Crossing The Finish Line!

It has been a week since I cut myself off. I am now through with the withdrawal symptoms. I went to see the film "Batman V Superman" last night which was 2.5 hours long and I left without a backache or in pain. I'm not wracked by pain or ridden with anxiety. It feels good to be free, and I have to make sure I never become addicted to these pills again. I'll be taking ibuprofen and similar OTC meds for pain when I need them. If you're trying to quit, don't stop trying. It's worth it to be free for me.

Still Struggling

I wish I could tell you that I was completely free but that would be a lie. Since I only sleep 4 hours and wake up in pain, I am taking one half of a Percocet 10 only at night before bedtime. I should have enough of a supply to last about a month and after that I will be required to find another solution. The days are easier now. A couple of days ago my anxiety levels were a bit high so I took a hit of of the remains of a marijuana cigarette and I was in a daze for a full day and night. It took the anxiety away but just one hit made me stoned. I don't want to be stoned so I have to steer clear from marijuana. So I have about a month to find something that will help me sleep through the night. At night I wake up feeling neural feedback in my arms, restless arms syndrome. It's not normal pain, it's discomfort that wakes me up and makes it impossible to sleep. I consider it a victory that I no longer need the drug during the day, but the fact that I need a small amount to sleep means that I haven't achieved freedom yet. When I run out and have to function without it, that's when I'll be completely off of Percocet 10. So I'm stretching this out for my own personal convenience. I'm taking ibuprofen during the day & my withdrawal symptoms are fading away. My allergies are returning unless those symptoms are the result of withdrawal. I'll post more later, thanks for reading!

Cold Turkey From Here

2 days ago I took my last half of Percocet. I take OTC sleep aids at night and Dayquil during the day for my withdrawal symptoms. I usually wake up after 4 hours of sleep but then I'm able to fall back asleep after a few minutes. During the day the most annoying symptoms are sneezing and a runny nose. My body is fighting against this change, but the days are getting easier. This is going to take a while before I feel normal again. I just keep telling myself that it's going to get better soon. Hang on just one more day.

Had A Not-So-Great Night

Yesterday I began taking a half a Percocet 10 3 times a day, last night I went to sleep and only slept 4 hours. I woke up in pain, feeling the withdrawal symptoms. Tonight I will take 2 sleep aids instead of 1 and hope that will help. It's as if my body is realizing that the drugs are disappearing and it's fighting back. Today I'm feeling the pain but I have to tolerate it. I have gained some relief by taking ibuprofen. This week may be the hardest week in this process. I have nasal congestion, aches, pains in my back and in my hands. The 2nd Season of Daredevil was released today on Netflix so I'm distracting my discomfort by occupying my attention with that. Here I thought the worst is over and it has just begun. I will get through this, I will not give up. My mind is more powerful than any hold a drug has on me. Determination is my super-power. If Matt Murdock can take a beating from the Punisher and survive then I can take a beating from my own nervous system as it tries to persuade me to just take a pill. Just take one, Dude, you'll feel better. It's only one pill, who will know? I will know. It's a trap. It would only stretch this out further. The line must be drawn here, right here, no farther!

1 Week Left Before Freedom!

Today I began cutting back my dosage of Percocet 10s from 1 pill 3 times a day, to 1/2 pill 3 times a day. I created this method after studying the success and failure of others who have posted their experiences. I'm doing well and am only experiencing mild anxiety and nasal congestion which are ordinary withdrawal symptoms. I will continue this dosage until next Thursday when I will completely stop taking these pills completely. I began this journey a few weeks ago and I admit to being worried about awful withdrawal symptoms after being on Percocet 10s for over 5 years. I will be free of chemical dependency, which is just another term for addiction. My pain levels are not very bad, taking ibuprofen and naproxen which seems to be an acceptable substitution for narcotic pain medications. My doctor offered me methadone in the past for pain and I told him that I have family members addicted to that and there's no way I would ever try that. I prefer a clear mind. I don't require intoxication. I don't smoke cigarettes or marijuana, I don't drink alcohol. I took these pills for pain management but what I have been taking is very much like heroin, only better. While some abuse these drugs I always took the prescribed amount at the proper time. 2 Percocet 10s at 10:00AM, 2 at 4:00PM and 2 at 11:00PM. Now I am at 1/2 Percocet 10 3 times a day and I'm almost done. So this is very doable, don't believe the hype that it's not possible. You can be free of these drugs and I soon will be.

I Can See The Finish Line Ahead!

