poppy seed tea withdrawal timeline

[coolname]

thx robo for the feedback, its comforting to hear from someone. that i am no t the only one on the planet going through this. ya, the bloating feeking was awful, and. i was wondering why i was sleeping so much all the time!!!

 

[RobotRipping]

yeah took me a while to realize that i was sleeping 14 hours a day and absolutely could not get up. I loved the high but the side effects were really terrible, could not stay on it. In the end i ended up preferring kratom to it, more energy, more productive and very few side effects. Since i stopped loperamide the other day i've been feeling really off, don't know if i'm still finishing withdrawals or just fucked in the head. Been like a month and a half since i switched to kratom and like 3 days since i've had loperamide. Definitely had RLS last night, couldn't sleep so it's still there somewhat.

 

[coolname]

congrats Robot!!!! it's even better to hear of a success story with PST than just knowing that someone else has struggled w/ it

I am down to 2 units a day. I took 3 units today, and begin 2 units tomorrow. I will take this 2 unit dose for 3 days, afterwhich I will reduce to 1 unit for 3 days.

It's unbelievable... I had extra poppy seeds lying around for future doses and NEVER did I take an extra container!!! Every time I though about it I thought... gross.... so sick of not being able to manage my life without this $hit.

another side effect of PST, which you mentioned (the bloating) really bothered me because me food didn't digest for the whole night!!! it was gross.. sometimes I'd puke hours later food which should have been digested a long time ago. My poor belly.......

Also, it made me INCREDIBLY off the wall irritable. One time, when I was alone in the house (I live in a suburb), I just yelled and yelled for hours like a freaking lunatic about anything and everything. 100% absolutely attributed to PST.

BTW, whats weird is how even at a 3 unit dose I'm still getting a little tiny bit high. Tomorrow with the 2 unit dose should eradicate any subjective high feelings.... it makes me sad... but better than me abusing this. Damn, if this were oxycodone in those seeds and not just morphine/codeine or whatever is in raw opium I WOULD NOT be getting off so easily. I despise oxycodone with all the love I have for it.

 

[coolname]

uh oh... i feel a relapse coming...

I am down to 2 units/day. I went and bought 6 (for a 3 day supply) and took 2 of them just now....

But what's the harm in taking another 3???? I can say, "use what you want today, and for the next 2 days you can have what's left". So in a way I'm not using more............... in the span of 3 days that is.

UGHGHGH... it's the first real snow of the year and I want to celebrate, plus it's Sunday so I can be "off" my job search so it doesn't matter.

Ugh........... this is so bad. I took 2 and I swear I can already feel the high..... maybe in combination with tyrosine it amplifies it???

I don't want to use but I also want to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I've been doing so well....... but the devil inside of me says "give it a chance, you deserve a reward... you have self-control, beleive me!! just this once.... for the last time!"

Ugh, how many times have I obeyed that voice??? how many more times will I?????

I already know that I will use today.

God damn it.

I hate myself sometimes.

 

[motherofearth]

uh oh... i feel a relapse coming...

I am down to 2 units/day. I went and bought 6 (for a 3 day supply) and took 2 of them just now....

But what's the harm in taking another 3???? I can say, "use what you want today, and for the next 2 days you can have what's left". So in a way I'm not using more............... in the span of 3 days that is.

UGHGHGH... it's the first real snow of the year and I want to celebrate, plus it's Sunday so I can be "off" my job search so it doesn't matter.

Ugh........... this is so bad. I took 2 and I swear I can already feel the high..... maybe in combination with tyrosine it amplifies it???

I don't want to use but I also want to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I've been doing so well....... but the devil inside of me says "give it a chance, you deserve a reward... you have self-control, beleive me!! just this once.... for the last time!"

Ugh, how many times have I obeyed that voice??? how many more times will I?????

I already know that I will use today.

God damn it.

I hate myself sometimes.

