I need help with opiate withdrawal

[rocksteady]

ok heres my story. I have suffered from serious back pain caused by spinal stenosis for about 8 years. for the last 2 years, i have been taking percocet in the strength of 5/325. I usually take 4-5 over the course of a 20 hour day. my Dr. writes me a rx for 120 every month. I am at the point where i want to stop relying on painkillers, and the anxiety that comes with " what do i do if i run out early?".... does anyone know of any over the counter, or natural meds that will help with the withdrawal symptoms?? mainly its the physical aches and pains that im concerned with...stuff like aleve, and other otc pain meds never did anything for me really..and im going to be hurting enough when im off these just with the back pain alone...so any advice would be appreciate beyond comprehension...thank you.

[gipsee]

I needed to read this thread.   Ok... so 9 days clean of Vics..two days clean of Xanax..well almost 2-days.    I used the Xanax 1mg a day to sleep.   Ok... so today I was a bit weepy eyed... I did the Cold Turkey thing because for me it just made sense...I figured I'd take the hit go for the worst of it and get over it.  OK...so far so good.   Went through sweats, and chills runny nose, sneezing, THE FLIPPIN RUNs, Stomach Cramping muscles screaming....you all know the drill.

Today I'm feeling sad... I haven't been out of the house since Xmas Day...so I decided I was going to face the world as a drug free individual.   Physically, I'm not feeling so bad and of course, being new to this withdrawal thing, I am analyzing every fiber of my being at every given moment.  I'm digressing here....

I get in the car...very proud that I managed to look relatively OK..got my make up on, etc., and I'm going to meet my G/F and her hubby for dinner.   Now this is my best friend...we have known eachother for 40 years....I GOT LOST GOING TO HER HOUSE...totally disoriented, I had to stop the car to figure out where I was and had to talk myself through how I had to get where I was going from where I was.   GAWD... no one prepared me for this crapola.  I actually drove 15 minutes out of my way going somewhere I normally go on an average of 2x's a week.   That was 15 minutes before I realized I was going to where?   I have no clue.

I have no appetite so I flipped my food around on my plate at the restaurant then asked for a box for the dog.   Dinner was uneventful...but I just couldn't sit and relax I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I had to do food shopping so I managed to scuff my way through that as well...and I'm home and didn't hurt anyone.   But how long does this last??

I just want to sleep... and I don't know how to do that either.

I will NEVER go through this again.... EVER!

Now of course, my G/F knows I stopped with the pills.  She eats percs faster than I can count when she runs out of Rx..she buys them from HER FRIEND @ 7 bucks a pop....we are together so much and tonight for the first time I saw her.... I actually saw "me" in a whole other light.    I am so afraid for her and I have no right to be judgemental ... I would actually go through this FOR HER if I could.  

Sorry for the loooong post... I really need some help here.

XoXo
Gip

[mhandley]

Paste the link below into your browser for information about Methadone withdrawal:

http://www.dpeg.org/treatment/methadone_withdrawal.htm

To answer your question... everyone is different but generally, it has been found that following opiate detox, there are two periods of protracted withdrawal. The first (or sub-acute withdrawal) lasts 2-8 weeks and people describe moderate to severe insomnia and fatigue, low energy, and other depressive symptoms. This is quite variable but is sometimes difficult for people to tolerate. Unfortunately medications have only a limited effect. However the symptoms always go away with time as the brain heals and restores itself to its natural state. This is where the aminos can greatly help. The second phase is very mild and is easily tolerated because by this stage the patients feel so much better than when they were using drugs.

