Opioids detoxing after hospital stay - advice?

[IllicitOne]

3 weeks ago as of yesterday I was admitted to the ICU after a bad fall skiing. I suffered from a 4th degree lacerated kidney (torn in half) as well as a Pulmonary edema (which has sense healed). Just a little background; my nurse in the ICU compared this kidney laceration to one of the only injuries a human can sustain close to the pain of childbirth..and being a male let me say I have no idea how women go through that now.

I was in the ICU for 5 days, and the hospital for a 8..totaling 13 days. I was on Fentanyl IV for the first day, switched to diladed (spelling?) and taking oxycodone 15mg IR as needed..pretty much every 4 hours. I had the diladed on push button as well in the ICU. This changed when I was stable enough to switch to the regular hospital; I was taking 20mg oxycotton ER once every 12 hours and 10mg IR oxycodone as needed. towards the end I got completely off the oxycotton ER but was still taking the 10mg IRs as needed.

When I transitioned to home life I was walking more, and the doctors said that would cause more pain as I moved around..the injury was quite severe after all. I was taking 10-15mg IR as needed...mainly during the day every 4-6 hrs. I stopped taking any pain medication as I know first hand how addictive it can be, and I felt I could manage the pain without the meds. I took my last dose on the night of the 26th, I had been walking around with friends quite a bit that day and I took 40mg IR at night over the course of about 3 hrs.

I've had minor sweats at night; the usual hot/cold business. Yesterday I was so lethargic I was literally in bed all day. I took 5mg valium to sleep. Today I felt a bit better; a little more energy. I was just feeling quite lethargic as well as overall just "sick" so I took 10mg valium. (all prescribed btw, prescribed dose is 5mg as needed for muscle aches, the way I had to walk - or hobble - in the hospital caused my back to ache but I've found 10-15 help with the "feeling shitty" issues).

I'm wondering on your input as to how long I can expect to feel like this? I essentially took all meds as prescribed. My trauma doctor said I should experience no withdrawals while my urologist said I can expect to get some sweating at night and feel off for a few days.

I'm 23, usually incredibly active - maybe all this required downtime doing nothing but sitting is taking its toll as well..but I've already missed two weeks of school due to injury and I graduate in may. I'm trying to drive back down to school asap and resume class; haven't felt up to it yet. Almost took more pain killers today just because I felt so crummy earlier but the valium helped - that mental desire definitely places me in some kind of minor withdrawal state..

**side note: detoxed from a 2 month oxy habit when I was 18. Haven't messed around with them more than occasionally since then. withdrawals form that were hell; but that was over 5 years ago and recreational and not needed medically like this.

Always found sound advice on some of the topics I've posted. Just wondering if anyone has gone through something like this: even if I abused oxy 5 years ago, 3ish weeks seem to be giving me minor withdrawals now. Anyways, thank god for the diazepam script and looking forward to what you all have to say -

Cheers

 

[sarajenni88]

Well because uve already had a dependence in the past ur predisposed now to having w/ds from a short period of opiate use. Your drs probably didn't know about ur past experience with oxy? That's y they thought ud have no withdrawal.
From your description I'm going to tell u to just ride it out. I know it sucks and feels horrible but ur w/d symptoms sound quite mild compared to what would happen if u continued to take the pain meds.
Don't go back to them if u can help it...the w/d gets worse every time u detox.
As for how long it'll take: give it two more days and I'll bet ull feel better. I'm glad to hear u healed up well.
Update us on how ur feeling.
good luck

 

[IllicitOne]

thanks for the reply sara. You're right about the doctors not knowing, I felt that would be detrimental to have them know, possibly impact my medical care there, and would be horrendous to have in my medical records. I feel better every day, I'm finally able to walk around, eat real food, sleep on my side again (best thing ever after sleeping on my back for a few weeks as a side sleeper haha).

The w/ds are quite mild, I should be good like you said in a few days.. the mental cravings suck. I wish I hadn't fallen into the trap when I was younger and dumber.. even if 2 months is quite "short" when compared to some of the stuff I've read on here.

