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Withdrawls from Fentanyl use -- how to treat symptoms? (SHIVERS!?)

Pharaoh Sphinx

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
364
Been using fent on a 24/7 basis, even wakin up every 2 hours during sleep ICE fuckin cold shiverin in full blown withdrawals and having to drag my ass across the floor and shove a load down my nose and laying there in fetal position for 60 seconds of sheer agony and irritability till im suddenly overcome with an instaneous blast of warmth and comfort and receeding back to my bed to fall asleep within seconds, and repeat the process 2 hours later, every night, for the past 2-3 months.

Well today I decided to withdraw. Ive never gone through any real lvl of opioid withdrawals in my life and am having a very hard time handling these withdrawals they are unlike nothing ive imagined, just totally fuckin dominating. The muscle weakness is incredible just hours without taking a dose and I can barely walk severe fatigue cant sleep cause of everything going on, even my clothes against my skin are horribly irritating.

Now, smoking weed has helped with the irritability and such, but the most problematic symptom are the shivers. far worse than any fever ive ever had, to the point I feel like my entire rib cage is just seizing up. I asked my girl to touch my spine and she said it was literally hot enough to cook an egg on it. when I touch my back it HURTS my hand it literally gives feeling of touching a mildly hot burner. that really cant be healthy... so my real question here is how can I best combat these shivers??? Any substance I can take to cessate/reduce them? Would regular fever medecine work or are the shivers occuring through an entirely different mechanism of action in this instance?

I seriously cant handle them, just wave after wave after wave of worst feelings ive EVER felt :( fent is eviiillll, heroin withdrawals werent nothin so bad.
 
hey there, sorry to hear about the shitty feelings bro, but more power to you for taking the first steps in quitting, very impressive!

as for helping with the w/d's, are you able to procure any benzo's? (xanax, klonopin, etc); if used only briefly for a withdrawl tool they can prove immensely valuable, just be very careful not to make the mistake of trading one addiction for another.

if benzos are out of the question, many people suggest/have experience using Imodium AD (loperamide) which is an opiate that does not cross the blood brain barrier, for help easing the w/d's.

There are more options than this, you could find them by searching, but I imagine another person or two will step in and offer help/comfort.

Stay strong,
~dr
 
^

how does the immodium work? I assume it binds to same opioid receptors in the intestines and perhaps the spine?? my lower abdomen is also another 'super hot spot' that feels sooo wrong to the touch. If Immodium can deter 2 out of the 3 opioid active zones thats pretty pimp... but isnt that stuff used for the runs or something?? im already constipated as is yo, do really need to add that into the mix too lol

I took 3 extra strength tylenols and that seemed to reduce the shivers by 50% so thats not too bad. My main concern at this moment is SLEEPING tonite in an hour or so here.. I cannot handle not-sleeping it makes me mental, but aint no way at this pace will I feel comfortable enough too sleep... unless I re-dose!! nooo.

Would it be ill advised to take a dose or two of NyQuil to hopefully TKO me for the evening?? that stuff really does a number on me when ive got a fever, and basically these withdrawals just seem one badass fever. Or would the DXM be dangerous to combine to my already stressed body?? DXM makes my heart beat strangely... maybe its the ephedrine in the syrup tho.. either way.
 
designed_reality said:
as for helping with the w/d's, are you able to procure any benzo's? (xanax, klonopin, etc); if used only briefly for a withdrawl tool they can prove immensely valuable, just be very careful not to make the mistake of trading one addiction for another.


and no, dont have access to any quantity of benzos unfortunately.
 
i'll look for some concrete info on imodium in a few;

as far the dxm goes, you can get bottles that have only the dxm in it, so that should be a non-issue. you could also consider getting some benadryl (diphenhydramine), around a 50mg dose might have a 1/10 chance of making you a little drowsy so you could sleep.

anyway, back in a few.
 
yeah man... if you dont have benzos then benadryl is your best friend as far as getting some sleep goes... try 200mg not 50mg that probably wont do shit if your this far into withdrawls where you need a dose every 2 hrs
 
Survival0200 said:
Diazepam is the ultimate withdrawal aid.

