CT w/d from Pods, using gabapentin

[Ixchellian]

I had no idea that this was gonna do me any good.... and for what it's worth, I figure I should at least share here.

I've been using *good* pods and my homemade laudanum for about 10months, and before that straight morphine sulfate for over five years.

And by using pods, I don't mean PPT. I just ground em up fine and ate them with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. I go through about 80 large Tasmanian pods a week. Yeah.

So anyways. This is with no taper, no benzos.
However besides the gabapentin; I do have trazodone & promethazine for nausea & sleep, loperamide for the runs, flexeril & baclofen for muscle spasms & sleep, buproprion for mood (which I take mainly for smoking cessation, it works!), along with B multi-vitamins, 5-HTP, and L-Tyrosine.
Vitamin D is also a good idea for me, because I never go outside (too damn hot). Also Protein/Instant Breakfast Drinks for "food"

Day 1, CT since last opiate-intake 8+ hours prior.
2100mg of gabapentin x2 daily + buproprion 300mg + vitamins
(minor chills & aches, but somewhat tweaked enough to play some video games and go online)

Day 2
2400mg gabapentin x2 daily + bupro + vitamins + promethazine + flexeril + loperamide
(The cold-burn arrives, but much minimized versus unaided w/d's. Massive diarrhea even with loperamide. My blood-pressure always tanks during w/d's but less so this time, have to take a few hot baths to get comfortable for sleep)

Day 3
2400mg gabapentin x2 daily + bupro + vitamins + promethazine + flexeril + trazodone + loperamide
(Mild cold-burn. BP still low, but not dangerously so. Mild depression, anxiety, emotional. Diarrhea subsides some but still present, and it's hard to stay hydrated. Long hot bath before bed for sleep)

Day 4
2100mg gabapentin x2 daily + as the day before minus flexeril & substituted with baclofen. Baclofen is much less sedating for me.
(BP has improved, sweats gone away, very minor chills, no diarrhea, mild depression & anxiety. But I've gotten enough motivation to walk around some and go online here)

Day 5 (today)
As yesterday. Starting 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine regimen. I waited until today because I wanted to give my body a chance to hit a baseline serotonin/dopamine zero before trying the 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine.
Chills are random and widely spaced, no sweats, no diarrehea. Ending loperamide use hasn't occasioned a return of the runs, so I'm good there. Appetite returning some, but I'm still subsisting on protein drinks & instant breakfast.
Depression is really the same as it ever was, but that's mainly because of my general situation, so it's returned to baseline.
Anxiety present, but much reduced.

Note: These symptoms which I always experienced before heavily during acute w/d are either much reduced or have been totally absent.
Random crying/severe emotionality
Sneezing/runny-nose
RLS/kicking

 

[QuasiStoned]

Are you planning on staying off them? If so congrats it's tough but it gets better every day especially if you are already at the 5 day mark. I used poppy tea for 2 years and kratom for about 6 months before that, the result was an insidious addiction that made me into a lazy and hopeless feeling person. When I quit I took off a week from work and used phenazepam so I don't remember much from the first week (no benzo tolerance) but when I returned to work on week 2 I can recall feeling awful even though I had already made it a week.

I've made it to the one month mark now and am feeling about 90% better now. It's nice to have a return of endorphins and being able to sleep, eat, and function at my job overall much better. Good luck hope you keep up the good work

 

[amnesiaseizure]

Well done there!! Sounds like you made a plan and stuck to it, never as easy as it sounds ey?

This kind of detail is really useful for others looking to make a detox plan so again, nice one.

 

[Ixchellian]

Thanks folks, the whole reason I'm doing this publicly is to help others. I myself didn't have any benzodiazipines that seem to figure prominently into many other withdrawal regimens, and I figure there's other's who are probably in the same spot.

And yes, I'm planning on staying off opiates. What's interesting is that through my detox, there's been about 120 tramadol 100mg pills, 6 pods and a bottle of laudanum in my room calling my name. I know that I'd feel soooo much better if i took them, but what made it easier was the knowledge that if i did, I'd be effectively back at day-0.
Oddly enough, I've become familiar enough with being a junky so that particular carrot became rather unappetizing.

Oh, and music.... I'd forgotten how much I've missed it, and how much of a rush it used to give me..... so that's helped a LOT to. Many times during the past week it wasn't the w/d giving me goosebumps, it was the music.

 

[Bojangles69]

Awesome I've been tapering for about 5 weeks, well 2 were on pause but I should be done in another couple of weeks.
All I can say is never underestimate the power of loperamide. I'm sure the other stuff is helping too but depending on how much lope you take I've had it stop 90% of wds. The problem is unless you taper the lope you just delay the wds.
And you have to jump off the lope every 2-3 days and go through wds to clear out your intestines. But if it starts getting unbearable at anypoint I suggest upping your lope dose.

 

[Ixchellian]

Actually, my loperamide dosage has been really low. I've only taken one of the 6mg pills every day. I've been bound up for so long, I actually felt a little better after..... um.... evacuating. 8)
Besides, the runs and gut-gurgles have pretty much stopped, so today is my last day on loperamide.

I forgot to add, I did take one of my tramadol pills on Day 3, but not out of a need to escape the w/d's (I needed pain relief bad), but haven't noticed any resetting. Day 5 feels as Day 5 should be.

My biggest problem.... yeah, the NEED after the physical withdrawals is still going to be there, but I didn't start taking morphine or other opiates for fun. My back & leg is still screwed up from the IED, so I do need some kind of pain-reliever. On some days the pain is worse than others.... and moving back to FL from CO has made it bad more than good..... So sometimes I know I'll be screaming for a shot (figuratively speaking), just to function.

But I know if I ever did that.... then the next day I'd need another shot, and then another after that, etc etc.

I've been a junky long enough to know better.... and throughout my entire addiction, I've had this rather weird 3rd-person clinical detachment (thank-you Uncle Bill Burroughs), and only until recently have I gotten my blood up to stop using, instead of just observing myself in this horrible condition.

EDIT: On Day 2 I remember laughing like a beached-idiot at the thought of me being a "pod person". Yeah, I'm camp like that.