tramadol withdrawals help

[lendan000]

hey there everybody. I am using tramadol and since I post this here it is logical that I want to get off it so I want to find out more answers on how I can do it and withdraw from it easier/ quicker/ less dangerously/ less painful etc. well, I have been using 200 mg of tramadol every second day for a really long time now (so I think that it is twice as better in terms of withdrawals compared to using the same dosage every single day, isn't it?) anyway, I've been using it for such a long time in attempt to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) and that's because I couldn't get any help from any other medicine out there. I mean, yes, I do use tramadol legally for legal depression, prescribed by my doctor. but I use tramadol (which I know that its primarily usage it is for pain killing effects) because although I did have been prescribed and given numerous antidepressants and other therapies, I still didn't got any help. tramadol, being 'strange' in its antidepressants effects was what I needed for my depression. but that's the problem here…. I have started to experience something… bad…. I mean a severe depression and extreme irritability (with full time anger) on those days that I am not using tramadol and I do not get them in those days that I do take it… this is what made me this that what I am actually experiencing may be withdrawals symptoms. this is the reason why I started to think about getting off tramadol until it is not going to get worse/ too late… I would really like to stop using it… I do know that my depression is still going to be a problem but I would really like to try getting on some supplements for my depression and starting to learn to deal with this on my own. the supplements that I am talking are such as: 5 htp, Mucuna Pruriens, kanna, nootropics, DL - phenylalanine and maybe some others but I am still very scared of the depression that I may get if I am quitting cold turkey on tramadol. I mean, I'm already barely dealing with this and I expect that quitting cold turkey that's gonna be… awful to say the least. it is obvious that I got hooked up on it. as I said, I use it for a long time and we all know how addictive tramadol is. that's why I think that it is going to be double as hard to get off (depression plus cravings). in fact, I don't think so, I know it. that's because I did have tried to quit taking tramadol in the past but the depression along with the strong cravings I had for it have led me back to use it again. unfortunately.

 

and now, that's the reason why I'm here… I want to find something that is going to alleviate my… pains. so, is here somebody who can recommend me a 'supposedly' or 'tested' good medication/ method that I can use at least on a temporary basis (for approximately one or maybe 2 weeks) that would help me to deal with the withdrawals in case I am abruptly stopping to use tramadol? the reason why I am thinking only about cold turkey method is that I did have tried to taper off it, however I just can't do this method as I always end up going back to it every single time and that's why I think that tapering isn't the method for me. not sure if that's gonna change anything but I do have access to quite a little bit of diazepam/ valium if it would help and to be honest, I have not really found this drug to be so addictive in the past (at least by far not as addictive as tramadol). I say this because I know that valium/ diazepam also is addictive. the problem and the reason I tell you this is that I am not very sure if this is the best choice for tramadol withdrawal. someone can tell me more about this? I mean, in regards of diazepam/ valium in help of tramadol withdrawals during cold turkey?

 

also, please don't think that I just came here 'demanding' for answers or anything in this matter. I did have tried to get some answers myself by researching online but in the end I still thought that real people who can help me on my real problem now would be more helpful than just reading articles and other people's similar situations. and btw, in the time that I have been searching for information I have found lots of people saying that kratom might be helping me a lot in such situations as it is helping a lot of people to deal with tramadol withdrawals plus it also helps with depression. it does seems that it is all I need… however the big problem is that kratom it is illegal here in Australia and that's why I am not able to purchase and to use it… also while researching I have found out that methadone or buprenorphine can help me with my problem… do you think that any of them would be a better choice for me? as I said, I do think that it would be a lot much better for me to come here and talk with real people because I would really like to hear from absolutely anyone who has managed and succeeded to quit using tramadol and, of course, I would really really like to hear how exactly you have managed to do so. absolutely all opinions and all suggestions are welcome on this topic. I really need help so if you can help me… please do…

 

