How Do I Help Fiance through Opiate Withdrawals

[mintoreos]

Hello all, my name is Katie and I am looking for some advice. I am very inexperienced in terms of opiates and posting in forums but I will try my best to follow the appropriate guidelines.
In short, my fiance is attempting to quit opiates cold turkey starting today. He is heart-set on doing this, and I am dedicating the next 5 days to helping him through it. I am VERY incompetent when it comes to this stuff... I have never taken any type of drug other than smoking weed and a few Percosets after I gave birth to my son. So a bit of background- 4 years ago he was hooked on oxycontin for a foot injury and was up to 3 pills a day (I do not know the dosage). He ended up in jail and 6 months of rehab. We began dating shortly after and he seemed to be doing very well aside from the occasional slip-up a handful of times over the past 4 years. Well on father's day last Sunday I caught him taking a 60mg morphine pill. Long story short, after days of struggling with this, he admitted to his mother and I that he is chemically addicted again and needs help. He says he's *only* been taking two 60mg morphines twice a day for a month. A few times he took 3.
So, with that.... what would you suggest I do to support and help him through the next week? He has given me his phone and keys and he's on the couch asleep right now. We have 4 valium (5mg), ibuprofen, and are looking to buy some weed tomorrow and Star Wars KOTOR for xbox.. lol! I also have one oxycodone and morphine pill that I confiscated, but would obviously like to avoid giving them to him since this is cold turkey. I'm thinking I should make a CVS run and get him some immodium (he's already pooping his brains out) and maybe some benadryl. Anything else I should or should NOT do to help??? Thank you for your help!

 

[T. Calderone]

Hi Katie, that's a good idea getting him some immodium. Just keep in mind if taken in excessive amounts, it can be addicting because it is also an opiate. It should be fine though taken as directed for diarrhea. He can take the valium just for night time when sleep is needed.

It's best that he not nap during the day at all if he can help it. He may not have much of an appetite, that's normal. Just encourage him to drink water. I hope he can quit for good and I think it's great that he has you and his mother for support. Wish you both the best!

 

[thejibberman]

I don't really know anything about opiates but Star Wars: KOTOR for Xbox is enough to cure anything. Hahahaha. Hope he gets through it!

 

[mintoreos]

Great! Thank you! Looking at the "Thomas Recipe" right now... seems like it might be helpful. He suggests Valium, immodium, vitamins, and baths.

 

[neversickanymore]

Hey min and welcome to Bluelight..

medications for acute opiate detox

The medications I would explore the use of for detox would be:
>Clonidine< DOSED EVER FOUR HOURS..

one of either
>NEURONTIN< >HERE< >HERE<
OR >Lyrica<
OR >phenibut<

>A BENZO BUT JUST AT NIGHT<
>a nsaid<
>melatonin<
tylenol
Senokot S is a stool softener and laxative. If you do not want the laxative you can go for strait stool softenerDioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate.

(Opi Withdrawal) what is the best comfort meds for opiate w/d?

Your Personal Opiate Withdrawal Arsenal

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Feed him (try and get him to eat no matter what, but don't force him), keep him hydrated
Leave him alone when he wants leaving alone
Comfort him when he wants comforting
Just be there for moral support, be strong for him when he can't be for himself
Don't expect anything of him or the situation, this could take longer than the five days you have planned.
Save the valium to try and get some sleep each night, really that amount is trying to kill an elephant with a toothpick though unfortunately.
Try and make sure he gets up and showers etc each day even if he doesn't want to, he'll feel better for it.

 

[Xorkoth]

Hot showers are one of the best temporary balms... for me whenever I have withdrawn, when it got too intense, I would take a long hot shower and for 15-20 minutes, I would feel pretty good. I would also take a hot shower RIGHT before bed, and it would relax my muscles and help me possibly sleep a little. Sleep is very difficult during withdrawal, and in my experience the insomnia is the worst part, those long restless nights of constantly needing to move my legs. If it gets really bad and he can't stand it, taking more than the recommended dose of immodium can help after a couple of hours from taking it, maybe try taking 10-20mg, it takes the edge off nicely, but as T Calderone mentioned, it's technically an opiate too so be sparing with it, or avoid taking more than is needed for diarrhea if possible.

