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Day three, this sucks

A

aliencowstorm

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
200
Location
Austin Tejas
What a great community, I'm so glad that there's this wonderful place. As I sit here and think about how life will be without an hydrocodone pill after 2...almost 3 years actually of being addicted I'm finally forced to take this path.

From the get go I knew this was going to be rough as I've gone through withdrawal once before and it sure doesn't get easier let me tell you. I look forward to a future where I'm not killing myself and taking precious time away from the important things in life.

Here's to you that have braved this path and remained sober. And to those like me who fell a few times or are still struggling, I know your pain and I hope to see myself on the other side of the fence, one day at a time.
 
Hi aliencowstorm, welcome :)
It sounds like you have an excellent attitude. And I'm glad you've made the decision to quit now before it gets even harder. I think this forum is a great place for support because we can realize that as you said, others "know our pain" and we're not alone.

Congrats on making it to Day 3 - your withdrawals should start to improve pretty soon.
 
Hey aliencowstorm, welcome to Bluelight and congrats on the decision to quit and getting to day three. Takes some guts so kudos. :)

Yeah, lots of us been there, done that, and lots still going through it so you've come to a good place, usually lots of support here from people who know exactly where it's at. Keep letting us know how you're doing, yeah? Good luck!
 
Wow, thank you. I would like any suggestions on the twitching during sleep, when it actually comes.

I've been reading archives and threads about the challenges ahead. Just knowing there's a online community gives me that much more I can lean on to try and make the best choices.

I also just came back from sitting out in the sun and it sure did feel nice. I'll take any sort of pick me up that's good for me!
 
Hey alien.. I love your name aliencowstorm. Congratulations on making the decision to get off the opiates. Congratulations on getting to day three.. As swimmingdancer said you are probably pretty close to beginning to feel allot better. If you are not aware of POST ACUTE WITHDRAW SYMPTOMS or PAWS then I would familiarize your self with what they are, you can begin > here <. Once your acute withdrawal ends then you will probably be facing an addiction. The techniques to successfully deal with an addiction are varied and not every different approach works for everyone. If you are faced with an addiction the first thing I would suggest is setting up a strong support network.. as this is KEY for almost all us addicts. Blue Light recovery is something I would recommend including with some form of support group.. NA, AA, Smart recovery, church or spiritual, recovering addicts understand what you will be facing and we tend to stick together like glue anyways. as addicts we kinda have a special place in our unusually large hearts for each other, so we lend support, comfort, wisdom, strength, hope to each other. Since it is so very hard to stay clean alone, and much easier to do it together, we all lean on one another to keep all of us afloat as much as possible. There are quite a few recovering addicts working strong programs, using a wide variety of approaches, here on BL. I suggest you see what's working for others and try that.. Your addiction is probably raging rite now because it knows you're here to kill it... so its probably trying to make you think all kinds of scary and negative thoughts.. It lies.. you are amazing and you can do this.. hang in there it gets easier fast.. and it really does get good quick, you're doing great<3
 
Good luck alien, I'm 2 years off a nasty oxycodone habit. I was apprehensive about quitting at the time. Now I see it's the best thing I ever did. I hardly ever think about oxy and when I do it's only for a second. The w/d should get better starting tomorrow. Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks, NSA! I really appreciate the link. However, it left me with more questions related to PAWS and opiates as the article was very heavy on benzo stuff (that stuff never did anything for me accept give me a hangover the next morning).

Also, the sore leg stuff, would motrin help for that or should I just 'suck it up' instead? Sorry, kind of off topic there...
 
The only thing that's really helped me with the twitchy leg stuff is magnesium citrate, the kind they sell in natural markets/supplement stores that comes in powdered form, not the kind that's comes in saline as a laxative. The only problem is even the supplement kind can have a laxative effect, which if you're already having those problems from withdrawal (pretty damn common) won't make those matters any better. I know how awful that feeling is though, hopefully you're through the worst of it and that will subside.

Good luck and congrats on how far you've come!
 
