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Withdrawal FAQ

TheLoveBandit

Indefinite break from BL - contact other admin
Joined
Feb 22, 2000
Messages
38,940
Primarily, I've seen it discussed as a joint project between TDS and OD, but the intent is to create a more comprehensive reference for members facing withdrawal situations. The intent was to scope it to multiple drugs, tapering techniques, what kind of symptoms and temporary medications to employ, etc. There are threads in the 'Reference Materials' sub-forum which were saved from the recent PRUNE so that their content might be used to build this FAQ.




Below are the links for the reference threads (please delete them once the content has been incorporated into the FAQ material and remove the link from below):


OPIATES:
Withdrawing off clonazepam

clonazepom WD's.. experienced

Opiate WDs?

Opiate withdrawal??

Withdrawl - Oxycontin 2 days in a row

opiate questions; honeymoon stage, continued usage, withdrawals

Ahhh....Benzo Withdrawal....Could there be anything worse in life?

WTF??!! Strange w\d symptom? Detox opiates

opiate withdrawls & prescription meds

Akathasia? Using soma for opiate withdrawal

Benzo Withdrawals - Am I in Danger?

Benzo withdrawls

Opiate W/D and Options (ultram, seroquel, xanax)

Withdrawls without money

Opioid Withdrawals arent lethal?? I BEG TO DIFFER -- EX-ADDICTS HELP PLZ

oxycontin withdrawl, got some hydromorphone

Withdraws from stopping non daily OC use? Methadone helps?

Need advice on klonopin withdrawal

depression and sweating from opioids withdrawal

Opiate Withdrawl / Help

help me! (opiate w/d..benzo info needed..immodium)

Benzo Withdrawal......

First time feeling opiate withdrawl...

How to ease opiate withdrawl

Opiates - how long to wait after w/d?

SECONDARY WITHDRAWAL...opiods..?

Need Help (quitting Oxy)

suicide - the only escape? (Benzo Addiction)

Will tapering make it worse? HELP NEEDED! (Oxy)



CRACK:
Anyone here have success kicking crack addiction?



METH:
Meth, withdrawl, and it's factors

help with methamphetamine withdrawl

Amphetamine/Meth withdrawals...



ALCOHOL:
How much is this going to suck? (alcohol withdrawal)

alchohol withdrawls



GBL/GHB:
GBL/GHB Addiction/withdrawal.

GBL Withdrawl = Kill Me NOW

GBL Withdrawal

GBL withdrawal after 2-3 week every day use?



HEROIN and METHADONE:
Methadone WITHDRAWAL questions

help with a methadone detox?

Methadone clinic q's w/d's SUCK

H Withdrawal Symptoms..?

Quitting heroin...

Methadone WD query

Methadone WDs... how much longer

i don't know what to do. WD (Heroin)



MARIJUANA:
withdrawing from marijuana

Cannabis withdrawal and Sleepless nights



SSRI:
"treatment" for SSRI withdrawal head shocks?



Nitrous:
Nitrous inhalation methods and dosage



????
effexor withdrawl

Withdrawl from recreational Ambien

Kratom and Withdrawals

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

Kratom withdrawal?

Please help me, Dark Siders! (Meds FAQ)

Relevant Help ASAP...Suboxone To Kick Mental Cravings?

Desperately want to kick xanax habit

Err, (pseudo)ephedrine FAQ?

Oxy/Hydro wd's & Suboxone

bupe withdrawals, how are they?

When will the w/ds end (Morphene)



==================================


For multiple substances, taken from the OD forum:
Mega Merged WD Thread
 
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First thing in a general withdrawal FAQ is to identify which withdrawals are life threatening I would think. Barbiturates, alcohol, and benzos are the three that come to mind as potentially fatal if w/d is after high amounts for a sustained period. All of these really require tapering and medical supervision if available. The raised blood pressure and reawakened metabolism in opiate withdrawal seems like it could be dangerous to people with certain conditions. What are any other withdrawals that are a medical emergency?
 
As per usual, excellent contribution/effort TLB! This stands to be a great project.

First thing in a general withdrawal FAQ is to identify which withdrawals are life threatening I would think.

This is very important, definately.

I might be barking up a tree that only exists in my own mind, or just never actually found this on BL yet. But he's my $0.02.

