Opioids My current detox with Imodium

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

OK, so I know there are lots of threads on Imodium already, but I want to tell my specific story/current condition and maybe get some advice.

I quit heroin/fentanyl on March 28. So I have been "clean" approximately two weeks.

I had been on 4mg bupe per day since last August, while still using IV dope/fent every few weeks/months.

Timeline (approximately) has been as follows:

March 28: Last IV dope/fent use.

March 29/30: Kratom

March 31: 2mg bupe.

April 1: nothing (cold turkey).

April 2: Kratom

April 3: nothing

April 4: 1200mg gabapentin + 48mg loperamide (Imodium).

April 5: 600mg gabapentin + 48mg lope.

April 6-7: nothing

Yesterday (April 8: nothing throughout the day, but at night I could not sleep for the third night in a row. Exhausted and frustrated, I ended up taking 24mg lope. Woke up in middle of night and took another 12mg. So 36mg total.

Today: nothing.

The best way I could describe how I am feeling is that mentally I am fine (if anything, I am far more alert and "alive" than when I was on the bupe). Physically, though, I am not feeling well at all.

The main symptom that is bothering me is a general feeling of extreme "flushiness" all over my skin and body.

When I lie down to rest, my feet feel like they are burning. It is so bad I had to get some ice packs to put around my ankles when I sleep.

My skin (and body in general) feels super sensitive all over.

And on top of that, I have extreme insomnia. I literally will sleep 30 minutes, wake up, and then not sleep again (until I randomly get tired during the day and cannot help falling asleep another 30 minutes).

I really, really regret having taken the lope the last few days, as I already would have been over the withdrawal if I had just toughed it out.

I had a chance to get some benzos today from a friend, but I turned it down because it feels wrong to constantly be running away from withdrawal and seeking to use one drug to mask the effects of another drug.

I have a very busy week ahead of me, though. Monday I have lots of important errands to run, and in all likelihood Tuesday I will be starting a new job (I have been out of work for a month and a half due to my latest relapse and detox).

What should I do? Would you guys say it is OK for me to do nothing (i.e. not take any other drugs) and hope for the best? Should I just "cave" and start taking benzos or gabapentin?

I really, really want to be DONE with ALL drugs (besides weed and psychedelics). But at the same time, pushing back my errands and job start date is not an option for me at this point.

Whatever I do, though, I am not going to go back on the bupe or the kratom or any sort of "opioid maintenance." I have suffered a lot in the last few weeks detoxing. I do not wish to go through it again in the future.

Thanks.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, this is the first time this has ever happened to me after using lope for withdrawal. I have used it many times before (similar dose, same time frame/duration of use) and I never had any withdrawal or negative effects from it. (Or if I did have any negative effects, they were negligible and basically non-existent compared to what I am going through now).

Also, for some reason, when I am active (e.g. today I played basketball) I feel fine/better. But when I am at rest, the symptoms get really bad. (For example, yesterday I felt pretty good all day, but when I tried to lie down to sleep, the symptoms kicked in again -- complete with the restless leg and everything -- until I could not take it anymore and went to pharmacy to buy some lope).

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I flushed my gabapentin down the toilet, so I (obviously) no longer have access to it.

 

[Robi]

id tough it out, i had too, did some flushing myself, but now i have extreme drug idealization, never thought about drugs so much, i really see the side effects of using, i would have taken benzos, but you stay strong and away from that shit, ty for your shared experience, wakes and shakes me up. keep me posted,no judgment here, i hate fent, but damn i been wanting to sleep , be numb, but im ashamed because it near killed me

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

id tough it out, i had too, did some flushing myself, but now i have extreme drug idealization, never thought about drugs so much, i really see the side effects of using, i would have taken benzos, but you stay strong and away from that shit, ty for your shared experience, wakes and shakes me up. keep me posted,no judgment here, i hate fent, but damn i been wanting to sleep , be numb, but im ashamed because it near killed me

Honestly, this is the first time I have experienced the opposite of the "drug idealization" you described.

The reasons for this involve personal details of my life that are beyond the scope of this post. But needless to say, this is the first time I have felt a genuine repulsion for drugs (as opposed to merely a desire to quit because I didn't like the consequences).

I actually dreamt last night that I was using IV speedballs. I woke up and I was actually relieved it was only a dream. Usually when that happens, I wake up super disappointed and bummed out.

Yeah, I'd love to tough it out. That is most likely what I am going to do. The only problem is I really cannot make any extra time. I need to get shit done this week, starting on Monday. I cannot push it back any further.

