleaning up, but your brain needs time to heal, and it will. Within time you will feel like a new person, literally, and will be happy and so much stronger as a person since you will have conquered this horrible affliction. I wish you the best of luck, if I could I would let you and every addict in the world detox at my house and stay in the woods as they learn to readjust to life and learn to be comfortable in their own skin again. I also share you frustration with the lack of affordable treatment options, but some states have great programs, others, not so much. I personally dont see how those people live with themselves charging a sick person 30 thousand$$ to stay at a crappy detox/ treatment center for a month. But if you have the money it is worth it, because getting your life back is truly priceless. You can do this, I will be praying for you and rooting for you. PM me if you need any help or suggestions. YOU CAN DO THIS!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

I really want to thank-you for taking the time to write this up for me. The motivational tips you gave me are great and I have been trying my hardest to let thoughts pass as they will and not giving into them. I also have an appointment with MHMR tomorrow and will update everyone (who cares) on my progress.

To the people who claim I am 'seeking attention' I don't see what I did to make you feel that way. I was simply asking for help with cravings and detox. Thank you to the people who took the time to actually help me instead of commenting pointless crap that makes me feel worse than I already do.

[MellowMind]

She has cravings, not withdrawal. Read through the entire thread. The last thing this person needs is Suboxone. While you're reading, take note ~ she's 19 and read between the lines. She wouldn't follow your advice regardless. She's still searching for buzz land.

Also take note, she has not logged on in over 24 hours.

Who are you to say I am not following people's advice? I started this thread FOR ADVICE. Plain and simple. No, I'm not searching for another buzz I am trying to get better. Don't be an ass. And wow I haven't been online in "24hours" I must be gone forever.

[poocheroo]

@PanickedMind good for you! Good luck with your appointment!

[sophie30]

Forgive me for making assumptions, but it seems as though you may be following suggestions, you seem a bit, ah, bitchier than before, which is a good thing if you're tapering or detoxing, no offense meant at all, seriously! I've been there!!