Hi all-
Went to an NA meeting yesterday, and had some loony b**** tell me to just stop my 20 pill/day habit CT. I told her about the possibility of seizures and she said "Don't believe everything you read on the web or hear in chat rooms!!!!
Well I DO believe the following info I found on a reliable site, and hope it will help some of you who also use barbiturates as a DOC:
"Prolonged use of barbiturates can lead to a state of physical and psychological dependence. Upon discontinued use, the dependant person may go into withdrawal. Unlike narcotic (opiate) withdrawal, barbiturate withdrawal is LIFE THREATENING! Depending on type of barbiturate, signs and symptoms start within 24 hours. The withdrawal syndrome includes nausea, vomiting, sweating, tremors (trembling or shaking), weakness, insomnia, and restlessness. These clinical findings progress to apprehension, acute anxiety, fever, increased blood pressure, and increased heart rate. If untreated, severe and life-threatening effects include delirium, hallucinations, and seizures. The signs and symptoms will stop upon re-administration of the barbiturate and by tapering the dose slowly over several days."
I'm really PO'd right now. I went to the meeting looking for help and just got asinine advice.
Get past it -- quickly. What's important to you is getting clean and staying clean. Don't let one person be an obstacle to what you have decided you need to do for yourself.
AMom, your gonna find ignorant people wherever you go, just hookup with people you can relate to.
JohnDee
JohnDee
Thanks, guys, I guess I needed to vent. I'm tapering, down to 15/day.
Seeing a counselor tomorrow who will hopefully lay the smack down and keep me on the right path. I also plan on going back to NA tomorrow night.
Also, I thank God I found this board and pray for all of our recoveries.
Seeing a counselor tomorrow who will hopefully lay the smack down and keep me on the right path. I also plan on going back to NA tomorrow night.
Also, I thank God I found this board and pray for all of our recoveries.
There you go. You made my nite.
Amom, what is a barbiturate as to pain pills
Sorry for the clinical reply, but here goes: (Incidentally, my DOC is Fiorinol)
What are barbiturates?
Barbiturates are often called "barbs" and "downers." Barbiturates that are commonly abused include amobarbital (Amytal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), and secobarbital (Seconal).
What are the effects of barbiturates when they are abused?
The effects of barbiturates are, in many ways, similar to the effects of alcohol. Small amounts produce calmness and relax muscles. Somewhat larger doses can cause slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. These effects make it dangerous to drive a car or operate machinery. Large doses can cause unconsciousness and death.
How dangerous are barbiturates?
Barbiturate overdose is a factor in nearly one-third of all reported drug-related deaths. These include suicides and accidental drug poisonings. Accidental deaths sometimes occur when a user takes one dose, becomes confused and unintentionally takes additional or larger doses. With barbiturates there is less difference between the amount that produces sleep and the amount that kills. Furthermore, barbiturate withdrawal can be more serious than heroin withdrawal.
What are barbiturates?
Barbiturates are often called "barbs" and "downers." Barbiturates that are commonly abused include amobarbital (Amytal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), and secobarbital (Seconal).
What are the effects of barbiturates when they are abused?
The effects of barbiturates are, in many ways, similar to the effects of alcohol. Small amounts produce calmness and relax muscles. Somewhat larger doses can cause slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. These effects make it dangerous to drive a car or operate machinery. Large doses can cause unconsciousness and death.
How dangerous are barbiturates?
Barbiturate overdose is a factor in nearly one-third of all reported drug-related deaths. These include suicides and accidental drug poisonings. Accidental deaths sometimes occur when a user takes one dose, becomes confused and unintentionally takes additional or larger doses. With barbiturates there is less difference between the amount that produces sleep and the amount that kills. Furthermore, barbiturate withdrawal can be more serious than heroin withdrawal.
I was first prescribed Fiorinol for migraines about 12 years ago, then found I could buy them online. MUCH less embarrasing than calling the doc for a refill so often! (and of course MUCH more dangerous and addictive!!!)
are they like muscle relaxers . Like soma?
No, they are pain pills. You can get them with or without codeine, and I've never gotten the ones with codeine. Fiorinol is comprised of 50mg of butalbitol (the barbiturate), 325 mg of acetominophen, and also caffeine.
Actually all the Tylenol in the pills is really scaring me. I've been taking massive doses for years, and the ironic thing is, I'm also on Paxil and cholesterol medication. My doctor should have been doing liver panels because of these 2 meds, but neglected to do so at my last 2 annual physicals!!! At first I thought"Great! He won't see that my liver enzymes are sky-high, and I can keep using!!!"
Now I'm avoiding going in for my physical until I get clean. I'm scared I really f***ed up my liver.
Actually all the Tylenol in the pills is really scaring me. I've been taking massive doses for years, and the ironic thing is, I'm also on Paxil and cholesterol medication. My doctor should have been doing liver panels because of these 2 meds, but neglected to do so at my last 2 annual physicals!!! At first I thought"Great! He won't see that my liver enzymes are sky-high, and I can keep using!!!"
Now I'm avoiding going in for my physical until I get clean. I'm scared I really f***ed up my liver.
don't be scared, do you have chronic pain that makes you have to take them?
Dear Addictmom,
Please go back a few weeks and read the post I wrote entitled "hard Lesson".
Please go back a few weeks and read the post I wrote entitled "hard Lesson".
Yeah, migraines and neck & shoulder pain, but I know in my heart most of the headaches are rebound from taking pills all these years.
A good rule of thumb at meetings is: take what you need and leave the rest. There are idiots everywhere, including meetings. Just because someone goes to a meeting doesn't make em smart. They're there for the same reason as you, seems she just needed alittle more education on pain meds. Most do.
