How long can I expect to be dopesick from...

[Monsieur]

So yeah... How long can I expect to be dopesick from the oxy W/Ds? I was on methadone for about 2 months prior to this, quit going to the clinic about 3 weeks ago b/c they were just letting me go up and up and up (which I know fucks me in the long run). I switched to suboxone for about 4 days after getting off the mdone (waited a cpl days before dosing again), and have been making it a point to only use the shorter acting opiates since then to avoid the dreaded marathon W/Ds of methadone and buprenorphine.

I have been using opiates now for about 7 years, with the last 5 months or so only really being what I consider "dependent"- I have always been able to kick very easily until I did a damn 3 month stint of suboxone 5/7 days a week about 5 months ago. Ever since then it's been hell trying to kick. (Most of the time it was only a weekend habit).

I've been 4 days clean up until today when I scored these oxies so I could actually concentrate on my damn schoolwork. I would say those days weren't too terribly bad considering what I've read of other ppl's W/Ds (I actually consider myself getting off easy), but they are bad enough to cause my anxiety to be so bad that I have ZERO ability to concentrate on my schoolwork.

Main main symptoms are: Minor aches, minor insomnia/discomfort sleeping, minor diarrhea, ANXIETY, ZERO MOTIVATION, and the seeming inability to never feel joy doing day-to-day activities ever again. The physical W/Ds don't really bother me all too much, it's the mental shit that gets me the worst. I have a generally high natural tolerance to pain, naturally run on little sleep, and diarrhea doesn't bother all too much. But the ZERO MOTIVATION, ANXIETY, and not having the ability to feel joy while doing stuff with my beautiful family is really killing me and what truly brings me back to dope. That, and not being able to keep my mind straight enough to do my schoolwork.

I am 3.7 GPA student in an Honors curriculum and I will be lucky to finish out this semester with an avg of 2.0, depending on how much I get done in the next couple days before I run out of this oxy. However, I believe me being so far behind in my schoolwork is a large part of my anxiety so hopefully I kill it this weekend and get mostly caught up and the anxiety won't be as bad when I start to detox.


I have been forcing myself to workout as I am a general health nut, which is why I believe my withdrawals are a lot less severe considering my tolerance (150mg hydro/oxy orally, 80mg methadone orally, 80 mg oxy insufflated, 20mg opana IV'd). I know there are some much higher tolerances out there but considering that when I started out taking hydros I could take 20mg and be euphoric- where my tolerance is at right now is way too high for comfort (morally and financially).

 

[footscrazy]

I can really empathise with your position, although I've had a habit for awhile now, I had a run on heroin recently during a rough time, really raising my tolerance at the same time as my uni semester was coming to an end and all my final pieces of assessment were due. So I can really relate to not only the anxiety and stress having due dates looming and massive pieces of work to finish, but the restlessness and lack of motivation that opioid wd can cause, making it seem impossible to get anything done without using. I agree that detoxing right now will probably make the school work difficult, but if you do decide to keep using, there are options that would perhaps be safer. I know you're trying to avoid the long wd of methadone or bupe, and I can completely understand that. I've actually recently had a lot of success with a short bupe taper though. You might not have the same problem as me, but I find it incredibly difficult to taper on opioids that actually get me high. The temptation to use more is so great for me, and just one fuck up can put me right back. What's more, if I actually do manage to get my tolerance down, the thoughts about how much higher I could get now with my new, low tolerance, start to take over and I get to thinking I could just use once, a final, amazing high before stopping, which never works out.

The bupe taper works for me because I don't get high on that, so there's no motivation to take more, and of course it also prevents me using anything else while it's in my system. By taking bupe it 1mg increments - 1mg, wait a bit, and take it in 1mg doses til I start feel better - then 1mg whenever I start to feel really bad, I was able to completely stop using opioids in less than 2 weeks. I tried to drop by at least 1mg or .5mg every few days, and I found it pretty painless.