[WTF-Person]

hi… this is surely a new one for me. well… ironically I have been prescribed myself 100 milligrams per day of this tramadol for a period of more than 2 years. it has been prescribed to me because I had to treat my chronic neuropathy. however, the longest period of time that I have taken it every single day as it was prescribed to me has been 2 months in these 2 years. the reason was because I wanted to stay away from addicted. no need to say that I still ended up being addicted… however, the thing is that I still have had no issues to come off it due to the fact that I have then later been changed from it to a stronger pain killer. but as you said, there's something strange in tramadol… I think that there is indeed something in tramadol that is different from the narcotics though. I guess that since you did have researched about tramadol I can suppose that you already know that if you are using a dosage more than 800 milligrams per day then you are at the risk to have a seizure… (in regards to this I can say that I personally did have used a dosage over 1200 milligrams at a time and I still have had no issues, however this is definitely something that I wouldn't recommend anybody to do… I've done it out of stupidity and not knowing how dangerous is what I have done… I just got lucky, I think, that I have had a seizure... so just don't do it.). anyway, there is surely something in that pill that is different from the opiate family which is making you being depressed when you stop taking it and which makes you feel less depressed when you take it. I think, I guess… that you obviously did have tried to supplement other opioid pain killers, true? whatever the case - there is surely something strange and surely something else as I seem to feel something strange when I am using a lot of them consistently. that's kind of a positive outlook that is absolutely nothing else I could associate with the opiates. I mean, opiates, of course, do have something like this, but then again, tramadol's effect in regards to this is strange. is different. which is why I said that there must be something else.

 

well, when I have went to my doctor talking about this she has told me that in case it would not work for me then she is going to have to wean me off it. with what exactly should would do it (or anything at all) or how exactly she is going to do that I have never asked her. I just assumed that you can't ask your doctor such kind of questions. lol. but look… I am able to do a little bit of legit digging with my neurologist so I might talk with her. maybe later, if I do find anything valuable for you, I will come back here with something more. I would honestly like to find an answer to your question as well plus that might help you too. maybe also other people would chime in with some answers too? but you don't stop searching, you never know what you might find...

 

[WTF-Person]

and yeah, something else I've forgot to say which I thought I should most likely clarify… it is the thing that I have never cancelled my prescription as I am still filling it every single month now (although I as I said in my first post that I am not taking it) and so I am still having a lot of back ups just in case. there's a buddy of mine that shoots black tar who has told me that I should not take tramadol and I can quote what he has told me: 'that crap is really nasty, it is going to fu*k you up some day, better be careful' however he has not been any more specific so…

 

[lendan000]

hey there thank you a lot for this, as I said, I appreciate any information. I do remember reading that in the addition to opioid effects of tramadol, there has been written that tramadol is having effects more or less quite the same as the SNRI antidepressants (such as Cymbalta, Effexor, Pristiq and others) and also similar to the SSRIs either (such as Luvox, Celexa/ Cipramil, Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro and Paxil/ Aropax and maybe others either). when I have stopped to take it once in the past before I have started to get some really bad electric shock - like sensations approximately 3 or maybe 4 days later that have been basically exactly the same as the 'brain zaps' that were described by those people who are getting off of SSRIs and the SNRIs cold turkey (too quickly) can experience. this is just another prove that it is working pretty similar to the SSRIs and SNRIs. anyway, I have found out that the herb kanna has been able to completely stop this withdrawal symptom (at a dosage of approximately 500 mg or so). to be honest, I am not very sure if the bad depression and the irritability is or can be associated with those serotonin and norepinephrine effects or either it has more to do with the opiate withdrawal. I often see that it has to do with both which makes it so hard to get off it, because you are kind of getting both the withdrawals from the opiates and SSRIs and SNRIs. and also, no… I have not yet switched to another opioid or anything like this maybe only except for just a couple of occasions when there was a friend of mine who gave me a little bit of oxycodone but this was only on occasions so I am being interested in trying this on a long term basis, the only thing that it is worrying me now a little bit it is the 'hunt' for getting high and starting to use more and more if I'm going to start to use an opioid on a daily basis for a longer term period.

 

one more thing here which is so important that I don't know how I could forget about it is why I haven't discussed with my doctor about this yet… well, I haven't told him anything due to the fact that I am being worried he is going to blame and accuse me of abusing the tramadol and so he might create me a million of other unwanted problems for me and plus he might not want to help me with other problems that I might have in the future. the only thought that came into my mind is that maybe I could, somehow and very carefully, hint him that I might try oxycodone instead of tramadol and see what he is going to think about this. by the way, I am going to visit him tomorrow and I'm thinking that I might ask him tomorrow about this. I also think that I might, somehow, hint him on 'what if something would go wrong with tramadol' and see what he is gonna tell me. whichever the case, not sure how well oxycodone would help as I think that my underlying depression might be an essential part in all of this. not sure but maybe for someone who is not having any underlying depression it would be a lot much more easier to get off tramadol or maybe wouldn't notice any depression at all on those days that tramadol is not intend to be taken...

