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How long of being opiate-free does it take to get back to normal?

The Straight Dope

The Straight Dope

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Joined
Nov 19, 2008
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Chicago
I mean like fully back to normal, I'm not in withdrawals but it sucks, I get headaches, I have trouble getting out of bed as I feel tired yet can't go back to sleep, I feel like I'm almost gonna faint when I stand up sometime, I have no energy and enthusiasm.

How long until this goes away?
 
usually for me it takes about 6 weeks to feel mostly normal...takes about 3 weeks to be free of usual WD symptoms, again thats usually me, everyone is different...
 
Well I think it would depend on a lot of things, like duration of use (months, years), how heavy the addiction was, if you've been addicted before, etc.

I can say that I personally was addicted to poppy pods (probably a childs habit compared to heroin) for about 8 months. When I quit, the withdrawals lasted about 1 week and I'm at the 2 week mark and just starting to feel more normal. I still feel like I'm yawning/stretching a lot more than I should be, but that's about the only thing I notice, besides more headaches than before I used.

Probably the longer you use and the higher the dosage the longer till you feel normal.
 
Here's a question:

If I was to do H about once every 1 or 2 weeks would that set me back on my road to physical recovery in any significant manner?

I've been doing this, and I swear whenever I do I still feel awesome even after the day I get high, it's like I'm in the middle of a field of sun-flowers even though it's a bitter winter outside. The day after that, even if it isn't full-blown withdrawals is not pleasant, but 2-4mg suboxone seems to take care of it.
 
Using any amount at any period is going to slow down the process of returning to normal. The best thing you can do is just stay clean.

As for how long it takes, it's different for everyone, but 6 - 8 weeks seems to be about average.
 
I didn't say it would cause WD's. I said it will slow down the time it takes to feel completely normal again, like he did before he was addicted.
 
Binge Artist said:
I think he's talking about physical recovery, right? In that case, at least in MY experience, I can use just a few days after being dopesick without having WDs.
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Using a few days after being dope sick even makes me feel like I'm speeding up the process since when I come out the other end of being high/afterglow I'm actually feeling better than before I did the dope.

Also how effective is kratom? [No Source Discussion - 6/7]
 
You definitely will not be speeding up the process. It may feel like it, but in order to feel normal, your receptors need to return to their normal way of functioning. Teasing them with infrequent doses of opioid-X is not going to support that in any way. It will not reverse it either, but, like I already said, it will just slow it down a little.
 
i am on the fent patch so i am not sure if that helps

i am also on rxed valium and get other benzos from sources of mine

my pain dr only gives me 100 5mg oxy capsules every 5-6 weeks not enough

when i run out, my ibs will act up (oxy works better and cures my ibs more then the med i take for it) i don't even take my ibs meds when i am taking oxy daily

i don't go over 30-60mg/day oxy, most days i will go through 30

but i will have stomach pain, the shits, and feel hideous for about a few days, then it goes away and i feel ok.. the desire is still there, and when i get my next rx i always say

i'm going to take some for 2-3 days then stop, then i keep going until i run out

i'd say benzo withdraw is way worse then oxy addiction
 
I've heard from many an addictionologist that it takes at LEAST 90 days for your brain to begin healing.
 
Well I think it would depend on a lot of things, like duration of use (months, years), how heavy the addiction was, if you've been addicted before, etc.
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Bingo.

I'll try to put it in general terms though:


The (major) physical symptoms should be gone after 1-2 weeks; worst case scenario for morphine like opiates/opiods. Obviously it could be a little longer or shorter if we're talking about methadone or fentanyl, etc.

PAWS could last months, but I have found that after 3 or so months you should be back to normal. You should be sleeping like you did before, not be depressed, have all your energy back, and not be craving 24/7.


Although using once or twice between that period may not manifest physical withdrawal symptoms, ultimately it is only a set back. Take at least 3 or so months and see how life is before you start using again. After going through dependence/addiction several times, I could tell you that it tends to come on much quicker and be worse than before.

Good luck and take care.
 
xxkcxx said:
I've heard from many an addictionologist that it takes at LEAST 90 days for your brain to begin healing.
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That's way too long man, I don't even think I've even gone through a period of doing heroin every day for 90 days straight. I could see it happening if someone has been doing it every day for about a year or so.

I actually took something like 2-4mg suboxone today, and it is like night and day, I can actually think rationally and not crave heroin, and in this mindset I can even get to see how irrational my thinking was and how before I got addicted I really could go on without wanting to do it. I think it would be a good idea to not touch the H until I can actually be in this mindset naturally.

Now... how much of a setback is suboxone if it is at all? If I can actually do a succesful taper is it possible to avoid PAWS altogether?
 
people say it takes atleast a month or two, but for me its about 2 weeks no matter what ive been doing, ive been on 150-200mg oxy a day for a month or two and if i quit for 2 weeks i can eat 2 7.5 lortabs and nod off, but thats me and everyones body chemisty is different
 
Atlien3 said:
people say it takes atleast a month or two, but for me its about 2 weeks no matter what ive been doing, ive been on 150-200mg oxy a day for a month or two and if i quit for 2 weeks i can eat 2 7.5 lortabs and nod off, but thats me and everyones body chemisty is different
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man, i wish i was you lol. does your tolerance shoot right back up though?
 
fuck feel normal? i once quit opiates for 16 months and it sucked... the longer i stopped the harder it became
 
The Straight Dope said:
That's way too long man, I don't even think I've even gone through a period of doing heroin every day for 90 days straight. I could see it happening if someone has been doing it every day for about a year or so.

I actually took something like 2-4mg suboxone today, and it is like night and day, I can actually think rationally and not crave heroin, and in this mindset I can even get to see how irrational my thinking was and how before I got addicted I really could go on without wanting to do it. I think it would be a good idea to not touch the H until I can actually be in this mindset naturally.

Now... how much of a setback is suboxone if it is at all? If I can actually do a succesful taper is it possible to avoid PAWS altogether?
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Bupe is just anothe opiate--you will have to wd from it, it just relieves you of the problems that go along with the criminality.

As for the 90 day number, maybe you've never been on an H binge that long, but plenty of junkies have. I mean, a day or two off doesn't really count IMO. And if you haven't been doing dope the majority of time over a year period, I would say that you don't really need the sub Rx.
 
I've been addicted for roughly 10 years. 5 years on Heroin and pills, 3 years on Methadone, 1.5 years on Suboxone. I've been sober about 5 days. How long do you think it will take for me to feel normal again? Possibly 6 months or maybe a year. The only person who knows will be me.

It all depends on how long you've been using.
 
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