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ONLY TIME, DEDICATION and ABSTINENCE can CURE Opioid ADDICTION.oh and a lot of good luck.
Though after reading through this forum I find myself more and more repulsed by any sort of substance and the idea of him going back to methadone. I don't like to see him NEEDING something. I don't like to see him weak to something I can't fight.
Drugs suck. They suck people in and keep them from the world.
- the cat
Why dont you tell him that others have gone cold turkey off 130mg of methadone,with no Girlfriend or wife or anybody else including friends and family to help and no drugs either and amazingly enough a miracle occured,they evetually recovered(after 5 months) and felt very independent,now they try to help others.Or you could mother him back to an infantile stage.
Life is cruel sometimes,remind him how lucky he is to have you.
Also, I think they administer too much at times. My guy was on 70 mg, and when he started to come down he didn't feel any different even when he made it to 30 mg. Finally he felt the withdrawal symptoms around 15 or so. That tells me that he didn't need nearly as much as he was given, which pisses me off.
My impression is that when someone detoxes after doing drugs for a significant amount of time, they are not going to feel 'right' whether they go cold turkey or do it slowly. it takes time and exercise and nutrition to build the body back up to what it was. My boyfriend didn't have anything when he detoxed. He was depressed from not being able to hold a job for a year, didn't have money. He had nothing to 'distract' him except me. But that only goes so far. Without self esteem, the depression keeps one down.
If he had a foundation set up and felt better about himself initially into the detox process, i don't believe he would have gone and gotten pills on the street.
I give him all the support I can and I know that his meeting me has helped the whole process. It's just going to take time. His desire to be clean is what give me hope every day. I am very proud of him.
Methadone Maintenance,(full blockade dose) is Not usually followed by adequate counciling or any Personal growth Therapies,so it is Primarily intended for People who are Severe addicts who will basically end up dead or in jail if they continue on their present path of self destruction.
cat
This is in response to the (the?) girl whose boyfriend is trying to kick methadone. Sister - you have my compassion - and I can speak directly to your situation although it is simply to provide moral support to you both. I was addicted to that **** (heroin) and went through so many methadone detox(s)I honestly lost count. Your Bo needs to get to a doctor who understands and treats addiction for what it is - a medical condition. If he can find someone who is willing to support him with buprenorphine I highly recommend that he do so. That drug was initially used in detox units for the poor souls coming off of stimulants like meth(crank), coke, crack etc. It was found to significantly lift the moods in these patients. Depression is a factor in most people where drugs and alcohol have been abused and honestly it's my experience that those of us who find ourselves with substance abuse problems have a tendency towards depression and usually find it in the family tree. My bout with heroin cost me a cool job the lady I loved and so on. Please don't give up on your boyfriend - he will make it but it may be 3 steps forward and two back for a while. I'm not a fan myself but 12 step programs like narcotics anonymous have helped and continue to help an enormous amount of people – including my own mother’s recovery from 25 years of Valium addiction. In short buprenorphine will get him over the hump physically and emotionally and can be reduced to where the final kick is very lightweight. I would suggest if he has found a source for this drug outside the legal means that he try VERY hard to find a doctor to work with before taking that route. A doctor can also prescribe an depressant so his system has some neuro-chemical support. Although I've heard that the next generation of antidepressants will have endorphin and opiate receptor action as part of the program, the closest I have been able to find currently is Wellbutrin. I took it for a while and although I required high dosage levels it helped a lot. I send you both love and light and again would suggest you search until you find a doctor who doesn't judge this horrid business but sees it for what it is and will help your friend medically.Try calling a doctor at the mehtadone clinic for a referal. The key is to be totally honest about where he has been and where he wants to go. These poor doctors today have been schemed and scammed and shammed so much that they are rightfully gun-shy. His body and mind will restore itself and if he was down to only 20mg of methadone a day he’s not far from freedom, but that last bit is a *****. The sooner he can begin ANY type of exercise the sooner he will come around. Just get him outside and walk – until he’s exhausted – make him eat (critical), and do normal stuff together – go to movies go for a drive anything he can tolerate to get his mind off of the misery. You are both (and anyone else for that matter) welcome to email me at dn_sherrod***@****
Keep the faith – this to shall pass
siliconboy
puhlease
PS - yo spook - know what ? don't bother - I was around when the first generation of idealistic wanna be hippie - beat poet - I got the answer to the worlds problems - spiritual chameleon fuckheads was talking that **** you talk - save it.
Thanks. : ) I have been trying to distract him and usually it works. It just drains me sometimes trying to see beyond the underlying depression.