 

[Lisssa]

Hello there OP. I just think that you've really got to remind yourself on what you have said yourself in your first post and I'm talking about the thing that you are already feeling both the depression and the irritability as it is and therefore it is obvious that the tramadol it is not the appropriate medication for this condition that you are suffering from. it is obvious that you might need something else other than tramadol since this, IMO, is by far not the best medication.

 

I know some of these stuff because my husband, as you, also has MDD. he is using bupripion/ wellbutrin. have you ever used this medication yourself? if you haven't then you definitely must to. I tell you this because this medication has completely turned him around on his depressive tendencies. if you did have tried it and you thought that it is not working then maybe it is a dosage related thing? just try it out and see yourself because as I said, it damn works amazing for my husband also with MDD.

 

plus to that, I also do know something about tramadol in particular so I can tell you from my own opinion, being someone who has been addicted to tramadol and has detoxed from it twice and hasn't had any of them (well… just 4 tablets) in over a year, I do believe that the very best way that you can do to tackle down the withdrawals it is just to do it! I mean, you've got to think and already expect that you are going to feel pretty crappy for a little while as you are recovering because that's the way you would surely feel. being prepared mentally and emotionally to feel that way would help. also you might use such medications (over the counter meds) like the acetominophen as well as ibuprofen in order to help you with some of the withdrawals symptoms (physical symptoms) that you would get such as the hot flashes as well as head and body aches. try to sleep. I know that this is a real challenge to sleep during that time but at least try to. also stay up on your water intake, you've got to drink lots of water which would help you to detox as well as you've got to soak in the bathtube whenever you are feeling worn down. another thing which may seem like a challenge but also might help is if you're going to exercise. no power lifting - just some walks. physical activity would help you restore faster. I know what I am talking… exercises it is an great way to help yourself feel much more better, be sure about that. again, I've been in such situations and I do know that doing anything at all is a challenge, but at least a walk is good… and even if you just take only a few minutes per day to stretch and to get your blood flowing and to increase your oxygen intake naturally - that's already a big step.

 

trust me, all of these things, especially when doing all of them, really adds up and are making a very big difference in how hard/ long your recovery is. another thing is that if you like marijuana then I believe that this must be a great way to fight off and alleviate the withdrawals as well… but I guess it is obvious that you've just got to be careful not to lean too hard and then to just change from one habit for another… but since you said that kratom is illegal in Australia and you don't want to break the law then I doubt marijuana is legal there and that you want to use it either… that's just something I decided to leave it here. I can say that I have some little doubt that this is what I have done to myself over a course of some years, and this is the reason why I have became so so dependent on marijuana. but even so, after all… hey... marijuana is not going to potentially kill you, and it is also not going to turn you into a raging beast either. not sure how you feel about it but that sounds good enough to me.

 

just remember that you've got to take one day at a time, also try to reduce your MG a little bit more every single day , and before you even know it, you are going to be able to put the tramadol completely in the past and since I'm already here then I can tell you: that's an incredibly good feeling. there IS what to fight for, trust me. so go on and fight it off. you're going to win, just try your best to tough it out! good luck to you and keep on posting, it really helps, at least it helped me..

 

[lendan000]

Lisssa thank you very and very much for your advice! gotta say that that I did have tried bupropion today and even though I was having some high hopes for it… unfortunately it didn't fulfilled any of them as it has only caused me some really strange obsessive thinking and that's why I couldn't take it anymore and so I stopped. but anyway, as I've already mentioned this, I am now hoping to try out some supplements for my depression due to the fact that I have tried some numerous antidepressants (trust me I tried lots of them) and whichever I took - it never worked and I have had some bad reactions to each one of them. being so desperate to try to find something that it is going to help me… I have also tried Seroquel (quetiapine) however I just have had a kind of weird over stimulation effect from it, from using 100 mg or more… that's when I have been expecting that I would get sedation from using it… I mean, I used it because based from the information that I have found it should sedate me at such a dosage, but as I said, it over stimulated me… and that's really bad for me because I have taken it at night and it kept me wide awake rather than to put me to sleep so I didn't slept that night. generally… as you can see I really seem to react very strangely to an entire range of different drugs. besides to that, I have also tried modafinil as well as adrafinil, however I did not experienced any alerting/ stimulating/ concentrating/ motivating effect from using it. and that's even though I took a dose of 400 mg modafinil where other people would perfectly feel those effects… again, I have had just some strange obsessive thinking… very similar to what the bupropion has caused me to suffer from..