He will probably be very emotionally raw, just try to be there for him and if it takes longer than 5 days do not be surprised, as morphine has a long half-life. It doesn't necessarily mean he cheated on his detox. It's a very good sign that he initiated this and that he gave you his phone and keys. Did he also give you his pills? Or was aware you confiscated them and supported it?

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Yup, I think hot showers were the only thing that allowed me to get through my methadone detox. I probably would have cracked otherwise.

As is mentioned above insomnia on an opiate detox is no joke, it can break a great many people. As much as I hate to advocate throwing drugs down the neck of someone trying to recover from addiction, I would also gather up all the available non-recreational sleep aids (or even recreational ones if controlled properly really) and not be afraid of using them to put a chemical KO on him for the night. Obviously stay safe with dosages but there's a lot to be said for the respite of sleep they will provide just whilst he is going through the acute phase.

I know that in my country you can get diphenhydramine, promethazine and melatonin all otc. I'm still chucking sleep meds down my throat before bed at the moment, but I'll be having to examine and change that behaviour in the next day or two I think because it's at risk of overspilling in to recreational usage.

 

[placid space]

If I were you I would take approx. 1/3 of one of those pills he was taking (the one that is easiest to measure or if its a capsule, just open and divide the pellets) and put the 1/3 of it into one of the pills you plan on giving him to soothe the WD symptoms or for the night or whatever you make up. Its easiest if its a capsule, so you can simply open the top and switch 1/3 of it with the morph. or oxy pill. Of course you must not tell him. Its just to help him sleep , WDing hell as it is, and giving him this 1/3 for sleeping will change little to nothing except perhaps give his body some needed rest. But like I said, dont tell him and just observe if it has effect, if its too much(like hes telling you these really help) or too little.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

I've got to say I can't see anyone having slipped 1/3 of my dosage past me without me noticing it was just that with any of my opiate use.

It could work though, nice idea.

 

[Carl Landrover]

Be positive! He's likely going to be moody, withdrawn from conversation and contact, and might be very emotional (quick to anger or quick to tears). He's also probably going to feel depressed and ashamed as well as lethargic and he probably won't have much of an interest in doing anything.

Just be there for him and try not to make him feel worse for slipping up and being in this position. Doing little things can be pretty helpful. I remember being really thirsty and having a glass of water on the other side of the room, but I just didn't have the energy or motivation to get up despite getting more and more thirsty. I felt like it was pointless, "I was just going to get thirsty again later. Jesus, everything sucks!" were my basic thoughts.

He'll likely be counting down the hours, hoping that at 96 it'll be much, much better. Doing things to help pass the time by are helpful.

Also, DEFINITELY get him some immodium (cheaper version is just called "loperamide" which is what Immodium AD is. Immodium AD is just the brand name). It's crucial for the diarrhea and the stomach cramps/pains. Also, having some sort of multivitamin is helpful and having some sort of vitamin or supplement that has magnesium is very helpful.

I've always preferred acetaminophen over ibuprofen for the aches and pains during WD.

I also would NEVER try to detox without weed. Much less go cold turkey. For me it temporarily helps with the nausea, can help me actually eat something and hold it down, helps with the anxiety, helps with the temperature fluctuations, helps with the aches and pains, and actually can help me get relaxed enough to MAYBE fall asleep.


That's the other thing, he's probably not going to sleep much. So be prepared for late nights. I seemed to throw-up the most at night for some reason.



Good luck to you and to your fiancé! It's nice of you to do this and it speaks volumes that you came here to seek answers because you want to help him.

