A question about Opioid "Tolerance" and "Withdrawals"

[BottleDryer]

I feel a bit confused about this. Does tolerance co-relate to withdrawal ??

What I mean is, you have an X amount of tolerance and you try to keep it there by taking "breaks" (1 week to be exact). How long before the time being spent/passed within those breaks starts to become "painful" as in, you start to accumulate withdrawal symptoms (does this make any sense, or is at all possible ??).

It feels like I'm somehow in that limbo stage, were I still feel healthy and in "control" of my usage yet I'm beginning to doubt that, both mentally and physically. I don't think its paranoia (don't know), but actual "symptoms". It feels like I'm always getting sick lately, like I'm always under a cold, it never actually becomes a full fledged cold/flu experience, just this feeling of a "lowered immune" system.... Like I'm noticing myself taking more vitamins than usual to combat these "cold like manifestations".

I can't wrap my mind around it exactly.

I constantly have a headache, issues with anxiety, feeling hyper one moment and then sad/angry for the rest of the day, sweaty palms, cold and hot fluctuations, heart constantly pounding hard when I move around, and gastrointestinal issues (my diet is healthy actually, never eat anything from outside and always eating lots of greens).
A lot of these symptoms could be seen as my anxiety kicking in but I feel like it's more than that...

I have been diagnosed as "Cyclothymic" (but seriously, isn't that just another word for "the human condition"), ADHD (this feels like a miss diagnosis mistaken/confused with anxiety issues) and have struggled with depression these past few years. I have seen a therapist (multiple ones) and have been down that road for a while , got over it and that was that. Life moved on, but it feels like whatever it is might be coming back ? (My anxiety ? , my life has changed since then, for the most part)... anyways I'm rambling.


Bottom line is, could my opioid usage be further affecting my brain chemistry (most definitely) , but I need definitive answers... I'm not a "regular" user ( as in everyday, and I've maintained that for 3 or so years now) and I'm currently not on any medication. It feels like I'm becoming more and more apathetic and beginning to "shut down", like that cycle from my past is beginning to repeat itself.

 

[dais]

It feels like I'm somehow in that limbo stage, were I still feel healthy and in "control" of my usage yet I'm beginning to doubt that, both mentally and physically. I don't think its paranoia (don't know), but actual "symptoms". It feels like I'm always getting sick lately, like I'm always under a cold, it never actually becomes a full fledged cold/flu experience, just this feeling of a "lowered immune" system.... Like I'm noticing myself taking more vitamins than usual to combat these "cold like manifestations".

it definitely sounds like you're limboiing between being well and dopesick - chipping to the extent where you're developing a dependence and withdrawing when you run out of gear.

the only way to avoid it is to further space your dosing apart and take longer breaks in between. cutting back doses won't hurt either.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

What drug are you talking about?

Physiological dependence (and therefore withdrawal upon stoping) does directly not correlate to tolerance, but more to the amount of time you have been using the drug (for example someone could have a low tolerance but be very dependent). Are you asking if stopping for a week every so often to keep your tolerance down would also help prevent dependence? It would be better than not doing it, but dependence definitely gets worse with time and if you are stopping for a week, say once every month or 2, you're definitely going to be more likely to get withdrawal symptoms during that week break as time goes on.

The symptoms you describe might be withdrawal symptoms or might be that the drug is giving you side-effects or depressing your immune system. It's hard to know without more details like what drug you are using and how long you have been using it for, how often you are taking these breaks, do you use every day when not on a break, etc.