Every day this gets easier. I've cut my dosage in half for almost a week, on Thursday I will drop my dosage from one pill 3 times a day to 1/2 pill 3 times a day. A week from this Thursday I will be completely off Percocet 10 Pain Pills. It hasn't been really easy, but it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. A runny nose has been the most irritating symptom of withdrawal, maybe a bit of anxiety, but that lessens every day. I was in a car accident back in the 1990s. A teenage girl was at a stop sign, and she was stoned. Just as I drove in front of her at about 35 MPH, she gunned it and slammed into me, turning my car completely around. I was left with an L4 Disc Protrusion & some spinal damage. My back hurts when I exert myself, so as long as I don't engage in heavy lifting, I'll be okay. I take ibuprofen and naproxen for pain right now and so far, it has been enough. I have learned methods of pain control that are effective without using narcotics. I will be so glad when I am finally free of this chemical dependency. There are a few drugs I will have to continue to take, like a medication that treats my tachycardia, for benign prostate, for acid reflux, and an antidepressant that keeps headaches away that I have been on for 20 years. These will be the only drugs that I will take other than over the counter pain medications. If you're interested in doing the same, just keep thinking of that finish line where you'll finally be free. The sign is small but I can make out what it says, way down the road. It says "YOU ARE NOW FREE FROM CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE & ADDICTION."

As Long As I Can Sleep, I'll Make It! Don't Give Up!

I cut my dosage in half on Thursday, so this coming Thursday I'll be cutting the new dose in half, which means 1/2 a pill 3 times a day. A week after that, I'll be off them completely, and hopefully my body will have adjusted. Yesterday wasn't too bad, and today although some minor digestive distress and a stuffy nose, I'm doing okay! I woke up with a minor headache but it didn't last too long and I'm doing very well. I really thought it would be worse than it is. Today my pharmacy was robbed of its narcotic pain medications by some criminals in Battle Creek, who were arrested. How ironic. They'll probably have to order some more, but I won't be needing them. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. Don't give up! I've past the halfway mark and by April Fools Day, I will be free of chemical dependence. I only need one sleeping pill (generic ZZZquil) to sleep all night, and sleep was my biggest worry, because I have been taking 2 Percocet 10s before sleep for almost 2 years! I'm taking OTC Ibuprofen during the day for my back pain, which is manageable. The Percocets weren't really squelching the pain so I knew I would either have to go to a more powerful narcotic or jump of the Percocet train. You can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it!

Still Fighting The Good Fight

Second day of dropping my dosage from 2 Percocet 10s 3 times a day to 1 Percocet 10 3 times a day, and I am feeling it. I don't feel normal, I'm yawning even though I slept all night thanks to the ZzzQuil I'm using to sleep with. It got bad yesterday evening but tonight I'm going to have some jello shots to cloak the discomfort. I can imagine how hard this would be if I couldn't sleep, but I can, so the days aren't that bad. There is a voice telling me that all I have to do is go take more pills and I'll feel better, but if I don't see this through I'll be out of pills and going cold turkey is very unpleasant. I will not indulge that voice. I have the will to defeat this and I will defeat this chemical dependency. It's really not all that bad so far, the discomfort is tolerable so I'm good. In a week or two I will be free from this monkey on my back and no more monkeys are riding on me. Besides, I want to prove to my addicted family members that it won't kill them to break the cycle of addiction, and it's well worth a bit of discomfort.

Crunch Time - Withdrawal Symptoms Amplified

Today my dosage has been reduced by half, and I feel like I expected to feel. Pain is amplified, my nose is running, I'm tired and aggravated. Fortunately I know that this is temporary and that I'll feel better after I'm through the withdrawal. I don't know if I should bother to take a half a pill for a week, maybe after a week of taking a half dose I should just stop there. It's really not that bad, I can handle this slight discomfort because I'm determined to get through this. Since my Doctor got caught doing shady things with controlled substances, he can no longer prescribe them, and no doctors around are accepting patients on narcotics, so this is something I have to do. Those pills did help me for a while but they also inhibit me in other ways. I don't want to be chemically dependent anymore. I don't want to be a slave anymore.

Almost Cutting Down To Half Dosage!

I'm 2 days away from cutting down to just 1 Percocet 10, 3 times a day. Before this I was taking 2 Percocet 10s, 3 times a day. The days have been not bad, the nights, not so great. I was taking ibuprofen with a sleep aid at night to compensate but I only sleep from 1AM til about 5:30AM, but I do manage to fall back asleep until about 8:30 or 9. Today I bought ZZZzquil tablets to improve my sleeping. In 2 days I enter true crunch time. It'll be unpleasant, like now, but worse. I'm feeling the back pain becoming more intense this week. I suffered a spinal injury after being plowed into by a stoned teenager back in the early 1990s and I haven't been the same since. I know I can get by without narcotics, and since I have family members suffering from addiction, I have to be a positive example for them. If I can do this, after being on these pills for over 7 years, surely others can, too. By this time next month I will be free of any addictions, well, except coffee. I will still be taking medication for my tachycardia & hypertension, and amitryptaline to keep headaches away, but those are necessary, and non-narcotic.

Still Heading Towards My Goal!