Yeah I dont know why I use that one try this >one< alien.. hope this helps feel free to kick any questions:) yeah I hate.. hated.. and hate the restless leg and pain.. not trying to make a bad joke here, but try orgasm >one< >two< also check into clonidine >here< but how much were you on and what was your last dose and when.. can probably give you an idea of how much longer you have.<3
 
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Hi Alien. Congrats on the clean time! Like the others have said, you should be getting some relief from the physical withdrawals soon.. just hang on! I know it's hard to see the other side when you're in the thick of it, but it can be done :)

As far as the twitchy legs you are referring to, that is always one of my most severe symptoms. We call it "kickin the sheets." (since you lay in bed kicking trying to get relief.)
The ONLY relief I found was hot water. Getting in bath or shower (which is the LAST thing I WANNA do,) but if you can just force yourself, it will give you a short reprieve. Unfortunately you will probably need to do this multiple times since it comes back a while after. I know that I tried so many different things to try to suppress this symptom, including drinking alcohol, which for me was a terrible idea and only exacerbated the restless legs.

For me personally, in addition to the showers and baths, I tried heat application and also some form of muscle rub (icy hot, deep heat etc,) which both work well. Pros and cons to every situation, and this is no different. The icy hot creams smell and they can make your chills worse.. but I guess it's picking a lesser of two evils, which for me, I will take chills over restless leg any day of the week.

Adequate hydration is essential, but I understand can be difficult for someone experiencing G.I. symptoms.

Above all else, just believe that you can do it.. You can, I KNOW you can.

Good Luck :)
 
Thanks for the feedback. I have been doing baths which are nice for a bit, but sure do suck just having to get off my bum. I really appreciate the support, really mean it.
 
One of the hardest things is just getting up to do anything. But yeah, baths and showers are good. Try and treat yourself extra nice, use a fancy soap or lotion or something. I dunno if you're experiencing this, but withdrawal always makes me feel so grimey, it's nice to feel a little fresher for atleast a little while.
 
Grimy would be a good adjective for how I feel. Sweaty, stinky and just basically foul. And at long last, I'm actually feeling a bit more human. I was getting worried about blood pressure for a bit as it was pretty elevated for the first couple of days (my wife is a saint, just one of her many abilities).

Thank you everyone. Sober Living, may the journey continue and be long and happy.
 
feralkitten said:
The only thing that's really helped me with the twitchy leg stuff is magnesium citrate, the kind they sell in natural markets/supplement stores that comes in powdered form, not the kind that's comes in saline as a laxative. The only problem is even the supplement kind can have a laxative effect, which if you're already having those problems from withdrawal (pretty damn common) won't make those matters any better. I know how awful that feeling is though, hopefully you're through the worst of it and that will subside.
Click to expand...

You can get chelated magnesium, it is less laxative than magnesium citrate but I do still find chelated magnesium to have somewhat of a laxative effect personally. Honestly I figured for me sleep was more important than not having diarrhea and I had bad diarrhea in WD anyway. Magnesium can help with twitching, restless limbs, aches and pains, insomnia, anxiety etc, and, while it isn't a miracle by any means, it's readily available, not very expensive, is not at all addictive/dependence-causing, is very good for drug users to take because we are usually low in magnesium, and is a naturally occurring metal that is an important nutrient for the muscular and nervous systems. So there's not much downside except for the potential to worsen diarrhea.

Chelated magnesium is absorbed much better as well, chelation is basically where the magnesium gets attached to one or more amino acids to increase the bioavailability. It can be a little harder to find than magnesium citrate capsules though; it will be sold simply as "chelated magnesium" or any one of a number of forms like magnesium alpha-ketogluconate, magnesium aspartate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium lysinate, magnesium orotate, magnesium taurate and so on. You don't want magnesium oxide, that's not a chelated form and has a lower bioavailability and more laxative effect than magnesium citrate.

"Epsom salts" are magnesium sulphate and it's great to dump a whole lot of it in a bath to ease sore restless muscles. I know for me it's incredibly hard to motivate myself to take a bath when I'm in withdrawal but I do feel better if I do - it also helps improve the chills for a little while and can help with sleep.

Probably way more than anyone wanted to know about magnesium, LOL, but anyway.... :)

I have other tips for restlessness/twitching if anyone wants to know.
 
No, not too much at all! I will definely look into getting some chelated magnesium. I have had a lot of benefits from magnesium as a supplement just in general, so I'd definitely be interested in a more absorbable form. I'd also like to hear your other rls tips.
 