Ketamine is the ultimate withdrawl aid =p

Can't you try to taper yourself off the fent?

I know tapering is very hard and usually impssible...but if you're having trouble handling the w/d then it might be your best bet...
 
I already used smoked Fentanyl , I smoke a 100ug Duragesic patch over a week and after I couldnt sleep more than 4 or 5h without take some puff.

I came back to OxyContin and I could sleep all the night but when I wake up I had wd.
Now I left OC and all.

OK now to answer you, what you need is here in this list in order:

  1. Multi-vatamins , take twice a days
  2. Ensure (It's a pre-made shake that replace a meal) Very good cux you would be able to eat much for some days.
  3. Loperamid (Immodium AD)
  4. Diazepam (Valium) or Clonazepam (Klonopin)
  5. If you can get Tramadol take 200 to 300 mg a day for a week (will help alot, at least in my case)

The Valiums would be great because you will get Restless Legs Syndrome and it's not fun.

You will get that almost the nigh :( , and 30mg or 40mg before bed would help alot. And with a huge dose like that the next morning WD's will be less hard because of the long long half life of the Diazepam.

If you use Benzo dont use them over 8 or 10 days, after that you will probably still have some problems to sleep, you could use Ambient for another week.

Look at your PM.¸


Good luck bro, we are all with you.%)
 
staypuft said:
Can you get yourself on methadone/bupe/suboxone?

I WISH I could get bupe, ive heard some impressive things about it. Im not sure if its available in Canada which is where I currently am.

methadone, yes. But do I really want that? Fentanyl lasts very short amount of time, therefore im assuming its withdrawals are equivalent to its active duration, meaning they will be more intense than any other opioid, but shorter lasting as well. Morphine takes like 12 hours to start withdrawing from, fent takes just an hour after the dose has ended. Morphine takes 72h or so to get over the initial roughness and a week or two for the residual withdrawals (not the 'secondary' withdrawals which I can handle, like insomnia is dominated by weed for me so thats not going to be an issue as long as im not shivering to FUCK), im assuming fent would be 72h total or something to get all the way through. But you gotta understand, fentanyl withdrawals will also be more intense than any other opioid withdrawal, just like its high; rapid onset, strong effect, short duration, and as evil as could be.

switching from withdrawing from something that lasts an hour, to something that lasts all day is a pretty huge jump to take and really once I cross that bridge theres no going back, yknow? Im just not ready to take that route cause if I do my total physical withdrawal time can go from 3-4 days to weeks with methadone right?? why do that to myself? even if it would be less intense, id rather a more intense shorter withdrawal than a drawn out long, mild withdrawal.

Now I read some things on fentanyl withdrawals for IV patients receiving it on an hourly basis for mildly extended periods of time (not as long as me :( ), and teyve got some pretty interesting information regarding both methadone and benzos to treat the withdrawals, for anyone interested they explain their ratios and everything very well; http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/418326_4

Id love to try benzos for the withdrawal I really think that would help. I really dont want to try methadone. Now I can get I beleive 8mg codeines without much trouble from the pharmacy, would it be possible to ween myself onto low doses of codeine to knock down the sheer intensity of fent withdrawals?? As somone already said, its not easy to taper down a drug that you withdraw from 2 hours after a dosing.


And just an update. I took a dose at 1:30am to get to sleep, about 50% of my regular dosage, it took out the shivers but left most the other symptoms, but did knock me out quick. I ended up having to redose two additional times during the night till about 6:30am when I finally gaveup on sleeping anymore. I then waitied till about 11:00am and re-dosed another 50% dose which still leaves me with most the symptoms of WD's but does take away the shivers which are for me, the worst part. Are these dosings going to set back my withdrawal process majorly? Im basically at the point of withdrawing for 5-6 hours, then taking a minor dose for releif for an hour, then take another 5-6 hours of misery, and repeat. To note, the intensity post dosing, seems to be getting weaker and weaker. So I assume this is in a way, tapering down fairly rapidly?
 
