help with methamphetamine withdrawl

[Slid]

i have a friend (seriously) that is going through meth withdrawal. what can i do for her?

 

[Slid]

preferably natural or OFC stuff. no benzos (even though I know that would work best) . Its a long term use withdrawal ,like 2 1/2 to 3 years of use.

 

[scream]

Tyrosine and Phenylalanine, Glutamine-all Amino Acids.
OTC stuff may not be enought thou dependind on any depression neuroanatomacal changes, meds may have to be given, for the persons safety. Meth is a drug with a high % of relapse rates. Theres a study (maybe not her cup of tea..but) which shows Dexamphetamine substitution very good at preventing relapse. A study showed Imipramine+Tyrosine greatly reduced Cocaine use (using less than half than before).

Vitamines, and mostly time.

 

[Slid]

thats what I thought (about the natural stuff). Do I need to be careful with liver damage with any aminos? -- ill probably be giving her some kava along with ibuprofen, thats why i ask.

 

[rulerofthecosmos]

being a former methamphetamine user,i would say Tyrosine and maybe 5-htp to help her sleep,along with some multi vitamins,plenty of water(as alot of meth users suffer cronic dehydration)and try and get her active and constantly doing things that preferably arent drug related.......or if all this fails maybe she should try marijuana or something less harmful???good luck,it wont be easy...

 

[Psychubus]

please, no 5-htp. i know a lot of people on this site like it, but your body CAN develop a dependency to it, and i actually advise AGAINST it in case of meth withdrawal.

same with l-tyrosine. It's good for energy if you're REALLY lethargic, but it will only work for brief periods of time. If she has trouble sleeping (which I highly doubt she will), I'd choose melatonin.

Hot green tea is the best drink I reckon, when detoxing from well, anything. Especially meth, not just because it has antiseptic properties, but because it will encourage a healthy cardiovascular system. Make sure you get the actual leaves and NO herbal teas (these are made out of spices, not actual tea leaves).

To help prevent meth craving, give her 1,000mg of magnesium a day. NMDA antagonists help IMMENSELY with stimulant craving. Do not stop this for at least one month.

 

[Psychubus]

thats what I thought (about the natural stuff). Do I need to be careful with liver damage with any aminos? -- ill probably be giving her some kava along with ibuprofen, thats why i ask.

Uh, can I ask why you will be giving her those? Especially the ibuprofen--this is completely unnecessary.


As for the dextroamphetamine comment, why the hell would GIVING meth-related chems do any good at all? If anything, it would do the opposite. I was on adderall before I relapsed--the mild stimulation only gave me the urge to go back on more powerful ones again.

The best thing you can do (and I'm surprised nobody has said this yet) is to simply be there for her.

 

[Sandbag]

http://www.prometainfo.com/

 

[rocklobster]

Theres a study (maybe not her cup of tea..but) which shows Dexamphetamine substitution very good at preventing relapse.

Substituting one amphetamine with another prevents relapse? Wow, who would have though so.

In other news, substituting heroin with oxycodone prevents heroin relapse.

 

[rocklobster]

please, no 5-htp. i know a lot of people on this site like it, but your body CAN develop a dependency to it

This will be a very interesting study to read. Can't wait until you post it.

 

[temporary error]

I've read (somewhere) that potassium is good for helping with methamp w/d. Also, perhaps valerian root, small doses of OTC sleeping aids, melatonin.

Also, something that just came to mind that may help is Kratom. With the proper dose, she will experience a mild relaxing euphoria, contentment, and a general sense of well being. Of course, I'm sure that kratom has some very mild possibly habit forming qualities, so it should be used in moderation, but overall it's probably pretty safe. To the OP: In the event that you don't know what kratom is, does, or where to get it, either PM me for more info, or just google it. I've used kratom as an aid for meth comedown (but not w/d...never really had a habit with meth) and found it to be of great use.

HTH

 

[temporary error]

please, no 5-htp. i know a lot of people on this site like it, but your body CAN develop a dependency to it, .

Does the body develope a dependency to 5-htp in the same way the body becomes dependent on SSRI's? I know that 5-htp is metabolized into serotonin in the body, and I've used it to fight depression for several months at a time, but I never had a problem when I quit taking it. Please provide more info on this... I would very much like to find out more, as I am currently taking 5-htp on a daily basis for mild depression.

TIA

 

[Slid]

what about L-theanine? Im basically looking for somthing that will help with major anxiety that wont make a bad situation worse.