But there's no way in hell I'm going to give up.
love, cat
SB
So he would cop dope a couple times per week in part because he was still very much a junkie - but I got to be good friends with him and the sleep/mehtadone withdrawal thing was very legit.
That asme guy told me how he used to lay awake at night during the mid to late 60's and listen to the machine gun and rifle fire from neighboring areas 9 race riots) he first meth clinics opened the riots slowed way down. It was relatively easy to get in the program back in the day ... stuff to think about - tell yer boy I'm pullin' for him (and you cat)
L8R
Methadone seems to satisfy many of the problems related to addiction because it is legal and given in controlled doses along with mandatory 12 step programs and counselling.. that part is good. Seems that they dose based on the person's need related to how much oxy they were using. The drug has a long half life... that makes it very difficult to withdraw from ... it is also very addictive... but the program is set up to address all this.... thus larger doses in the beginning to satisfy the addict and tapering over a long period of time till they are both used to working a 12 step program and also physically able to be totally clean. Basically from what I have observed or been told methadone is good for constant relapsers giving them plenty of time to work out issues, get back together with families, get back to work and not have to continually be focused on getting a supply of drug which is a BIGGIE for addicts.. it seems to take up most of their time !!
That your boyfriend is mean and verbally abusive may be that he is tapered down too soon at some stage of the game OR... it may also be that he has issues that his drug was covering and now he is having to deal with them and the reality of everyday life again. This is why support groups, NA and other types of counselling are always recommended. I am not an expert.. have learned much on this board from others and also other places as well. Love, Brighty
If your boyfriend is getting cranky off of 30mg, maybe it is not enough to completely supress the withdrawal symptoms. He doesn't feel physically well, and his attitude shows it.
I mentioned in a previous posting, I don't think the clinics encourage the person to detox as much as we would like to think they do. If your boyfriend wants to detox, he has to let them know. I don't think this is something they will decide for him. Be proactive about him getting off. It's in his best interest to do so as soon as possible. From reading this forum, I see some people can be on methadone for tens of years!
To follow up, my boyfriend used Catapres for four days. He was told this would flush the methadone out of his system and afterward never want it again. Well, it completely knocked him out, made him delirious (I hated to see him this way). After four days he felt very weak and still had cravings for methadone (because he knew that would give him energy). He went back and got a 20 mg pill after not having taken methadone for maybe 6 days. AND IT MADE HIM SO TIRED! I loved it because that meant his tolerance was down. So now he is splitting one pill in half and takes half each day (10 mg). Even though it's a minor step back to 'resort back' to methadone, he is down to a lower dose.
yay
So good luck with your man! Give him a couple beers and talk to him about coming off of it. Stay in 'the loop' with this addiction. He will feel more supported and will appreciate your concern in the end.
cat
PET scans are not used to verify number of Opioid receptors,but what would I know I have only spent 23 years studying and RESEARCHING Pharmacology,Psychiatry and Neurology.Positron emission tomography is used to map the localization of drugs binding sites using radioactive labeled glucose.Receptors numbers do not change from opioid use,Qualitative changes do occur though.
Quote:
"hey - anyone who believes that poor thing that calls itself spook (perfect) about anything and certainly about addiction and most especially kicking 130 mgs of methadone cold turkey - you get what you deserve. Ever see a PET scan of someone who's been using high doses of mehtadone for any length of time? opiate receptor count increases geometrically - what up spook - know yer **** about this stuff - step up baby, bring it - or shut up and stop the **** making like your some kind of superbeing
puhlease
PS - yo spook - know what ? don't bother - I was around when the first generation of idealistic wanna be hippie - beat poet - I got the answer to the worlds problems - spiritual chameleon fuckheads was talking that **** you talk - save it.
"I was told by an MD - never verified this so take it for what it is - that mehtadone, outside of having a hell of a long half life - stores in bone marrow and not just fat cells etc where most other drugs hide in the body"
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Try not to make a COMPLETE fool of yourself in future posts.
moron
Now what about heroin ?? for years I heard that it makes the teeth fall out, ages the joints and also stores in bone marrow as well as fat cells. I do know that my daughter had horrible pains in her bones after she came off the stuff.. it's been 13 months off now and she says she still has some mild joint pain now and then, similar to what she would experience when she ran out or when she went through withdrawl... basically, what are the the long term effects of heroin or other heavy opiate use ???