Isn't it a bit harsh to get on buprenorphine or methadone for life(?) after 2-3 months opioid binge? :\
 
Pharaoh Sphinx said:
Now I can get I beleive 8mg codeines without much trouble from the pharmacy, would it be possible to ween myself onto low doses of codeine to knock down the sheer intensity of fent withdrawals?? As somone already said, its not easy to taper down a drug that you withdraw from 2 hours after a dosing.

Codeine would be a way to taper if you chose that route rather than cold turkey. With the codeine, you at least have a more measurable dose (or more easily measured) so you can calculate decreases more accurately. If you're smoking the fent, it's really hard to measure exactly, you never know how much is in the gel drop and how much you lose as vapour. Also, with the longer halflife, you aren't redosing all the time.


Are these dosings going to set back my withdrawal process majorly? Im basically at the point of withdrawing for 5-6 hours, then taking a minor dose for releif for an hour, then take another 5-6 hours of misery, and repeat. To note, the intensity post dosing, seems to be getting weaker and weaker. So I assume this is in a way, tapering down fairly rapidly?

It definitely slows down your progress. It sounds like you need to decide if you want to do it CT or if you want to taper. The way you're going is first of all no fun and pretty miserable and secondly extending the time you're going to feel shitty.

I've w/drawn from iv fent several times and it is extremely intense, but it is actually a little shorter duration than H or morphine or something more long acting. If you want to just CT it, jsut stop and deal with the hell, it will end. Immodium can be helpful, and benzo's would be great but you've already said you can't get them. Benadryl can help a little, but you can't go too high or you're just going to increase the anxiety and make it worse. Going this way (CT) you just have to accept that you're going to feel like shit and not sleep for a while. It really doesn't sound like you're at the worst of it if you are still constipated, I hate to tell you that but once you're full blown you're going to be nowhere near constipation.

I agree with you, methadone is not a good idea for such a short term habit. A done detox could work if you could get into a clinic to do it. You don't have to stay on methadone because you go to a clinic, you can detox ni 7-10 days depending on state regs. Most clinics would rather detox you than maintain you. A methadone detox isn't as painful as what you're doing right now. Since you haven't been taking it all along, you could get on and off it very quick with little pain. Many clinics will also provide "support meds" for the final stages. With the done detox, it is much less intesnse, but can last slightly longer than H or another drug. Being on it for a short time would decrease this as well.
 
How should I taper? like 50% of my regular dose, and use that allday for 2-3 days then decrease by 50% again?

this is not from duragesic gel. Soo... I know the EXACT dosage im taking at all times. I use via insufflation as well, not IV or smoked. I can also take sublingual which lasts 2x as long as my normal route of admin...
 
Phar- that helps lot, if you know exactly what you're getting. You could do the 50% cuts, but that is pretty rough, and makes it more likely that you'll say fuck it and take a big dose.

If I was in your situation, I would first switch to sublingual- anything to extend the length is going to make it easier. Then find (you may already know this) what dose it takes to make you comfortable. Most people can handle betweent 10-20% reductions every 5-10 days. Obivously the bigger the reduction and shorter the time period, the easier it will be on you. If you want to go with bigger reductions, try to find some helper meds. There are lots that are fairly easy to get and would be helpful. Antinausea meds are very helpful, phenergan and compazine- not only will they help the nausea, they are slightly sedating and will help with anxiety and sleep. Clonidine is helpful to many people, normally a BP drug is helpful with anxiety and relaxing you. Any benzo obviously but may be harder to get. The other sleep aids can help too, ambien and its relatives- most docs are pretty liberal with them. Any of the sedating antidepressants- tons of these but you have to always watch for interaction with other drugs/meds amitriptylene, trazadone- a few of the common ones. If you've never taken them, they can really knock you out, if you have taken them in the past in large amounts, they aren't very effective for sedation. Benadryl as already mentioned but other antihistamines such as attarax (hydroxyzine), vistaril ect.

