Opioids How likey are seizures during opioid withdrawal?

[Deicide1212]

I have been snorting hydromorphone (this time) for about 6 months. I have weaned myself from 54mg a day, down to 18 mg a day. I have been snorting the 18 mg a day for two weeks. I have come off of WAY higher of a daily dose before, but I am paranoid this time. My best friend passed away two weeks ago, from alcohol withdrawal, and it has acared the fuck out of me about death. Now I am stuck in between a rock and a hard place, because I am scared to keep using, and I am scared of the withdrawals, as well. Fun times. If anyone one has any info you could give me about how likely a seizure is, or anything else. It would be greatly appreciated. Oh, I also dont drink, or do any other drugs, so I will not be using, or coming off of anything else. Thanks.

 

[HatingThisLife]

I dont believe seizures are a problem or concern in opiate withdrawal. Seizures are of concern with alcohol and benzo withdrawal only is my understanding. I think its bc both of those effect the GABA system which opiates do not. Ive had seizures from long term xanax abuse and I am currently addicted to heroin and have been in wds numerous times and have researches opiate withdrawal extensively and have never seen seizures mentioned. The biggest concern that could possibly lead to death during opiate withdrawal is extreme vomiting and diarrhea leading to dehydration that can become deadly. I believe this is most common in extreme cases of opiate wd. Resulting from very high tolerance levels.

 

[ibby]

Unless you're epileptic I would not worry greatly about this risk. Alcohol withdrawal is known to cause seizurew and opiates don't really cause seizures in withdrawal

 

[Deicide1212]

I dont believe seizures are a problem or concern in opiate withdrawal. Seizures are of concern with alcohol and benzo withdrawal only is my understanding. I think its bc both of those effect the GABA system which opiates do not. Ive had seizures from long term xanax abuse and I am currently addicted to heroin and have been in wds numerous times and have researches opiate withdrawal extensively and have never seen seizures mentioned. The biggest concern that could possibly lead to death during opiate withdrawal is extreme vomiting and diarrhea leading to dehydration that can become deadly. I believe this is most common in extreme cases of opiate wd. Resulting from very high tolerance levels.

Thanks for the answer. I appreciate it. This is what I figured, as well. I had never even considered it before, going through withdrawals. This time, I spoke to a couple of doctors, and they told me to go to a detox center, because there is a chance of having seizures. I had thought that it couldnt happen with opioids, as well. Now I am paranoid.

 

[Deicide1212]

Unless you're epileptic I would not worry greatly about this risk. Alcohol withdrawal is known to cause seizurew and opiates don't really cause seizures in withdrawal

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. I thought the same thing. I spoke to a couple doctors this tim, though. They told me to go to a detox center, because I run the risk of having a seizure. Now I am more paranoid, than I was initially.

 

[Deicide1212]

Unless it it a GABA drug/tranquilizer, seizures are very unlikely. With Opiates, it's about staying hydrated due to the vomiting and diarrhea.

Thanks for the reply. This is what I thought as well. Just confusing when you have doctors telling you differently. But, I guess they have to tell you the absolute worst case scenario.

 

[negrogesic]

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. I thought the same thing. I spoke to a couple doctors this tim, though. They told me to go to a detox center, because I run the risk of having a seizure. Now I am more paranoid, than I was initially.

There is no risk of seizure really, at least not if you don't have a past history. Withdrawal from 18mg of hydromorphone has never killed anyone (at least not that was already on the brink of death).

Cold turkey from large amounts of methadone has been loosely associated with death but thats about it. Even then.

Frankly what probably happened is that the seemingly high doses might have spooked the doctors in terms of liability and they'd wouldn't want to be left with mess if something happened and they hadn't referred you to an inpatient facility. So its a mixture of ignorance and covering their asses.

 

[blxnc]

Have you researched medication assisted recovery with a good treatment facility? I've been hearing great things about Lucemyra, but there's a lot of options out there and it depends on your needs, what would help you best. There's a lot things to be concerned with regarding WD that can go more safely and smoothly with proper med guidance.

 

[Just a little pinprick]

I never had seizures nor have i ever heard of a person suffering seizures from opiate withdrawal ,

 

[Frazzled1990]

Seizure's generally don't occur with opiate withdrawal. Opiates are not like benzo's or alcohol which bypass GABA and bind to the GABA-A receptors directly, causing them to downregulate over time. Opiates on the other hand stimulate the release of GABA from their storage vesicles, rather than binding to the receptors directly. Opiate withdrawal can be uncomfortable, but generally passes quite quickly in comparison to chronic use of alcohol and benzo's.

If you're still worried. Try taking some L-Theanine each day. L-Theanine doesn't act on the GABA receptors directly either. But works by blocking the transportation of Glutamate into it's host neurons, preventing it from binding to it's corresponding receptors. You can think of GABA as the neurological breaking system (depressant) and Glutamate as the neurological accelerator (stimulant).

Another supplement with anti-seizure properties is Inositol. Inositol acts as a secondary messenger system between cells, helping them to communicate more effectively. This helps to prevent signal abnormalities which lead to seizures. Although again, I would stress that these abnormalities are associated far more with alcohol and benzo abuse than they are with opioids.

 

[evo4ever]

The biggest problem with opioid withdrawal is not being able to look after your self properly which can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. Seizures are not a conern.

 

[Pickledlemons]

Not likely.

 

[Anonymous Dissident]

How about during kratom withdrawal in someone with a preexisting epileptiform disorder?? The pharmacology is way more complex than with a single opoid.

This has caused me to backslide repeatedly in my attempts to limit my kratom dose. I get "brain zaps" like one might expect during SSRI withdrawal and it scares the hell out of me...