This is the ensnarement of the easier, softer way - tapering. You have to hold out and keep to your commitment or you will lose yourself, and the next time you want to stop you will feel tapering is not an option. Don't limit yourself.

 

[coolname]

motherofearth, thanks for the feedback. Ya I had a little relapse and probably what I'd call another one today (but the seeds are so weak lately that I need more to keep up w/ my taper, that's another problem w/ poppy seeds-no consistent dose unless you stock up, and even then you might luck out). Thankfully the store does not sell the strong stuff anymore (except for a random time last week when I stocked up). My withdrawals aren't so bad anymore, thankfully!!! I've definitely gotten off a big dosage, and don't feel the need to use so much anymore.

I hope to quit permanently. I'm smoking a lot of weed-which isn't great but it helps w/ my mind since I'm unemployed and I think I'd fall into a heavy major depression if I didn't. I'm still able to get stuff done w/ the weed anyways. I'm out of it tonight which makes me very sad, but it's probably for the better... unless my guy calls me tonight

But ya things are getting better w/ the seeds. though I'm not sure if I had access to strong seeds that I would still be "clean" off poppy seeds-- speaks about my usage and commitment. But all I need is to be off this stuff and quit doing my "ritual" w/ it... that's so hard. It's a nice break to have something to do... even a stupid errant like obtaining/buying the seeds is soothing because it makes me feel purposeful.. as if I have an "acitivity" other than looking for work.

Guys...... this whole job search thing truly sucks..... but I'm starting to get better. Please keep you fingers crossed for me. Thanks everyone!

 

[motherofearth]

If the ritual is a significant problem, tapering will likely do you little good, if not hurt your odds of quitting, since a ritual obviously has nothing to do w/ your tolerance. Another reason tapering my DOC was impossible is b/c I'm so caught up in the rituals of my ROA - intravenous use. Even if I could control the dosages and not fudge 'em in the name of getting loaded, I'd still be caught up in a large part of my addictive compulsions; the ritual in itself was an addiction for me - enough so that at times I've gleaned some relief from shooting water.

It sounds to me like you could and should just jump off altogether. It will be the surest way to drop your habit.

 

[purrpilll]

I'm wishing you the best!!

 

[RobotRipping]

tapering pst made it much easier for me to quit. I went to 3 lbs down to .5lbs/once or twice per day before i switched to kratom. I actually hate the ritual of making poppy tea, drinking it, especially going to buy it and i used to just order it online. I'd rather just withdrawal than buy the shitty overpriced local seeds.

 

[coolname]

thank you purrpill!!!

Also, thanks motherofearth for your suggestion---I totally agree with you. However the diarrhea gets really bad with this, it's even worse than the aches or psychic pain from withdrwaal. Must have something to do with all those different "opiate alkaloids" (ok... I'm not a nerd enough to know what I'm even talking about or if i'm using the right words here but i'm refereing to the different opiates here like thebain i think is one of them).

Robottripping--- i would hate the ritual more if my life was more normal.... like if i had a job and had things to do. Going to the store every other day is actually a relief for me.... unbelievably enough it "gives me something to do". as I don't like to do things for pleasure right now because I feel guilty about not looking for work. I can't really enjoy my free time.

I haven't been able to quit the poppy seed tea and honestly, fellow bluelighters, I'm not ready. It truly helps me mentally in a significant way. Otherwise I would be severely crippply depressed. I am also on a bunch of supplements. like st. john's owrt, tyrosine, 5htp, dmae... the whole gamut. I have health insurance but I can't really take advantage of it since office visits are too expensive.. i can't change the insurance either because this is the only kind i'm eligible for.... thankfully the government offered me insurance otherwise i'd be walking around w/ no insurance!! and i'm not stupid or thankfully tooo poor to not have it.... guh, enough of my rant about health insurance i could go on 4ever i'm sure

hope you all are having a good start to the week

hugs

 

[SlowSunBurst]

It's been what, a year now? Just curious about how coolname is doing now. Must have gotten a job I would hope...

