MY Post Acute Withdrawal Story (hope this helps someone else)

[J444]

Hi there,

I just wanted to pst my experience with PAWS in hopes that it will help others.  It has been a long journey and hope this post with ease the fears of others experiencing similar symptoms.

Here is my story:
I was using only 20-30mg of norco, 5 days a week, for a period of about three years. I decided I want to stop, because I am an athlete and did not want to to keep exposing my body to such toxicity.  

When I quit cold turkey,  I had the usual withdrawals, such as nausea, feeling light headed, heart palpitations, hot/cold flashes, and flu like symptoms, etc.

At about 2-3 weeks after, I felt a lot better, and about this time is where the PAWS began to strike.

I started getting bouts of tingling/ buzzing and burning in my legs and feet, weird muscle cramps and spasms, pain in my glutes, headaches, and bouts of nausea., terrible anxiety and insomnia.  These symptoms would come and go in a wave like occurrence.  

Note: For me, the legs were NOT restless and moving at night.  My legs felt cramped, like my hamstrings were tight, behind my knees, and strange tingling and burning in my feet.  I felt like the needed to be stretched.  

I read on the internet and it says that in about a month all of these physical symptoms should have passed, is there something wrong?  

I went to see a neurologist (legs and tingling), rheumatologist (join pain), cardiologist (heart palpitations and dizziness).  ALL test came back negative, including an EMG, EKG, MRI, echocaridogram, and ALL blood work.  But how could that be?  I am having all of these strange symptoms?  

It has now been almost 3 and a half months and I still have waves of these symptoms.  One day I will feel dizzy and flulike, the next day my legs will get the tingling and burning, then one day my legs feel cramp, one day I will have muscle twitches, a headache, etc. I never had any of these symptoms prior to quitting the norco.  The drs. say that everything serious has been ruled out, so it only leaves one thing, a prolonged withdrawal.  

I  wanted people to read this because I was terrified that there was something wrong with me, and I was not even taking that much norco.  I have now come to terms that this is all just my body healing itself.  No one ever mentions that lingering physical symptoms, so that is why I am writing this.  I hope this helps.  I still continue to see my drs, just in case.  

[clean_in_ks]

Glad you posted.....I had (and still do at times) have many healing symptoms described in Post Acute W/drawal Symptoms.  We have a total of three articles in our Health Pages here on MedHelp that helped me immensely by reading them.  (they are at the bottom of the forum page)  I needed to UNDERSTAND what was going on with me "after" the inital 7-14 days of acute w/drawal.

Here's the Part I article:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Addiction/PAWS-part-1/show/39?cid=66

As with everything in recovery....you will find varied opinions and beliefs about PAWS....but FOR ME....they were/are VERY REAL.  The two men that wrote (at least the info that was excerpted from their books/studies) that Part I article have 60 yrs between them working directly with addicts and studying addiction.  I MAJORLY related to many aspects of that info.
It didn't make it easier to "live thru the healing process"....but at least it explained why my memory, emotions, physical symptoms, etc. were like they were/are.  I also have read this quote from another dr who has studied addiction:   "Only when the healing occurs will the symptoms of w/drawal
disappear TOTALLY."

The only thing that came to mind as I read your posts was to "wonder" what nutritional supplements you have or are taking.  The amino acid protocol article is full of good info, too.  If you Vit C and all the B vitamins, plus proteins and electrolytes along with minerals essential for healing are not being consumed, that could account for some of the physcial stuff still occurring with you.  I know that if I cut back on my cal/mag/zinc supplement or don't drink my Emergen-C that has lots of potassium and all the essential vit, min and electrolytes in it....I have issues with leg cramps, charlie horses and other issues.

Hope that helps some.....and congrats on your clean time~  It'll only get better!

[toothfairie]

thanks for the post!  i am at just over 6 months and sleeping good, except for the occasional night of restlessness....and i have rls some nights too still....but overall i feel much better....i do still struggle with energy and motivation but i was a long time user of norco, lots of pills a day.  So i can't expect to be healed completely in 6 months...just have to be patient and let our bodies heal on their own time.  Congrats on your clean time!!