Opiate Withdrawal

[geoffreyallan]

Hey Everyone

I tried going cold turkey with my opiates last week but by day 3 I simply could not take it anymore so I went back to the chemist and got some more.

What do you do?  How do you cope with the insomnia and depression and restless legs?  It so stinking awful.  

Would appreciate any advice from others who've done it about what worked to help you get through.

Cheers,

Geoff

[gettingmylifeback1964]

Hi Magic, I'm on day 11 and getting panic attacks everyday I have been dealing with anxiety since my late teens and am now 51.  There is medication you can take but it's just a bandaid.  The only thing that really works is exercise and lots of it!  You will get more answers if you start a new thread.  (Ask a question). Now get out there and go for some nice long brisk fall walks or go to the gym if that's what you into.  You will be feeling better in no time.

[Magic808]

I'm on day 27 and my anxiety is getting really bad. I have alot going on in my life right now with work and home issues. I thought the worse was gone and I always heard about the anxiety issues but never felt it till now.  I read post everyday to help me thru the withdrawals and it helps me a lot to know I'm not alone. Can anyone tell me when it gets better. I've seen so many different responses and i know it's different for everyone but I feel like it's getting worse. Thanks

[therealmattj]

@justneedtotalk... I have been to detox, jail, and rehab. Out of everyone I ever met along the way with knowledge of this disease, you are by far the Ace card. Well said my friend. You are the absolute reason why I signed up for this website. Every single person here has great advice and I thank you all for sharing your stories but no disrespect to anyone, this one hit home. If you dont mind me asking, what was your pill or drug of choice?? RESPECT:)

[justneedtotalk]

Thank you for the kind words.....You all are on the right track towards kicking this thing.  It does not look like geoffreyallan is coming back to his original post....This happens a lot and people who are struggling with the idea of quitting usually fail within the first couple of days.  You guys can be different....You guys can break the cycle.  You guys NEED to quit, you need to just get past the first week or so and I promise it gets better daily from there.  Once you hit that month mark you are truly in the clear!  I cannot say enough about exercise and suppliments......"You get out of detox, what you put into it".  The worst pain in the rear end is getting up off the couch and getting lots of water down, along with getting all of the suppliments down and getting that first foot in front of the other to go for a walk.  A body in motion, tends to stay in motion!!!!  This statement is to true during detox.  You have to keep busy....You have to find ways to keep your mind occupied.  The more you sit and do nothing, the more your brain has a chance to convince you to make that call!  

Well....Good luck to you guys....Keep posting....And Don't Take A Pill!  :)

[selfinduced]

KMO beat me to the words. What you posted was plain ole simple good since. A drug addicted friend who was trying to shake moraphine had his wife take him in the car 30 miles away each day without his fix and drop him off to walk home. He had had a major surgery and became hooked, anyway he made himself do it for 2 weeks. At the end of the two weeks he was 80% better physically and 100 % better mentally.Just goes to show, diferent strokes for different folks.

[hiskidd]

That was a great post. Thank you from all of us onlookers.

[kmo2626]

You make perfect sense...can I please put you in my pocket and carry you around all day for motivation?

;-)

[justneedtotalk]

Hang in there.....I too was a habitual relapser.  I would go into it with the best of intentions but around day 2-4 I was just miserable.  I started to do a lot of research about ways to minimize withdrawal symptoms and I believe I have found a regiment that really works.  First and foremost you have to decide if you are worth it....Do you want to live?  Because it took me a long time to figure out that the decision to quit comes down to that very question...Do I want to live?  People like us with habits like ours do not live well into their 90's.  What is going to stop us from quitting pills?  Obviously there was nothing in our current lives strong enough to make us quit....SO.....I woke up one day and analyzed situations that would make me quit....Jail, getting busted while picking up some pills....Having health problems ie...liver, kidneys, gal bladder, overdose, heart complications, stop breathing due to over use......All of these options I determined sucked!  So, I woke up and had used all of my research, made a plan, took my last pill and every day put one foot in front of the other.  I literally took each day and concentrated on just finding ways to pass time for that day.....Soon, it was a week, then a month, and now I am proud to say that I sit here today 4 months sober.  I had never made it past 2-3 weeks until now.  I literally have gone through detox probably 40 times and that is probably a low number.  I literally got sick and tired of being sick and tired.  It took me about a month to get to where I would consider myself normal.  BUT it was way worth it.  I am saving tons of money, I do not have to scrounge for sources for pills, I do not have to hide my addiction from family, friends, and work.  I no longer have to worry if my kidneys or liver are failing.....I literally have my life back.  I am saving TONS of money and reward myself by buying things along the way to reward myself for my accomplishments.  You will realize once you get sober that this process is one of the most rewarding things a man or woman can go through in their lives.  To get to the other side alive and looking back I cannot ever believe I allowed myself to get that far gone.  The fact that I was risking death each and every day just to get high and or eventually towards the end keeping from getting sick....I stopped getting high years ago.  

I apologize for the novel but your story and situation is similar to my own and we are about the same age.  I am a working professinal that from the outside look like I had it all together but in reality I had one of the worst addictions and diseases a human can have and I BEAT IT!!!!  It is very rewarding on the other side.....You just have to give yourself a change to make it there.  I would be glad to help you with my regiment of vitamins, supplements, and exercise plan if you are interested.....You can do this.....You are worth it.....You owe it to yourself to live again.....God bless and good luck!!!!

[Bubulous]

Relapse is not a requirement.  A very intelligent Psychiatrist one told me that pain medication just adds to the deppression.  You can look at that in a few ways.....

Relapsing makes you deppressed.
Feeling like they have power over you makes you deppressed.
You would likely be deppressed even if all the pain pills were taken off the market and were no longer available no matter how much you wanted them.

The difference is that if they were not available you would really have to find what the real problem was and deal with that.  I have met a lot of addicts in my time and for most of them it is harder for them to quit because the pain meds make them feel "normal" in groups or with loved ones or their jobs.  Treatment would definately help.  But the main thing is admitting to yourself that the pain medication could be "self mediacation" and that there are various anti-deppressants and other non-narcotic, healthy medicines that could help.  Those work on your mind.  A therapist works on your spirit along with the people on this forum.  The running you did or do enjoy sorks on your body.  You must attack this thing from all angles.....

Did you do that run you were talking about in earlier posts?

[kmo2626]

As soon as I read your post I knew instantly you were from Oz...I am too..but now a Texan....when you said "Chemist"...."Stinking awful" and closed with "Cheers" it was a dead give away...

I am one on here that sugarcoats NOTHING.....so here goes....Opiate withdrawal S*U*C*K*S!!! I am on Day 27, although far better physically than I was on Day 3 (that part definitely gets better, but Day 3 was a shocker for me also in every way!) I still am struggling these past cpl of days...

Advice on here flows often, you just need to find what works for you, don't look too far into the future, take one day at a time...people have fantastic advice on here...and they are awesome support. Are you doing this alone or do you have support at home? Sometimes doing it solo is half the struggle. Don't be a stranger to posting....it passes some miserable time and can get you though....

Good luck mate!

[IBKleen]

Hi & Welcome Back,

I am sorry you are still having problems putting the pills down. It is only a suggestion, but you may want to visit your doctor and talk about what is going on. Perhaps a taper schedule would be your best bet. Even with that you will experience some form of withdrawal so know that at some point you will need to get this done.

I hope you stick around and keep talking.