 

[Pegasus]

This will be a very interesting study to read. Can't wait until you post it.

I'm sure she means that your brain adapts to having a surplus of serotonin.

 

[elfdancer]

It might be nice to prepare some good home-cooked meals for her. It's important for her to eat well, and she probably won't feel like cooking much.

 

[scream]

"Substituting one amphetamine with another prevents relapse? Wow, who would have though so.

In other news, substituting heroin with oxycodone prevents heroin relapse."

Yes you are right-granted, this is documented at 'Moodbrightners.com' with hard core, repeat treatment-resistant Crystal addicts, where a medically monitored, safety treatment plan was put in place to the said addicts. they were strictly monitored on fixed doses of Dex, so as they could continue to (if highly motivated too) remain Meth free, as in where Methadone is given to Opi addicts.. These were university run treatment programmes, and strictly adhered to.

Crystal addicts have such a high % of relapse >70% that it was studied to test this treatment-obviously they were not given unlimited count large bottles and sent on their way. at least they were getting clean supplies.

Moving on, high dose Magnesium/calcium is helpfull, ADs maybe, remember cronic Crystal abuse causes neuroanatomical changes to the brain which can last 6-12 months or more, even for good in some, cravings can often never go away.

Medical, social, nutrient, group support is often best.

Crank is one nasty S.O.A.B drug.

 

[drug_wench]

attempting yet again to quit meth myself (not altogether successfully but one can only try)
yeah it is a fucker to beat
firstly, yea, dont go for the benzo trick - i ended up with a valium habit last time i used that to get off the shit
this time round im just using seroquel......antipsychotic/anti-anxiety medication that seems to have taken the edge off the anxiety and paranoia, and even somewhat taken away the horrible 'bugs' crawling under the skin i get after a binge
the other thing im taking is 'StoP' which im guessing is only available in new zealand, but is basically just a herbal preparation consisting of tryptophan, glutamine, methionine, B vitamins, vitamin C, deer velvet, gotu kola, aloe vera, garlic, hops, licorice extract, kelp powder, green tea and grape extracts - its designed to help calm ur nervous system down and deal with cravings
lots of epsom salt baths help - the withdrawals make ur muscles ache like nothing else, and this seems to help (i think they draw toxins from your body too)
as someone else said, drink a LOT - thatll also draw toxins out, and a diet with lots of fruit and veges....ur friend will be hungry as a horse after the initial comedown
they will probly also be VERY emotional - just being a good listener and supporter is one of the best things you can do, and remember to look after urself too

 

[rocklobster]

I'm sure she means that your brain adapts to having a surplus of serotonin.

5-HTP supplementation does not create a surplus of serotonin. Your body only converts what it needs, and the rest is wasted. All of the 5-HTP does not magically turn into serotonin just because you've ingested it.

 

[Pegasus]

5-HTP supplementation does not create a surplus of serotonin. Your body only converts what it needs, and the rest is wasted. All of the 5-HTP does not magically turn into serotonin just because you've ingested it.

This has been discussed a few times; here's a few just from a quick search:

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=266662 (mainly about tryptophan, but still applies)
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-72354.html
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-116487.html

I do agree that 5-htp might help in this situation, but I would take it as needed instead of daily.

 

[rocklobster]

^^^ The only thing even remotely applicable to the situation from the above three threads is the following:

L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a clinically useful antimyoclonic drug that is thought to act at serotonin (5-HT) receptors after decarboxylation to 5-HT. However, the chronic effects of 5-HTP on central 5-HT receptors and the activity of 5-HTP at 5-HT receptor subtypes have not been previously reported. In rats treated 28 but not 7 consecutive days with high doses of 5-HTP (50-200 mg/kg), cortical 5-HT2 ( -20% ) and 5-HT1 ( -11% ) sites were downregulated without altered receptor affinity, but only the changes in 5-HT2 sites were significant. In naive frontal cortex in vitro, however, 5-HTP and 5-HT were more active at 5-HT1 sites, and 5-HTP was inactive at 5-HT2 sites. The differential effects of high-dose 5-HTP on 5-HT receptors suggest that 5-HT2 receptor downregulation may be relevant either to the antimyoclonic effect of chronic 5-HTP therapy in posthypoxic myoclonus or to development of tolerance.

and the amounts of 5-HTP used are insanely large. There is nothing to show that all 5-HTP in small-to-moderate doses downregulates serotonin receptors or production, and certainly nothing that shows that your body develops a dependency on it, as psychobitch posted.