I know that wasn't your question, but I thought I'd let you know something that worked for me. I don't know how long your oxy wd's would last. I think it differs from person to person - you already sound like your wd isn't typical compared to others. I've also never gone cold turkey - I'm too scared for that, so I have no personal experience. I wish you all the best though. I think that you're right, finishing your uni work will greatly reduce your anxiety and make stopping a lot easier - I definitely found that. There's something about due dates and the way they creep up on you that gives you such a sense of urgency and fear, but I do agree once they're over, you'll be able to face things a lot more calmly. Good luck with it.

 

[Monsieur]

Thanks for the reply- it's nice to know someone's been where I'm at.

But as for the bupe, I really just hate the drug itself. It makes me feel off in a way I can't explain. Sure, I'm not dopesick, but just don't feel right.

 

[mrflowers00]

bupe makes it so easier to kick though

 

[Monsieur]

Yeah, but after the totally unsatisfying experience I had with the last of my oxy today, I can basically consider doing a taper on the oxy for the past three days.

I started with 130 mg from perks via CWE--> Felt decent, but could have been better. Then, I scored about 60 mg of oxy via CWE from perks and 50 mg of hydro via CWE from norcos. Yesterday I did about 90 mg of oxy via CWE from perks in the morning and 15 mg IV near night time. Today I did 30mg oxy IV and swallowed my last 15mg oxy (from OCs) because the IV was so "unfulfilling".

This not being satisfied is a double-edged sword. I fear it may cause me to relapse b/c my last high wasn't what I wanted it to be. But, at the same time, the dose was obviously nothing special b/c effects were so minimal- so hopefully the detox won't as rough due to that?

So, since I basically did a taper, albeit a fairly quick one, I don't see the need for bupe. I've W/D'd from that stuff before and it's hell. I'll take oxy W/D any day over bupe W/D. Maybe I didn't taper down enough, but I'm scared to death of bupe W/D.

 

[BlueHues]

I can really empathise with your position, although I've had a habit for awhile now, I had a run on heroin recently during a rough time, really raising my tolerance at the same time as my uni semester was coming to an end and all my final pieces of assessment were due. So I can really relate to not only the anxiety and stress having due dates looming and massive pieces of work to finish, but the restlessness and lack of motivation that opioid wd can cause, making it seem impossible to get anything done without using. I agree that detoxing right now will probably make the school work difficult, but if you do decide to keep using, there are options that would perhaps be safer. I know you're trying to avoid the long wd of methadone or bupe, and I can completely understand that. I've actually recently had a lot of success with a short bupe taper though. You might not have the same problem as me, but I find it incredibly difficult to taper on opioids that actually get me high. The temptation to use more is so great for me, and just one fuck up can put me right back. What's more, if I actually do manage to get my tolerance down, the thoughts about how much higher I could get now with my new, low tolerance, start to take over and I get to thinking I could just use once, a final, amazing high before stopping, which never works out.

The bupe taper works for me because I don't get high on that, so there's no motivation to take more, and of course it also prevents me using anything else while it's in my system. By taking bupe it 1mg increments - 1mg, wait a bit, and take it in 1mg doses til I start feel better - then 1mg whenever I start to feel really bad, I was able to completely stop using opioids in less than 2 weeks. I tried to drop by at least 1mg or .5mg every few days, and I found it pretty painless.

I know that wasn't your question, but I thought I'd let you know something that worked for me. I don't know how long your oxy wd's would last. I think it differs from person to person - you already sound like your wd isn't typical compared to others. I've also never gone cold turkey - I'm too scared for that, so I have no personal experience. I wish you all the best though. I think that you're right, finishing your uni work will greatly reduce your anxiety and make stopping a lot easier - I definitely found that. There's something about due dates and the way they creep up on you that gives you such a sense of urgency and fear, but I do agree once they're over, you'll be able to face things a lot more calmly. Good luck with it.

^I think this person offers good advice based on experience! Whatever you have to do to keep your grades and GPA up, do it! Deal with the Wds later! I mean, being addicted to opiates sucks, but I would try to manage it in a way that you can get clean without screwing up your academics... if that's possible! Withdrawals kill your motivation to do anything! This is not "enabling" you to keep using, it's just encouraging you to make the most out of the hard work you've already done!