Day 1 of Hell

[JessTD]

Hey guys. I'm doing opiate detox at home for the first time with help from my mother who is a nurse. Any help to get through it would be so greatly appreciated. The minutes are ticking by like hours.

 

[Jabberwocky]

well done for taking the first step in your recovery! its good that your mum is there to support you. what opiates were you taking? this, plus the amount, will determine how long and how bad your detox is.

if you're anything like me, you will be too tired, braindead, and listless to do anything but watch tv, don't put any pressure on yourself to do anything else for at least the first couple of days. i've only ever detoxed from heroin but by day 5 i'd usually be able to at least attempt to do something, by 7 would mostly be residual lethargy.

what psychological help are you getting? you will need to address the underlying issue that has caused your addiction otherwise you'll be very likely to relapse. have you contacted your local drugs services or tried any recovery meetings? local support is really important, though i know with lockdowns right now services are a bit limited and mostly accessed remotely, but it really is worth getting this in place ASAP.

 

[JessTD]

Thank you. I dont know how I ended up here again. I was clean for 2 years and I was doing so good. Right now I'm just trying to get through the withdrawal but yes I know I need to go to meetings again. Once I start to feel normal, I plan to stay as busy as possible since that kept me pretty clean for those 2 years. I relapsed when I lost my job.

 

[JessTD]

I haven't touched heroin since December 8th, 2016. But I got addicted to pills again. I was doing whatever I could get my hands on. If it was loritab, I was taking probably about 80mgs a day and if it was roxicodone, I was snorting them at first.and taking anywhere from 60-90mgs a day. For the past month I've been mostly using roxicodone intravenously. About 60-90 mgs a day.

 

[Shady's Fox]

Beside hobbies, look at yourself first -- that's the most essential component. If you know yourself, you know your limits -- you know what you're doing. You're calculated, that's vital! Vital. I feel sorry for you but you're not facing this alone, you should be proud. Let's start the conversation from my post and be as honest as you can.

 

[JessTD]

How do I get through this?

 

[sekio]

There's no easy way to put it, you have to tough it out.. there are medications and things that can make the process a little easier but there's no painless easy way out sadly.

Some things to look into:
Clonidine - helps to decrease adrenaline levels, can help you sleep
Cyclobenzaprine - muscle relaxant
Methocarbamol - same
Metoclopramide - Anti-emetic drug
Diphenhydramine - anti-emetic and sedative
Cannabis - anti-emetic, can help with general malaise
Melatonin at night
Hot baths/showers
Plenty of gatorade/pedialyte
Bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast, tea, eggs, yogurt - easily digestable foods
Magnesium/calcium supplements
Multivitamin supplements
Exercising and stretching your sore muscles

These can help but should be used with caution:
Loperamide - this is an opioid that acts exclusively on the gut, it may make you feel better but it's may just end up delaying the gastro effects
Gabapentin or pregabalin - can be used to take the edge off, but ccould create dependence
Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Klonopin, etc) - same, these are even worse for dependance

Avoid these if you are truly detoxing:
Tramadol - it's an opioid
Kratom - it's an opioid
Stimulants - caffeine and anything stronger are liable to make you feel VERY poorly

 

[Karamazov]

Hi Jess. How does your recent usage compare with past usage and wd? I assume this is not your first rodeo? What comfort meds do you have?

 

[JessTD]

I know its gonna be hard no matter what but I have bentil for my stomach. The rest of the stuff I dont have. Yes, sadly this is not my first rodeo. The last time, it was heroin. I went to an actual hospital then and felt better after 5 days. I have detoxed off of roxicodone before. After 7 days, I had started to feel better then but that was a long time ago when I was much younger. Sadly, I'm a mom of 2 hyperactive children and that's what has kept me from doing this for so long. I cant handle them during withdrawal.

 

[Shady's Fox]

As Sekio already provided you with the basic info. Am gonna go further and lay down the last layer. Home detox will be a bit more expensive, this being said go with your basic distractions ( Netflix/YouTube/reading) so on. I don't think you can listen to music that loudly mainly because your brain is in ''Limbo'', so be sure to not have a rave down there, haha. At least during your recovery, now remember that every detox is different. Be sure to reguarly take hot showers, I would go with baths. I find them more relaxing, a little bath bomb would fill the atmosphere even further back. Easy to eat foods //-- soup/crackers/rice/yoghurt/cereals if you like something sweet, avoid excessive sweets. That's why I've said cereals, during your recovery stick with them. Try a couple of exercises, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[JessTD]

I think my heroin detox went so fast because I was in a really good place then. I was really really ready to quit then. Now, I dont feel that way.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Hi Jess, first of all I wish you the best in your recovery. Is a structured methadone or buprenorphine tapering regimen not an option? Or are you self detoxing in order to avoid this?

One thing that Sekio didn't mention was codeine. I dont know if its freely available in Australia, but even OTC stuff can help greatly to reduce the worst of the shitstorm. Although substituting opiates for opiates generally prolongs the process, it can attenuate the agony - and that's what it's all about...

 

[JessTD]

I live in the US and we dont sell codeine over the counter. My mom is prescribed painkillers for chronic pain and always has extra so she's helping.me a little for the first few days as my son's birthday is tomorrow but after that, I wont be having any more opiates. Help is hard to get right now because of covid19. Everything's shut down.

 

[Shady's Fox]

I think my heroin detox went so fast because I was in a really good place then. I was really really ready to quit then. Now, I dont feel that way.

I am not sure what you're saying as you're not making much sense lately.

 

[JessTD]

When I went through my heroin detox 3 years ago, I was really ready to do it. Honestly, the only reason I'm doing this now is because I got caught.

 

[JessTD]

And I'm just trying to figure out how to get in the state of mind where I'm totally willing to do this again.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Any help to get through it would be so greatly appreciated.

This may go against the grain but I find physical labor very helpful when WDing from opiates: The more laborious the better. Lots of water and sweat. If I can push myself off the couch and get outdoors it makes it easier each day. Seems to shorten the duration of WDs, IME.
Wishing you well in the endeavors set forth and hope one heals from within.
Ptah

 

[Shady's Fox]

Again you're not making any sense but I will put through. Listen, first of all you don't need any unique motivation or reasons behind, it's up to you. You can't force someone to do something, you go to jail if you do that --> it's up to you, only you. Have a warm soul, avoid toxicity. Delete your dealer numbers, any previous drug users friends and you're good to go. Once you do that the process will go by itself. You said you have a kid, well there you go. Do you think your kid would want that? I don't think so. That kid deserves a future, once you brought him here it's your chess move to lead him.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

I live in the US and we dont sell codeine over the counter. My mom is prescribed painkillers for chronic pain and always has extra so she's helping.me a little for the first few days as my son's birthday is tomorrow but after that, I wont be having any more opiates. Help is hard to get right now because of covid19. Everything's shut down.

Many apologies, I confused you with another Jess in Oz.

Loperamide has been mentioned, but go easy. It really can help with your gastrointestinal issues, but take no more than 4mg at a time. It takes a while to kick in so only redose every 4 hours or so until you feel relief. Take too much and you could suffer from serious rebound issues later...

 

[JessTD]

What doesnt make sense? I'm talking about my state of mind which I think is a big part of it. I have 2 children actually. It was for them last time that I quit and went through detox. I wanna think I'm doing it for them again.