Hi my name is Dr. Jared Marcucci and I will try t give you some suggestions for how to best avoid side effects from stopping opiates. The good news is that withdrawal from opiates is not lethal, but it can be very painful and difficult. Alcohol and Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be very dangerous and even lethal. You always want to wean off a medication under a doctors supervision. The best way to avoid withdrawal from opiates is a long wean process of gradually cutting back until you no longer take the medication. For example a good percentage of cutting back on opiates is 10% per week. If a person is taking 3 10mg Norcos each day it would be 30mg / day of opiates. Week 1 = regular dose / day Week 2 = 10% = 27mg / day Week 3 = 10% = ~ 24.3mg /day Week 4 = ~ 10% = ~ 21.8mg / day Week 5 = ~10% = ~ 19.6mg / day Continue in this fashion until you are taking less that 1mg / day and then stop completely. This wean recipe will take 30 weeks to complete and may seem like a very long process nut this will most effectively help you avoid withdrawal symptoms as you would have from stopping cold turkey. You would want a doctor helping you with the process as it may be difficult to get medications in the exact dose you need each week. Opiates come in many forms and often a liquid suspension based product is easier to measure out doses. It does not have to be Norco necessarily many opiates will helping the weaning process. You can also get treatment for whatever side effects you may have like diarrhea, cramping, pain etc. The wean will reduce the severity of these withdrawal symptoms but you still may need treatment of the side effects to help you along the way. I hope that this is helpful and answers your question. Good luck in your endeavors and be well. Sincerely, Dr. Jared Marcucci