So I'm still feeling nauseous and on day 12 of methadone withdrawal and just saw a doctor today, and she thinks that I may have or am developing an ulcer. It sounds pretty serious. Does anyone know if this is caused by long term opiate/methadone/drug use or by things like stress or anxiety? I've used a variety of drugs for 7 years now. I was prescribed Zantac 150mg and was just wondering if anyone has any information on this, or is experiencing this.
Well, frankly you're a little vague to be of much help. for one, it's not unusual to still feel nauseated on day 12 of methadone withdrawal. SO that's really nothething, by itself. You didn't say what it was that made her think you were developin an ulcer, i.e., if she performed any abdominal pressure assays, or anthing. That's also, for one, the kind of thing a doctor says to shut someone up who's complaining, while at the same time saying "look what you've done to yourself...maybe you'll think twice next time"...standard doctor stuff, really. YOU said it sounded pretty serious, but not what it was that made it serious...are you throwing up blood, are you unable to keep food down, are you doubled over with pain. THAT's serious. It doesn't sound like that's where you are, so I question how really serious it is.
Ulcers can be caused by long-term opiate abuse, but only when it's in pill form...the pills tend to land and dissolve in the same place over and over, and that's where the ulcer develops. THe same thing happens with advil, as a matter of fact...to the point that when people come in with stomach complaints and get an xray, it's common to thear the doc say...oh, it's just an advil ulcer. When a pill lands in the same place and dissolves there over and over, an ulcer is going to develop there.
But you didn't say how you abused the opiates. If it was I.V./smoking, then no, it's not going to cause an ulcer...not unless you stopped eating as a result...that could cause an ulcer...all of those gastric juices with nothing to work on.
THey thought for a long time that stress causes ulcers. Turns out that's not true. It's caused by a bacteria called h. pylori...however, being stressed reduces your immune system to the point that the h. pylori can take advantage, and cause the ulcer. So it's half of one a dozen of the otherl
You didn't say what variety of drugs you've used for 7 years either. You really don't give a person much to go on, you know that?
If it was X, then sure, swallowing those pills could have played a big part in the development of an ulcer. But without knowing what the others were, it's impossible to say, isn't it?
You didn't say whether this just began recently, since you've begun to detox, or whether it's something youve suffered through for a long time
SO i'm going to bottom line it for you as well as possible when you haven't really given me a baseline to place a bottom line along..,
If uou've taken a lot of pills as your drugs of choice, that's probably the main reason for it. If you didn't experience until later in your detox, it's more likely due to stress reducing your immune system, and therefore the beneficial flora in your stomach and intestines...which means you need to drink acidophilus and probiotics, to fight off the nasties that are eating through your stomach lining. You also need to stop taking pills for a while, unless you crush them first. That's just making your already bade problem worse--and definitely no whole advils. If it doesn't get better with that fairly soon, then you need to go on antibiotics, and start drinking milk regularly, to get your body to begin producing the mucous it needs to begin to reform the protective coating over the lining of your stomach. And obviously, don't eat like an idiot--avoid spicy foods, processed foods, artificial colorings/flavorings, and maybe most important, diet sodas. Try to start making it a habit of eating yoghurt with acidophilus regularly...not knowing about your history it's hard to tell, but most likely you're just stressed, not eating well and replacing your intestinal fauna, and the opportunistic h. pylori is having a field day chewing on you, inside out. I know you're detoxing, and I sympathize, but pull your head out of your ass and start taking some common sense steps to practice self-care, already. You have to watch the zantac, as well. It shuts off the pumps in your stomach that manufacture digestive enzymes. Sounds like a good deal when you have a painful ulcer irritated by just those enzymes--but zantac screw with the mechanics of your gut...and often the pumps never relaly recover full function again, afterward. Not good. Your better off, really, just drinking a base that neutralizes the acid in your stomach--milk, eating tums, taking spoonfuls of baking soda, even.
