Clondine for withdrawals
Clonidine is a godsend, esp when used in combination with other meds. First off, it makes it extremely easy to get through those first 20 to 24 hours needed before you can take your suboxone/subutex/bupe, because if you, let's say, stop using opiates at 5pm, go to bed around 8 or 9pm, then sleep til witty's wake you, you can pop some clonidine and fall back to sleep for quite some time. SWIM was able to make it to nearly 19 hours of no use this way and took their sub at that time. Careful though, as the clonidine masks the withdrawal symptoms to a degree, so the C.O.W.S. scale you (should) be using to determine when you're in the clear to take your subs, isn't able to be followed very accurately, as most withdrawal symptoms you're looking for as cues to indicate readiness are simply not going to be present in the levels required by that scale. SO, I goes with the hours since last use and do their best to wait as LOOOOONG as they possibly can and until they can't stand it a second longer. That usually is plenty long enough. Once the subs are in use, a lil benzo action goes a long way, as does some sort of prescription amphetamine believe it or not. (low doses though, as coming down from adderall/dex/meth/etc. can often be physically painful and lead to giving in and using to alleviate those negative side effects. The benzos help immensely with that too though. So, I guess I am saying a detox cocktail is superior to any one drug's ability to alleviate your plethora of wd symptoms. Just use in lowest effective doses possible, stop the crutch drugs as early as you can stand to, and mind the hyper tension w/ the clonidine if you've taken it for any considerable time whatsoever. Surprisingly, Ibuprofen(and other nsaid's), Immodium AD, vitamins and minerals, and hot showers are under-rated godsends. They all have their place, just mind the labels and interactions so as to avoid getting yourself into trouble. Immodium AD, even alone, in rather high doses will temporarily alleviate your worst witty symptoms for quite some time. I believes this is due to it's being derived from a mild opiate. I has kicked many many times, and gained alot of knowledge along the way, and they assured me, these chems mentioned above, they WILL make your kick tolerable, hell, they'd venture to say easier than you ever thought possible. And American Dr's have been more than willing, even polite in prescribing clonidine and valium for said purpose when I approached the doc with an honest desire to stop for good, and, well, good health insurance didn't hurt either :D. But, if insurance is out, consider saving <no price discussion>a wk for awhile til you've got the medicine cabinet stocked and a trip to the doc covered (plus the cost of filling said scripts). At that point, dive in, because I thinks you'll be kicking yourself for not doing this sooner once discovered how truly painless (mild discomforting) this process becomes with the proper concoction. Good luck to you all, you've got freedom waiting for you a few good decisions away. I wish you all the very best, as no one knows more than I how debilitating and serenity-robbing this damn addiction can be. Start building on small successes and then follow those with what you know to be the next right step, then the next and the next, as these little successes are the celebratory stones which add up to a life free of bonds which held I ten years at least, and I began at only 17 with the ope's, so if they can do it, anyone can. Neural pathways, while strengthened and reinforced all the more heavily the earlier one begins imbibing chemicals to feel pleasure, CAN BE TAUGHT to respond to milder stimuli like normal folk whose entire lives weren't consumed by this cunning and baffling battle. It just takes time retraining them. And if u are anything like I, you're desperate to claw your way out of your bonds. Above is the ("a") formula for success. Now it's just up to you to employ these techniques. PS, don't forget that if drugs filled as much time as I am, a vacuum WILL be left in their wake. AA, NA, CA, HA, or any other group which puts you in touch with those fighting your same fight and preaches the examination of one's actions on a regular basis, prompting we correct our errs swiftly and honestly, will, in my opinion, increase one's chances of maintaining a stable, happy, and sustainable future w/out chems as a requirement. The rooms of the twelve steps, in My opinion, are certainly full of more than just those worth emulating, but the idea is to take what you need from them, and leave the rest. And, from experience, meetings are just the tip of the iceberg, they're not enough to keep one afloat. Step-work (aka, self-examination and willingness to improve on what that examination reveals) with a sponsor, conscious contact with whatever it is you see as your higher power, and rigorous honesty with yourself and others are what will ensure your ability to keep this up indefinitely, one day at a time. Good luck and best of wishes. I know your struggle and I feel for those still suffering. Until next time, I bid you adieu.
