deciding between inpatient or outpatient detox?

[symmetry]

hey guys,

so i've posted here a few times before about my using: basically started out with pot when i was 18, remained a heavy smoker until this year, started doing coke and ecstasy and occasionally painkillers and benzos (fentanyl, oxycodone) around 19 and became a meth addict last year when i was 20, using it about once a week until february 23rd of this year. i've been clean from meth and most everything else since, but in order to get off of the gear i turned to drinking heavily, mixing with valium. it's culminated recently where i've been drinking about 2.5 litres of wine per day along with 10-20mg of valium, plus grapefruit juice for potentiation. also occasionally mixing with codeine, dosages between 40 and 200mg.

the valium i am actually prescribed and have been on for over a year now for epilepsy and essential tremor and i don't abuse it, i just mix it. but recently my parents kicked me out on the streets when it became obvious what was going on and once i ran out of everything i made a suicide attempt but was rescued by my friend. during this attempt i took about half a box of valium and i've run out of the extra the gp's gave me for detoxing plus the temazepam so i've been without benzos for four days now, causing me to hit the bottle/codeine pretty hard.

being an epileptic, going straight off benzos due to the risk of seizures is pretty dangerous but i'm afraid that if i go back to my gp for more they simply refuse unless i go through a proper detox program, considering it was so recent that i detoxed and obviously the first attempt didn't work, i was only sober for about 10 days.

can anyone give me some basic details on the upsides and downsides of inpatient and outpatient detox? i'm assuming inpatient would be more effective in getting me properly clean, but at the same time i don't really want to be doing group exercises and stuff all day; i think the easiest way for me to deal with this would just be to try to take it easy at home, focus on reading and if there's someone administering my medication for me then there shouldn't be a problem. does anyone have anything to add about their own experiences with the two or any advice on what i should do? tonight is my first night without booze or pills, i'm just crossing my fingers that i don't have a seizure. i took some codeine earlier after a pretty intense therapy session and i think i'll be able to sleep tonight but i guess it remains to be seen.

this is very long so i really appreciate it if you took the time to read it and like i said any advice at all would really help me out. thanks.

 

[skankzilla]

I'd suggest with your heightened risk of seizure you should go inpatient. You gotta focus on your health man if you have to go through a few group therapy sessions you never know it might do you some good. Or if the outpatient detox option is good enough and you have someone coming out to check on you on a regular basis then that sounds ok.
I know inpatient sounds like a bitch which is why i refused it for my temazz addiction. However I've been taking my valium to withdraw and with no one around to check on me I've been dipping into other benzos. So I can see myself just remaining addicted without a GP script.

 

[Knox Harrington]

As someone who has had three benzo/alcohol withdrawal seizures I highly recommend you get 24/7 care. I have withdrawn from nearly every drug under the sun including heroin and nothing scared me like waking up in the back of an ambulance on the way to Mass General with my last memory being on the subway home from work. If you feel butterflies in your stomach and sort of a falling sensation get help immediately and lie down. Codeine won't help. I tried calming seizures with vicoden to no avail. Going CT off alcohol and benzos is bad news bears even if you don't feel all that bad seizures are tricky and sneak up on you. You probably know more than I do as an epileptic. Valium is a slow acting benzo so its safer than say xanax but please be careful. And I wish you great luck and strength getting clean. It was the best thing I ever did for myself and I have faith that you can do it too.

 

[Missykins]

Detox is not rehab. You can expect to be there for 3-7 days and discharged to an outpatient program or to the care of
your regular physician.

Given your long history of polydrug use and pre-existing medical conditions, you absolutely require inpatient
care. Present yourself to an emergency room and they will get you checked in. I don't know what your
insurance situation is, but the typical stay is 3-5 days.

 

[symmetry]

thanks for the responses guys. i called the outpatient place and have a phone interview on monday and i have an interview for the inpatient place on tuesday. i don't really know what i'm supposed to do for the next three days? i'm going to see my gp this afternoon and i guess i'll just get put on detox scripts again?

 

[TINK]

I detox'd outpatient but if I had it to do over again I think I would have gone inpatient. I didn't get any theraphy or support. Addiction is a behavior as well as a chemical dependancy. You have to deal with the emotional side of it as well. My addiction was opiates, due to having chronic pain condition and I have been clean for almost 6 years.

Good Luck.

 

[Knox Harrington]

You'll almost certainly be setup with a tapering regimen for the benzos. From what I have learned about anticonvulsants/AEDs not all of them are habit forming or sedating like diazepam and benzodiazepines in general so you're detox MD might suggest moving in a new direction or maybe its worth bringing up. Hope you find a good fit whether its in/outpatient. Do you have some benzos to keep you from seizing between now and checking in somewhere?

 

[Missykins]

I detox'd outpatient but if I had it to do over again I think I would have gone inpatient. I didn't get any theraphy or support. Addiction is a behavior as well as a chemical dependancy. You have to deal with the emotional side of it as well. My addiction was opiates, due to having chronic pain condition and I have been clean for almost 6 years.

Good Luck.

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