The Naltrexone came in the mail yesterday!
Skip’s Pharmacy (the compounding pharmacy Dr. H uses) sent only the one month supply when I had asked for all three refills to be sent. Since I’m starting on 1mg and working my way up to 4.5mg (the optimum dose) so it made sense to have the three month supply.
As soon as I saw the mistake I shot them an email, which was promptly responded to and the rest of the pills are in the mail. I am a such sucker for good customer service…oh the stories I could tell you about the times I threw temper tantrums, email, written, voice mail and when I finally got hold of someone verbal tantrums when my order would get screwed up. Like when Mothernature.com “forgot” about my order but took my money and then ignored me for the next six weeks. Oh…the war I waged. Got my money back though. But I digress…
I never say “but I digress” when I’m talking…why would I say that here? Because verbally I’m always digressing and the whole conversation would be about my digressing…so aren’t you glad I’m writing?
The next step is to get completely off the narcotics. This is because Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist and taking Naltrexone while I’m still dependent on the narcotics would throw me into withdrawals.
Okay, who out there has ever gone through withdrawal? Ever lived with someone going through withdrawal? I have gone cold-turkey before as I had a scare with my liver back when the doctor had me on Percocet (liver problems were caused by Tylenol in it) and the gastroenterologist told me to stop taking them. So I did without considering the consequences. Little older, little wiser now. I’m not going to put me or John through a cold turkey event again!
The problem is, as I mentioned in the first post about Naltrexone that when I stop taking the narcotics…even when I wean off of them slowly (as I am now) my energy level is hitting rock bottom. I’m tired. The lethargic kind of tired as in, I don’t want to move. Getting up to walk the dog is about as much as I can manage. It’s not helping that it’s actually (gasp!) raining in sunny Southern California right now.
I do have something (and someone) helping me through this mess. More info to come…
IrishLass
January 29th, 2010
You asked, so I’m responding ~ I took the long route and gradually went of the vicodin. I was on Norco 5-350, 1 or 2 every 4-6 hrs. prn. When I dedcided to do the slow method before beginning LDN, I cut myself down to 2 at bedtime and trust me, by bedtime I needed them. I gave them to my husband and said “you are going to have to get me off of these.” I never saw the bottle again. It took a good 4 to 6 weeks to get completely off. He would hand them to me, tell me not to look (I have other meds that I take at nightso they were with them) and I just took them. It helped that he doled out all the meds. I finally asked him if I could start the LDN and that’s when he told me that I had been off for an entire week. I took 3 Advil gel capsules for pain when needed (but not more than three times a day). I started the Naltrexone at 1.5 mg for 2 wks, then 3 mg. for 2 wks and have now been on 4.5 mg. for three weeks. I truly have no pain that a couple of tynlenol or advil will not take care of. The only side effect I have is nausea (stomach pain) and am going to check with my doctor on monday about that…and I have gained weight, but I blame that more on not getting out in this frigid weather and lack of exercise. I have suffered with FMS for over 35 years, so I know how debilitating it can be. You CAN do this…just do it gradually. Good Luck! ^j^
Kathy
February 10th, 2010
I showed your comment to my husband. He says “can do!” So here we go…thank you for the advice!