hydromorphone withdrawal

[dzusterParticipant Posts: 12]

just wanted to share my experience here about my addiction to dilaudid/pain meds. Four years ago I started a low dose of dilaudid for fibro pain. After about a year I was hooked on it and taking way more than was given. AS I am a professional medical worker and worked in the Dr.s office who approved my meds I actually took a script pad and started writing duplicate scripts. My doc would write the legit one and I would copy it and take it to another drugstore. I figured that the possibilities were only one drugstore would call and verify and that I wouldn’t get caught. …: and then I lost my job because I was falling asleep at work, my condo, I slept over 12 hours per day and generally slept alot. I vowed that when I finally got caught I would go to rehabilitation, and of course I ultimately did get caught. Thankfully they did not prosecute, but because I had health care insurance I could not get an inpatient detox/treatment. I went cold turkey off a 24mg per day dilaudid habit along with 50mgs of hydrocodone. No ER would treat me, and no treatment center would take me. They said that cold turkey off that much dilaudid was not possible in less tahn 6months. Luckily I finally got into the county detox center where it was complete and utter chaos…homeless drunks, crackheads, etc. and I received practically no medical care. But I got thru it. I survived and have been dilaudid free for 2yrs, feeling well on vicodin (60mg/day) Ok, thats it. I just had to share my experience with you guys.

[BorissParticipant Posts: 13]

Sharing your story should be healing hopefully. I also hope you continue to do get better and get better, it sounds like you’re on the right course now.

[cpa-hydro-marketParticipant Posts: 33]

I do not really know. few years ago he Emergency Room docs basically told me that going off that much dilaudid could not be done… Since I never bought them off the street or any such thing, I could have. And I surely wasn’t going to risk going to prison forging another script… yes, with health care you can’t go to an inpatient detox although outpatient is paid for 30days. I admit I didn’t go to any meetings. All that depressing talk about drugs only made me want them more. The thing that kept me sober was the thought of going thru that hell again. It is deplorable the way the healthcare system treats people with addictive problems. I see first hand what is said about recovering addicts. Yes, I think I almost died going off that junk. Losing 30lbs in 2 weeks and no sleep for 10 days is hard on the body. Now im back to 245 lbs, fortunately.

[chell55Participant Posts: 27]

anybody experimented with Kratom to help with the withdrawal?

[DB DiceyParticipant Posts: 66]

I have recently been using Kratom with great success.

[chell55Participant Posts: 27]

@dzuster Why the hell would you use insurance for a prescription that was relatively cheap??? It’s medicare that keeps a heavy eye on things and will report violations. If you paid big dollars for them, they just show up at the pharmacy as cash purchases. Only specific states have prescription monitoring programs and even with them, you have to have a reason to look at the data. The data itself can’t initiate an investigation. If it shows you go to 30 different docs, nothing will happen unless something else starts an investigation and then they can go and look at your information. Found it crazy you used an insurance plan to pay for hydromorphone. Now if it were oxycontin that is a different story. That can easily run over $2k for thirty days.

[xcheck44Participant Posts: 24]

@dzuster thanks for your real experience for dilaudid/pain meds. But keep in mind, daily use of vicodin (60mg/day) as use mentioned is not so good. Rather than other opioid pain relievers, regular use of Vicodin can be particularly unsafe for the liver.

[RADAR-FLIGHTParticipant Posts: 12]

Congratulations dzuster! It’s incredible you got through. It might do you good to advocate for prescription drug abusers, it seems you’ve taken the first step by posting your background here. I am interested to know, have you had trouble finding work since it was uncovered that you were forging scripts? It sounds like you are still in the medical field, so I hope you were able to find a product that worked. I always wondered if something like that followed you through your career on your “permanent record” like in college. Good luck !

