Detox for vicodin prescription?

You have to detox, and you cannot do it a couple days a week. It has to be a complete detox.
You should talk to a doctor about why you were on the vicodin in the first place, and find a replacement medicine.
It can be a short term detox, but don’t kid yourself: it is hard.

They said it would be a weeks stay. I am on it due to pain in my feet when standing since I was a child. I have seen 11 podiatrists and then found out i have a benign cyst inside my lower spine, since It was benign I had my pain dr put a spinal cord implant along my spine, but it doesnt help after about an hr of standing. I have told my psychologist and family dr. about my addiction, that my boyfriend has to keep it in a lockbox, because in order for me to be pain free i would have to take 4 or 5. My dr. has me at 240 pills a month, which is 8 a day, and that is starting to not be enough. I feel horrible. I tried to get into Mayo clinic to look at that cyst in my spine and they refused a consultation. I didn’t know that they could turn people away. Im so sad I don’t know what to do, then the detox center wont take me cuz I have mental problems. I wish stuff could just work out just for once. I cant keep living like this.

Each person reacts to medication differently. The process is mostly trial and error. You should be able to get help from the doctor who originally prescribed the medication. They are responsible for the follow up treatment.

I would suggest that you taper slowly. It’s not going to be easy, and you’re going to have some pain. But at this point you’re realizing that the vicodin isn’t your long term solution, and the liver damage you could be doing at this point is not worth the risk.

If you’re at 8 a day, go to 7 a day for one week. Then 6 a day for a week, and so on. Get your doctor on board with the plan! It’s important that he know what it is you’re trying to accomplish. See if he can prescribe you a non-narcotic painkiller, like tramadol, to help you through the transition.

You can do this. It won’t be the easiest thing you’ve ever done, and get your boyfriend, doctor and family to help you out with it. Good luck to you, both with your pain pill problem and your pain. It sucks to be in chronic pain, and you need some alternatives. Accupuncture, meditation, physical exercise, music, massage and physical therapy, biofeedback – give them all a try.

I agree that you will need to taper off the medication. Try stretching the time between pills a bit longer every few days, until you can cut one pill a day out altogether, and so on.

It doesn’t make you a junkie but it has made you have a habit and at that point it’s all about the same. You have to have medical help to detox and it takes about ten days but it’ll be months before you feel very normal. Go to a doctor that specializes in opiate detox. It’s not that expensive and alot of them have a sliding scale system. You can kick in a mental health facility, they will treat the picking thing too. Don’t do it on your own. I kicked a massive habit and if I can do it so can you! good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Get yourself a lot of Imodium – and not just for the diarrhea; it’s a little known fact that the active ingredient in Imodium is a weak opiod, you can use it to take the edge off while you taper. And do taper. Good luck.

Taper off of them.Try lidocaine patches. You can do anything you set your mind too. I overcame a serious addiction as well.
My thoughts are with you.

Sorry you are going through this. You are physically dependent on it, doesn’t matter why you are taking it. I agree tapering is the way to go. Withdrawing is going to suck, but you can do it. Being monitored by a physician would be best. Even once you withdraw completely physically, get over all the intense discomfort of withdrawing, you still might want to go back to taking it, be ready for that, so you don’t give into it. Do you have an alternate pain med you can take for your pain? Does any of the over the counter meds work at all? Ibuprofen? Something that will at least take away the worst of the pain, even though you will still have some pain? Are you taking any other addictive meds? Bensos like Xanax or valium? Or, antidepressants?

Your doctor needs to write a letter to Mayo and supply all necessary parts of your chart to get you in, refer you. You can try Johns Hopkins also.

Well i did go through detox. They substituted vicodin with suboxone. 5 day detox, then got moved to crisis beds. Only problem is now im dependent on suboxone. Suboxone is kind of an opiate, also used to control pain. Only problem is maybe 2 drs in rockford can prescribe it. Drs from Rosecrance, where I was at. I know my suboxone will run out and I have to face the withdrawals from that. Plus I was taking xanax, which I was not abusing, but it is not allowed in rosecrance, and replaced it with atarax ( im sure i spelled that wrong) and weaned me off the atarax, because if you abruptly stop it it could cause seizures. So detox sucked at first cuz you have to experience full withdrawal before they give you the medication that takes the withdrawal away, I was very dopesick the first night and next morniing. That was the worst, then I got the suboxone, and got better. So if anyone is in the same situation I was in, I hope this helps you. Detox is worth it.