Are there any detox-only facilities for alcohol, drugs, etc.??

[bluesteyes]

I have fibromyalgia and a few other chronic pain issues. For the past 3-4 months I have been really struggling with trying to get off of OxyContin and Percocets. My doctor and I have tried numerous tapering plans, and they just aren't working. I am getting sick of it. I want off of these drugs. Part of my problem is that my psychiatrist has recently diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. I've known this for years, but I now have received an official diagnosis. I have a lot of childhood trauma in my background. My Mom went paranoid schizophrenic when I was eight, I was sick as a kid, bullied, etc. I have been in therapy for years, and will soon start taking antidepressants. However, my mental condition just makes getting off of opioids that much tougher.

My doctor is adamant that he doesn't see me as needing to go into a traditional, in patient drug rehab center. He wants me off of the opioids, but I think his concern is what takes place after the detox phase. I have never taken a street drug in my life. Although I have been drinking more beer of late, I hate hard liquor and have never been seriously drunk in my life. Throughout my opioid usage I have always been honest with my doctor and pharmacists. He just doesn't see me as having an "addictive" mindset that needs 12 step recovery, counselors teaching me for weeks how to stay away from drugs, counselors teaching me how to make amends with people I have messed over, etc. He views my issues as being about chronic pain and mental illness.

Nonetheless, I want off of the opioids, but I am absolutely frightened of detoxing alone. For one thing, I live alone, my whole family lives thousands of miles away (and I only get along with my immediate members), I have no wife/GF, and honestly, I do not really have any friends. And even if I had more support, I wouldn't want these people to see me going thru withdrawals. I have done a couple of days of cold turkey in the past, and while the physical symptoms sucked, what I couldn't tolerate were the psychological symptoms. The feeling of aloneness, the feeling that I will never get through it (even if I know objectively I will), the feeling of grief and desperation, etc. I really feel that I need a nurse, a doctor or some trained personnel who have seen it all, can regularly check in on me, and keep telling me that I'm okay and will soon be free of drugs. Obviously, getting some basic detox drugs (clonidine, valium, etc.) to help with the withdrawals would also be nice. A detox stay would also allow me to get on a therapeutic dosage of antidepressants right away without having to worry about side effects. I will be feeling lousy anyway.

Are there actually any "detox-only" rehab centers that allow people like me with a short amount of cash (but good insurance) the opportunity to have a bed and medical supervision for a 7-14 day period until I am no longer suffering from major withdrawals? I don't need anything fancy, nor can I afford it. But it just seems as if every rehab facility I see on the net is one of those 30-90 day deals with group meetings, counseling, etc. Any input would be appreciated. If it makes any difference, I reside in northern California.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Generally detoxes are tied to either outpatient or residential treatment. And for good reason. I am going to send you a pm.

 

[cj]

There are plenty of places that just do detox. I am surprised your doctor doesn't know one to refer you too. They are expensive though so you may want to call your insurance company to find one in your network.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Thank you for elaborating cj, I was little off earlier. It all depends on what one is looking for.

I'm always interested in hearing about peoples' experiences at medical detox.

Unfortunately the nature of the beast is that we aren't all that with it when detoxing, so it is hard to write about it in retrospect

 

[cj]

Thank you for elaborating cj, I was little off earlier. It all depends on what one is looking for.

I'm always interested in hearing about peoples' experiences at medical detox.

Unfortunately the nature of the beast is that we aren't all that with it when detoxing, so it is hard to write about it in retrospect

No problem bro. I actually agree with what you said in your post about it being a good idea to do the rehab along with the detox. If nothing else it allows some time between feeling like shit and going home. Most hospitals will do a medical detox without requiring the subsequent rehab.

 

[d3athadone]

There are detoxes here in canada but they r basically homeless shelters with 12 steps and a lot of rules. They r not fun or nice in any way and people use them as a place to crash a lot. Your best bet if u want to be around people and u can afford it or whatever is go to a psych ward tell em your losing your shit and they will provide u a nicer place with good meds and good meals. I did that before. 10 days later I was out the other end and could walk again!

On the other hand. I know withdrawals are super fuckin scary. Being that sick alone is really scary. I detoxed alone off retarded habits many times. Its scary as fuck especially if you have been shooting up, but it only lasts a week of scary. Maybe even less. For me day 3-4 are write off days and day 5 I start to feel better. Day 1 I'm in a total panic. U just gotta make it over the hump and it gets better.

 

[Jabberwocky]

There are detoxes here in canada but they r basically homeless shelters with 12 steps and a lot of rules. They r not fun or nice in any way and people use them as a place to crash a lot. Your best bet if u want to be around people and u can afford it or whatever is go to a psych ward tell em your losing your shit and they will provide u a nicer place with good meds and good meals. I did that before. 10 days later I was out the other end and could walk again!

