opioid itch

[yaksbmoc]

How long to I need to be off an opioid drug before the rash and itch disappear?

 

[Melancholy Hill]

Whenever I get the "opioid itch", the effects are usually gone once the drug wears off. If not, the itching is very minimal which is quite tolerable to me.

May I ask what opioids you are/were using?

Also, have you tried taking Benadryl or any other anti-histamine with your dose? My opioid of choice is Hydrocodone and I usually take a few Benadryl with them at the same time and it drastically reduces the itch for me, although some people take the Benadryl 30 minutes or an hour before dosing with an opioid to alleviate the symptoms.

 

[Keif' Richards]

^Yea, the itch (Pruritus) caused by Opioids are an acute effect, not a chronic one. The itches should abate directly following cessation of the drugs. If you're referring to a rash that you developed by excessive irritation of your skin through rubbing and scratching, then that should heal within a few days. Can you elaborate OP?

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

Diphenhydramie (Benadryl) comes in a topical cream with or without benzocaine if this rash persists for longer than a day.

 

[AnydrugsBEENthere]

The itch used to be the best part imho

 

[Melancholy Hill]

I never understood while a lot of people actually enjoy the opioid itch. I personally can't stand it. When I take Hydrocodone or other similar drugs I like to lay back and chill, not constantly scratch myself to alleviate the itching which just comes back within a matter of seconds or minutes anyway. And I especially hate it when I'm in public. Everyone looking at you while you're constantly scratching yourself non-stop like a crackhead lol. To each his own, though.

 

[AnydrugsBEENthere]

But it itches sooooooo goooooddddddd

 

[opiatekrzy]

The itch is only pleasant at the beginning of the "buzz" , you know, the light itch of the nose, face; but once the itch starts to spread to my thighs, i know it's game over and that's just when I get plain irritable and having to deal with my nuts and legs itching like crazy.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I know this isn't a meaningful contribution, but if you spin it Bill O'Reilly-style, you can claim it as Harm Reduction.

I always itch and as I said earlier in the thread, I believe it's a Pavlovian response, like, we know the itch is associated with Opioid intoxication, so we grow to really like it. Just like the example of Pavlov ringing the bell and the dogs associated the sound of the bell with food and it caused their mouths to water, with or without food actually being present.

It's always my nose. In all seriousness, I will itch my nose until there's nothing left. It's really not a good thing. I always think I'm just casually itching my nose like you might do when you're not intoxicated, but when you do it several hundred times in a day, it tends to become a problem. I've rubbed so incessantly that I've cause the exterior of my nose to bleed and it's actually pretty painful the next day. Even the wind will irritate it.

If it gets this severe, like in my case, then I definitely feel that an antihistamine might be in order. For obvious reasons, a non-sedating antihistamine like Loratadine (Claritin) might be a good choice or even Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) which is a combination of Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and a weak, caffeine-like stimulant 8-Chlorotheophylline.

 

[Melancholy Hill]

The itch is only pleasant at the beginning of the "buzz" , you know, the light itch of the nose, face; but once the itch starts to spread to my thighs, i know it's game over and that's just when I get plain irritable and having to deal with my nuts and legs itching like crazy.

Agreed.