Am I special?

[Lightning-Nl]

I keep hearig online about how people how take opiates, even as prescribed have an extremely difficult time getting off of them. I am assuming this is due to the combination of phsyical and psychological withdrawal.

However, I've been through opiate withdrawal and benzo withdrawal a couple times now and I've never had any problems! Sure, I have phsyical withdrawal symptoms, I even feel extremely ill; but I've never been so addicted that I thought I couldn't stop. For instance....

I just stopped using Hydrocodone after (around) 4 months on non-stop use. I was taking nearly 60MG's of Hydro a day, but when I stopped I never once thought to myself "holy shit, I need more opiates!!" What actually went through my mind was "Well, this is what I get for taking an opiate so long. Guess I better just deal with it, shouldn't take that long until its over..." And I just stopped. No tapering, no maintenance drug, nothing. I did it purely cold turkey and didn't have a second thought about.

I am the only person I know of who has been able to just stop cold turkey without having cravings for an opiate. That's why I ask, am I special?

 

[pally pete]

I keep hearig online about how people how take opiates, even as prescribed have an extremely difficult time getting off of them. I am assuming this is due to the combination of phsyical and psychological withdrawal.

However, I've been through opiate withdrawal and benzo withdrawal a couple times now and I've never had any problems! Sure, I have phsyical withdrawal symptoms, I even feel extremely ill; but I've never been so addicted that I thought I couldn't stop. For instance....

I just stopped using Hydrocodone after (around) 4 months on non-stop use. I was taking nearly 60MG's of Hydro a day, but when I stopped I never once thought to myself "holy shit, I need more opiates!!" What actually went through my mind was "Well, this is what I get for taking an opiate so long. Guess I better just deal with it, shouldn't take that long until its over..." And I just stopped. No tapering, no maintenance drug, nothing. I did it purely cold turkey and didn't have a second thought about.

I am the only person I know of who has been able to just stop cold turkey without having cravings for an opiate. That's why I ask, am I special?

We're all special

How long have you been clean?

I've withdrew off Benzos & Opiates many times and it's not pleasant to say the least, but my thinking was more along the lines of "I'm doing the right thing and the pain will be worth the gain"

I've always quit cold turkey aswell but the cravings would come and go and really mess with me so within 1-3 months I'd be back using again...

 

[Lightning-Nl]

We're all special

How long have you been clean?

It's been about 3 weeks now. I decided to quit, had awful withdrawal symptoms, but then everything was fine. I actually started using Hydrocodone due to breakthrough pain due to inflammation in my knee. I never start using opiates unless its for pain. Otherwise, I stay away from them.

I've withdrew off Benzos & Opiates many times and it's not pleasant to say the least, but my thinking was more along the lines of "I'm doing the right thing and the pain will be worth the gain"

That's exactly my thought. So I used up the rest of what I had and then just stopped.

I've always quit cold turkey aswell but the cravings would come and go and really mess with me so within 1-3 months I'd be back using again...

That's where my "specialness" comes in. I never get cravings for opiates or benzodiazepines. My use always starts not because I gave into a craving, but rather due to the fact that I legitimately need opiates for pain management. After the pain subsides, I get off of it and never crave it. Same thing goes for a benzo, however, I only take benzodiazepines when I have a period of intense anxiety that last for more than 4 days.

 

[bunge]

Its likely to do with the fact that your only using these medications for legitimate medical reasons and not for a high.
Ive used opiates for years for pain and although i am physically dependent, i dont have any strong cravings for them. My doses raise and lower depending on my pain levels alone.
Even after a period of heavy use, i have no real problems lowering the dose when my pain eases a little.

 

[Tryptamite]

You may well be special but not for this reason.

While it is admirable that you quit opiates cold turkey and off your own free will there are many people here and IRL that have done the same. It can be hard and in some cases require methadone or bupe tapers but it is by no means impossible.

Staying away from opiates on the other hand...

 

[pally pete]

It's been about 3 weeks now. I decided to quit, had awful withdrawal symptoms, but then everything was fine. I actually started using Hydrocodone due to breakthrough pain due to inflammation in my knee. I never start using opiates unless its for pain. Otherwise, I stay away from them.



That's exactly my thought. So I used up the rest of what I had and then just stopped.



That's where my "specialness" comes in. I never get cravings for opiates or benzodiazepines. My use always starts not because I gave into a craving, but rather due to the fact that I legitimately need opiates for pain management. After the pain subsides, I get off of it and never crave it. Same thing goes for a benzo, however, I only take benzodiazepines when I have a period of intense anxiety that last for more than 4 days.