 

[lendan000]

and yeah… something else I wanted to add there is that you are most likely right on that, I only need to ride out the tramadol withdrawals and try my best to get through them rather than to search for some other medications to take. I do know that this is the best way since you get off without anything else and you're then feeling absolutely fine… but I just think that they might help you and I have seen many people saying that they can help. not sure what to do. and yeah, although they can help, you are still most likely right.

 

[Bried]

thanks, that's an amazing feedback! thank you a lot. I am using between 200 mg and 250 mg of tramadol nearly every day even though this one is not giving me that buzz that the oxycodone was doing. plus to that, I am also using Wellbutrin as an anti depressant with an incredible appetite suppressing effects which is good for me as I can lose weight in the time that I'm not as depressed. each time when I am combining them (because I am taking this in the morning when I wake up) then wellbutrin with the tramadol, I am noticing that I can surely feel a spike in my happiness and in my gratitude as well. however the problem is that without this wellbutrin, I am just losing the pain edge indeed, however I am just not able to feel the transformative effects that are coming by when I am combining those 2 together. I mean, by taking only one of them I feel good, but by taking both of them I feel amazingly well, with lots of happiness and motivation to do stuff. I can feel that there's an seratonin overflow which helps me greatly deal with the every day tasks and stress.

 

[Lisssa]

oh wow, tramadol and wellbutrin taken together that's just… dangerous.. do you know about this? better stay away from this because wellbutrin taken along with tramadol is a really dangerous combination of drugs which might lead you to suffer from bad outcomes such as serotonin syndrome. I mean, this combination is that you are mixing an SNRI with an antidepressant and you should know that they are not meant to be taken together as they could cause serotonin syndrome. you could search online for serotonin syndrome and see what it makes you feel like and you can read what causes it. you could also read about the combination of wellbutrin and tramadol online and see what other dangerous interactions they have. please be aware of this and please do your research more on these 2 drugs. are you being prescribed these 2 medications by the same doctor? if that's so then have you been warned about this? have he/ she told you how dangerous it is? if you've been prescribed them by 2 different doctors or if you take one (or both of them) without a doctor knowing about it then you might be better letting them now. for the sake of your own well being.

 

[Bried]

Hello Lisssa and thank you for showing concern. yes, I am very well aware about the toxicity potential as I did have done my research before taking these 2 together. in all fairness it is rare to ingest 500 mg and usually I am using the pain relief, as I said in my first post, 200 mg, only sometimes 250 mg when the pains require so. this means that 500 mg would be at least 2 different doses of 250 mg throughout the entire day which I do not take. but this occurs at dosages of 500 mg and above, since I rarely take even half of this dosage, I can assume that I am all fine. however, I still appreciate the warning and for showing concern, I really appreciate it as I have already said it. another thing is that I can feel it in my body when I am being close to too much so then again I'm safe. one more thing is that I take wellbutrin and wellbutrin isn't actually playing the exact same way that SSRI's do which makes me, again, being safe. having all of this said, I have nearly no chances of getting serotonin syndrome or anything things in this matter. be well!

 

[Garofalo]

hey OP, I really think that if you are going to search for tramadol withdrawals in google then you are going to be given quite a few threads on it. as we all know, there is something like an SNRI or something similar in it and this is why getting off it using cold turkey it is not recommended as you might end up having seizures or something like this. I think that maybe you should go to like 100 mg every other day for a week and then go cold turkey? another thing is that I think you could ask your doctor for a replacement SNRI in order to take so that you could get the opiate type of medication in tramadol out of your system and then to wean off the SNRI completely which would make it safer? not sure if that's gonna do the trick but I still think that it might be worth at least talking about this with your doctor. whichever the case, I really hope very much that those supplements would work for you well and you're generally going to be well. also, please come back here with an update and share with us your process and success (or failure, whichever you experience) so other people that are going on your path as well ca benefit knowing which would be better to do and which would be better not to do. if you experience failure then please share what you think made you to experience this. if you would have success then please tell us what you think made you achieve this success. generally every single detail might be important so please do not forget to share everything you know. I wish you an easy detox and hope you're going to be well.