Furthermore, any weening down one can manage before attempting the plunge will pay off in less painfull witty's and a shorter overall period of discomfort. Plus, the crutch chems will be more effective the lower one manages to reduce their habit before diving into the detox plan. So do your best to at least slow down a bit before enacting a quit plan, even switching methods of administration to less invasive and milder ones. I.E. switch from injecting heroin to smoking or sniffing. And if that seems too lofty a goal, muscle or skin popping over IV administration (while still maintaining the most sterile injection process possible) will still reduce your suffering markedly come crunch-time. This is just another thing I picked up over their ten years of IV H abuse and simultaneous & prolonged addiction research. You can learn alot from a dummy. Please do.
OH! I nearly forgot to have me say this, the official amount of time it takes to get a physical addiction to Bupe is 17 days straight (assuming you've never crossed that threshold and taken it for longer than this.) So, keep the subs use to a minimum amount of days, basically, until you can tell you no longer NEED it in the morning to get by and do yourself a huge favor. STOP TAKING THEM. They're a godsend, and god-forbid, a person doesn't stop using forever on their first attempt, be smart and don't ruin suboxone for yourself as a quitting mechanism. Cuz, like all opiates. Getting physically addicted the first time is a longer, more arduous process. But, once that line's crossed, the physical habit is developed MUCH MUCH more quickly. So, be smart and only use the subs til the worst of the witty's subside, then remove that from your regimen. The last thing you want is to (Like Me) get a physical addiction to Bupe in a matter of 3 to 5 days. That's your destiny if you don't avoid overshooting the 17 day threshold and refusing to go past it. I certainly hopes your first attempt to stop is your last, but, if you're like many who've struggled with opiates, your first attempt is unlikely to be your be-all end-all great success. So don't shoot yourself in the foot and create another deterrent from trying to stop next time. Keep your Bupe options open and just avoid that 17 day mark. If you've not got it by then, I thinks a reassessment is in order, a regrouping, and an analysis phase to determine what it is that kept your from achieving your goal, then implementing your discoveries on your next concerted effort. Removing tools from your detox bag is a bad idea for very obvious reasons, so it's a no-brainer as to why you'd wanna keep your options as open as possible. Don't ruin subs, they may save you one day. I found the lack of subs as a viable quitting tool kept him running and gunning for MUCH longer than was necessary and than would've been likely had they still been an option. Dunno, just sharing My extensive experience in hopes another sufferer does it right. At least without creating the crushing hopelessness I has fought for over a decade, with that sub problem perpetuating the issue and contributing to more time using than I am proud of.
I truly hopes these words of advice help someone. Even if it's just one person. Everyone deserves a fair shot at life, and addiction severely hampers anyone's ability to get that fair shot. So, think long and hard before diving headlong into addiction. And if you're already there, think long and hard about taking the steps required to make a better life for yourself, complete with a brighter future, better earning capacity and longer typical lifespan, as each and every one of us, as humans, deserve that opportunity. We're all just people, but with education, prevention, and catching addiction before it's inevitable progression, we can better our own lives. More importantly perhaps, we can help to better the lives of those around us. Because Mother, Father, Sister, or Brother, there is no one that can replace you in that capacity, nor be the example those we love desperately need. You are uniquely suited to be exactly the type of person who those around us REQUIRE. Sure, others can step in and try to fill in/pick up the pieces, but each of us are uniquely well equipped to fulfill our highest familial and social roles. To think any other way is not only selfish and deluded, but it is a grave dis-service to those who count on us as a role model and example. No man is an island. Remember that the next time the needle/pipe/pill or patch is calling your name. Maybe that thought will be the one that turns things around for you and stokes the fire of your heart to jump this hurtle and fulfill your greater destiny. I hopes so.
