Bf was on narcotics

[ppb1989]

Good afternoon I am on here seeking some advice as a caregiver to someone who has chosen to withdraw from using narcotics. I am fairly ignorant when it comes to this stuff as i seldom take pain meds. But as I was talking to my bf i know that he was for awhile taking 60-90mg of i believe oxy he started to taper down and as far as i know he changed to dilaudid because thats what was available in smaller doses. So for he past few weeks he has been on dilaudid and usually splits the pill into halves. so he is taking 2 mg every 6 hours, which in a 24 hour period he would be taking 8mg +/- 2mgs depending on the day. well he decided to go cold turkey and is now displaying full force symptoms. Nausea and vomiting which has turned into dry heaving.
He gets some minor relief by sitting in the shower but the hot water runs out. I am willing to take any and all advice, as well as answering how long will this take. when will some of the symptoms lighten up?

[ppb1989]

So were a week in and we thought we were in the clear but today he called me at work crying because he wad throwing up and had severe chest pains.  When I got home he couldny stand or walk and so we went to the er.

They didnt give him opiates they gave him a lot of fluids, xanax, and any anti nausea under the roof. They gave him a benzo but wpnt be sending him home with any of those.

He is being sent home with some anti nausea, fenigan (spelling), and a clonidine patch

Cqn anyone give me advice or knowledge on clonidine.... the er docs werent very informative

[lulu747]

Hey!
Walking the dog and eating soup and sleeping is all AWESOME news...Yay progress!  The shame is perhaps the most difficult of all the withdrawal symptoms and the longest lingerer.  This is why aftercare of some variety is so important.  The psychology of why we use drugs and what we are trying to fill up can be a puzzle.  Compassion and support is vital in recovery.  It's super important for him to be able to connect with others that have been where he is.  Recovery is a process with lots of peaks and valleys.  My advice to you is just encourage him to talk, be compassionate, encourage him to reach out to others in recovery.  And for you to get some support of your own.  I know that when I got sober my support work was wide and I sought help in many different places.  I did a year of counselling, and I got a lot of help on this forum, and I do ongoing personal recovery work in group.  Physical exercise is uber important for healing the brain, as is proper nutrition.  You should know he probably won't sleep much for a long while depending on his use/length of abuse.  For me, and many this is a very hard thing to deal with.  Hence the fact that two and a half years later I am working my a@$ off to get off the sleeping pills (:
Sleep does come back eventually.  You should tell your BF to be proud of himself.  The pride that comes from getting clean then needs to move to staying clean.  The self confidence sobriety builds and the way it heals and transforms life is invaluable.  I wish the very best for you both.  If you need anything or your BF has any questions about recovery, feel free to ask.
Wishing you peace,
Lu

[ppb1989]

You are so helpful. Thank you! Yeah luckily enough when I got home today he was feeling much better. Yesterday he couldn't keep anything down and couldn't sleep and couldn't walk. Today he took the dog out twice, slept, and has kept a bowl of soup down. I think know he has hit the stage of depression now, with some physical pain obviously.  But he is definitely in the embarrassment and guilt stage. I cannot thank you enough

[oxygiant]

Be happy he's not shooting heroin a few days cold turkey and he will be alright

[lulu747]

Hey-
It's important to use as little medication as possible while detoxing.  Immodium is good as is Gravol (dimenhydrinate) for Nausea.  He is at the peak of it and it will be better by the end of day tomorrow.  I'd stay away from muscle relaxers if I were you.  Get some melatonin and tryptophan if you can (both natural relaxers/sleep aids).  Unfortunately, there is no way of answering your question about intensity of withdrawal.  The thing is, he's gotta get off those pills and be willing to do whatever it takes to stay off of them.  A support system for him once he is clean will be key.  This could be counselling, group therapy, AA/NA, whatever he feels comfortable with.  But you cannot be is only support and you need support too.
I promise you the worst of the physical withdrawal is almost over.  How he deals with the long term mental/emotional aspect is up to him.  Hang in there.  You are both doing great.
Hugs,
Lu

[ppb1989]

Thanks know you for your kind and inspirational words. I was wondering if you know if the withdrawal process is different for someone who has been addicted for years versus less than a year. My bf had surgery was prescribed and then weened completely off. He started again. About 10 months ago. So this withdrawal he is going through is from what I would call a short term addiction compared to the stories I have read while researching. So is it different? He is now on day two and he has slept off and on. He says he feels a little better but he is constantly violently throwing up or dry heaving now. And taking showers. He has been drinking water and gatorade between spouts.

I really freaked myself out by over reaearching. Some posts I've read are very scary in terms of what will happen, and I wonder if this is because they were abusing much longer than my bf??

Is there anything I can do? We have tried benadryl, immodium,  and nyquil. None of which really helped according to him. ButBut to me he seemed a little More Relaxed To me. I was curious about muscle relaxers because I don't want to give him anything that will ruin the withdrawal and make him go back to step one.

[lulu747]

Hey There-

Kudos to you to being the support for someone while detoxing.  It is not an easy job but trust me, you will both be so much happier once this is done.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.  The good news is- the really bad withdrawal symptoms should not last much longer.  It's about 72 hours of hell from last dose and then it gets a little bit better each day.  The things that helped me (and I've done it twice cold turkey off a high dosage of opiates) Hot baths with epsom salts, lots of fluid (water, peppermint tea, Vitamin water) if he can't hold fluid pedialyte is awesome.  Dehydration makes detox feel so much worst than it is.  Bananas- they help with RLS and are binding.  Little bits of food whenever he can manage.  I am a fan of crackers and plain broth.  Little bits at a time.  Also- DISTRACTION.  Music, movies (go comedy this Sh^% is dramatic enough) and most importantly exercise.  It's gonna have to be light at first because you feel like you're dying but it is SO important to get the endorphins pumping naturally again.
Plus YOU need to take care of YOU first.  So talk to a friend, go for a walk, or check out some support groups like Al-Anon.  Your mental and physical health must come first!!!
I haven't been on this forum in a long while but I have a lot of experience with this so please feel free to ask me anything.  I'll check in soon.
Sending strength and compassion-

Lu