4 days ago I began reducing my dosage and taking an over the counter ibuprofen with a built in sleep aid, diphenhydramine, and for the most part, I sleep from 12:30AM til about 5:30AM, and usually I manage to fall back asleep until around 9AM. I've reduced my dosage from 2 Percocet 10s 3 times a day, to 1 & 1/2 Percodet 10s 3 times a day. I was having constipation problems before I reduced my dosage that have disappeared since I lowered my dosage. Last night was our 21st Anniversary and we went out to eat at Red Lobster and my appetite seems to be right on track. I had a salad, a sirloin steak & fries and I was able to eat all of it. My appetite has come back since last January of 2015 when I quit using Marijuana. Quitting the weed made me feel so much better & I'm sure that quitting Percocets will also make me feel better. This coming Thursday I will be reducing my dosage to 1 Percocet 10 3 times a day, which will mean half of what I was taking before. I will then wait a week and then cut my dosage to 1/2 a Percocet 3 times a day, and after a week of that I will quit altogether, hopefully avoiding the painful withdrawal symptoms that I would experience if I just quit abruptly cold turkey. I never enjoyed drinking alcohol, so I never had to quit that. I only drink socially on special occasions. I quit using cigarettes in 1988, and I did that by substituting joints for cigarettes, which took about a month and a quarter pound of marijuana. Years back I developed a cocaine snorting habit while I was working, and I quit that habit cold turkey and never went back. I hear people saying that they have tried to quit cigarettes but couldn't do it. You have to really want to quit. You have to be determined. You have to see yourself at the end of the journey, being victorious. I have been a slave to these substances and I want to be free of them. My doctor offered my oxycontin & methadone a few years ago and I told him if these Percocets stopped working, I would just quit them. I hadn't planned on quitting this soon but since he got in trouble for supplying his son with narcotics and prescription pads, now is as good a time as any. I picked up my last prescription with a letter saying it was my last one, with no advice on how to quit these damn pills. I came up with this method of quitting by reading blogs of people who were successful in quitting opiates. I will gladly suffer through this month because I know there'll be a light at the end of this tunnel, and freedom awaits me. Freedom from chemical dependence.

Not Much Sleep

I only decreased my nightly dose from 2 pills to 1 & 1/2 pills last night yet I didn't sleep well. Part of the reason is probably that my wife only allows me to have a third of the bed space so normally I would sleep regardless. My arm's circulation being cut off more than once and just not having enough room to get comfortable kept me from sleeping well. I did fall asleep but I woke up at least 3 times during the night after I went to bed at 12:45AM. I woke up & was going to take another sleep aid but since it was 5:30 AM I decided against it. I should increase my sleep aid dosage tonight to compensate for the reduction of my Percocet dosage which I am continuing regardless of my rough night. I was expecting sleep to be the worst part about quitting the Percocets but I cannot allow this to stop me. My Doctor was caught covering for his Son, who's an addict. He managed to get his Dad's prescription pad and was trying to forge fake prescriptions while his father, Dr Martin Holmes of Albion, covered for him. So I was given one last month's supply and told I was on my own, with no help getting off these pills, so I have to do it myself. I will emerge victorious from this.

Night #1: Reducing my Percocet Dosage

Tonight begins my reduction from 2 Percocet 10s to 1 & 1/2 Percocet 10s with a half of an Advil Sleep Aid tablet. I will increase my sleep aid dosage as I reduce my Percocet dosage to balance me out, and I'm hoping I can beat any insomnia with this method that may appear. I'm hoping that if I do suffer from insomnia through this month that I'll be able to sleep once I'm through withdrawals. All the experts predict that a month should be enough time to shake the DTs! Goognight, All!

The Lean, Mean Weaning Machine Begins Today!

I have been on prescription pain medications for over 5 years. I started out on Vicodin & have worked my way up to Percocet 10, which I have been taking 2 pills, 3 times a day. 2 pills at 10AM, 2 pills at 4PM, 2 pills at 11PM. Today I cut my dosage down to 1 & 1/2 pills at the same time intervals, & at night I will be adding an ibuprofen OTC pain pill with a sleep aid to assist in getting a good night sleep. I am 53 years old & I have been successful in quitting things before. A few years ago I developed a cocaine habit, which I kicked and never went back to. It has been over a year since I quit marijuana which I used for decades. While marijuana is about the safest drug you can use, I felt I depended on it too much and that I had reached an impasse in using it. In the past year my health has improved, I feel better not requiring a bag of weed every day, I have more money now that I don't need to buy it. My breathing has improved, I'm no longer either cold or hot all the time, I have more physical energy. So today begins the 30 Day Weaning Off Percocet 10. Next week I will drop down to one pill 3 times a day & then 1/2 pill 3 times a day, supplementing with ibuprofen and naproxen to aid in the withdrawal symptoms. I will post my progress in this blog and maybe it will provide hope to someone else. Ultimately it will be my will that wins this battle. I must stay resolute in that a positive attitude will get me through this. I am on my way to be free of chemical dependence. What prompted this resolution is that my Doctor, who prescribes these pills to me, got in trouble covering for his own son, who is a heroin addict, here in Albion, Michigan. He can no longer prescribe these medications so he gave me my last prescription, with no advice whatsoever on how to get off them. Dr. Martin Holmes left me hanging with no explanation besides informing me that I have a rotten chance of finding another doctor that will give me these pills. So I am eliminating the problem altogether.