^Well one thing that I've found helpful is lying on a large dowel, like a broom handle - you lie flat on your back on the floor, or I just do it in bed before going to sleep personally, put it under your back in line with your spine but just to one side of the spine, then relax (you can start with your knees bent if that's more comfortable), lie on it for a few minutes, then switch it to the other side of your spine and do the same thing. Sorry it's kind of hard to explain in writing - let me know if you want a more thorough explanation. I wish I could find some instructions online or something. This was taught to me by a physical therapist for back pain and I just happened to notice it helped with my RLS so I started doing it every night before sleep, and I would sleep better.

There are also various herbs and supplements that can help with WD symptoms including RLS and insomnia, but I should add a disclaimer that you ought to consult a knowledgeable practitioner before making use of any new compound, even a natural one, in order to thoroughly assess the safety profile of doing so, proper dosing, potential side effects or drug interactions (not sure if you're taking any other drugs?) etc, and that I'm just a volunteer and not qualified to dispense medical directives in this community.

But I can share what I have found helpful for RLS, such as:
- L-lysine, an essential amino acid which has a calming effect
- Kava, a root which has muscle relaxant, anticonvulsant and sedative properties (it is theorized it may act to enhance GABA in some way)

Other things:
- Exercise - force yourself to get out for a walk during the day even if it's just around the block. Other gentle exercise like yoga/stretching, swimming, etc is good. I realize this is a lot easier said than done but if you can will yourself to do it it really does help. Even a tiny bit of exercise is better than nothing.
- Good "sleep hygiene" (let me know if you want me to expand on this concept, and/or you can look it up).
- Heat (like a hot bath, hot water bottle, heating pad, microwavable beanbag, etc), if you are like me and most of the time feel too cold during WD (assuming you are talking about RLS from WD and not just RLS in general - I'm sure all of this stuff would still help with RLS outside of WD and it does for me; I'm not in acute WD anymore). It might not be pleasant if you're roasting hot already. I find going to bed with a hot beanbag by my feet etc to help with sleep and somewhat with the muscle soreness/twitching etc. Not sure if it directly helps RLS or not but I do fall asleep faster and sleep better with heat.
- If you sleep on your side, placing a pillow between your knees can help ease general leg discomfort somewhat.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, which can all make RLS worse (as well as worsening other WD symptoms; if you smoke I doubt you want to quit smoking right now but you could try not smoking before bed and see if it makes a difference or not).
- Relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, belly breathing, hypnosis (you can find sleep and meditation hypnosis recordings on YouTube etc).
 
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Wow, thanks Swimmingdancer! I'll say that by about 12am last night, I was in a really weird state where my head was swimming, but I knew I was about to fall asleep so didn't really worry about it. It was certainly very weird as I can't ever remember having such strange things going through my head before crossing over to sleep.

I'm on the magnesium and don't really care about the runs as sleep is way more valuable than the level of those awesome cramps that come along with it.

It's now day 4 and I can say things are better from a WD standpoint, still pretty wobbly, but the crushing head feeling is really gone down and the overall irritability has come down as well. I'm getting back in touch with my old AA sponsor as he was in NA as well.

I had a major problem this morning as I got a call from the pharmacy telling me I had a prescription ready for pickup and it took everything in me to not go and pick it up and call them back to tell them I'm not picking it up. I'm not sure I would have done that a couple of days ago being in the middle of the WDs.

And again, thank you to all...let's go day 4!
 
Well I think you can call the not picking up a win! I can imagine just what that took, only too well. Nicely played. :) Good to hear things have improved somewhat today. I always found with heroin that once withdrawal had peaked day three things improved very, very rapidly over the next coupla days so fingers crossed tomorrow will be a much better day again. You're doing good, nearly there.
 
Nearly there, but just starting out in the process of finding a path to sobriety. But I've gone from 1 minute at a time to 10 minutes at a time to 4 hours at a time to just about 1 day at a time. I like the one day at a time though just fine.
 
Well, it's day 5 and I'm still clean and sober. I think that's the only thing I can ask from myself to accomplish today. One foot in front of the other gets you to where you're going.
 
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