I also think that something which is important is how one goes about reading literature about withdrawals while in the processes riding them out. Not all of us always try and do it the safest way (with proper medical assistance) for various reasons -- lots come to BL and rely on such threads. But especially concerning the ones where seizures, comas and other life-threatening symptoms are actual concerns, in my experience with such devilish detoxes, I find that it's a fine line between getting proper advise via internet literature, and not letting the scarier lines of such make things worse via power-of-suggestion. I know from my first benzo c/t, even through I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into, the panic/terror got a heck of a lot worse by reading information online, which can be anything from inaccurate to overly-focusing on the bad to not feeling like HR at all. Some webpages I could read just fine, but others had be convinced I was about to lose it completely at any given second, which made the detox a heck of a lot scarier.

Again, I am not suggesting that anyone should detox without proper medical help. But given that it's going to happen more often than not, I'd love to see an actual discussion about digesting withdrawal thread material while withdrawing. I think it could be a good addition to HR that I have not exactly seen on BL before (though something my mind thinks about a lot). When you're freaking out and searching frenetically across BL/the internet, how to maintain a backbone that allows you to read potentially scary stuff with as much composure as possible.
 
im happy to healp with this i'll dig up a heap of resources and guidelines for withdrawal that are a generic guide to both medical and non medical detoxifications
 
When you're freaking out and searching frenetically across BL/the internet, how to maintain a backbone that allows you to read potentially scary stuff with as much composure as possible.

I think thats where a lot of people get fuckzored though; they read (ie) benzo horror stories and freak themselves out- because, I guess, people only post horror stories on the webz as opposed to smooth transititions back to orbit- as aqcuired by tapering.

I'd be happy to write something regarding benzo withdrawal as I've been doing it for about three years :| That said, I've been through the delerium, seizures, as well as normal mild symptoms; all accountable to how I reduce and at wat rate....

Iz broken english heaps better to talk in.
 
Segment the FAQ first by drugs one is withdrawing from, then by things that help? Maybe starting with a flexible outline like:


I. General cautions & warnings
II. Info about specific drug w/d
A.Heroin​
B. Other opiates​
C. Hypnotics, sedatives, anti-anxiolytics​
D.Alcohol​
E.Cocaine​
F. Amphetamines and related​
G.Cannabis​
III. methods that help with multiple w/d situations
A. Clonidine/guaficine​

ETC.

No matter how I edit I can not get indents to stay indented.
 
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Would this work for the start?
The essential purpose of this FAQ is to share medical information and common experiences about drug withdrawal so that people who choose to or have to stop using drugs they are accustomed to are aware of tactics and resources that may help them discontinue drugs more safely. Also included is information designed to help increase comfort and success in the quitting process.
 
I'm wordy,over use compound sentences, and wander to much. If this would work somewhat in the FAQ someone feel welcome to condense and clarify. Alternatively someone could write a whole new and better chunk to cover this:
Sudden cessation of any drug one is accustomed to can result in physical or mental problems, though the seriousness and health effects of some drugs are much more likely to be serious or problematic. Tappering down doses is almost always going to be more comfortable and less of a shock to one's system, but some argue that prolonging the process makes relapse more likely and is overall a more arduous process. Some drug withdrawals make one more prone to seizures and other serious health crises. Some of these withdrawal effects are potentially fatal and the substances with a greater likelihood of serious ill effects upon cessation are always recommended to be quit through a tappering process and/or through medical situation. Prolonged high dose alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other drugs from sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety categories are among situations that often require special considerations because of a greater likelihood of serious crisis events.
 
Prolonged high dose alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other drugs from sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety categories are among situations that often require special considerations because of a greater likelihood of serious crisis events

I think you would need to be more specific ie. add the z-class drugs, expand on what barbitutrates are, include GHB and analogues....also, it should probably be mentioned that physical dependency on GABAergic drugs- actually only benzo's that I could cite studies re: of- can occurr within 1 week of use....I will find the source for that.

