Opioids Does using a short acting opioid during fentanyl withdrawal put you back where you started repeatedly?

[aspiringchemist]

I’m not sure the best way to word the question but I’m currently two days in to acute fentanyl withdrawal and I’ve been using morphine ir 15mg as needed with the goal of inducing suboxone at 72 hours post fentanyl.

Now of course I’m getting relief from the morphine but I’m wondering if it’s just setting me back to the beginning stages of withdrawal over and over or is the fentanyl leaving my system and causing withdrawal alongside the relief morphine is providing? Does it exist on a spectrum? I believe I’ve read Negrogesic state that he experienced fent withdrawal while stable on methadone.

It doesn’t seem to be fully relieving my symptoms but it does help quite a bit. I’ve got the endless goosebumps, cold sweats, GI symptoms, emotional roller coaster, the usual feeling of endless doom. Not my first rodeo but it’s been quite some time since I’ve gone through it and this is my first experience with fentanyl specifically. I’ve been smoking about 1-1.5g a day for the last 5 months. Currently 30 hours post last fent use and I’ve taken a total of 45mg morphine yesterday and today. Is it all for not if I take morphine? Again, my plan is to induce suboxone at 72 hours. I just don’t think I could realistically get there without a SAO to help.

 

[PenguinWithNapalm]

I don’t think it’s resetting it. You would need to take something strong to actually reset it. That amount of morphine is like an aspirin compared a g a day of fent

 

[aspiringchemist]

I don’t think it’s resetting it. You would need to take something strong to actually reset it. That amount of morphine is like an aspirin compared a g a day of fent

Right on. That was kind of my assumption given that it’s so much less potent but as it does release a fair amount of the withdrawal, which returns inevitably after a couple hours, I wondered if I’m just setting myself up for a new dependency. I suppose I should add that I’ve been plugging it, 15mg at a time so that increases the potency or effect a fair amount but it’s still nothing compared to that much fent.

I suppose I should’ve expected this going into it, and I did. I’ve just got that weird everything is chaotic feeling that tends to accompany discontinuation and every time it wears off I feel the same shitty withdrawal symptoms. I suppose also I need to remember that the goal wasn’t cold turkey but to purge the fent from my system so I could safely induce suboxone again. I tried a few times a month or so ago and got terrible PW symptoms within and at the 24 hour mark.

I need off the fentanyl. It’s an abomination to opioids. It’s controlling my life on a 45 minute basis which I never envisioned allowing myself to be victim to but here I am. Now 36 hours post last fent use. Since the OP I’ve taken another 30mg morphine in 15mg intervals over the day.

 

[Syntherize]

I’m not sure the best way to word the question but I’m currently two days in to acute fentanyl withdrawal and I’ve been using morphine ir 15mg as needed with the goal of inducing suboxone at 72 hours post fentanyl.

Now of course I’m getting relief from the morphine but I’m wondering if it’s just setting me back to the beginning stages of withdrawal over and over or is the fentanyl leaving my system and causing withdrawal alongside the relief morphine is providing? Does it exist on a spectrum? I believe I’ve read Negrogesic state that he experienced fent withdrawal while stable on methadone.

It doesn’t seem to be fully relieving my symptoms but it does help quite a bit. I’ve got the endless goosebumps, cold sweats, GI symptoms, emotional roller coaster, the usual feeling of endless doom. Not my first rodeo but it’s been quite some time since I’ve gone through it and this is my first experience with fentanyl specifically. I’ve been smoking about 1-1.5g a day for the last 5 months. Currently 30 hours post last fent use and I’ve taken a total of 45mg morphine yesterday and today. Is it all for not if I take morphine? Again, my plan is to induce suboxone at 72 hours. I just don’t think I could realistically get there without a SAO to help.

Fentanyl analogs are more lipid soluble and getting off them onto subs is tough because you have to wait 48+ hours to induce suboxone, but if you temporarily switch to morphine for less than a week you can just induce suboxone in less than 24 hours if you do it right, and then taper off the buprenorphine slowly over the course of a month (don’t stay on it indefinitely).

 

[aspiringchemist]

Fentanyl analogs are more lipid soluble and getting off them onto subs is tough because you have to wait 48+ hours to induce suboxone, but if you temporarily switch to morphine for less than a week you can just induce suboxone in less than 24 hours if you do it right, and then taper off the buprenorphine slowly over the course of a month (don’t stay on it indefinitely).

Thanks. This ^ was my plan essentially. It angers me that doctors in the US won’t prescribe or follow this bridge protocol when it’s been proven almost necessary for a comfortable transition. It is common practice in other countries but apparently is not allowed here… you’d think they’d want to provide access to the easiest transition so that people could quit more efficiently. This country’s drug laws are absurd.

That was my plan and I actually made it 72 hours on morphine without fentanyl, and induced suboxone on the morning of the 3rd day. It relieved some of my symptoms and didn’t cause PW; I only took like 1mg though. Unfortunately I relapsed shortly after on the morphine which led back to fentanyl. Also unfortunately, I am now out of my big morphine stash which I told myself I’d save to use for bridging purposes….

I have a prescription for lomitil (2.5mg diphenoxylate/0.025mg atropine). I’ve discovered that these guys are actually strong enough to stave off fent withdrawal in doses of 15-25mg diphenoxylate; it’s an analogue of demerol that’s used for diarrhea in low doses. I have like 1000 pills saved up so I’m going to try and bridge with them and kratom. Diphenoxylate’s primary active metabolite has a half life of like 13 hours so I presume one would need to wait a few hours longer than they would with morphine to induce suboxone. I’ll report back when I attempt this as it’s my only option. I can say that I can go the entire day without fentanyl using diphenoxylate, and be comfortable.