 

[tameeka]

hey there everyone. I just want to help and I really hope that I will be helping more than hurting as I know that often, in such kind of threads, people can give bad advices which would actually hurt people than help them. so, before I start I just want to tell you that you must take this with a grain of salt and do your research very well before taking a decision on what you must do and what you shouldn't actually be doing. plus to that, all that I would say here is based only on my experience and it is not actually a recommendation or a doctor's advice, please, again, be safe and be sure that what you do is safe. so, let me start.

 

I once have found out that if I would take effexor (venlafaxine) as a substitute for the tramadol then it is going to eliminate all of my withdrawals symptoms that I have from the tramadol when I want to get off it. I am sure that the reason behind this is the fact that Effexor it is one of the Selective Serotonin as well as Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (as many used to say it in short - SNRIs) which is exactly like the one that is being contained in the Tramadol. besides the fact that Tramadol eliminates your pains, this is the reason that tramadol is making you feel so good and the reason why it is so preferred by many and then again, the reason why it is so hard to get off it (since the withdrawals are really really bad). the small amount of opioid that it has in it also plays a role in this. it eliminates the pains and also makes you feel good as well, but not only it and also the SNRI action that provides this 'feeling well' effect.

 

having that said, I am not very sure if any other drug that effexor would help for such things, but I assume so and this is the reason why, if I would be you, I would visit a doctor and I would really consider to get on an SNRI type of drug (as I said, for example either venlafaxine, but also you could search for duloxetine as well as desvenlafaxine since these 3 are the most popular SNRI type of drugs). as I said, from my experience I have found out that it may be very helpful (I found it to enormously help me) with both my withdrawals symptoms (which is why I assume that it should work the same for you too) as well as it must help you with your anxiety issues and depression since you said that this is also a problem for you. having this said, such kind of a drug must help you with most of your major issues that you would be dealing with.

 

another thing which I honestly think that it is as important is that you must be sure to stay on it for no less than 6 weeks before you would be able to make any kind of a judgement call in regards to the drug due to the fact that such kind of drugs really do need that long in order to fully kick in. it is obvious that I can't be really sure either this is true or not, but I just suspect that some of your past negative experience with both the SSRIs and with the SNRIs (yeah, I did read that part and I took it in consideration) may be due to the fact that you have not been using them long enough. I know that my suspicion isn't based on any facts and that's why I want to apologize beforehand if what I said here is wrong. but I said so because very often, everything that a lot of us are getting in the beginning from such kind of drugs it is the side effects from them, and those sides may just take several weeks to go away (until our body gets used to the drug) and the actual effectiveness starts to kick in. unfortunately, many people don't get through this period since they barely notice any 'good effects' and they do get side effects, but the problem is that they don't know that if they would actually get until the end then their side effects would go away and the drug would actually start working for them. I just thought that this might be the reason you said that SSRIs and SNRIs do not work for you. again, I apologize if this is wrong.

 

I wish you all the best in finding your own way to get through the withdrawals, trust me it IS really worth it, no doubts. as soon as you've got there - you would be so much more happier.

 

[lendan000]

oh wow, tramadol and wellbutrin taken together that's just… dangerous.. do you know about this? better stay away from this because wellbutrin taken along with tramadol is a really dangerous combination of drugs which might lead you to suffer from bad outcomes such as serotonin syndrome. I mean, this combination is that you are mixing an SNRI with an antidepressant and you should know that they are not meant to be taken together as they could cause serotonin syndrome. you could search online for serotonin syndrome and see what it makes you feel like and you can read what causes it. you could also read about the combination of wellbutrin and tramadol online and see what other dangerous interactions they have. please be aware of this and please do your research more on these 2 drugs.