And to be a dick; one P in tapering ;) :D <3
 
Thank swilow :), Z-class and GHB family do need to be added. Is the dependency that can occur within a week on benzos the sort that can cause seizures etc. Prolonged might not have been the best word for me to use here. I've read articles with predictive criteria for discerning the likelihood that alcohol withdrawal will be dangerous and in general the length of time one has consistently been drinking was more predictive than quantity and a person's age was fairly important predictive factor as well. If anyone finds sound articles that give rules of thumb on determining the likelihood of dangerous complications regarding w/d of any drugs or classes they would be very useful here.
 
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On the GHB/GBL withdrawal stuff, don't see The GHB/GBL Withdrawal Thread from EADD up there in the references so thought I'd mention it too. We have at least a couple of fairly long-term GBL addicts over in EADD so the subject comes up quite regularly.

There's also three GBL megathreads which have bits and pieces about withdrawal so if I get time I could maybe trawl through carefully comb with expert searching skillz and dig out the relevant bits. Of course anyone else is welcome to beat me to it by checking the linky in my sig ;)
 
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public...etoxification_clinicalpractice_guidelines.pdf


http://www.bop.gov/news/PDFs/detoxification.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat5.section.39932

rapid opiate detoxification
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/GL/2005/pdf/GL2005_027.pdf

IT would also be wrthwhile looking at re enforcing that a lot of detoxifications over a specific theshold should be medically supervised and not tried at home- if the DT's set in there could be permanent damge to alcoholics for instance, risk of respitatory depression for high level opiate withdrawals ect
 
A note on the potential for death during opioid withdrawal should be included.

Despite evidence to the contrary, a number of users and former and current opioid addicts refuse to believe it is possible to die from withdrawal syndrome.

The conditions created by the prohibitionist system and the development of a "dirty subculture" (where users respond positively to sharing needles, using in public places like alleys and condemned buildings, etc) turn many addicts into timebombs for death from malnutrition/dehydration, or shock-like conditions which can wreack havoc on a weakened immune system from years of the so-called "junkie lifestyle".
 
I adjusted the draft of the intro from before based on feedback here. I didn't give any specific criteria on when you can attempt w/d without tapering or medical supervision. Perhaps specific rules of thumb, if we have reliable ones to offer would best go in the sub-sections of specific drugs.
Sudden cessation of any drug one is accustomed to can result in physical or mental problems, though the seriousness and health effects of some drugs are much more likely to be serious or problematic. Tapering down doses, taking a little less each day, is almost always going to be more comfortable and less of a shock to one's system, but some argue that prolonging the process makes relapse more likely and is overall a more arduous process. Some drug withdrawals make one more prone to seizures and other serious, even fatal health crises. Some of these withdrawal effects are potentially fatal and the substances with a greater likelihood of serious ill effects upon cessation are always recommended to be quit through a tapering process and/or through medical situation. Prolonged high dose alcohol, benzodiazepines, Z-class drugs, barbiturates, GHB, GBL and other drugs from sedative, hypnotic, and anti-anxiety categories are among situations that often require special considerations because of a greater likelihood of serious or deadly crisis events.

It is not possible to give a completely reliable method to discern who is going to experience serious health crises from abrupt withdrawal. Things that make crisis more likely are longer periods of having taken the drug consistently, higher doses of the drug, and the older a person is the more likely they are to have an adverse effect. Any health problem increases the chances of serious problems. A history of seizures is a big issue in this regard, but any other health situations need to be considered like having an infection or being malnourished.

Though heroin/opiate withdrawal is not likely to cause seizures, the rebound in metabolism with raised blood pressure and other results of cessation need to be considered in the scope of a person's overall health. The fact that heroin withdrawal is less dangerous than many other drug withdrawals shouldn't result in heroin withdrawal being regarded as unconditionally safe.
 
Could there be a section input SSRIs? Getting off them post depression has been a struggle for several of my friends.
 
Although they're not used recreationally so maybe don't quite fit the forum, many drug users seem to be on/have been on SSRIs. I was for quite a while and the withdrawals are brutal - some of the worst I've experienced. They're also not as well known as opiate/benzo/alcohol withdrawals and I wish I'd known in advance just how bad they are (and how shit SSRIs are in general :\).

Not sure what could be said about dealing with the withdrawals other than they're shit and they will pass though. They're hellish to come off but not really like other addictive drugs as there's no cravings or owt. Ideas for coping with the symptoms (and knowing what to expect) would have been useful to me though.
 
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