As for you or anyone else, anyone recommend a diazepam (valium) dose that helps alleviate the shitty feeling? I took 10mgs about 2 hours ago and feel a little better but still kinda shitty. Very low benzo tolerance..

also..it might be a mental thing. my side (kidney) does hurt a bit. if i took a 10mg ir would it reset my w/ds? my nurse described some condition (forget the name) where your mind creates pain so you take more of the drug. semi worried about that. but would like some input because as you've seen the symptoms are (relatively) mild and im on day...4? yea. input wanted =)

 

[sarajenni88]

U could up it to 15mg before bed...if u search this site there's lots of info on diazepam and ppl who r more knowledgeable about benzos. Benzo withdraw came be as bad if not worse than opiates. Not with a short use like uve described.
I wouldn't use it for much more than getting thru ur w/d. If u feel u need to continue it for pain reasons down the road talk to a doctor so they can advise u on an appropriate dose and tapering schedule when its time to get off it. Long term benzo use can be dangerous when the w/d is abrupt. Nothing to worry about now if this is ur first time on it...but later down the road...

The mental wd is horrible especially when u only have a small *habit * but just take my word for it it can be sooooo much worse. Take care feel better hun. It sucks u gotta deal with this on top of ur injuries but it'll pass. Hey if u can sleep count urself verrry lucky and use it to heal urself.

 

[sarajenni88]

↑^^^^^^^^^^ sorry not quite sure what happened to that post. Let me know if u need clarification
.lol. I confused my self

 

[IllicitOne]

↑^^^^^^^^^^ sorry not quite sure what happened to that post. Let me know if u need clarification
.lol. I confused my self

I think the quote messed up. I feel you on the valium, I've been able to recreationally use alprazolam without developing a dependence, and valium produces virtually no euphoria for me (at least at the dose im taking it at) so I cant imagine myself taking it for any other reason than killing some w/d symptoms.

basically asking if i took some oxy IRs if it would restart the w/d process, but even as I ask the question I think it would be stupid to do so

 

[sarajenni88]

I think the quote messed up. I feel you on the valium, I've been able to recreationally use alprazolam without developing a dependence, and valium produces virtually no euphoria for me (at least at the dose im taking it at) so I cant imagine myself taking it for any other reason than killing some w/d symptoms.

basically asking if i took some oxy IRs if it would restart the w/d process, but even as I ask the question I think it would be stupid to do so

DONT TAKE THEM IF U WANT OFF!!! It will absolutely put u back to square one

 

[sarajenni88]

And yes there is a condition I forget the name as well...but when ur body is craving the drug u will get *phantom pains* so then u take more, etc. Its a cycle and a bit more evolved than that but u get the idea. Unfortunately u probably do have pain, real pain from ur injuries.. .u just gotta decide if u want to get off the opiates or not...but I can promise u as good as they make u feel...ull feel a million times worse than u do now.

 

[IllicitOne]

i agree. managed to not take any. took another 15mg of valium..having trouble sleeping though. not sure if i have RLS but my thighs feel like they are cramping/havnt moved enough. went for a long walk, caused a little pain to the kidney but the walk helped for a few minutes with the legs. not sure if i want to take more valium but i really want to sleep..and i cant with my thighs feeling like this. is this rls? its fuckin weird, havent experienced it before

 

[sarajenni88]

i agree. managed to not take any. took another 15mg of valium..having trouble sleeping though. not sure if i have RLS but my thighs feel like they are cramping/havnt moved enough. went for a long walk, caused a little pain to the kidney but the walk helped for a few minutes with the legs. not sure if i want to take more valium but i really want to sleep..and i cant with my thighs feeling like this. is this rls? its fuckin weird, havent experienced it before

Yes it sure sounds like RLS!! For me it feels as though I just cannot stop moving.
Its uncomfortable but honestly ull probably feel better today!! How'd u make it thru the night? Is the w/d starting to lift?? Good job resisting the pills. I'd get rid of them if I was u. Flush them or give them to a trusted friend/parent to hold in case the pain is too much. But remember once u get thru this and feel better... u need to stay away from the opiates. Once ur dependent it'll take only one use sometimes to put u back to square one. Let me know how it went!!! Good luck. pm me if u want

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

for the RLS if it is still happening try drinking a bottle of tonic water along with your valium see if the quinine in it helps at all.
some say it doesn't help but it does to an extent for me especially with benzos aiding it too.
worth a try.

 

[The Doc.]

