Cold Turkey & Withdrawl Symptoms

I've never considered myself a drug addict. I don't think I quite fit the profile. However I've been taking a "pick & mix" of smarties for a long time now & they weren't working. The intake kept increasing but the pain levels worsened. The "suck it and see" method of prescribing just doesn't solve the problems & the intake never reduced.

So I decided, having talked to a Pharmacist & then my GP, that I would come off everything except the heart medication. I wasn't keen on dropping dead from a stroke or heart attack just yet.

I stopped taking the first drug in early March, the next two in April & now I'm starting reducing the the final one today. I've been nauseous for 3 weeks. I've gone off food & tea & coffee - Fortunately not gin & tonic or wine. My head feels as if there is a tight metal band pressing round from my forhead to the nape of my neck. I've had "swirling pit" type dizzy spells when I get into bed - (not after G & T or wine though fortunately). The pain has got worse, unsurprisingly. Therefore something must have been working - a bit.

The thing is no one told me what to expect from going "cold turkey". No one advised me how to deal with or recognise the withdrawl symptoms if I got them. I think that's a bit remiss. I've had chronic conditions for a long time, so I'm habituated to pain, fatigue & feeling unwell. I manage my own conditions independently. I make an effort to keep fit and active.

In this instance even I found it very difficult to cope. I went into the surgery on the morning of the worst day to see if I could see a doctor. I was told someone would phone, which they did about tea time. The doctor, who I didn't know, was very reassuring & encouraged me to keep going. I have done.

I think that if I can get my body to a drug free baseline, (apart from the Beta Blockers & Warfarin !), I then stand a chance of introducing a drug to deal with the pain one at a time. I can then monitor the results or absence of results. My body will also be free of unnecessary substances.

I don't need a medical qualification to see the logic of what I'm doing. I just wonder why the medics didn't suggest it themselves instead of just continuing to prescribe ineffective drugs, which are, after all, toxins.

I believe in patients taking responsibility for themselves & working in partnership with their health professionals. It just doesn't seem to work very well in my case. It shouldn't be beyond the wit of medics in the 21st century to control chronic & acute pain.