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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | Eligiu | deficiT | paranoid android

Opiate Withdrawal.

Thanks. I'm glad you're being proactive, that's good advice for me. Did you have ACDF or was your surgery Lumbar? Yes the insomnia is the shits. I actually got a couple hours sleep last night, progress! How are you today?

Ashley.
 
I am on day 5 today. Physical symptoms are pretty stable now. This new depression I can really do without. Got a couple hours sleep last night, so that was good. Struggling to stay positive today. Fuck.



Anyone....When does the post acute withdrawal depression start to get better? I really need some encouragement today.
 
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Elp1-
PAWS really depends on how long you were using the pills and your own chemistry. Shroomi said he has a friend who still gets PAWS occasionally, a couple of years clean.
The depression gets better, but you can help it not suck so much by getting outdoors. Staring at the clock is murder. It doesnt matter if you are sitting on the couch or trying to sleep. As long as you are thinking about time you will be miserable. Sunshine, fresh air, exercise, etc. They all make time move faster.
Right now you are thinking about how long since your last pill, how long since your last good sleep, how long somebody else has been clean, how little you have slept, and how much longer you have to go for each symptom to get better.
Tv in the morning is fine, but at night it will affect your sleep. No tv, video games, internet, a couple of hours before bed.
Eat healthy. Avoid processed sugars and MSG.
Anything involving sunshine is good, better if there is water(pool, river, beach, etc). Exercise is best - It will help you pass time and assist with sleep. Scalding hot showers are great in several ways, mainly to break up the day and make it feel less slow.
I found that yard work is great for me. I dont have to be social while pushing the lawnmower. Sunshine, exercise, the satisfaction of hard work and a nice lawn, a hot shower afterwards, etc...
 
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Squeaky
What you say in the quote below makes sense to me. I will try to adopt that attitude. I am hoping for the best and that I can control my pain with OTC meds. If not I will have to renew my refill, which I really don't want to have to do. I'm sticking it out to see what shape I'm in off them.

Thanks for all your suggestions, I'm honestly going a bit fucking stir crazy.8(

"This time my attitude is different. If it hurts Im taking the pain relief and demanding more scans".



 
Hi Squeaky,

I am day 6 now. Still depressed but I slept last night!

I am in so much pain right now and I have only tylenol here for pain. I really want to try to find other ways to manage my pain. If I can't I will have to go up to the pharmacy and get my refill. God damnit I'm stubborn, my family is asking why I don't just stay on my LTOT. Because I want to see what life is like without the pills to manage the pain, that's why. I don't know maybe they just can't relate, how could they.

Did you also have a cervical fusion? How are you feeling lately?


Take care,
Ashley.
 
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I had L3-S1 three level lumbar fusion . 20 screws, 3 cages, 2 rods, and a partridge in a pear tree. They cut me front and back, 4 surgeries.
Something to think about. In the US, what counts is the day you pick up your prescription, not when it was written. If you think you can only quit if you have no pills to take, then it may be wiser to fill the prescription and give it to someone to hold for you. That way you can still get your next prescription filled on time and have extra pills for future emergencies. If you wait to fill it, you will have reset the calendar for filling future prescriptions, thus fewer extra pills for emergencies.
The law here is 90%. That means you can get a refill or new prescription for the same opiate when the previous is 90% used. So, on a 30 day Rx you can get a new one filled on day 27 but most pharmacists will do it on day 28. They only go back one month for this calculation, and the law is very strict. It is wise for someone like me to keep a stash, and I dont let a single day go to waste even if I am trying to quit.
Also, when you make the mistake of telling your Dr that you have quit, if you go back on them he will likely try to start you on a MUCH lower dose and keep you there. All Drs in the US are being pushed to lower their prescriptions for opiates. Your tolerance will come back in only a week or two and you will be suffering with barely enough pills to keep you hooked but not out of pain, and it may be months or years before he will raise your prescription to a level that works.

I got my last prescription filled even though I was in day 10 of withdrawl and I had no plan to use it. 3 days later I had an incredibly painful day and I decided to go back on the pills for a while. I am still on schedule for my next refill and my Dr has no idea I ever quit.
 
As for me, Im doing better. I have SI joint pain now that is causing sciatica pain. The pills are working well though. I am fortunate to be on disability and still able to pay my rent. The stress of worrying about proving for my family is murder!
It seems you are lucky to have a family who supports your possibly needing the pills. From what I have read, most people in your shoes have family who just think they are addicted. Constantly judging.
Hang in there. Once you start sleeping, you are past the worst part of hell week. It only gets better from here.
 