Listen to Sara and flush those dam things and never take em unless your dying man you don't want to be a heroin addict all your life do you I wish I knew these pills were packaged up heroin with the same addictive qualities when I was 15 and started messing with that crap. I have lost out on most of my life cause I'm a junkie its embarrassing I can't do anything with opiates in my system I can't sleep more than 4 hours until I need to shoot up again. I am a theif a junkie plain and simple I ruined my life with oxys I started them for pain after some beams dropped on my leg at work then after I got cut off I had to turn to heroin to get the same feeling and pain relief now I can't get out of bed unless I have a shot of heroin/oxy/subutex its the biggest ball and chain you can imagine I can't hold down a relationship with a girl ever cause dope is all that matters to me now. Get off the stuff while you can I wish I just sucked it up when I was in your position and just rolled around in bed for a few days. Now I'm so far gone at age 22 still on opiates since my brain was still developing when I got hooked its all I know I can't remember what it was like not to need a drug to feel normal.

The last time I tried detoxing I was almost at one month without and I still was in hardcore withdrawal and still hardly slept just a couple hours each night I tried to kill myself cause one month with no sleep and being dope sick is horrible. I had to be taken to the phyc ward at the hospital with all the crazy suicidal people. I was just laying on the ground flailing my legs shitting my pants gagging and puking bile do you think that's fun to go through for a month? Get that crap out of your system while you can don't end up like me a loser I should have my whole life in front of me but all I see is a dark future lots of pain and suffering until I feel the sweet relief of death.

I hope I can get you to stay away from the stuff it has ruined too many lives as I've grown up I've watched heroin/oxy ruin good hard working people its a plague the way it spreads. I have a digestive system that hardly works I'm In pain all day even eating hurts I've destroyed my liver with percocets i got acetaminophen poisoning from taking too many pills when I was only 18, it burns when I pee, I puke blood everyday and my veins are shot and my body is septic. This is what you have to look forward to if you don't get through this bit of pain your experiencing right now. All my friends all have no jobs and are homeless junkies I'm the only one who still has my job from 7 years ago I may be functional but I'm still a loser junkie thief.

I have no nobody to blame but myself for my addiction I chose this life so now I have to play these cards I may have had a terribly sad unstable childhood with a absent father a mother who went crazy after my dad tried to kill her who just wasnt ever the same after that. My dad even kicked us out on the streets when I was 12 and at age 14 i had to start working to keep my and my mom and sister in a house having to grow up fast and become a man when I was still a kid. Despite all this I still realize its not their fault I'm an addict I still made the choice to pick up those pills and pop em back in the day there's always somebody worse off than you I always say there's lots of people who have bad childhoods who don't become addicts.
Thanks for reading I hope you take some of this to heart I hate seeing this evil drug taking another persons soul and hope you make it through this but if you hang on to those pills you have then you won't get clean that's already addict behaviour in the back of your mind you know you want take oxys again so you keep them FLUSH THEM!!!

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

^ damn good post man.
OP listen to trainspotter.. you don't wanna end up like most of us are, another statistic.

 

[sarajenni88]

^^^^^ its so true!! I've never done heroin but living for opiates is no better. Quitting for me takes planning and it's incredibly shameful for me to be sick in front of my children. No matter how good of a mother I am...my babies don't deserve to see me suffer. They think its a flu obv. They are very young but regardless they don't deserve to see me sick. Luckily my husband is so supportive and held on and waited for me to be ready to get off them...he never pushed. I'm so lucky. But a lot of spouses or whatnot are not able to understand and they leave.et off them while u can hun. : )

 

[IllicitOne]

Listen to Sara and flush those dam things and never take em unless your dying man you don't want to be a heroin addict all your life do you I wish I knew these pills were packaged up heroin with the same addictive qualities when I was 15 and started messing with that crap. I have lost out on most of my life cause I'm a junkie its embarrassing I can't do anything with opiates in my system I can't sleep more than 4 hours until I need to shoot up again. I am a theif a junkie plain and simple I ruined my life with oxys I started them for pain after some beams dropped on my leg at work then after I got cut off I had to turn to heroin to get the same feeling and pain relief now I can't get out of bed unless I have a shot of heroin/oxy/subutex its the biggest ball and chain you can imagine I can't hold down a relationship with a girl ever cause dope is all that matters to me now. Get off the stuff while you can I wish I just sucked it up when I was in your position and just rolled around in bed for a few days. Now I'm so far gone at age 22 still on opiates since my brain was still developing when I got hooked its all I know I can't remember what it was like not to need a drug to feel normal.

The last time I tried detoxing I was almost at one month without and I still was in hardcore withdrawal and still hardly slept just a couple hours each night I tried to kill myself cause one month with no sleep and being dope sick is horrible. I had to be taken to the phyc ward at the hospital with all the crazy suicidal people. I was just laying on the ground flailing my legs shitting my pants gagging and puking bile do you think that's fun to go through for a month? Get that crap out of your system while you can don't end up like me a loser I should have my whole life in front of me but all I see is a dark future lots of pain and suffering until I feel the sweet relief of death.