You may just be one of the lucky ones... But regardless, grattis for quitting I initially started using Benzos for legitimate reasons but this soon turned into a train wreck addiction! Whereas Opiates I specifically (Foolishly) sought out for abuse, and again this turned into another train wreck addiction. So I was addicted to 2 of the worst substances in regards to the pull of using and the pain (Physical & Psychological) of giving up.

You may well be special but not for this reason.

While it is admirable that you quit opiates cold turkey and off your own free will there are many people here and IRL that have done the same. It can be hard and in some cases require methadone or bupe tapers but it is by no means impossible.

Staying away from opiates on the other hand...

That's what I'm saying, Quitting is hard, but long term abstinence is harder.

 

[Lightning-Nl]

Honestly. I just wish I could get a permanent prescription for a centrally acting muscle relaxer. Whether that's something like a Z-drug or Muscle relaxant; I feel like that would so me a lot of good.

I actually prefer benzodiazepines over opiates due to the fact that the muscle relaxing qualities of benzo's are just as pain relieving as an opiate for me. Opiates are much more euphoric (warm and fuzzy) but benzodiazepines work just as well and tend not have as bad of withdrawal symptoms.

I have also noticed that opiatesqctually tend to keep me up at night (as weird as that sounds). Yeah they make me feel awesome.....so awesome that I can't sleep. I feel like this I probably due to the fact that opiates tend to be sigma-1 agonists as well opioid agonists.

I've noticed that sigma agonism tends to induce hypermania for me (feeling amazing and like nothing will ever be bad again) and I believe this may keep me up at night.

 

[tokenname]

i don't sleep on opiates either...but why would I want to..
i'd rather sleep through the shitty parts of life.

i've found benzo w/d much more difficult than most opiate w/d..
but - any kind of gaba withdrawal seems to be more difficult for most.
you're attitude toward the w/d is decent..and that can make a substantial difference.
you special, unique little snowflake, you.

 

[Lightning-Nl]

i don't sleep on opiates either...but why would I want to..
i'd rather sleep through the shitty parts of life.

i've found benzo w/d much more difficult than most opiate w/d..
but - any kind of gaba withdrawal seems to be more difficult for most.
you're attitude toward the w/d is decent..and that can make a substantial difference.
you special, unique little snowflake, you.

Overall, Benzo withdrawal is worse. The intense rebound anxiety is something that doesn't happen for me with opiates. Since I am an anxiety disorder sufferer, this causes huge distress for me. Opiate withdrawal is bad; feeling like you have the flu is pretty awful, but for some reason, I find that a lot easier to deal with.

Attitude is probably 95% of it. Unlike other people, I for some reason, don't fear withdrawal. Frankly, it's nothing to be scared of anyways. It's just like having the flu for a week; then it's over. Minor withdrawal symptoms stick around longer than that, but it's usually nothing major.

Its likely to do with the fact that your only using these medications for legitimate medical reasons and not for a high.

While I don't disagree, I exhibit a lot of drug abusing behavior while on these drugs.

I never take more than I should (unless I am legitimately in a lot of pain) but rather use other things concurrently in order to increase its effects. For instance, I'll take the opiate right before a meal and then make sure to eat a lot or starches and fats in order to increase bioavailability, I'll then take 75MG's of diphenhydramine on top of that to potentate its effects and then once it hits me, to increase it one last bit, I'll smoke a couple cigarettes or chew some nicotine gum.

I rarely ever take more than I'm supposed to. However, I do EVERYTHING I can to enhance the effects of it....

 

[bunge]

Although its risky to mix other drugs with opiates, anything that keeps your doses under control is a good thing from a tolerance and addiction perspective.
I too, enjoy taking my opiates and frequently mix them with antihistamine and gabaergic type meds in order to increase the pleasure. In this way i can get maximum effect with increasing my dose.
Have you tryed etizolam for muscle relaxation? Id say its on par with diazepam and muscle relaxation starts from as little as 1mg, it works wonders for my muscle spasms.
I know that etiz carries the same risks as the benzos addiction-wise but with a little willpower and commonsense its easy enough to control.
Other option could be baclofen, its an anti-spasmodic and considered non-addictive, so doctors arent usually concerned when it comes to prescribing it.

 

[pasha]

Quitting opioids I can do standing on my head. Staying clean is a whole different story.

 

[bunge]

^
Amen to that!

 

[pally pete]

That's what I'm saying, Quitting is hard, but long term abstinence is harder.

Quitting opioids I can do standing on my head. Staying clean is a whole different story.

^
Amen to that!

...

 

[bunge]

And credit to pallypete to saying it first!
Sorry buddy, i didnt see it before.
:-(