Guys I know you may think swim is a novice but the reality is that you have to kick that shit without anything else such as xanax (the best if you ask me) but in reality its best to let your body have a course of withdrawal for it to kick out the system. If you do choose other substitutes it will activate reward signals in your brain and tbh in my opinion is not worth it. up to you guys. kick out the demon and fly back into normal life, fucking difficult ' apparently '. Peace bro
 
No swimming here. Everyone knows S-W-I-M is Y-O-U.
I do agree that sometimes punishing yourself through full wd is best to reinforce the lesson and keep you from getting hooked on pills again. However, if you have responsibilities (job, kids, etc) and you cant sleep because youre trying to quit pills you are taking for legitimate pain....Maybe not so unreasonable to get something to help with sleep so that you can be responsible and functional when you need to be.
Some folks can crash on the couch in grandma?s basement and shut out the world for a couple of weeks. Some of us have to get up and go be a police officer or a school teacher during the day, and insomnia just isnt an option.

I have done both ways. Cold turkey is better, like ripping off a band aid. But I was useless for two weeks. I have done it now with Loperamide to help. And I think I will never do c/t again. And benzos for sleep while in wd for opiates is a must for me.
 
Squeaky said:
As for me, Im doing better. I have SI joint pain now that is causing sciatica pain. The pills are working well though. I am fortunate to be on disability and still able to pay my rent. The stress of worrying about proving for my family is murder!
It seems you are lucky to have a family who supports your possibly needing the pills. From what I have read, most people in your shoes have family who just think they are addicted. Constantly judging.
Hang in there. Once you start sleeping, you are past the worst part of hell week. It only gets better from here.
Click to expand...

Hey Squeaky,

The Sciatica is the WORST for me the past couple of days, even with pain meds and a heating pad,,,grrrrr! How are you doing?

Ash.
 
I ran out ....again. Everything hurts, but Loperamide is keeping me from losing my sanity. I think I have the dosage and timing figured out to hold back wd. It still sucks, just sucks a LOT less.
 
I messed up after 8 days and smoked some H again. I'm not doing too good. I have 24 Dihydrocodeine 30mg and was thinking about taking 3 in the morning and 3 late afternoon and cutting down by one tablet per day until I'm clean. I know it's still going to be difficult but with the Dihydrocodeine I'm hoping I can take the edge off for the first few days. Does anyone have any ideas? I could do with some advice because I'm not doing great at the moment. I was thinking about doing it differently but I don't know how my kids would cope. I think after a couple of months they'll start forgetting about me. Even doing that I would have to do it away from everyone because I don't want to traumatize whoever finds me. I know it's a last resort and I'm not even near that point yet. Any tips on the Dihydrocodeine would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking about using Loperamide with Zantac combined with the Dihydrocodeine and tapering off everything within a week. I'm all over the place and I start crying out of nowhere. I've reached rock bottom and from here I have two options because using H isn't an option for me. I have no one to turn to and it's not possible for me to use any rehab services due to my current circumstances. How do I get through this? I've never been like this and it's the worse feeling in the world.
 
What part of tge world are you in Billy? I only ask because Im curious about the kind of government regulations you face. Is medical marijuana an option for you?
 
From what I have read there is not much support for addicts in your country. Here in the USA I can get my first trip to rehab for free, and most people lately are blaming the pharmaceutical companies for starting people getting hooked on pain killers.
 
Im about two weeks into unsuccessfully trying to use Loperamide to get off oxy. I now likely have a Loperamide habit to deal with on top of the oxy.
It wasnt smart to over-estimate my willpower. I had oxy, I used oxy. I should have not used Loperamide until I ran out of oxy.
 
You'll do it Squeaky. I have had my own struggles due to the chronic pain.

However having said that I am now on day 8 CT off opiates. If I can do it so can you.

Here for you anytime,
Ash.


Squeaky said:
Im about two weeks into unsuccessfully trying to use Loperamide to get off oxy. I now likely have a Loperamide habit to deal with on top of the oxy.
It wasnt smart to over-estimate my willpower. I had oxy, I used oxy. I should have not used Loperamide until I ran out of oxy.
Click to expand...
 
I know I will get there. I have two weeks until my next refill, and only 2 pills left. That will be 13 days off oxy.
Experience tells me that I will live. I only wish I had the willpower to do it and have pills stored for a rainy day.
 
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