On the other hand. I know withdrawals are super fuckin scary. Being that sick alone is really scary. I detoxed alone off retarded habits many times. Its scary as fuck especially if you have been shooting up, but it only lasts a week of scary. Maybe even less. For me day 3-4 are write off days and day 5 I start to feel better. Day 1 I'm in a total panic. U just gotta make it over the hump and it gets better.

Great post!

 

[bluesteyes]

We have some regular, extended rehab stay facilities here in the area, but 50% of the patients are court mandated patients, and the other 50% are hard core street drug users. I have a petty prescription opioid problem. Well, I don't think it's petty, but it's nothing compared to the trouble these guys are in. My doc feels my main issues are not "addictive" mindset related. They are chronic pain and mental health related. He just doesn't want me to spend a bunch of dough on some facility where I go, "man, this isn't for me at all." The psychiatrist and others around me have some ideas for how to treat me post-detox. One thing I will not do is go back to work right away. I will take leave. I am going to see the leading addiction specialist in our area early next weekend. He might have some ideas or be aware of some facilities that are more suited towards me.

d3athadone = one of my relatives has suggested that a psych ward/hospital setting might be a more appropriate place than conventional rehab for me. It is something I will be looking into. I would pay a low cost admission fee, and as long as a I stick with a preferred doctor, they cover at 100% of the plan allowance. I don't even need a case manager.

 

[d3athadone]

^ Really? Thats actually amazing dude. They give you comfort meds! I don't know if you know how huge a deal that is, but bro they wont let you stay up all night there. If you don't pass out the first night after seeing the dr, they gonna give you some other stuff to make sure you pass out the next night! That is sort of a miracle man. I remember I slept every freaking night at the psych ward. The first night I got there at like geesh I dunno musta been 11pm by the time I got in there. The room they put me in had this giant bear of a man in it snoring the loudest I ever heard someone snor. When I got in the facility. I was liek to myself who the fuck is snoring so loud. I could hear it down the hall like it was beside me. The nurse quickly gave me a pill and showed me to my room. The noise just kept getting louder louder as got closer and closer. WHen we got there I was like are your crazy??? I can't sleep in there! She told me there is no choice. I was like ok but im never gonna sleep. She just looked at me like she knew and I didn't. Finally I conceded and she left me to my bed. I laid down and was just in utter amazement of this guy snoring. He was huge. Like almost 7 feet giant rib cage like 4x the size of mine. Anyway 5 minutes later that shit they gave me kicked in and I was out like a light. Slept like a baby in withdrawls with this giant snorer next to me. You could also talk to the patients in the place too! I got to know a bunch of them. Heard a few stories. The food was good too. I was on the streets at the time so it was doubly good. I remember eating like 5 yogurts 5 chocolate milks etc. lol cuz the patients never eat their food there. Hopefully its the same where u are lol.

 

[Jabberwocky]

It really totally depends on the hospital. Most place that have a halfway good reputation are much more humane with drug users than they used to be. It really depends on the hospital though. It is so incredibly important to do research on any facility you're thinking about getting treatment at.

 

[Moreaux]

Bluesteyes - there are many options to detox as stated above. I saw a "red flag" in your post I wanted to mention. You say that you have been drinking more beer as of late - be very very careful with this. It is not uncommon for opiate addicts to crossover into alcoholism once they stop opiates, and vice versa. Those two substances hit some of the same receptors which increases the chances of becoming addicted to the other.

You say you have chronic depression and GAD - this also increases the risk for alcoholism. I suffered for years from both as consequence of my OCD and PTSD. I drank in the evenings because it helped me relax. I have never enjoyed the taste of alcohol and used to stick with beer (for years) until I could no longer tolerate the taste. I started off very lightly with the beer but over time my tolerance grew to where I was needing a lot more to relax. At my worst point I didn't feel any effects until I had had at least a six pack. I had a seventeen year career as an alcoholic.

I just wanted to mention this stuff so you would be more aware and pay closer attention to your alcohol habits in case they do start changing. You said you've been in therapy for a while so this may be redundant (I apologize if you've already heard it), but the best thing to manage anxiety is learning how to process it at the thought level. Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy did wonders for me - I can now control it without medication, though Indo keep Indural (propranolol) on hand for emergencies - it's a nonaddictive beta blocker that stops the physiological adrenaline response that accompanies anxiety and helps to lower the anxiety level. I've also found that exercise, healthy diet (clean eating), and adequate sleep have huge impacts on anxiety.

I wish you the best!

 

[bluesteyes]

Bluesteyes - there are many options to detox as stated above. I saw a "red flag" in your post I wanted to mention. You say that you have been drinking more beer as of late - be very very careful with this. It is not uncommon for opiate addicts to crossover into alcoholism once they stop opiates, and vice versa. Those two substances hit some of the same receptors which increases the chances of becoming addicted to the other.

