Day 2 clean from opiates, loperamide concerns

I have been struggling with opiate addiction for about 4 years. I have had clean periods using kratom and it seemed like a miracle cure untill i tried to stop and found i was right back where i started. So here i am again, coming off a pill binge and this time i decided i am done. I do not want to be hooked on anything anymore. I stopped using 2 days ago and yesterday was rough but not as bad as i expected. I was having some... Digestive issues so i decided to take 10mg loperamide to ease that and within an hour i noticed my cold sweats were gone, i was off the toilet, and i was actually able to eat. I expected all my symptoms to return but they didnt. Here i am 24 hours later still feeling ok. Im not great but for the first time its not total hell and i actually feel like i can do this. My concern is this- in my experience there is no miracle cure for withdrawl. You can keep it at bay but eventually you will have to pay the piper.
So my question is- can i continue to use loperamide without negative effects when i am ready to stop? Will it prolong my withdrawl? I have read about abuse and addiction with loperamide, but i am staying within the recomended dosing and i only plan to use it when needed for the first 3 or 4 days untill the worst is over. Will my withdrawl symptoms return full force when i stop the loperamide? How long can i expect this initial dose to keep the most miserable symptoms at bay?
I know everyone is different and there is a ton of info online but i havent read about anyone using lope and staying clean long term. This is the longest i have ever been clean without kratom, and i really want it this time. I need this to work. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

I've looked around and from what I've found, lots of ppl say that it will delay your withdrawals but I don know how bad they will hit you. IMO I would just stop all the meds and just push through it. I was using oxy for a little over 4yrs and H for a while. I quit cold turkey and didn't use any meds for anything. I'm now 22 days clean. So I would just stop anything your taking and just push through. For me the bad physical withdrawal symptoms subsided around day 4-7. They say the 3rd day is the hardest, it was for me but I feel much better now. Just take vitamins and get out in the sun and do exercise or just walk or something. It really helps.

I got out and cruised around on my skateboard for a couple hours and I felt great afterwards and I still feel good now other than some depression, but physically I'm good. Getting out and doing stuff especially in the sun, really helps a lot

Thank you so much for the advice. I had a feeling that was the case so i havent taken anything since.
I too am fighting the oxy beast. I went on methadone for a little over 6 months a couple years ago, HUGE mistake. The facility i went to was really bad. They had me on a really high dose for my habbit. I was nodding all day and lost a ton of weight. When i wanted to taper they kept advising me against it. I ended up getting my done on the street just so i could taper. When i ran out i gave it my best, i was 100% clean for about a week before i gave in. That hell still scares me today. I know done has a much longer half life and i did a taper and reduced my dose of oxy about a month ago, i ended up falling back into it but not nearly as bad as before so im hoping this wont be as bad and i will make it this time. Tomorrow is day 3. I never even made it this far when just taking oxy so i really hope its managable.
Thank you again. Congrats on the 22 days!!! Gives me hope!

Yeah I didn't taper or anything. My dose was 30-60mg oxycodone(recreational, no prescription) a day plus .2-.5 grams of H a day on top of the oxycodone. I actually went to a detox for 5 days a couple years ago, they had me on Clonodine but it didn't help. I had an easier time getting through withdrawals this time than when I tried two years ago. The last month of my use was like a heave oxy and heroin benge(spelling?haha) and I had to abruptly quit with no heads up. And yeah the longest id ever been clean was like 6 days but that was just cuz I was on vacation and couldn't bring my pills/dope with me(except for a bag of weed)

But if I can do it than you can do too. Good job on making the call to get clean. I'm sure you be able to manage it, just stay true to yourself.

And thanks! I'm proud of myself, I hope it gives you some insperation

This thread is new but will eventually grow for me it's great insperation. It's the April getting clean thread. The previous one(March getting clean) helped me out a lot. Hopefully it'll work for you too - http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/717802-April-getting-staying-sober-thread-v-April-showers

Why did you go back to it after 6 days? Wasnt the worst over at that point? Last night was rough for me but i did manage to get some sleep after smoking some herb and taking hylands restfull legs for my leg cramps. I hate them the worst! Kicking all night is sooo uncomfortable. I really feel like i can do it this time. I am doing my best to get out of bed and get outside a bit. I will look at the thread u mentioned. Thanks a bunch!

