How much longer will this Fentanyl withdrawal last for?

[SobrietyChaser]

I tapered down from 50 mcg duragesic to about 6 mcg. then I put the clonidine patch on. Two days later on Friday the 23rd, I took the F patch off. By Sunday, I knew the drug was out of my system as the pain was F'ed the F up in my back. Today is 9 days since I put the clonidine on (original dose was 0.2), 7 days since I took the F patch off, and two days since I decreased the clonidine from 0.2 to 0.1. The physical symptoms are being controlled by the clonidine, however the pain and lethargy are still present and I hate them. I take ibuprofen 800, muscle relaxer for the pain. and have started drinking coffee again in the AM's for energy (just started today with coffee).

When I was taking the fentanyl, I never got high, it just took the pain away. I did not abuse it in anyway as I had oxy's when prescribed. 80's x 4-5 day at times with oxy IR 15's about 8x a day. When I was switched from oxy to F, I no longer got high, coz this new doc would not refill anything early.. So, since I never got high from the F's, I suppose that W/D's should be a little easier. I have been exercising and walking recently, trying to boost my endorphins naturally but the F'ing F's F with my energy levels. When should I expect to feel any better? any advise would be great.

Just in case you wonder: I have bulging discs in back and neck, bone spurs, spinal stenosis, have been taking F for 4 months, oxy's for 1.5 years prior to F. I wanted to stop since I feel it has taken my life's motivation from me, etc.

 

[UserName608]

I'm in a similar place pain-wise. I was on Oxy for 4 years and switched to fentanyl about 6 weeks ago. I totally get what you're saying about opiods zapping everything from you but my question is "isn't that better than being in excruciating pain all the time?" When I think about my liver and kidneys I want to cut all the pharmacueticals out of my system too. But it always comes back to the pain. I have nerve damage in my L leg and the neuropathic pain drugs didn't work so I started taking opiods.

Despite all the shitty side effects from the meds I, personally, would choose them over the pain any day. Have you tried cannabis for pain relief? I find it works better and faster than IR tabs.

Good luck!!

 

[paranoid android]

May i ask why your coming off the fent patches if you legitimately need them for your pain which seems to be the case and you don't abuse them? If you need the pain meds and are taking them for pain as opposed to getting high i don't see how it's any different then someone taking Naproxen for their arthritis or insulin for diabetes. I am on morphine SR for trigeminal neuralgia and i have no intention of quitting opiates. Fentanyl was a wonder drug for me and i only abused it a few times when i first got it then i found out for myself that it is completely devoid of any euphoria. So it is the only opioid i haven't abused to any significant degree. I was never so pain free in my life when i was on the 50ug fentanyl patches but i couldn't afford them any more as my insurance didn't cover them and i noticed a huge difference in some of the different generic brands. I once went into full blown fentanyl withdrawal because the pharmacy gave me a different brand and even doubling up on the patches (which my doctor told me to do) didn't help.

As for fentanyl withdrawal it is very fucking painful and can be risky compared to coming off other opioids due to the intensity of the withdrawal. If you have any pre existing medical conditions such as cardiac problems or epilepsy i would strongly recommend a slow taper. However as fentanyl is a very short acting opioid with a short half life it's not going to suck as bad for as long as say morphine withdrawals. I have never gone cold turkey off fent as i always switched to morphine to taper but from what I've heard it sucks bad for 5 days or less as opposed to looking forward to 7 days or more of morphine withdrawal. Ya gotta look on the bright side even if there isn't one

Clonidine helps with some of the symptoms such as hot/cold flashes, sweating, sudden spikes in blood pressure, tachycardia and other cardiac weirdness. Taken with benzos or a Z-hypnotic such as zopiclone it does help with the anxiety and insomnia but i hate that feeling i get from clonidine where it feels like my legs are made of cement cause of the whole low blood pressure thing. I have only had the clonidine pills though and i imagine the patch would be abit easier to deal with due to blood levels of clonidine being more steady. If you take clonidine for a extended period of time you have to taper off it slowly though as it can cause rebound hypertension that can be very serious. Also do not mix clonidine with a atypical anti-psychotic such as Quetiapine (trade name seroquel), olanzapine (trade name zyprexa) or any of the old typical anti-psychotics that are often used for nausea and vomiting such as prochlorperazine (trade names compazine, stemetil, stemazine) or chlorpromazine (trade names good old Thorazine and Largactil). As alot of anti-psychotics lower blood pressure by acting as α1-adrenergic and α2-adrenergic receptor antagonists so the interaction can drop your BP to dangerously low levels.

Here is a good guide on bluelight to opiate withdrawal. Medications such as the drowsy anti-histamines diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate and doxylamine not only help the constant runny nose and to help you calm down and sleep but they also help nausea. If buscopan (Butylscopolamine) is available OTC in your country i would recommend getting that as well as it's a wonder drug for stopping stomach cramps caused by anything. If it's not OTC it's not hard to get a script for it at all anyway. lopermide is a great drug for stopping diarrhea though i don't consider it a wonder drug for stopping opiate withdrawals like some people do here. But it does help when taken with other meds. Needless to say benzos especially the more sedating and relaxing ones such as Valium, temazepam and nitrazepam also help alot and so do the Z-hypnotics like zopiclone and zolpidem aka Ambien. Just don't get a benzo habit as it can be infinitely worse then a opiate addiction.

The main dangers of opiate withdrawal in my experience are dehydration and malnutrition. Nobody feels like eating during opiate withdrawals but if you can drive some food down in you like some soup or something light do it because i have found that eating during opiate withdrawals makes you feel alot less shitty. Also i would advise stocking up on your favorite flavor of Gatorade as it's just the thing to keep you hydrated and make sure you get the glucose and electrolytes you need.

Other then that i can only wish you good luck