If you have the supply and the time, a taper would definitely be the easiest way to go. If you don't though, CT is definitely possible. It will be hell for a few days but it will end. I know it doesn't feel like it, it is the worst feeling in the world, but keep telling yourself it will end and you will feel better. One of the times I came off iv fent, i was home visiting my parents for xmas. It was absolutely horrible. I took nothing but benadryl and didn't sleep for 3 or 4 days. I also had to be up and moving around during the day to hide it from my family, which was very hard to do. They thought i had the flu. It actually probably was better getting up and being forced to try to eat and drink- just becuase i wasn't laying in bed focusing on the drug and lack of it- but it was also very hard. I've detoxed from many, H, morph, fent, methadone, oxy, and hydromorphone and of all of them I would say fent was the most intense, but lasted the shortest period of time overall. Also, the period of time from when you are no longer physically dependent to where you actually start to feel normal and good again, was much shorter for fent than any other.

Good luck, if I can help you with anything else, let me know!
 
Several people have recommended benzos, but you might also try Kratom. It's a weak opiate that's been said to have gotten several people through withdrawal symptoms. It can be procured online from sellers of ethnobotanicals, and there are several preparations of it you can use.

Be aware that it doesn't seem to work for everyone, and that it can itself be addictive. Still, it has to be better than Fent.
 
Pharaoh Sphinx said:
Been using fent on a 24/7 basis, even wakin up every 2 hours during sleep ICE fuckin cold shiverin in full blown withdrawals and having to drag my ass across the floor and shove a load down my nose and laying there in fetal position for 60 seconds of sheer agony and irritability till im suddenly overcome with an instaneous blast of warmth and comfort and receeding back to my bed to fall asleep within seconds, and repeat the process 2 hours later, every night, for the past 2-3 months.

Well today I decided to withdraw. Ive never gone through any real lvl of opioid withdrawals in my life and am having a very hard time handling these withdrawals they are unlike nothing ive imagined, just totally fuckin dominating. The muscle weakness is incredible just hours without taking a dose and I can barely walk severe fatigue cant sleep cause of everything going on, even my clothes against my skin are horribly irritating.

Now, smoking weed has helped with the irritability and such, but the most problematic symptom are the shivers. far worse than any fever ive ever had, to the point I feel like my entire rib cage is just seizing up. I asked my girl to touch my spine and she said it was literally hot enough to cook an egg on it. when I touch my back it HURTS my hand it literally gives feeling of touching a mildly hot burner. that really cant be healthy... so my real question here is how can I best combat these shivers??? Any substance I can take to cessate/reduce them? Would regular fever medecine work or are the shivers occuring through an entirely different mechanism of action in this instance?

I seriously cant handle them, just wave after wave after wave of worst feelings ive EVER felt :( fent is eviiillll, heroin withdrawals werent nothin so bad.


Hey bud, you are describing the shivers I exactly get like just from Oxy Withdrawal of 5 month use of 40mg/day oxy w/ds. I would like an answer to this as well. GHB seems to help a LOT with the shivers/wd symptoms except it does not help with the runs. GHB will also help you sleep off most of the withdrawals. I wish I had some, as I am really running low on oxy right now, and I need to quit ASAP, but its just that my job is so important at the moment right now and I'm working 5 days a week getting up at 6AM every morning and doing an oxy. I know how you feel bro, your w/ds are prolly worse than mine because you been doing Fent, but with oxy w/d i get the chills/shivers really bad too and insanely sensitive skin as well. Does anyone know if Robaxacet will help the shivers? Or Robax Platinum, Methacarbomal/Ibuprofen combo?

Thanks
 
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