I would recommend waiting another 24 hours without loperamide if you can and see if your symptoms return/get worse or not. If they do become hard to handle again maybe try taking half as much lope as the first time, if any - It has been known to prolong withdrawals since it is itself an opioid, but perhaps taking such a low dose, and then an even lower dose a day or two later will act as a sort of taper.

Whatever you do, definitely don't take a bigger dose then you already have. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you!

I was really only planning to take the lope for stomach issues. I was really suprised it helped other symptoms and thats what scared me about it. After so many attempts to stop i know wd is something you have to just buckle down and go through at some point. I took the 5 2mg pills on day one around 7pm, its 4pm on day 3 now an my cold sweats never came back like they were on day one.
I will admit today hasnt been easy, i felt alot better when i woke up than i do now. The RLS is really bugging me so im trying to do things around the house to stay busy. Its hella cold outside and its just plain uncomfortable to go out. I took a short walk and came right back to my warm house lol. I cant really think straight right now but i really appreciate the support i have found here on BL as no one in my life knows i have relapsed since my methadone treatment a couple years back. It hard to do alone but coming clean about my use really rocked my world last time. Everyone was so shocked and dissapointed it sort of made things worse. I want to at least get through the worst of it and start feeling strong before i tell anyone. WD is depressing enough without everyone i know being on my ass for relapsing. BL is the only support i have and it means alot that total strangers care enough to read my posts and give advice. No one in my life has been through it anyway, they dont undestand and right now i dont hbe the strength to try to explain it.
For now im just taking each day as it comes.

you are getting better so by the time the lope wore off your wd wasn't as bad. lope will delay the wd but at the dose you are taking as long as you dont take it more then 4 days then it will be negligible, just take less and less and space the doses out as much as possible. the trouble comes when you are taking 20mg+ for a week or over and dont taper off, you drop the lope and are sent back in to withdrawals. weed is certainly a godsend for opiate wd if you enjoy it lol.

dont look back.

I successfully got off 140mgs methadone with loperamide, with little to no physical withdrawal symptoms over the period of two weeks. I dosed loperamide 40mgs every 24 hours for a few days, went down to 30mgs for a few days every 36 hours or so because it tends to build up in your system and so on. When I stopped the loperamide, I still had insomnia and RLS but they were much more manageable, naproxen helped quite a bit with the rls at that stage. I was using a lot of supplements at that time though, im sure they helped quite a bit. After the physical withdrawals were mostly gone I made sure to work out and injest protein powder with a good amino acid profile to help coax neurotransmitter levels to more acceptable levels, l-tyrosine which is a precursor to norepenephrine and dopamine helped quite a lot, it does heighten anxiety.

Through my research I discovered that l-tyrosine does next to nothing in healthy individuals but those going through intense periods of stress, grieving for a lost love one definitely do get mental relief from taking it, it doesnt release these neurotransmitters but increases the amount available and is better utikized by those who are lacking in endogenous levels of them due to down regulation caused by opioid addiction. I havent really found much research about this but this is the way that I understand it and it has definitely helped me a few times. If you do choose to try this make sure to do it after the physical withdrawals have mostly gone because it can worsen them. Anxiety, sweating, diarrhea that is.

Hey man, good job!!! I am rooting for ya brother! I am sorry if this somewhat takes over your thread my friend but I have just stopped taking oxycodone today!! Any useful information to get me through the first few days would be so helpful!!

XxxshortyxxX said:

Why did you go back to it after 6 days? Wasnt the worst over at that point? Last night was rough for me but i did manage to get some sleep after smoking some herb and taking hylands restfull legs for my leg cramps. I hate them the worst! Kicking all night is sooo uncomfortable. I really feel like i can do it this time. I am doing my best to get out of bed and get outside a bit. I will look at the thread u mentioned. Thanks a bunch!

