Opiate Withdrawal = Lower Back Pain (need advice for getting and staying clean)

[asbeen]

I am at the end of a 6mo detox off of 150 mg of methadone. Down to 8mg...It was a breeze until 13mg...I think they're doing it too fast. Anyway I got my private doctor (whose actually really conservative-but knows I've been sober since 2010) to give me clonazepa (klonopin) clonodine and somas. She gave me tramadol at first, but I read it could re-ignite WDs...wasn't worth the chance, but the somas don't really do shit, except make my muscles feel weak like jell-o, not in a good way. The klonopin helped, but I'm just taking 0.5mg, any more puts me to sleep.

But to be totally honest, with all these pills, I think bengay and ibuprofen has been by far the most effective. Epsom salt bath probably helped, but I did it right when my tiny dose was totally wearing off, so I felt worse, but not bc of the bath. Stretching and moving around actually helps too, and if there's any way to try and get your mind off of it, watch tv, read a book, write your life story, whatever you have energy for. I seem to get small spurts of energy around 10am, then want to crash again at 4pm.

I also smoke weed on a daily almost constant basis... I have such a tolerance that it doesn't seem to help, actually it makes my muscles more tense and sore, but maybe I care less....But what does help is going outside on a sunny day and just basking in it....It's the only way to get good vitamin D, proven to boost mood (and serotonin maybe?) Also take a good multi vitamin, I think its the only reason I have any energy at all. B-6 is important for increasing serotonin and dopamine, which the lack of is why you feel so shitty. Your body stops making those feel good chemicals when we give it to them artificially- pretty effective actually, for the body to know it should use its resources in other places- if not totally annoying and horrifically painful.

For those curious, I did IV heroin for 5 years, 2-4 20s a day of black tar, got on methadone in 2009, got off, got back on, kept using occasionally for like the first year, then when the dose finally blocked my receptors and I couldn't get high, I finally quit. I got my Bachelors degree May 2014, graduated with honors, been sober (minus weed and 150mg of methadone) since 2011. I started my 6 month detox Nov 7 2015, have 4 weeks left, although I'm only on 8 mg, and now they're taking me down way too fast, 3mg every 3 days, at that rate I'll be done next week. Of course they won't let you slow down, or stay at say 8mg for a couple more days to let your body catch up. If you stop detoxing they take you back up to your regular dose (150mg for me) and then you have to wait 6 mo to put in a request for another detox...Anyway, it's been awful, just for the last week or so, I'm super worried about when I get to 0....Will I have to go through this for another fucking month? I can't imagine.

 

[asbeen]

update: day 15 off methadone- back pain

So I've been off methadone for 15 days.
I was on 150mg for 5 years, was tapered way too fast, to 0 in 6 months.

Taking 600mg gabapentin twice a day, soma, tramadol 100mg and 0.5mg of klonopin when it gets really bad. Oh and a clonodine at night. I decided I'll deal with the sweaty armpits during the day bc clonidine makes me so damn tired.

My back pain is so intense, is DEFINITELY at it's worst in the morning. Not sure if it's the WD or an actual back issue. I was told I had fibromyalgia at like 17, but blew it off as a BS diagnosis. I also have slight scoliosis and hyperlordosis (basically sway back.) I'm trying to do easy exercises/yoga to fix the sway back (bc it's from weak hip flexors and gluts) but I swear any little stretch is over doing it. A week or so ago I tried to touch my fingers behind my back and literally pulled my trapezius. I guess it's just bc my pain receptors are so sensitive? but not moving makes it worse.

Its just like he said (I can't see his name now) but it's a paradox. You can't lay in bed and u can't exercise. Has anyone else that's gotten off of METHADONE experienced/gotten through this? I've withdrawn from short acting opiates like heroin, but methadone is a different animal, so I'd love advice from someone who has successfully gotten off methadone.
I wish I had insurance....to see a back dr.

On a side note, I can't start a new post, can only reply... maybe bc I'm using my phone, maybe I have to be on a computer?? Anyone else have this issue?

 

[caroline8]

I am also detoxing off of meth luckily I have been able to do it 1 mil at a time. I am down to 3 mil the highest I've ever been was 45 mil never wanted to be on meth but out of fear of the horrible withdrawals I've witnessed stayed on it 26 yrs off and on. My life has completely changed now for the better and it was time to get this demon off of my back. I'm doing better than I thought I would I take vitamins on a daily basis and push myself to exercise I also ordered some pills called recovery ease. There is night time and daytime the daytime ones give you the much needed vitamins your body needs while going thru this and the night time ones have melatonin plus some other much needed vitamins. It's so important to get a good nights sleep your body repairs itself while you sleep. I too get pain but it's my hips much like your back sometimes I don't think I can take it anymore but I'm pushing thru it and it's getting better I just can't wait till I'm completely done and I pray this pain goes away I'm told it will. Hope everything gets better for you as well the vitamins and exercise has been a tremendous help to me also Epsom salt baths.