I would be fine to do everything I need to do with the amount of withdrawal I am in (it is uncomfortable but not unbearable). The only problem is the insomnia. I cannot function correctly if I am extremely sleep-deprived, especially if the sleep deprivation lasts more than one night. Usually, I will be able to "tough it out" for one day, but if I again do not sleep the following night, I will simply not be able to function.

 

[Robi]

i truly understand. i didnt sleep 6 days, really didnt, maybe an hour broken up, and still have repulsion, i cant figure out why im so focus on........wanting to use some narco, i know id drop if i took fent, no more chances i fear, i went thru a stage just relieved to be free of fent, i dont know whats the hell my prob is, and sleep issues are the worst, i have so much to do too but i feel you are much stronger and will succeed, im a wreck w/o sleep too, hope the best for you

 

[nznity]

OK, so I know there are lots of threads on Imodium already, but I want to tell my specific story/current condition and maybe get some advice.

I quit heroin/fentanyl on March 28. So I have been "clean" approximately two weeks.

I had been on 4mg bupe per day since last August, while still using IV dope/fent every few weeks/months.

Timeline (approximately) has been as follows:

March 28: Last IV dope/fent use.

March 29/30: Kratom

March 31: 2mg bupe.

April 1: nothing (cold turkey).

April 2: Kratom

April 3: nothing

April 4: 1200mg gabapentin + 48mg loperamide (Imodium).

April 5: 600mg gabapentin + 48mg lope.

April 6-7: nothing

Yesterday (April 8: nothing throughout the day, but at night I could not sleep for the third night in a row. Exhausted and frustrated, I ended up taking 24mg lope. Woke up in middle of night and took another 12mg. So 36mg total.

Today: nothing.

The best way I could describe how I am feeling is that mentally I am fine (if anything, I am far more alert and "alive" than when I was on the bupe). Physically, though, I am not feeling well at all.

The main symptom that is bothering me is a general feeling of extreme "flushiness" all over my skin and body.

When I lie down to rest, my feet feel like they are burning. It is so bad I had to get some ice packs to put around my ankles when I sleep.

My skin (and body in general) feels super sensitive all over.

And on top of that, I have extreme insomnia. I literally will sleep 30 minutes, wake up, and then not sleep again (until I randomly get tired during the day and cannot help falling asleep another 30 minutes).

I really, really regret having taken the lope the last few days, as I already would have been over the withdrawal if I had just toughed it out.

I had a chance to get some benzos today from a friend, but I turned it down because it feels wrong to constantly be running away from withdrawal and seeking to use one drug to mask the effects of another drug.

I have a very busy week ahead of me, though. Monday I have lots of important errands to run, and in all likelihood Tuesday I will be starting a new job (I have been out of work for a month and a half due to my latest relapse and detox).

What should I do? Would you guys say it is OK for me to do nothing (i.e. not take any other drugs) and hope for the best? Should I just "cave" and start taking benzos or gabapentin?

I really, really want to be DONE with ALL drugs (besides weed and psychedelics). But at the same time, pushing back my errands and job start date is not an option for me at this point.

Whatever I do, though, I am not going to go back on the bupe or the kratom or any sort of "opioid maintenance." I have suffered a lot in the last few weeks detoxing. I do not wish to go through it again in the future.

Thanks.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, this is the first time this has ever happened to me after using lope for withdrawal. I have used it many times before (similar dose, same time frame/duration of use) and I never had any withdrawal or negative effects from it. (Or if I did have any negative effects, they were negligible and basically non-existent compared to what I am going through now).

Also, for some reason, when I am active (e.g. today I played basketball) I feel fine/better. But when I am at rest, the symptoms get really bad. (For example, yesterday I felt pretty good all day, but when I tried to lie down to sleep, the symptoms kicked in again -- complete with the restless leg and everything -- until I could not take it anymore and went to pharmacy to buy some lope).

Lope doesn't make wd longer, if u hadn't taken those Lopes u just would have had a shittier withdrawal. You're probably experiencing a really bad wd coz u coming down from a large dose of fentanyl really fast. I'd just get some benzos and pregabalin if u could.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

You're probably experiencing a really bad wd coz u coming down from a large dose of fentanyl really fast.

I was actually only on bupe for all of Jan and Feb. I relapsed onto dope/fent in late Feb and I used maybe 4 or 5 times during March, but it was never more than a bag or three.

The final time I did fent, I probably used 3 bags (which is 3 times my normal dose) because I was speedballing and I needed the extra fent to counteract the negative effects of the coke. So maybe that is why my wd is so bad this time?

(Btw, when I talk about "bags," you guys might think one bag is nothing, but I have actually OD'ed and ended up given Narcan and taken to hospital from just one bag. It has happened several times.