Click to expand...

I wasn't ready to quit. I still liked getting high. I would still be using right now but my daught has been temporarily taken away from me and the threats of having her taken away for good made me wanna stop for good this time. I'm 23 says clean now and I don't think ill ever go back to opiates again I'll eventually smoke bud again but not right now

So this is day 4, i got hardley any sleep at all last night and im feelin pretty shitty. I am way ready for this to end! Not being able to be comfortable is the hardest part for me. Im hot, then cold, then cold and sweaty. My stomach hurts and ive spent way to much time on the toilet for one day. The RLS is driving me up the walls... I thought day 4 would be better than day 3 but i have been poisoning my body with that crap for so long im not too suprised its still mad at me. Id give almost anything to sleep longer than 30 min at a time.
To serpant- the lope really seemed to help but i cant be sure if it has prolonged my WD. If u decide to take it i would suggest following the advice the people in this thread have given me and go easy on the doseage. The best advice i can give is WATER. Drink alot of it and get in it! Showers, baths, hot, cold, whatever feels good to you. I think a few hot showers a day is the only thing keeping me sane right now. When ever i feel like total crap the hot water seems to level out my temp and relax my RLS even if its just for a little bit it does help. Have alot of clean clothes on hand to because WD can make u sweat like crazy! Good luck! We can all do this! Kinda hating my dr right now for prescribing this shit.

XxxshortyxxX said:

So this is day 4, i got hardley any sleep at all last night and im feelin pretty shitty. I am way ready for this to end! Not being able to be comfortable is the hardest part for me. Im hot, then cold, then cold and sweaty. My stomach hurts and ive spent way to much time on the toilet for one day. The RLS is driving me up the walls... I thought day 4 would be better than day 3 but i have been poisoning my body with that crap for so long im not too suprised its still mad at me. Id give almost anything to sleep longer than 30 min at a time.
To serpant- the lope really seemed to help but i cant be sure if it has prolonged my WD. If u decide to take it i would suggest following the advice the people in this thread have given me and go easy on the doseage. The best advice i can give is WATER. Drink alot of it and get in it! Showers, baths, hot, cold, whatever feels good to you. I think a few hot showers a day is the only thing keeping me sane right now. When ever i feel like total crap the hot water seems to level out my temp and relax my RLS even if its just for a little bit it does help. Have alot of clean clothes on hand to because WD can make u sweat like crazy! Good luck! We can all do this! Kinda hating my dr right now for prescribing this shit.

Click to expand...

Insomnia can last a long time. I'm on my third week clean and I still can't sleep. I'd see if you can go to the doc and get trazadone or something. My RLS is gone for the most part except it acts up in the morning when I wake up but I'm not up all night kicking and stretching. For me the RLS got better after the one week mark. RLS is what would break me every time I tried to quit in the past, I hate it but I hate the cold chills even more. They went away after about 2 weeks, I'm finally feeling warm again.

serpant said:

Hey man, good job!!! I am rooting for ya brother! I am sorry if this somewhat takes over your thread my friend but I have just stopped taking oxycodone today!! Any useful information to get me through the first few days would be so helpful!!

Click to expand...

Like shorty said...Hot Baths. Taking a hot bath or shower can make a world of difference. I prefer a hot shower cuz baths make me feel extremely exhausted. The first few days are always the hardest. Good luck! You can do it!




Sorry for the double post:/

Oxy ghost- i am really bummed to hear how long your insomnia and rls lasted. The cold sweats and rls always made me give in too
I tried everything i could think of to get a good nights sleep. I took a hot shower before i layed down, tried melatonin, and later flexeril, each helped me pass out only tp wake right back up! So frustrating!
I remembered a trick i used with my methadone attempt, tight knee high socks! May seem weird but somehow it did help and i managed to get some sleep. I also used tiger balm before and i remember it helping but in my situation it would be a dead give away that im going thru WD for those around me ( it smells and ive only ever used it for the rls).
Anyway if serpant is still following this thread those tips might help. I am feeling better today so far and boy am i glad! I have to work tomorrow but if i feel to shity i will call out instead of using like i have in the past. Im hoping i can work, staying busy has really helped me even though it is hard to do and i think a good days work might help me get a good nights sleep.
I will keep posting my progress in hopes that this thread might give others strenghth. Good luck to anyone going through this!!!
Serpant- i have also read about lyrica helping many people but i dont have any experience with it. Might be something to read up on.