This is absolutely true, and something I am keenly aware of. The prime example of this are two of my all time favorite musicians. Eric Clapton went right from a 3 year heroin habit to been an alcoholic, off and on, for the better part of 12 years. Although he went the opposite way, Pete Townshend quit drinking in mid-1981 after years and years of being an alcoholic, but then developed terrible addictions to Ativan and heroin because he couldn't stand the feeling of not being drunk. He eventually had to fly out to California in early 1982 and seek in patient rehab under the direction of Meg Patterson (who helped Clapton get off of smack). It is very common for people to just go from one substance to another...even if your first substance wasn't a full on addiction.

My doctor has in fact prescribed me a non-addictive beta blocker recently. I have been experiencing a high pulse rate. I also have a small script of valium, but I only use that when I am really, really anxious or I am suffering from terrible muscle spasms related to the fibromyalgia. It's by far and away the best muscle relaxer of all the benzos. I hate conventional muscle relaxers. They either give me headaches, make me feel totally drugged, or in the case of Robaxin, give me no side effects but also zero muscle relaxation.

 

[Jabberwocky]

What is it you are taking beta blocker wise? How old are you?

 

[Moreaux]

If you can use the beta blocker instead of benzos you will be in a much better place Not that it's a great alternative, but have you considered gabapentin for your fibromyalgia?

 

[bluesteyes]

Bystolic is my beta blocker. I think I am at 5mg. It's mainly because I have been experiencing an unusually high pulse rate of late. I am in my early 40's.

I have tried gabapentin for fibro, and it was a total nightmare. Interstitial Cystitis flares, GI pain, and an overall drugged feeling 24/7. Didn't trust myself to operate machinery. I also hated taking pills 3x per day for something that didn't work.

For me there is a difference between pain and between having muscle spasms. Gabapentin is more for pain, whereas Valium is more for muscle spasms (or very acute anxiety attacks). I have never used a non-benzo muscle relaxer that's worked or hasn't made me feel totally hammered. I am extremely careful with the benzos. I am keenly aware of the dangers, and would love to use the beta blockers for anxiety along with Zoloft which I will eventually take. My psychiatrist and primary care doctor feel that an antidepressant with side effects that I can tolerate should help with my fibro symptoms. I realize that some meds like Cymbalta at a non-therapeutic dosage are used successfully on fibro patients, but I just couldn't handle the side effects. Cymbalta stripped the saliva from my mouth and made me feel like I was on twelve doses of Sudafed.

 

[bluesteyes]

Really weird situation....so the insurance says that I must pay a $350 facility fee in order to get admitted to a detox clinic. Then the detox clinic says that they can't say how many days I would be allowed to say. It could be 7 days, it could be 28 days. It's up to the insurance. When I asked if I had to pay at $350 up front regardless of what the insurance agrees to pay, they said yes. What a bunch of bull. Why should I be forced for fork over $350 big ones if the insurance company may not allow me enough days to even properly detox??

 

[cj]

Really weird situation....so the insurance says that I must pay a $350 facility fee in order to get admitted to a detox clinic. Then the detox clinic says that they can't say how many days I would be allowed to say. It could be 7 days, it could be 28 days. It's up to the insurance. When I asked if I had to pay at $350 up front regardless of what the insurance agrees to pay, they said yes. What a bunch of bull. Why should I be forced for fork over $350 big ones if the insurance company may not allow me enough days to even properly detox??

That's the new reality of insurance unfortunately. 350 is cheap though I have a multiple thousand dollar deductible for that kind of thing.

 

[Moreaux]

Really weird situation....so the insurance says that I must pay a $350 facility fee in order to get admitted to a detox clinic. Then the detox clinic says that they can't say how many days I would be allowed to say. It could be 7 days, it could be 28 days. It's up to the insurance. When I asked if I had to pay at $350 up front regardless of what the insurance agrees to pay, they said yes. What a bunch of bull. Why should I be forced for fork over $350 big ones if the insurance company may not allow me enough days to even properly detox??

Sadly this seems unavoidable. My insurance only allowed me 21 days the last time I was in rehab. I didn't find out how long I was going to stay until a few days before I left. Take what you can get and make the most of it. Be selfish while you're there and make the experience all about you - trust me Other patients will go along with this as they would rather listen to someone else's problems than discuss their own, and it's your big opportunity to jumpstart recovery. I know it's selfish but I wasted $40,000 going to rehab the first time I concerned myself with everything but my problems and then had to do a second stay a few years later. I was selfish this last time, the other patients still got something from me (elected me peer leader for my stay), and I got sober. I almost have three years now.