[Dr-Feel-GoodParticipant Posts: 19]

I hope after sharing it, you will feel good, withdrawal are something thats very hard to bear, and the time that passes pays off, when days become good and you feel normal

[BinkyParticipant Posts: 23]

Thank you for sharing your story. Very powerful. I just began going to a Dilaudid clinic 3 weeks ago after my 3rd F2F doc in 5 months quit. I knew nothing of dilaudid clinics or dilaudid for that matter, especially for a Vicodin habit! I can’t say I’m thrilled with it, especially what I hear about withdrawals, but it does help the pain and my stress level about not knowing where my next script was coming from is way down. Thats a pleasure in itself. I gotta say though, I don;t think you fully appreciate that you by all rights could be doing excercises before that! I have a prescription here that is out of date, and now that I’m not being prescribed any hydro I wish I could change the date on it…but I wouldn’t DARE!!!! That would be nothing compared to what you did, Not being mean, just want you to realize you are one lucky guy. God bless you, Stay up: )

[HerbArParticipant Posts: 24]

I got my Dilaudid and Tramadol administered at a health care clinic. tramadol is technically a narcotic-and a bit more potent than Darvon (propoxyphene)–if you gotta dip back into the realm of pain medicine–it might not be such a bad solution (as long as you work directly with your doc)

[Ocean ViewParticipant Posts: 26]

The scary thing is that sudden cessation of massive doses of opioids CAN kill, but it’s unusual. But the combination of that and the alcohol consumption is exponentially more frightening. Maybe you should report whoever turned you away from what was, essentially, a life-threatening condition..

[West-endParticipant Posts: 6]

YAYYY Holy poop! I know exactly where you’re coming from @dzuster. When I finally got off diacetylmorphine I got to do my w/d in a retirement home (they claimed they thought I’d have run from a detox center, I got to sit- sweating and shaking before but the only two instances of “care” I got were the assisted ass-washes & free undies (but only when I [censored]] myself) and salt in a cup (for when I got in a fistfight with Arthur and had to shove a tooth I lost back into its socket–I really got my ass whooped that day – apart from being attacked by my 2 roommates, It must be one of the most horrifying experiences for me. I tried to defend myself as best as I could with a vacuum cleaner but honestly –I was such a stubborn die-hard that I’d have never gotten clean without my own agreement, and now Im back here where it all started.

[JellyFishParticipant Posts: 37]

it isn’t until you hear EMTs moaning about having to pick up YET ANOTHER dead junkie that you fully realize the addict’s place in this world. That’s why you have to control your doses. The worst that would have happened is that her family would have had the option to sue for wrongful death. no body cares when an addict dies–except another addict(and that’s mostly fear and worry that it could happen to themselves) I don’t mean to sound callous—I’m actually an optimist; I also, sorry to say, have that other quality that doesn’t go so well with optimism: I’m a philosopher… I’ve been in the room while a friend was hauled away in a body bag- and the emergency guys didn’t seem to give a damn about the dead.

[BananabrainsParticipant Posts: 16]

Individuals with chronic pain and poor mental health are often at risk of suicide; however, most current opioid overdose prevention methods neither assess suicide risk nor tailor prevention methods to personal situations. Opioid abuse is linked to the risk of unintentional overdose and suicide risk. The ongoing opioid crisis is characterized by an increasing number of deaths caused by opioid overdose.

[alumniParticipant Posts: 10]

I may have missed it or you didn’t say, but how long ago did this happen? When would you say would have been day one of getting clean and sober. Congrats on your recovery and good work!!!

[cherrybombParticipant Posts: 27]

Whoaw,! You went through what I went through and survived? You got some inner steel –I’m impressed. (I’m not meaning to underestimate you–it’s just that I’m 6′, 200 pounds; and I just barely made it) kudos to you

[JellyFishParticipant Posts: 37]

I’m very proud of you to hear you were able to stay off of opioids for 2 years but I believe you should be very careful with starting hydrocodone or/and Tramadol given your history. You could find yourself right back in the same mess. Please do some research on how opiate receptors actually have a “memory.” Also, did you consider using the services of a dilaudid clinic to taper from the high dose? While it is by no means a pleasurable experience, it would probably have been a better choice than cold turkey from that dose. You likely escaped another potential problem, abruptly stopping Valium even at 40mg/day can be difficult. You are lucky and you will hopefully respect the price you’ve paid to get where you are now!

[RADAR-FLIGHTParticipant Posts: 12]

Thanks for sharing and I only wish you the best @dzuster

[RADAR-FLIGHTParticipant Posts: 12]

i never used hydromorphone, but for one reason or another I had to come off suboxone at about 1mg a day; I did my best to prepare for horrible withdrawals and had a good supply of blue valium bought from a source here. I took my last mg at about 4am Friday morning. I’ve pretty much been sedated the last few days and I used my Imodium w the good bud and haven’t felt any wds at all. I’m wondering if the worst is yet to come and I’m prepared for that but feeling fine so far.

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