Back when fent was not around, my dope habit was approximately 10 bags per day. But with fent, it is just that much stronger. At least in my area it is like that).

So why would I still be experiencing severe-ish withdrawal 2 weeks later?

The only explanation seems to be that the lope is extending my wd.

I have not taken anymore lope (or anymore anything, for that matter). Slept well last night because I had exercised during the day, but I was not able to fall asleep until I had my ice packs around my ankles, and when I woke up this morning, I felt like my nervous system was burning up (i.e. I woke up in full-fledged severe opioid w/d, but it wore off within a few minutes of waking up).

This is a common occurrence for me, btw. I could be feeling fine (no physical symptoms) and if I so much as take a 30-minute nap, as soon as I wake up I will be (temporarily) back in full-fledged w/d. It takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to go away. I think it has something to do with my bodily processes going from a state of "rest" to a state of "work". It's kinda like a car going from zero to 60 or whatever. And that causes the w/d to come back. Super annoying lol.

 

[nznity]

I was actually only on bupe for all of Jan and Feb. I relapsed onto dope/fent in late Feb and I used maybe 4 or 5 times during March, but it was never more than a bag or three.

The final time I did fent, I probably used 3 bags (which is 3 times my normal dose) because I was speedballing and I needed the extra fent to counteract the negative effects of the coke. So maybe that is why my wd is so bad this time?

(Btw, when I talk about "bags," you guys might think one bag is nothing, but I have actually OD'ed and ended up given Narcan and taken to hospital from just one bag. It has happened several times.

Back when fent was not around, my dope habit was approximately 10 bags per day. But with fent, it is just that much stronger. At least in my area it is like that).

So why would I still be experiencing severe-ish withdrawal 2 weeks later?

The only explanation seems to be that the lope is extending my wd.

I have not taken anymore lope (or anymore anything, for that matter). Slept well last night because I had exercised during the day, but I was not able to fall asleep until I had my ice packs around my ankles, and when I woke up this morning, I felt like my nervous system was burning up (i.e. I woke up in full-fledged severe opioid w/d, but it wore off within a few minutes of waking up).

This is a common occurrence for me, btw. I could be feeling fine (no physical symptoms) and if I so much as take a 30-minute nap, as soon as I wake up I will be (temporarily) back in full-fledged w/d. It takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to go away. I think it has something to do with my bodily processes going from a state of "rest" to a state of "work". It's kinda like a car going from zero to 60 or whatever. And that causes the w/d to come back. Super annoying lol.

Is it bearable Though? If it's bearsble and uve been clean from everything for a good while just tough it out brah.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

Is it bearable Though? If it's bearsble and uve been clean from everything for a good while just tough it out brah.

It is bearable.

The only thing that would make it unbareable/impossible is if I become severely sleep deprived for multiple nights in a row.

More accurately, being sleep deprived would not actually make the withdrawal worse, but it would make me incapable of functioning. I have been out of work for over a month and I cannot really afford to continue being out of work. Not to mention, the place that I am (most likely) going to be starting work at on Tuesday will likely change their mind if I try to push back start date.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Like @nznity said taking loperamide will not make your withdrawal longer.

what is possible is that you are withdrawing from things other the fentanyl that were in the bags you were doing like tranq and other adulterants but what is factual is that you are not experiencing severe feverish withdrawal 2 weeks later because
you kept interrupting the withdrawal process with kratom, and bupe.
You have to fully let yourself withdraw and every time you take kratom or bupe you are stopping the process
so you are really on day 5 by my calculations.

Commit to just withdrawing without interrupting your process with things like subs or kratom you are just prolonging the process
or
do a 5 day rapid taper with suboxone the directions are online or I will write them all out for you if you cannot find it for yourself

take lope as directed on the box for gastrointestinal symptoms as they appear

hydrate; coconut water this is really one of the best drinks for the recovery period, water, seltzer, and staying away from sugar and caffeinated beverages

exercise; you said you played football, physical activity is the best thing you can do, moving your body is always beneficial plus you are sweating out all the toxins and poisons, plus the more you exercise the more your brain releases endorphins and dopamine making you feel better and it makes you more tired and help with the insomnia (which is horrible but will end for the most part after this week is over) help with the insomnia not fix

eat healthy; green juice, veggies, fruit, yogurt, anything healthy that you can make yourself eat. Stay away from shitty food if you like shitty food remind yourself this doesn’t have to be forever just while you are going through withdrawal