I hope I can get you to stay away from the stuff it has ruined too many lives as I've grown up I've watched heroin/oxy ruin good hard working people its a plague the way it spreads. I have a digestive system that hardly works I'm In pain all day even eating hurts I've destroyed my liver with percocets i got acetaminophen poisoning from taking too many pills when I was only 18, it burns when I pee, I puke blood everyday and my veins are shot and my body is septic. This is what you have to look forward to if you don't get through this bit of pain your experiencing right now. All my friends all have no jobs and are homeless junkies I'm the only one who still has my job from 7 years ago I may be functional but I'm still a loser junkie thief.

I have no nobody to blame but myself for my addiction I chose this life so now I have to play these cards I may have had a terribly sad unstable childhood with a absent father a mother who went crazy after my dad tried to kill her who just wasnt ever the same after that. My dad even kicked us out on the streets when I was 12 and at age 14 i had to start working to keep my and my mom and sister in a house having to grow up fast and become a man when I was still a kid. Despite all this I still realize its not their fault I'm an addict I still made the choice to pick up those pills and pop em back in the day there's always somebody worse off than you I always say there's lots of people who have bad childhoods who don't become addicts.
Thanks for reading I hope you take some of this to heart I hate seeing this evil drug taking another persons soul and hope you make it through this but if you hang on to those pills you have then you won't get clean that's already addict behaviour in the back of your mind you know you want take oxys again so you keep them FLUSH THEM!!!

WOW. That was heavy man. I've fucked around with pills for quite some time. I didn't start at 15, but 17. Mostly recreational, growing up in a ski town I've had my fair share of broken bones and such so some of the time they were for pain: but with bones you only need them for a day or two then you have ~30 for recreation. Doctors sure like prescribing them. I got hooked for 2 months at 18, was going through a hard time in my life and I had messed around with them so much I thought "oh addiction? could never happen to me?" w/ds lasted a week or so if I remember right, but i had loads of xanax to get me through nearly all of them. The only miserable part was the sweating at night, that lasted a good 2-3 weeks and nothing seemed to help that...pretty mild though when I read about withdrawals here.

I've always had (somewhat) good self control, I don't see the need to flush something I may need down the line as I resume school and walking around and such on a more regular basis. I can see how people do fall into this trap. If I didn't have prior knowledge I would have just kept taking the pills, even after using them for nearly a week I have about 30 morphines and over 200 oxys of different assortments. Its incredible what these doctors will prescribe, granted.. I was in severe pain but it subsided fairly quickly. I guess they just want to avoid forcing you to go back to the hospital?

As for how I'm doing, made it through the night. You were right sara about feeling better today. I'm finally at a point where I can think clearly enough to get the rest of my homework done and I'm planning on making the drive back to school tomorrow. Thanks for your support yesterday, it was rough. Definitely having some advice on along with valium helped loads and I really appreciate all your input.

Physical withdrawal symptoms basically nill. RLS completely gone, same with sweating. Temp regulation *seems* to be a little off, but that could honestly just be in my head. Minor mental cravings suck, but we can all move past those.

 

[The Doc.]

Thanks guys your all right pills heroin whatever its all the same thing an addiction to opiates. You can never really understand opiate addiction (or any addiction really) until you go through it yourself its hard for someone who's been straight their whole lives To know what its like to want something so bad and why we junkies would do absolutely anything to not be without our dope. I never had this life in mind growing up as a kid I had big dreams of making lots of money and buying my mom a house having kids and being a better dad than mine was but now I don't really have any dreams they just seem to fade after you lose your sense of being alive. I hope one day I can bounce back from this sickness but I know it will be a life long struggle as it as been my friend for so long growing up I knew I could always turn to my dope and I would feel good.

One quote I always remember from A.A. was think of beating an addiction as watching a big ship take off from the dock at first it looks huge and its all you can see in front of you overwhelming at first then as you watch it sail away it gets smaller and smaller into the distance as the years go by but the thing is the ship never goes completely out of site you can always see it even way out there after forty years clean it'll still be there just a tiny speck. I liked this explanation of addiction the most cause it shows how addiction stays with a person forever it just becomes easier to manage over time but you will still always be susceptible to falling back into full blown addiction if you ever use again that's why the op is having withdrawals after taking oxys as prescribed for the short time his addiction switch in his brain just got turned on once the substance was re introduced into his body. Even after 40 years clean I know people who relapsed once and was brought right back to where they were in their addiction when they quit 40 years earlier in a week and then some since they felt so guilty about relapsing so pretty much the ship takes a long time to sail away but it can return in the snap of a finger and bite you in the ass and your back to square one.

