Serious anxiety from opiate withdrawls!!!can someone help?

[mommyoffive0529]

I am on day nine of my lortab withdrawls and the anxiety is excruciating...The docs gave me xanax .25 and I hate to take them but I cannot stop the anxiety alone right now..the doc said it would help but i have only taken half of the .25 xanax in the AM and the other half just now...I am so scared of this anxiety..what can i do and is it normal??

[erin626]

anxiety during withdrawals is the worst!! i went through xanax withdrawal back in september and my anxiety was just so bad. i cant even describe it. the absolute fear, dread, and panic that i felt all day everyday. just remember the anxiety does subside...cant say if it will go away completely, mine hasnt. but now im working with a really great therapist who is slowly but surely getting me back on track. stay positive...things can only get better :)

[dominosarah]

You are sounding really good girl!!!   Keep it going~~~sara

[mama23babies]

Takes Sara's advice. She is very knowledgeable when it comes to this and her and avisg along with so many others on the SA abuse forum helped me through so much. Therapy is good. I didn't stick with it though,but i wish i would have. The can teach you different techniques to help with the anxiety attacks.

You asked if I have had anxiety the last 2 years....Yes. It hasn't went away,but its alot better and easier to deal with than the inital phase of withdrawl. I have realized that I have always had anxiety issues and I guess the opiates just covered most of it up. If you used for 6 years and have only been clean 12 days its going to take some time to get over mentally. Just stay strong and be patient. I wish you well!

[dominosarah]

Hi again!!

I really think it would be beneficial to you to see a therapist and deal with your anxiety.  Many times after we detox from a med we then see our underlying issues we have.  I know you are dead set against any meds and that is good.  I also believe a therapist could give you some good ideas on what to do when you do have these anxiety attacks.  Most of us on the SA forum have buried many demons and our using was only a symptom of what was going on.  Thru recovery care we deal with our demons and our fears and that releases alot of anxiety.  I want you to get better and i know you can, now you just need to know you can too~~~~~sara

[mommyoffive0529]

Sorry hunnie i was reading an only journal entry...lol...so have you had many anxiety issues in the past two years?

[mommyoffive0529]

I took them for six years and then i only took two a day,,,,I hate any pill that brings me down....xanax!!Anyhow i was reading another post of yours that you responded to about people who could be opiate deficient....i was a really happy and energetic person until i started those damn pills and i too have suffered a few short bouts of depression here and there but now i am really depressed more than i ever have been.  its only been 12 days though and i dont know how much to expect... i want to be happy and be myslef again...i think i have TMJ and its making me dizzy so i hope that goes away too...you been clean for a long time...how r u now?  Do you feel good without the pills?  I still hate the anxiety and panic..i hope it goes away too.  Did yours subside?  I saw you had attack today?  What happened?  Write back girlie...wanna know how your doing.. and did you ever have TMJ?  Mkae smy neck hurt and my jaw is killing me...ugh

[mama23babies]

I still take xanax once in awhile now,but was too scared to take anything went I went through withdrawl! I don't like the xanax either. For some reason it seems to make my anxiety worse until about a half hour passes. I don't know if that's just my anxiety or if it really does. Ativan didn't make me nuts,it just didn't help! LOL!  You will get back to normal it just takes some of us longer than others! How long were you on the lortab?

[mommyoffive0529]

Did you take anything?  These freaking .25 xanax are making me puke too!!I feel like I am having double withdrawls!!I havent really ever taken benzos, EVER except over the last couple weeks at the ER and so forth and they gave me like 12 xanax.  I hate ativan.  It made me nuts.  I hate xanax too!I just want to be normal.

[mama23babies]

Yes,it is very normal to experience anxiety during withdrawl. I thought I was going to lose my mind when I went through lortab withdrawls last year. Unfortunately my anxiety has lingered around since then. There are great people on the addiction forum that can give you advice. They helped me tremendously when I went through it. Remember that everyone is different in the amount of time it takes to "get back to normal". I think that I have always had a pre existing anxiety disorder and it just blew out of proportion during withdrawl. It's great that you are taking back control of your life from you addiction and I wish you the very best.