I remember taking fiornal #3 for about 3 years in my early 20's when it first hit the market. My dr called it the miracle drug for headaches. I got hooked fast and furious. Had another dr tell me years later that they are harder than heroine to get off of. Great.
You do what works for you. But when you do get down to 3 or 4 a day in your taper or if you ever feel not right, please promise you'll call a dr or get your butt to the ER. Don't screw with your life.
Cowgirl
I remember taking fiornal #3 for about 3 years in my early 20's when it first hit the market. My dr called it the miracle drug for headaches. I got hooked fast and furious. Had another dr tell me years later that they are harder than heroine to get off of. Great.
You do what works for you. But when you do get down to 3 or 4 a day in your taper or if you ever feel not right, please promise you'll call a dr or get your butt to the ER. Don't screw with your life.
Cowgirl
I was taking 90 Fiorinal # 3 per month at the end of my run, in addition to my 15 - 30 Norco a day habit. I started taking them for migraines about 15 years ago. They became my DOC when visiting doctors, until I discovered the online OPs and started with the hydro. Bad combination all 'round. Ironically, I started buying the Fiorinal #3 online with the thought that it would help me cut down on the hydro. You know the rest of that story.....
When I went c/t off the hydro, I had tapered down to 6/day. The Fiorinal #3 had been gone for a while, so I suppose I withdrew from that while tapering and didn't
really credit it. It was probably less severe, although my use had been much longer than the hydro. I wasn't aware of the dangers of barbiturate w/d at the time.
I agree with the other posters though, Addictmom -- please don't let one person at a meeting get in the way of your goal to get clean. You are pumping a lot of barbiturates into your system on a daily basis, which is dangerous in and of itself. The post Briar referred to is an eye-opener. If you have trouble with the taper (I couldn't go below 6/day, which is why I had to flush the remainder), please consider other methods. You so deserve it. Peace, M.
When I went c/t off the hydro, I had tapered down to 6/day. The Fiorinal #3 had been gone for a while, so I suppose I withdrew from that while tapering and didn't
really credit it. It was probably less severe, although my use had been much longer than the hydro. I wasn't aware of the dangers of barbiturate w/d at the time.
I agree with the other posters though, Addictmom -- please don't let one person at a meeting get in the way of your goal to get clean. You are pumping a lot of barbiturates into your system on a daily basis, which is dangerous in and of itself. The post Briar referred to is an eye-opener. If you have trouble with the taper (I couldn't go below 6/day, which is why I had to flush the remainder), please consider other methods. You so deserve it. Peace, M.
Thanks None4Me, Cowgirl & Briar for your responses. I'm glad I finally found someone who can relate to Fiorinol and the hell they cause. I'm praying for us all. Gotta get to work, talk to you all tonight.
Have a serene day.
Have a serene day.
amom
i also messed up my liver from years of using a needle to bang crank and other items, well i quit all that in 1990 and got saved (or visa versa) and was doing fine for about 7 or 8 yrs then i rehurt my ankle from a previous injury and they started giving me pain killers then i had two surgeries. one for gall bladder, the other my appendix ruptured, now during all this i stayed on the pain killers. they had a bunch of tylenol in them. well needless to say it showed i had hep c. i found out my viral load was 1.7 million and that is really high so they wanted to start me on interferon shots. these i reasearched and found out they were devestating to a person. so i researched further and found out that milk thistle and colloidal silver both of which you can get in any health food store would do the trick and bring liver enzymes way down. well that said, if you are worried about your liver go get some of these things and it will help make your liver healthy again, it did for me any way. now they can't even find any hep c virus in my blood. go to your search engine and type in colloidal silver or hep c and you will find all kinds of info on these products. i pray you will finally make it as we all are going to. keep the faith
in Christ's service
johnny
i also messed up my liver from years of using a needle to bang crank and other items, well i quit all that in 1990 and got saved (or visa versa) and was doing fine for about 7 or 8 yrs then i rehurt my ankle from a previous injury and they started giving me pain killers then i had two surgeries. one for gall bladder, the other my appendix ruptured, now during all this i stayed on the pain killers. they had a bunch of tylenol in them. well needless to say it showed i had hep c. i found out my viral load was 1.7 million and that is really high so they wanted to start me on interferon shots. these i reasearched and found out they were devestating to a person. so i researched further and found out that milk thistle and colloidal silver both of which you can get in any health food store would do the trick and bring liver enzymes way down. well that said, if you are worried about your liver go get some of these things and it will help make your liver healthy again, it did for me any way. now they can't even find any hep c virus in my blood. go to your search engine and type in colloidal silver or hep c and you will find all kinds of info on these products. i pray you will finally make it as we all are going to. keep the faith
in Christ's service
johnny
I used to use 10 to 15 a day . Now im on 5 and my shrink said to just go down 1 per week. I have when using 10 or more and ran out ended up with a headache from hell for 2 days not able to move with hot water bottle on head. Dont mess around with Ct. taper down slowly if you can Your Dr can guide you on this. If you on 15 I would go down 1 ewvery couple days and see how your feeling ,once down to 4 or 5 you might want to stay on same dose for 3 days and when down to 1 for 3 days or so and you should be fine. Problem with this med is you end up with rebound headaches because of the caffiene and butalbitol. best of luck and keep us posted Ray
A MOM
Will you reply to the post I wrote Needs Help 911 ?
You can help a lot
<<<<<HUGS TO YOU >>>>>>>>>>>>
Will you reply to the post I wrote Needs Help 911 ?
You can help a lot
<<<<<HUGS TO YOU >>>>>>>>>>>>
Hey Johnny great advice to add CHRIST, Im a christian too going through it and the main thing that helps is to know God still loves me and is there.
