I am on day 3 of heroin withdrawal currently.
I am doing at home Cold Turkey detox.
I have been to many long term treatment programs in the past.
I got out of prison 6 months ago and started back doing heroin.
But I am seriously sick and tired of being sick and tired - as they say in NA/AA.
I will most likely try some kind of outpatient when I feel better though.
I just feel uncomfortable attending AA and NA meetings.
First let me warn you I am struggling as well; I do not have long term sobriety but have been going to meetings and am enrolling in a methadone program. I am on the same roller coaster you are on- but I have seen and do know (and have a sponsor) that has been sucessful at this long term. There are guys here like Captain Heroin and Manboychef who are far more sober than me (as well as others). But I will do what I can.....
Have you been on suboxone? They work well if you can get on them but they are long term (usually, you could also cop 1 or 2 and it would probably end your acute WDs) maintenence usually. Just don't let docs push you into ridiculous doses. They probably would have worked for me if not for chronic pain. Methadone is another option (I'd say the bigger gun) of maintenence and detox. Those are medical options. Also, you could try some immodium (loperamide) but I wouldn't say in the insane doses some here have taken for WDs (maybe a little bit more than it says on the box but I've seen people here take 40-70 a day- I personally wouldn't do that). Clonidine is very easy to be prescribed (for anxiety if you can call your pcp) and helps; but if you take high doses you have to taper or you can have rebound anxiety etc. Gabapentin or lyrica are godsends for RLS and many symptoms (gabapentin is not scheduled and lyrica is schedule 4- I know gabapentin is prescribed off label for anxiety). Benzos are sometimes recommended but you could end up with a whole new problem there. If I could magically give you a package to detox:
gabapentin- dose will vary a little, handfuls at a time don't work as your body can only utilize so much at once. But maybe 300mgs 8x a day for 3-4 days, then 300mgs 3x a day for 2 days then 300mgs before bed for a couple days
clonidine- 0.2 every 6 hours after trying 0.1 (some people get real woozy) and 0.4 maybe before bed for 3-4 days, 0.1 every 6 hours for 2 days, 0.1 twice a day for 2 days, 0.05 twice a day for two days
immodium ad- as needed for GI problems
multi-vitamins and plenty of fluids
OR
Suboxone- day 1-8mgs, days 2-3 6mgs, day 4- 4mgs, day 5- 2 mgs, days 6-7 1mg
still multi's and fluids
Then there is the loperamide method but many have said it is unsafe even though it works and is OTC.
Hopefully someone better at this will chime in. But clonidine alone is very useful and easy to get if you have anxiety. But when high doses are used it should be tapered although it would not be a long taper just a few days.