 

[Readytobenormal]

Hope for anyone going through WD

Hi. I am on day 3 of opaite WD. I took anywhere from 6-8 norco 10s a day for 4 years. My husband and I were both on them. We were so tired of having to search all the time for them so we decided to kick the habit. We started tapering down until we got to around 10mg a day then we jumped. I have to say the withdrawals aren't as bad if you taper!

I'm on day 3 and I actually got up and cleaned house. Other than the dull ache in my back and restless leg at night those were my worst symptoms. I am almost back to normal I just wanted to give people hope and don't give up! You can get through it! I am a big sissy and I was scared to death to go through with this but I'm feeling a lot better with each passing day

 

[Wookibear2016]

Psychosomatic pain during withdrawal

It was such a paradox, i'd be so sick and in pain id just want to lay in the bed but just laying in the bed hurt my lower back. nothing helped, except more opiates. thats how you know its a opiate WD symptom, it goes away completely when you take them. i too struggled with thinking i had a back injury but its just another way your brain can trick you into using again.

IT WILL GO AWAY, i promise you If you stay off opiates, it will dissappear. It takes a couple weeks, and it gets better after about 5 days or a week, the hard part is getting to that 5 days mark. I think part of the pain is psycosomatic, because your body is freaking the fuck out without opiates and is trying to convince you in the most hardcore ways to continue feeding it opiates, but that shit doesnt feel psycosomatic at all. Its fucking REAL PAIN. I feel you buddy, i got no advice other than quit and i know that doesnt work til you want it bad enough. hang in there, keep reasarching/reading about detoxing/recovery. Just cause your Atheist doesnt mean you cant recover. I dont believe in any of that shit either but you dont HAVE to believe in all that stuff to recover.

Godspeed and hang tough bud.

I'm obviously late to this thread but I have something to add that may be helpful.

During my first time through rehab, there was a woman who injected dilaudid. She was like the original post, except she had the means to use for many many more years. After her first week of rehab, and she "woke up from the medicine they gave us all upon starting their program," her knee started swelling up like ten times the size of her other knee. The rest of us addicts were thinking, she really had a pain issue. Even I, who at the time only had my ankle reconstructed, not yet fused, thought for sure this woman needed her medicine. What I thought she needed was to be taught how to take her medication correctly and get out of the habit of injecting it. (I was only 26, was in rehab for coke because I didn't have an "opiate problem", HA, so the truths of addiction had yet to teach me exactly what it was). For two weeks her knee was swollen so badly. She hobbled around on a crutch because that horrible horrible swollen knee. Then at week three, I learned something.... How incredibly powerful our brains can be in trying to make us feed it the drug it craves. Her knee, went down completely to the normal size and for the next 2.5 months she was fine. I am still blown away when I think about it. I've had the psychosomatic issues. I currently have been in maintenance for ten years (I ended up actually having an opiate issue after my ankle fusion and the Dr's felt I'd had enough medicine. I quickly turned to injecting as much heroin I could get in a day... No minimum no max) and with the help of 5 years of intensive outpatient therapy to learn to change my behaviors associated with the disease of addiction and 3 years living a sober life style with the exception of taking my medicine every morning, I decided about 6 months ago to start to come off. I'm terrified, I won't lie. I've had the expense in my budget long enough, it doesn't hurt me any longer to pay the bill, I have the choice to go twice a month but choose to go once a week. My children have no clue as they've never lived with the old me and it scares me to think I'll have to combat cravings again. I've not had to worry about tha. I've learned so much and now it's time to use my knowledge. I didn't have any w/d issues at first because my percentage of loss was minute. The further I go down, the more I feel and remember the times in between fixing before I got into the program. I have the lower back pain and depression. Oh... The depression and fear that I may end up right back and my babies will suffer is enough to stop the process, but I'm ready to do more with my life. When I'm ready to tell my children the exact nature of my life, I want to look at them with completely sooner eyes. I realize what is driving my thinking, weed out the irrational fears and thoughts, and I'm ok. I also have the best support system. I was curious though why the lower back of all things to hurt....