As for PST hopefully he's doing better with that now too? I have a boyfriend that is addicted to opiates, and thus I use with him at times. It makes me feel horrible, I wish I didn't. Been doing PST for the last 3 or 4 days actually..off and on...we broke up, got clean, back together, using again. Life has improved in some ways, not living with parents anymore is a plus. I know we'd both have better chances if I stopped and told him to stop too. It was my fault for ever saying, "yeah, ok, you can make tea, now and then, but no pills." Now and then became a lot, with out my permission, I just let it happen. A lot then became pills now and then(which I originally said 'never again' when I came back). Now it's pills once to 3 times monthly, whether I do them with him or not. It's a struggle, me being jobless also doesn't help matters. But I have a deep seated fear of getting one because 1)still not clean and 2)last time I had one, I allowed him to use all the money I hard earned for pills, it got so bad he would get into my wallet without even asking me. He was NOT the same person anymore. There's either the fear that that person will return because I again didn't put my foot down when I should, etc. A loss of trust. That I'm still trying to grapple with and regain. As well as right now, on top of it all, trying to stop using again with him. And to stop and tell him to stop. I get depressed and think I need it when I don't. I've been depressed for many years, and never has it helped with depression. Even at times of peak I would just feel guilty and horrible and want to cry about it, feeling failure all over again. Not even coffee or nicotine has ever 'helped' my mental downs. I am really thinking about that today. Sure I may always 'want' things, but I never 'needed' them.

I'm going to try to stop again starting today. Sorry for the conceited rant. >.< I am also sick of PST and PT and opiates in general. And loperamide. Not big on weed either. It helps me eat sometimes and feel a tad less down but then it also makes me feel dumb, and sometimes nauseated. o.o

Perhaps I'll try to start a new thread as well...I could really use some advice/especially support, if anything else. Hope coolname is doing better now. As well as others on this thread that were quitting/trying to quit. Best of luck, to all of you.

 

[Paleblue69]

Best of luck with your struggle--and it is definitely that--I know this is an old thread but I thought I might as well throw my story in in the hopes that it may help the next person who looks up this topic. This is my first post on this forum--a little background on myself--I chose life I chose a family, kids, dog, mortgage, taxes (if you missed the Trainspotting reference see the movie). I'm not afraid to say it, I'm an addict--pretty much my entire adult life I've had an affinity for substances (responsibly used--if you believe there is such a thing)--and have done them all except a few, and all within the constricts of the sunshine-y life I mentioned, but boy did I meet my match when it came to opiates. Since this thread is specifically about PST, (although the symptoms apply to other longer-acting opiates) I will stick with that. First off, anyone that smirks at Poppy Seed/Pod Tea has simply not come across good seeds, nor have they read any of the other stories that area becoming more and more prevalent around the web. Poppy Seed Tea is a straight-up MORPHINE addiction, with a bunch of other naturally occurring addictive chemicals in smaller amounts, (Thebaine, Papaverine, etc.). I came across it after some simple research into the poppy plant itself, and how I might be able to extend the feeling I was experiencing from the short script of pain medicine after a root canal. It didn't take long, within a week I had my first 2lb. bag of seeds from a reputable vendor. To be honest, I really didn't think it would work at all--it was more of a curiosity. PST is still relatively unknown even now amongst most people, and I thought ok, I'm going to [insert preparation process here--I don't know if it's allowed here or not--and thankfully I did not use near the entire amount], chug it down, and probably feel nothing, except that I spent the cash for nothing. The rest is history. Within an hour I felt incredible--full of calm, relaxed energy that lasted all day, night, and sometimes even the next morning. Work was easy, I had plenty of desire to get things done, etc. This is what they call the "honeymoon" phase of opiate addiction--when your brain still has plenty of dopamine and active dopamine receptors to be stimulated. This lasted for maybe a few months, until I started noticing less and less of an effect from the same seeds. Eventually, as with many other drugs, I was taking it in the morning more just to avoid withdrawal rather than to get the high, which was never like it was in the beginning. I know everybody is different, but with me the withdrawal goes something like this: within 24 hours lethargy, chills, bouts of sweating, and insomnia. Shortly thereafter the anxiety and restless legs starts. Those are always the worst for me--feeling of exhaustion all day, and then as soon as you try to rest, you can't. You're up all night with the unbearable need to keep stretching, tossing, turning, etc. Loss of appetite, diarrhea, all the standard opiate withdrawal symptoms. One of the worst parts about Poppy Seed Tea, however, is the duration. Some opiates are faster-acting and the withdrawals are mostly over within a few days. With PST, depending on the strength of the seeds, amount used, length of use, etc., you can push 10-14 days--I hated reading that for the first time on one of these forums when I was miserable at 3:30am on day 3, but unfortunately it is true. For me symptoms noticeably improve after day 5-6, and you're feeling much better at the end of your 2nd week. Again, this was just me--everybody's system is different, but I've relapsed and withdrawn like this about 5 times over the past 3 years, and that's how it always goes for me.

