Oxycodone Withdrawal - Dealing With PAWS

Hey guys, im new to the site and just wanted to run this by you guys. I am currently on day 5 (cold turkey) of oxycodone withdrawal, after taking 40-60mg daily for the last 18-20 months. I have been going through all the typical symptoms of withdrawal but the worst part for me has been depression, followed by restless legs when i get ready for bed. I didnt have a medical condition which required me taking them but i just enjoyed the feeling when i took them, after a while i decided i cant do this anymore. Hate feeling so dependant on these pills.

Fortunately, ive been sleeping okay thanks to advil pm's and trying to stay hydrated and eat healthy. Im not taking any other prescriptions/medications. Just curious if you guys have any estimates as to how long depression may last? I know you cant give exact dates but any opinions will be appreciated! Thanks!

the lingering depression is part of what is known as paws or post acute withdrawal syndrome. as you mentioned, there's really no estimate of how long paws can last.

it really depends on your diet, your intake of necessary vitamins, amino acids, etc, and exercise. sometimes it lasts months, and at times up to more than a year. its symptoms aren't just limited to depression but also anxiety, rls, clouded thinking, etc.

if you find that dealing with the symptoms is extremely difficult. get your hands on some gabapentin and take 200 milligrams twice daily. it will completely erase any residual withdrawals and is actually indicated for rls. usually for me, paws lasts no longer than 3-4 months. don't use the gabapentin for that long however if you do decide to use it. only use it for a few weeks to help you cope with the most difficult part of paws.

please try to address the underlying issues that caused you to use in the first place. "i like the feeling" generally indicates a form of escapism. make sure that if you can identify any personal stressors or deeply-rooted personal issues that you resolve them with a medical professional. if you don't address the underlying problems and choose to ignore them, the statistics that you'll relapse are against you.

homeless -> sober living

good luck and feel free to ask any more questions. welcome to bluelight.

Welcome to the Forum, Outsider31, and good luck to you on your recovery!

Thanks for your input baoozs, im guessing my underlying issue is not long after my father passed is when i got started on these damn pills. I will also look into the Gabapentin you had mentioned.

I find being at work (as much as i hate it), is actually helping me, maybe because its keeping my mind busy. The trouble for me tends to kick in after work at home, with thoughts racing through my head, worries n depression. Plus the RLS when i decide to get into bed, also sucks in the middle of the night when i wake up with sweat all over me and my pillow. Hopefully this wont last much longer, as its now day 6. For me, day 3 was def the worst, emotions all over the place! Thanks!

Outsider, it may be useful to consider what you are experiencing emotionally as not just PAWS. In other words it could be what existed before the pills, was masked by the pills while you were on them and now, once again, is center and forefront. Dealing with the roots of depression, or anxiety, will serve you well in early recovery and beyond.

Do you have any services available to get some help from a counselor?

Nope, dont have any kind of services. Noone in my family or friends even knows that i was taking oxycodone for a year and a half. Perhaps i should look into this and talk to someone. Jeez just when i thought i would be getting better the restless legs n overall tightness/pain on my legs is bothering me. Anyone have any estimtes on how long this may last? This is my 6th day opiate free, dont feel quite as emotional as i did on my 3rd day either, thank god!

Hey outsider and welcome to Bluelight. Here is some good information for you to look at about PAWS..

It seems to me that you are still very much in the acutes... Your doing great... keep at it it gets better quick. People usually pass through the acutes and then feal pretty good for a couple of days and then the PAWS can hit.

PAWS LINKS
Why We Don’t Get Better Immediately: Post-acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
Post Acute Withdrawal (PAW) Excerpted From “Staying Sober” By: Terence T. Gorski
Post-acute-withdrawal syndrome Wiki
Exercise and Mood

Chemicals and supplements to recover from opiate addiction
Managing depressive thinking

it is a powerful thing to keep our thoughts possitive and here are some threads many of us use to help us do this.
Good things about being off drugs/getting sober
Share something POSITIVE from your day!
Today I Am Thankful For... Ver. 3: Earth, Wind and Fire!
Here is the mindfulness thread.


I would not throw exercise into the mix until the acutes are over as it can spike adrenals and they are already spiking.

Your doing great fight, fight, fight!!!!!

Hey hey,
At five days I was feeling the same way, two and half weeks later I am functioning at a better level after six years of opiate abuse. As always I personally found that a SNRI helped me out a lot. I have tried quitting opiates without SNRI and with and this time around with the SNRI the depression is MUCH MUCH less of a symptom. Perhaps there is underlying depression associated with your drug abuse, there typically seems to be. Also the SNRI I am on is venlaxafine and there is a pubmed study someone on this forum showed me showing some efficacy using it in opiate withdrawal.

(Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18344729)

Your short duration of use is an asset to you right now so quit while your ahead!

Wow thanks guys for the encouragement and information! I would literally be going out of my mind if it wasn't for all of you! Just the thought of going through these withdrawals all over again scares the hell outta me. For now all I can do is just deal with the restless legs, waking up several times in the middle of the night all sweaty, and the depression/anxiety. Once again, thank you guys so much!

Outsider31 said:

Hey guys, im new to the site and just wanted to run this by you guys. I am currently on day 5 (cold turkey) of oxycodone withdrawal, after taking 40-60mg daily for the last 18-20 months. I have been going through all the typical symptoms of withdrawal but the worst part for me has been depression, followed by restless legs when i get ready for bed. I didnt have a medical condition which required me taking them but i just enjoyed the feeling when i took them, after a while i decided i cant do this anymore. Hate feeling so dependant on these pills.

Fortunately, ive been sleeping okay thanks to advil pm's and trying to stay hydrated and eat healthy. Im not taking any other prescriptions/medications. Just curious if you guys have any estimates as to how long depression may last? I know you cant give exact dates but any opinions will be appreciated! Thanks!

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I cold turkey quit a 4yr oxycodone use, 30-60mg a day plus .2-.5 grams if heroin a day too. I'm 16 days clean and I still have depression and RLS. The RLS isn't as bad anymore, it doesn't keep me awake but it's more of a pain in my legs than a tingle feeling. The only reason I can't sleep is insomnia. I've had my daughter taken from me temporarily and my fiancé I've been with everyday for almost 7yrs is in a rehab and that's made my depression worse but I've been learning how to turn my thoughts around for the better and learnin how to look on the bright side if things. But like everyone has said, PAWS can last a long time. I haven't used any meds to help and it haven't taken any vitamins either. I probably should but I'm literally broke, I don't have a penny to my name and I can't ask for money cuz nobody trusts me with it. It's been hard but it does get better. I found that around a week to week and a half is when I started feeling much better

PAWS can last as short as 30 days up to a year, keeping busy, exercise, friends, food and the weather can make all the difference. Talking to people really helps too, for me the longest lasting symptom was the shits probably last about 3 months.

I just recently found out what PAWS is all about first hand. After 10 years on narcotics for chronic pain I was finally able to quit. They had hit me with every narcotic on the market and I loved trying each new drug. Unfortunately I accommodated rather fast to meds so I was always 'chasing the dragon'. I have been off for 5 months now and at about 3 months the PAWS hit with a fury. I had no idea what it was and thought I had a brain tumor or something. Thankfully my wife hung around through it all and I feel like with her help, and all the advice I have found on this site, I can stay clean.
One of the most helpful things I have found is to talk to someone who knows what you are going through. I have been so stuck in my own head so many times I thought I was going crazy. Spiritually, although very difficult, is also very important. Have to find a way to stop being the center of our own universe
Even with PAWS kicking my butt my life is still 100% better.
This website rocks.