the restless legs at night and insomnia are miserable
* I used a resistance band to push my feet against
* I laid on a heating pad
* I took tiger balm but any mentholated rub like Vic’s vapo rub would do and rub it all over (I rubbed it on my legs, lower back and ass) and the cooling burning sensation helped me with the muscle aches and restless legs
* long baths with Epsom salts the magnesium helps with the muscle pain and helps to relax you
* taking something to sleep xanax wasn’t even helping me sleep and I spent 4 days barely sleeping but I have a high tolerance to benzos, I would say if you don’t have a tolerance taking something to sleep whether it’s Zzzquil, or Xanax (problem with Xanax is it very fast it works fast and is out of your system fast so it will not give you 8hrs, ideally klonipin would be the best benzo for this situation it takes longer to work but it lasts longer) or just know sleep with be evasive for the first 4 days. I would try Zzzquil. Going without sleep is hellish.


you have already done the worst part which is break the habit of using and you got a significant portion of the withdrawals done so this week will not be terrible it with be like withdrawing after a good taper

you’ve got this

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

I laid on a heating pad

OMG I felt like my feet were in an oven just from reading this. Lol.

I get extremely HOT at night (expecially my feet).

I actually got some ice packs from the pharmacy with Velcro on them. I wrap them around my ankles. There is a vein that runs through the back of my ankle and takes blood to my feet, and so if I wear the ice pack over that vein, it cools off the blood running to my feet, and I no longer feel like my feet are burning.

Caved and took 1.5mg of Xanax yesterday evening around 5:30 PM and drank a beer. Worked like a charm. Slept 10 or 11 hours. Woke up groggy and without much energy and feeling weird, but was worth the trade-off.

I do not think any kind of a "rapid" suboxone taper would work. In the past, I have tapered so slowly that I was down to (approximately) 0.5mg per day, and when I jumped to zero, I still had withdrawal symptoms.

Anyway, thanks for the responses, everyone.

 

[Xorkoth]

I actually dreamt last night that I was using IV speedballs. I woke up and I was actually relieved it was only a dream. Usually when that happens, I wake up super disappointed and bummed out.

This is exactly what happened to me after I did ibogaine. I frequently had drug dreams, but would wake up from them like THANK GOD that was just a dream, fuck that.

I think it speaks very highly of your chances of success that you're feeling this way.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

update:

starting to really crave drugs again.

i have not done any opioids (including bupe, lope, etc) since last time i posted here several days ago. i swear to GOD i havent used anything.

i did use xanax the other day. i think i posted about it already above in one of my earlier posts.

but no opioids whatsoever since last time i posted. no lope. no bupe.

and the withdrawal has not really gotten better. i am still extremely uncomfortable. the only thing that changed is i am sleeping 5-6 hours a night now. but still in agony when i wake up. cannot get out of bed for hours. and general discomfort, sensitivity and flushiness of the skin throughout the day.

i dont know how much more of this i can take before i go out and get a bag (which would be really, really easy to do).

 

[Xorkoth]

It's really fucking hard man. The struggle is real and I know what you're going through. I'm going through it too. All I can say is, remember that your mind is a trickster. You will 100% regret getting a bag. Every single time, you will look back and say fuck, why did I do that.

There IS a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it doesn't feel like it.

Try to start working out every day, it helps a lot, once you're past the worst of it.

I'm also talking to myself right now. You can do this.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

I'm not gonna get a bag.

I did get two 5 mg percs (with tylenol in them) which I have not taken yet and kinda feel like i should get rid of, but will maybe/probably take them later if i have trouble sleeping.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

if i do these percs real quick, will that put me back at square 1?

 

[Robi]

if i do these percs real quick, will that put me back at square 1?

no not physically, but could psychologically, like as in that didnt give me WD again, so ill just take some more in a few days, a week, then something could trigger you big time , or maybe access to more n more drugs all a sudden, but naw i think you be fine, youre doing good, so id try to get out of the habit,best wishes to yah

 

[simstim]

I don't know why you all are saying taking lope won't make your taper longer.

Taking an attack dose of lope, one that is a high enough dose that it becomes centrally acting, will definitely lengthen your taper.

The last time I tapered with lope I was stuck at around 50mg lope/day for a couple of weeks. (I started the taper at around 90mg lope and went down 10mg/day).

I was off opioids in a couple weeks with no withdrawal symptoms.

 

[papercuts]

if i do these percs real quick, will that put me back at square 1?

It depends on your frame of mind.
If I cheat, then I cheat again until I'm at square 1 eventually.
I've done withdrawal from opiates three times in the last six months and it's the "just a little bit" that is my personal downfall.

 

[Pillsbury_Dope_Boy]

Took 20mg of percs. Got absolutely plastered. Higher than I've been in a long time.

I guess it's back to square one.

Fuck.