At this point I'll get into what has helped me a lot with the first "acute" stage of PST withdrawal. You can do a lot of online research (and you probably will, in a desperate late-night attempt to find something to make you feel better--I definitely did) into what helps, and although nothing helps 100% (except more opiates, but relapsing only puts you back to square one, unless you're trying a taper schedule). In my opinion, unless you have access to prescription meds like Gabapentin, Benzodiazepines (these can all present a whole other addiction issue themselves) then your best two allies are Kratom and Cannabis. Kratom I only discovered after my first withdrawal, and wished I had had it the first time. Kratom (Mitrangyna Speciosa) is a leaf from a tree that grows in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.). Taken in it's powdered form (you can look up a dosing schedule elsewhere--again I'm not sure if dosing is allowed on this forum) Kratom for me knocked out at least 75% of the withdrawal feelings. It is not an opiate itself, but acts partially on the same receptors. Cannabis also helped me a lot when I was miserable--the weed for me served to kind of "take my mind off" the withdrawal feelings and instead I just felt really baked, for a time. Cannabis does stimulate dopamine receptors so it's not just psycho-somatic. Alternating Kratom with Cannabis ever 4 hours or so really helped me with the whole process.

After 10-14 days, the acute opiate withdrawal is over, and the "post-acute" period starts. I'm not 100% sure I have this part figured out yet--according to who you listen to, this part takes anywhere from 30-days to 5 years--I've heard both. Basically it is a period of mostly psychological sucki-ness where you feel incredibly bored, depressed, unmotivated, etc. Your body is done freaking out over not having a ton of dopamine from an external source, and is now recognizing the need to boot it's own system back up to supply these "feel-good" chemicals. Unfortunately, the brain apparently heals more slowly than any of us in this situation would want. For me, one of the best things to help with this is hard exercise. In fact, if you don't have access to Kratom, Cannabis, or any of the other things mentioned above to help you in the acute phase, then hard exercise (almost to exhaustion) will cause your body to put out a bunch of endorphins that will give you relief for a time. So, if you can, join a gym, start running, lift weights, etc--it will help your body jump-start production of the chemicals which it's been lacking since you stopped the PST. Just make sure that you don't try to do too much at once, as your body is most likely not used to exercise after a period of addiction. I'm sure a program, group therapy is good too, I just do not have any experience along those lines.

After that I don't think I have much advice, except to try to stay goal-oriented, try not to be too hard on yourself--getting better is a process and takes time. It's still process to me and I don't know if it will ever stop being one, but I'm trying to fight the good fight and stay on track. Today is day 10 after my last withdrawal, and I'm trying to do my best and take it one day at a time. Good luck!