I hope this helps the op understand and come to terms with his addiction and how his brain will always be an addicts brain even after his short use of the drugs oxy is a very powerful drug its all mind consuming.

 

[The Doc.]

I know its hard to throw stuff like that away man I hear ya I know your probably not going to no addict likes to do that its their love after all. But those things should only be kept for people dying or having surgery which will leave you in terrible pain and if that's the case then they will give you what you need at the hospital you don't need a medicine cabinet full of oxys and what not for everyday pain I mean there's other drugs out there for pain besides opiates you can ask your doctor about. I always had good self control like you say too but when it came to opiates my brain just changed like every other addict out there. Every addict says they got good self control but the more you take the drug the worse the withdrawals will be. I bet you this time was worse than the last time every time you withdrawal it gets worse and harder to do so I'm just trying to look out for you cause I have seen too many people just like you smart and lots of self control with drugs and drinking turn into full blown homeless i.v. heroin addicts.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

It sounds like you're not in that bad of shape, where the withdrawal is very manageable, albeit uncomfortable. If you actually want off for good, then just stop now. Taking more opiates at this point will just end up prolonging it, and getting you even more dependent, therefore causing even more severe withdrawals.

Take loperamide for stomach issues/diarrhea, ibuprofen for aches, diphenhydramine for sleep, and a benzo or some clonidine if you can get ahold of any to help relax.

You will feel much better in about a week.

 

[The Doc.]

How bout selling the rest of your pills or giving them to a junkie and make his day or something other then hanging on to them. What about giving them to a parent you trust and tell them to keep them in case any of us hurt ourselves bad or for whatever accident happens. I just don't think you understand how quickly these pills can dig your grave I try everything in my power to talk somebody out of making the same mistake as me But I realised people are gonna do what they want to do I never listened to people telling me how bad drugs are for you either. I hope you stay away from opiates and live a happy life like you deserve at least I'll know i have done something good if you take some of what I said to heart but sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes and experience it for yourself before you fully understand how addictive the stuff is.

 

[IllicitOne]

yea, my withdrawals were super manageable. 2 days of feeling like i was sick and lethargic. only thing left is a bit of temp regulation issues. i mean this with all due respect trainspotter, but you and i sound like we are at drastically different points of an opiate love affair as you call it. i do enjoy the drug, albeit less than i used to. weird how that works huh? used to be the best feeling ever, now it kinda just numbs me out, makes me content with boredom...kinda like weed.

my w/ds aren't worse this time, these are in fact the most minor theyve been. granted ive only gone through them twice. maybe three times? messed around with oxy for like 4 days back last year and i had trouble sleeping for a day or two after but that doesnt even count when compared to other stories i hear

when i do use them for recreation i can stick to a day or two and then just not do it. i will never forget that week of hell 5 years ago, but i have used opiates both prescribed and recreationally numerous times since then in a way as to not fall into the trap. this instance was inevitable and out of my control as i had (quoted from my ICU nurse) one of the most painful injuries a human body can sustain.

thanks for your advice guys, falling back into that trap is something i will never do. people say once and addict, always an addict. i dont believe this is the case. sure, you are predisposed to use a substance that you enjoy if you have used the substance before...but there is no part of me that believes moderation is impossible for ALL people. For some, yes, it is impossible. But to pigeon hole everyone who has had an issue with weed, alcohol, etc is simply unrealistic. I used to drink heavily and be into the party scene senior year of high school and freshman year of college. Now I enjoy a couple beers now and then. Was I an alcoholic back then? I drank enough to be *labeled* one by every definition of the word, but I have no issue drinking to get a slight buzz now and then.

Im deeply sorry for your issues trainspotter, I hope that you are able to overcome this addiction. You were on the path much, much, much longer than I was. 2 months does nothing to compare to the years. Stopping cold turkey after 2 months sucked, but only for a week. I cant imagine what you went through after trying to stop after that many years. I do know that you can do it, after all, everything has a price. Have a fun night drinking? suffer from a hangover. Have a love affair with opiates for years? Well thats yeras of fun, the hang over will last quite a while longer. Hope you are able to get through it one day.