 

[Fatjosh]

ok now i dont see how nobody els has not mentioned this and i am not saying this to be funny in any way possible but frequent blowjobs. 2-3 times a day possibly more, yes i know it seems like a lot of work for you but it wont be because in withdrawl you have a hair trigger seriously that is why i didnt say to just have sex with him cause that will negate the possitive effects when he feels like a loser for only lasting 2.73 seconds. other than that immodium helped me immensly not only with the runs but the restlessness. if you could get more valium that could also be a life saver. i remember the first time i got clean i went 4 days without sleeping, on the fourth day i took 2mg of xanax which is a big dose for me a double shot of nyquil and chugged a beer, i am not recommending this but at the time my frame of mind was " i am going to sleep, or i am going to OD and die i dont care" thats what lack of sleep can do to you. i slept 5 hours from that and when i woke up i didnt feel much better physically but mentally i had given myself the short break that i needed to keep the drive i had to get clean going. just be there for him emotionally cause the physical part is the easiest part to deal with, and theres somthing you must deal with too, he is an addict and he will allways be an addict even when he gets clean this is a disease of the mind that comes from emotional distress that is being covered up. counciling may not be a bad idea to try to get to the root of what is hurting him on the inside as a lot of us were introduced to opiate through an injury as i was, but that is not why we continue to use we continue to use because we realize it helps emotional pain as well....at first. i wish you all the luck in the world, he CAN do this!

 

[Carl Landrover]

I would say handjobs probably better. I mean of course I'd prefer head, but I usually feel really gross and I don't feel attractive at all. I also notice I sweat if I sleep or I'll just be sweating under my arms and sometimes it's a gross smelling drug sweat. I just know I don't feel attractive enough to be close to someone much less have sex or to have someone's face in my junk. Plus, like you said it is over so quick that a short hand job would suffice.

 

[Fatjosh]

when im in withdrawl im in the shower soo much i dont have a chance to get stanky, but that is a good point i revise my previous statement to if he doesnt smell grand just use your hand

 

[mintoreos]

Thanks for all the advice! Since my original post, he has been completely clean as far as I know. He ordered 5 opiate tests online and 25 more after we used the first 5. So far I have given him 6 tests total and they have all been negative. He was very depressed the first 4 or 5 days, but things are MUCH better now. He seems so much happier and feeling great. Here's what we did: The first two days- 2x daily dose of Imodium (he did not know about the magic of Imodium until I showed him the internet literature lol), one-a-day men's multivitamin "pro-edge", and a bedtime 1 valium and 1 antihistamine and a lot of weed. He slept like a ROCK, no tossing/turning or shaking AT ALL. He did wake up at 5am for the first week but that's because he passed out at 8pm! After the first 2 nights he stopped taking pretty much everything but still smoked a lot of weed. We are down to our last little bowl and he plans to stop smoking after that. No blow jobs, unfortunately lol... he had a VERY low sex drive during this whole ordeal, but thankfully it is back pheewww I was dying!! Last question- does anybody know how easy it is to cheat/pass an opiate urine test? I know there are those $30 drinks you can buy that only allow a small window of opportunity to pass, and I have been very random with the testing, usually after he's been home a long while and I know he didn't drink one of those. Just want to be 100% positive he is clean and not finding a way around these tests. Thanks for all the advice!!

Oh, and Ibuprofen! of course.

 

[neversickanymore]

Hey congratulations to him and you both.


I don't think he is scamming the tests.. but if you wan't to be sure pop a surprize test on him when he gets up to urinate. Im not even sure those drinks work on opiates. also watch him urinate into the cup as fake or substitute urin is easy to get. The best way to see easily if he is useing is look at his pupil size if he is pinned (really small pupils) then he is useing, if he has normal pupils he is not useing.

 

[bigdpercs]

Hi Katie, you said he was taking 60mg morphs twice daily for a month, to be honest his w/d shouldn't be to bad, will last around 3-7 days the worst coming around 3-5. I seen you said he had couple Valium which will help a little but use those to sleep because he will have restless legs, ibuprofen for body pain and don't under estimate a hot shower. Plenty of water take vitamins especially B for energy, I hope this helps but like I said his w/d shouldn't be to bad, pretty minimal, good luck