Also, how long does it stay in fat cells ??? How do you think is best to get it out ?? Liver cleanse ?? Sweating in a Sauna ?? And would any of these practices cause a release into the bloodstream and ultimately to the urine producing a false positive ??? My daughter is on house arrest and drug tested regularly.... she has had a false positive once and the GCT proved it to be clean urine.. and not too long ago she had a false positive for THC and it was sent out for GCT and it came back clean... she also went immediately from probation to a hospital and had them do a test which also came back clean... so we are wondering and nobody can tell us anything.. just as long as the 2nd testing comes back ok... which they have.
This has caused her great emotional pain and unnecessary fears. She does have Hep C contracted 16 months ago but the doctors say her liver function is fine so that would not cause this... so what do you think ???? I think maybe stored in the body and being released at odd times ??
Here's another one... someone told her... her sponsor to be exact who is a nurse... that a woman should never have unprotected sex with a man who smokes pot because the THC is in the urine... the cervix is like a sponge to insure procreation... and the semen is soaked up by the cervix...if it has THC in it then it could get into the bloodstream, be passed in the urine and cause a false positive or also be in the fat cells of the fetus if pregnancy occurs. I have never heard ANY of this before so I hoping for clarification.
Thanks in advance. Love, Brighty
moron
These sites of course do not denote/induce Physiological activity,they are just remnants,the military may use hair or finger nail analysis to detect drug use in prior 6 months,but civilians are only expected to give clean urine and blood samples.
One of the reasons it takes so long to withdraw from methadone is because of its slow trickle back into the blood stream from extravascular sites,causing a very prolonged but relatively mild? abstinence syndrome,besides 6 x 25 hrs(half life) = about 1 week just to clear from blood stream before withdrawals really DIG in,so they peak around say 10,then the trickle in effect prolongs it for months.
HE with the most retracted ego WINs.
I love you both.. now Spook... please note that you sent me good information... but I do hope you can be more specific to my questions. Also, I usee the word urine in a sentence where I meant semen... you will see it.. and now I have corrected it.
Looking forward to your replies.
Love, Brighty
uranut Bright Light - are you sure your mom didn't name you that?
Just curios - you know what happened to those poor Zapa kids right?
David
Heroin does not get stored in adipose(fat)cells,I think you are thinking of THC or Methadone,in this case(THC) about 6 weeks.
You ask how to get it out but it is out by about 24hrs
The false positives are FALSE positives.
Brighty heroin just simply is not stored in the body,if she had some wierd liver enzyme problem and could not metabolize it then it would stay in her body for life,but the average liver breaks it down by 50% in 4 hours and then the kidneys remove it rapidly,some may exit in fecal matter,but only small quantities.
I am sad that she has HCV as it gets worse and she is sweet 16 and should be having a good time ,not locked in her house,with a virus that can and does eventually cause damage to the liver
The emotional pain and unnecessary fears are terrible.
I have had HCV for 20 years and my liver function tests are normal,but I get fatigue.Biopsy has confirmed a healthy liver!
Now onto this sperm THC thing,I heard that THC attaches to the sperm and can transfer into the blood from the cervix.
And yes a "baby"?(not quite-embryo) can be theoretically stoned at time of conception because the sperm has THC on it.
Hope you daughter continues to improve and that you do not have to suffer to much from her mistakes.
Sincerely Spooky
I really do appolagize for bitchin about such a small dose when other people have much bigger hurdles. I consider myself an old school dope fiend but damn this is a *****. I thought about tryin St Johns Wort for the anxiety and depression (which is the worst part of the detox at this point)I'm leary of pharmaceutical antideppresants because I didn't wanna get caught up in another drug that I'd have to eventually have to detox from and get rebound anxiety and deppresion again. Is it possible that taking that small amount of meth is just enough to
hurt me more than help me? After 2 yrs is it at all possible to get used to this dose than drop a little more? Or at this point is the only way out to just stop taking the dose and live with the sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, etc. At this point I'm willing to start taking prescribed antidepressants. Iv'e kicked counless dope habits but never a semi-long term meth habit so any help is very much appreciated. I haven't used in 8 yrs and I'm just so close!
Please forgive my rambling,
Dio
If after 2 yrs my body won't adjust than how can it adjust with no meth. Or is the small dose keeping my body from adjusting and if I stopped the dose it would adjust eventually. (you know what I mean?) I appolagize for bitching about such a small dose when so many other people have much larger hurdles. I mean I consider myself an "old school" dope fiend and kicked countless dope habits but Damn! this is unbearable. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. I haven't used any other drugs for 8 yrs and I'm just so close!
Please forgive my rambling
DIO
Love, Brighty