I do not know of a quick fix... time takes time. The human body is an amazing thing and there is a concept called homeostasis (balance). The body will return to a balanced state and the brain/neurotransmitters will balance given sufficient time off of the methadone. But this all takes time... one approach to detox, minimizing PAWS, and faster balance is a Suboxone detox for 1-2 weeks and then amino acid therapy for 10 days with periodic boosters over the next year. This is not an inexpensive proposition but can help someone during early detox and recovery when relapse is more likely due to PAWS related conditions that persist and make using again seem like the only way to feel normal. I have been through Methadone withdrawal and recovery and it was hell... the depression sucked, I couldn't keep my legs still... I could not sleep and was miserable... I literally wanted to die and found myself thinking of plans to end it all... slowly, one day at a time, things got better and then one day I realized that I could see colors again... I could taste my food again... I could laugh... and all without any chemical assistance. I have a relationship with God today and I am grateful for his grace that lifted me out of the opiate addiction... but I needed help to make it during the early days of withdrawal or else I would have gotten loaded again and I could never have found a relationship with a God of my understanding while Methadone stood between me and that God... sorry for the long winded reply and I hope that I helped even a little... I will pray for strength for you tonight and please do not hesitate to ask for help from anyone... the hardest three words for people like us to say are "I NEED HELP"... Michael

[mhandley]

I also have been in your shoes and I am celebrating another year of continuous sobriety next week after a long history of dependence on opiates. If you have ever been through withdrawal or experienced the beginning of withdrawal while waiting for a prescription to be called in or filled, then the prospect of going through withdrawal is frightening. The only way to the other side of this fear is through it... unfortunately, not many people understand Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrom (PAWS) and the reason why it is difficult to stay off of opiates after the initial hell of withdrawal is over. The acute phase of withdrawal is miserable but the post acute phase needs mention... during post acute withdrawal you will experience symptoms such as neuropathy (restless legs, etc.), claustrophobia (you want to be anywhere except where you are), depression (crying excessively and you do not understand why you are so sad), racing thoughts, and the worst in my opinion working with others and from my personal experience, the inability to sleep (you are physically exhausted and just when you think you might sleep your brain starts working overtime again).... the bad news is... most people experience one or more of these symptoms after the first 72 hours of detox.... the good news is... all of these symptoms will subside over time... sleep will return... you will dream again meaning that you will hit REM sleep again... many people cannot remember the last time that they had a dream... dreams will return in technicolor... good luck and God speed... if I can help please email directly at ***@****... also, there is an amazing detox protocol for opiates (oxycontin, methadone, lortab, etc.) that is available in only 3 places in the U.S.... IV amino acids... the results are amazing... the detox symptoms subside immediately and post acute withdrawal is minimized because the amino acids actually work to repair the receptor sites in the brain... amazing stuff.. I would never have believed it except that I have seen someone I know who could not be successfully detoxed from years of methadone using a methadone taper but was successful going through the amino acid process... it is amazing... I can tell you more if anyone is interested...

[bellashelle13]

Subutex saved my life...ask about it, I had to because a friend had told me. No one offered it. There is too much to write so look it up and do the research.  All I can say is I get up happy, I have energy, peace, I want to eat, lif e is a joy now, my eyes are open for the first time in 20 years.  it helps with withdrawls, it last all day, and I just feel normal and don't have any cravings what so ever.....Find some to prescribe it to you...find this little miracle, you won't believe it.

[Jenney96]

Hello to everyone and thank you to everyone for the helpful posts but mostly for the realization that other people are going through/ have gone through this strange and isolating hell.  I have done it before and made it through all of the **** on my vacation (duh- an awful way to spend the last half of vacation, but one just cannot be so sick and constantly whine and cry at work - lol!)  That is why I am so ashamed to be in the same boat again and extra scared of how Im going to get through it again.  I do not have time off of work.  

So my question is, will suboxone get me through my workday, and will I then be dependent on it?  I have a pretty physical/ fairly stressful job, so detoxing there scares the hell out of me. ... any ideas on this one?

[Greatgreebo]

Welcome to the forum. The original post date on this thread is over a year ago. These people are probably not here anymore. If you have questions you need answered please go to the top of this page and hit the green Post a Question button. Start your own post. You will get more answers this way-the old posts will get archived much sooner than your new post.
Good luck,
Greatgreebo