XxxshortyxxX said:

Oxy ghost- i am really bummed to hear how long your insomnia and rls lasted. The cold sweats and rls always made me give in too
I tried everything i could think of to get a good nights sleep. I took a hot shower before i layed down, tried melatonin, and later flexeril, each helped me pass out only tp wake right back up! So frustrating!
I remembered a trick i used with my methadone attempt, tight knee high socks! May seem weird but somehow it did help and i managed to get some sleep. I also used tiger balm before and i remember it helping but in my situation it would be a dead give away that im going thru WD for those around me ( it smells and ive only ever used it for the rls).
Anyway if serpant is still following this thread those tips might help. I am feeling better today so far and boy am i glad! I have to work tomorrow but if i feel to shity i will call out instead of using like i have in the past. Im hoping i can work, staying busy has really helped me even though it is hard to do and i think a good days work might help me get a good nights sleep.
I will keep posting my progress in hopes that this thread might give others strenghth. Good luck to anyone going through this!!!
Serpant- i have also read about lyrica helping many people but i dont have any experience with it. Might be something to read up on.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I usually don't fall asleep til around 6am. I'm sure I could go to sleep earlier if is stop staying up til 4am playing Xbox haha. Like i said, the RLS isn't as bad any more. Durring the day it's minor pains but the tingling feeling is worse when I wake up but it eventually goes away. I'm trying to get Medicaid so I can go to the doctor and get something for insomnia and possibly depression. They might RDA me

Ghost- i too have always been a night owl, and often find myself up late on xbox . If you are going to bed at 6 what time are you waking up? Are you able to really sleep? Ive suffered from insomnia on and off through out my life and ive been on every med my docs could think up. I have had some luck with seroquil but when in wd i find it just makes me an exausted zombie, still unable to sleep. Ambien worked wonders for me untill i sleep walked and almost killed myself (scary!!).
Right now i still have alot of those sleep meds left over so any advice is welcome, but i found over time that my insomnia was mostly anxiety related. Right now im not seeing a dr and i sold all of my xanax (never liked it) so anxiety is something i will just have to deal with but sleep i NEED!
Right now i am using only natural meds like melatonin and herb but i cant imagine going another night without sleep! What can i do?
How long untill you could sleep atleast 2 hours without waking?
I wake often without my anxiety meds as it is, i just need a couple hours.

Once I fall asleep I'm able to sleep for a while. I usually don't wake up til around 2pm. The first couple weeks it was only a couple hours and now I'm starting to get more. I haven't taken anything to try to help me other than some Ativan but it never helped. I never liked benzo's either and I don't really like ambien. I used to "abuse" it for a while and after some bad experiences I don't even wanna take it the right way. A couple years ago when I tried to go to a detox facility they had me on trazadone, I like it a lot. I'm trying to get Medicaid and hopefully get something to help. I yawn and feel tired all day long but I just can't sleep. Even though I can sleep for about 8 hours, I wanna fall asleep before 6am haha. I'll be starting a job next week and I'll have to be up at 8am and I can't do that if I'm not going to sleep til 6.

So here i am, day 7!!! I worked 8 hours yesterday and it was not easy, i was a sweaty mess but i made it! I slept last night, woke up early today and i feel soooo much better! I am thrilled! I feel like i got my life back!
Ghost- Trazadone always made me tired but still unable to sleep. Hope u find something that works for you! Good luck with your sobriety and thank you so much for helping me find mine.

Sweet! WTG shorty!
Looks like you are well on your way to putting a big mess behind you.
Be careful not to slip up, very careful; this stuff can have a way of sneaking back up and biting you in the butt...