Neck Pain & SAM-E

This isn't particularly about candida although, I certainly have had my problems with that in the past. I just know people on here know a lot about nutrition in general and I don't know of any other forums that are as active and helpful as this one.

I became addicted to vicodin about a year ago--I'd like to get off. I have symptoms of very achy legs and general achiness if I skip doses. I can handle the neck pain. From what I've read, taking as much vicodin as I have has depleted my levels of dopamine--a natual pain reliever and other important neurotraansmitters. I did some research on the internet and the supplements SAM-e, glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM might help to restore my body. I bought combination of the Glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM--and a separate supplement of SAM-e. Does anyone know a good protocol for withdrawal, or anything helpful on these?


Glucosamine/chrondrotin supplements are usually for joint pain, not general aches. The general aches sound like a withdrawal reaction.

For rebuilding your health, start with the basics, not specific supplements.
1)Begin with a good cleanses to help clean out your body of the drugs. Some companies make specific cleanses for kidney and liver as well as general cleanses. Consult with a naturopath if one is available.
2) Read my 10/18 post on Brain Racing. Anyone dealing with an addiction needs the second book, The Promise of Energy Psychology. It gives simple techniques to beat serious addictions, phobias, bad habits, and reach goals that you can do yourself. The techniques it teaches help balance your brain chemistry w/o medication and break unproductive patterns. The other book on Energy Medicine would also be useful.
3) Good daily multivitamin
4) Purified fish oil- Very important for neurological response.
5) Lots of daily fiber to help clean out your body of metabolic debris from cleansing.
6) Probiotics may be useful to help detoxify.
7) Vigorous daily walking will help brain chemistry and body in too many ways to list.

Other supplements can useful for specific conditions. If you have a good local health food store they can often be of assistance.

Be very careful with methadone- a 28 year old neighbor just fatally ODed on it. In my opinion, you will just be trading one addiction for another one to replace vicodan with methadone.

I don't have any medical training, but am offering suggestions based on my personal experience.



Don't know if you're just interested in 'naturals,' and you may already be aware, but methadone is an rx drug that is commonly used for heroin but also helps with withdrawl pain from vicodin. Its supposed to be very effective but you have to be extremely careful not to o.d.


With regards to methadone, Just say NO. It's next to impossible to withdraw from meth. It very much srews with brain function and worse.


Hi Judy

Do you mind me asking how you have formed this opinion? Is it just one person with a bad experience?

I know of folks who have used it successfully and the general consensus on the net seems to be quite positive.

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/methadone/index.html

It sounds like you feel strongly about this. I just haven't heard this view point before.



Shari,

My son is 24. He has Crohn's and chronic pain. The M.D. put him on high doses of Lorcet and Percocet. He had problems with addiction to them. Then the doctor switched him over to methadone. "They" say it is harder to withdraw from methadone than from heroine. Methadone occupies "feel good" receptors (can't remember which ones). Who doesn't want to feel good, especially when you have a life of pain? But, 24 is pretty young to be on a high dose of this drug. My husband has been on high doses of pain meds for many years due to orthopedic damage and surgeries. I don't think he'd take meth, only as a last resort.

It messes with my son's brain.. He doesn't seem as smart as he really is. He is sometimes loopy and dopey, and stumbles over his words, and can't think straight. It covers up symptoms, so if he were to be getting sick, it might be missed. When he tries to cut back or withdraw, he goes into major withdrawal -- the kind you see in movies with heroin addiction--
It's not a pretty sight to see for real in my own son.

My son is trying to cut back. He'll succeed in cutting back, but then it seems to have a whiplash affect, and he has to make up for what he missed. If he doesn't succeed getting off this through the methods we're trying such as acupuncture, we may be forced to put him into a rehab place.

Methadone should be reserved for people who have hard to treat unrelenting pain, for which there is no other answer, short of morphine or whatever.

Judy


Hi Judy,

thank you for your response. I suppose it doesn't really surprise me that someone would have this kind of experience with such a powerful drug. I know that methadone can be very dangerous if dosed improperly - there have been some accidental deaths lately in the news.

When you say "they" say it is harder to withdraw from methadone than heroin, I'm not sure who you are referring to, because I've always heard the opposite. I can believe its debatable. I do know of someone who succesfully came off heroin with methadone.

I really feel for anyone who struggles with this. My husband was in excruciating, totally disabling back pain early this year to the point where I feared him taking his own life. Sometimes he was drugged out of his mind and still screaming/crying in pain. Drug addiction was a concern but sometimes it can be a lesser consideration. I believe that folks who get hooked deserve a TON of compassion.

I respect your take on this Judy and I am sure that others appreciate hearing it...

best wishes to you and your son.


Here are a couple of brand-name products we are experimenting with.

Seacure (fish product works very well)
= basic nutrition
Argonne brand (MLM Co.)joint formula
ReLiv (MLM Co.) "Classic" vit/min + herbs
ReLiv "Arthraffect" joint function *Reliv has a lot of soy products, and I'm not in to soy, but people I know personally are getting excellent results with ReLiv products including my sister's husband.
Standard Process has good products (available through chiropractors, etc.)

MLM= multi-level marketing

Judy - Lost Wages, Nev.


Hi.

It's all Brian-Fog's fault!

My son is in a similar place as you. He has Crohn's disease and the accompanying joint and muscle pains. The stupid doctor put him on high doses of pain meds, and now he is very addicted. He's only 24.

I am working at trying to get his real pain under control, then have a plan to get him off pain meds. He has to do his part, though. He's on a couple of joint formulas like you mentioned. I know also that mineral depletion is part of this. It might be different in different people, but look at Calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vit D, iron OVERLOAD, copper OVERLOAD?, DHEA. Some herbs like boswellia, turmeric, licorice root, barley grass, capsicum, maybe cat's claw or devil's claw. "Hot" herbs are anti-inflammatory. They don't have alzheimers or IBD in India. Arthritis?

I believe everyone should be on probiotics and Omega 3s.. just as a matter of course.

Okay - Detox and withdrawal. Probably need to support liver with milkthistle or other. Then acupuncture, NAET, and/or high level kinesiology.
Acupuncture is helpful with withdrawal and pain. NAET might maybe help, esp. with dopamine and brain chemicals. And, high level kinesiology can work miracles when the practitioner knows what he/she is doing. See "One Brain" or "Three in One Concepts." Our kinesiologist stopped my husbsnd from smoking in one treatment.

Best wishes.

Judy


Yes, its easy to grt hooked on these pain medications, without realizing all it is removing your body's ability to produce the proper chemistry anymore. I will try some of your suggestions. AThanks and I hope your son gets through it quickly. Sounds like you are helping him a lot.



Just a quick note... my son fought me for years about taking supplements, and he has hated all the alternative people I've taken him to. But, I believe the alternative stuff has kept him in remission since having a resection over seven years ago.

Due to his experience when he tries to withdraw from this freakin' med, he's now happily taking the supplements, loves acupuncture, and he's really doing much better.

Acupuncture is the surest bet. It got me off Xanax, quickly.

Good luck.


Do you happen to remember the points that you or your son's acupuncturist placed the needles? Or just general areas?---did he attach little microcurrent probes? Did he use lasers, or mircrocurrent on your ears?

Thanks


I don't know the points. You might google acupuncture + addiction.

Acupuncturists do use electric current with some treatments. It strengthens the treatment. Sometimes they put little beads on the ACP points to hold the treatment when you leave. They also do cupping to pull out toxins, and I have had bloodletting done also. My blood went from dark and stagnant back to normal.

I don't know how effective laser acupuncture is, but someone would have to stand there and laser the points. It's more efficient to place needles.