</p><p> </p><p>Lisssa you've got to know that, in fact, Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is not elevating the serotonin levels very much, at least not so much that it could cause you suffer from serotonin syndrome, only the norepinephrine and the dopamine does it. and this is the reason why it shouldn't really cause serotonin syndrome taken along with tramadol, although I do not try to exclude such a risk, I only try to say that chances are much higher with noprepinephrine and dopamine than with Wellbutrin. however I still must say that whether the norepinephrine action of both drugs it is a problem then this is just another matter...</p>

 

[lendan000]

also I wanted to say very sincere thank you to all of you guys for the advices, I really appreciate them all folks, big thanks! and to be honest, changing to an SNRI drug instead of the tramadol it surely makes a lot of sense, at least for me, if we consider the tramadol effects on the serotonin and on the norepinephrine. having that said, substituting an SNRI for tramadol when trying to get off it, indeed should greatly help!

 

but I have to say here that in the end of it all, my addiction specialist has substituted buprenorphine for the tramadol and I can gladly say that the buprenorphine is doing a good job for me in suppressing all of the cravings I have for tramadol and other opiates as well (because besides this, I have also been taking oxycodone as well as codeine too). I am currently taking a dosage of only 2 mg per day, however I still want to reduce this even more as soon as possible due to the fact that: firstly I want to get off of absolutely anything at all and to be medications free but also, secondly, because the drug it is causing some really serious tiredness for me as well as a bad nausea and that's even if I'm taking a pretty low dosage now. I would try to reduce it faster and get off it faster so I plan that in a few more days (maximum weeks) I would be meds free as well as I shouldn't have any withdrawals anymore then. so far I'm doing well but still wish me good luck as I feel that I'm gonna need it.

 

[tameeka]

oh wow… man, it is no wonder that buprenorphine is suppressing all your cravings for tramadol… it really seems to me that your doctor got it very serious since he switched you to buprenorphine from tramadol… I mean, if you haven't really understood what I try to say… giving you buprenorphrine from tramadol it is pretty much as if you want to stomp on an ant but with an elephant. what I try to say is that it is obvious you don't need an elephant to stomp that ant, other 'smaller' animals/ stuff than an elephant would be enough. you are doing very good that you try to get off buprenorphine as soon as possible and that you want to get the dosage even lower. better do it ASAP and that's because the buprenorphine isn't so potent 'as an elephant' without a price to pay for this… and it is that it is extremely addictive as well, in fact, it is more addictive than tramadol and often times it is being even harder to get off of the buprenorphine than the tramadol itself. so please, try your best not to switch from one addiction to another even harder to get off. I assume your doctor warned you about this, but I feel like it's my duty to write this and leave it here after what I've heard.

 

again, at very least you are on a low dosage of buprenorphine, but then again, do as you said, try to get off from it as soon as it is possible because as I said, you get addicted to it even easier, it starts nearly immediately, and be sure that the withdrawal is hell… and also, there's nearly nothing that can stomp on an elephant so…. so please be safe… in the meanwhile… I wish you all the best and hope God would give you strength and power, I know that you can do this, so please, just do it!

 

[Lisssa]

hey again. I just want to say that I personally like to use as simple as just ibuprofen that can help me with the hot cold flashes that I get form the tramadol withdrawals, so I suggest you trying it out yourself, maybe it would help you too. plus to that, it is important that you drink a lot of water. and I mean a lot. firstly it is important that you do not get dehydrated from all the sweating which would intensify the withdrawals and plus to that, the more water you drink, the faster you detox. and please, do not forget that with each day it is getting easier. the more you resist, the better it gets.

 

I'm currently also in my withdrawal period. I'm in my fifth day of withdrawals and I' nearly done with the sweats. although it still feels extremely bad, I can feel that I'm much better than second day, than 3 days ago, and even than yesterday!

 

[lendan000]

hey there, thank you very much for your warnings and for showing concern, I really appreciate it a lot. and yeah, I do know that the bup it is a lot much more stronger drug than tramadol and I do know that it is a much more addictive one, this is the reason that I said that I should get off it quicker and why I take only a small dose. so yeah, I am already reducing it, I try to get away from the addiction and I surely do not want to simply switch addictions (especially to an even worse one). and maybe my doctor took it too serious, I am not sure, but at least it really helps as luckily, so far I have not yet had any bad withdrawals. I mean, I'm obviously not in my best but there's still nothing as bad or uncontrollable and unbearable. so thank you again.

 

Lisssa, I wish you good luck as well. you're gonna do it. I really hope that you are getting through the withdrawals fine and hoping they would end as soon as possible. since you are on the day 5, shouldn't you go now through the worst? or it already started to get better? thank for the recommendation as well! we WILL do it!