Harm Reduction I need some help getting off these meds. Please

[pnillyg]

Right now I’m in a lot of prescriptions and need help.

Here they are:



9am -


-10mg lexapro


-5mg oxycodone


-300-600mg gabapentin (I don’t like taking it, it makes me feel stupid but I think I’m dependent on it now) (600mg 3x daily feels like baseline but I’m trying to taper)


-4-8mg Zofran





11am-


-1200mg NAC with food





1pm -


- 5mg oxycodone


-300-600mg of gabapentin


-4-8mg of Zofran





9pm-


- 5mg oxycodone


-300-600mg of gabapentin


-4-8mg zofran


- 1200mg NAC





11pm-


-2mg lunesta


-2-4mg Prazosin


-9-12mg melatonin


-Docusate Sodium (colace) 250mg





PRN list (benzo dependency)





Xanax - (not prescribed) 0.5-2mg for panic attacks inconsistent





Diazepam 5-15mg before socializing or if having benzo withdrawal or rebound anxiety from Xanax or gabapentin I don’t know what’s causing what at this point.





Clonazepam 0.25-1mg same use as diazepam just less sedating so better for daytime





Ketamine - (prescribed and not prescribed) 300mg-1000mg





Occasionally use cannabis for sleep





Hydroxazine 50mg and clonidine 0.1mg but I haven’t taken those in a week because I don’t want to have a tolorence if and when I need comfort meds hence why I’m mad the doc put me on gabapentin








CBD


CBN


For sleep sometimes





Nicotine vape all day





I do not drink alcohol


I do not take caffeine

Please somebody give me some advice on how to get off all this shit or do I just keep going… I feel ok but can’t sleep. I think I should start tapering the opiates and benzos. I want to. Please advise

 

[KurtAurelius]

Imo.. not advice or telling you anything, just how I’d do it and similar to how I’ve come of many things.

(This would not work with such big jumps on higher doses, but the doses here are manageable to do in halves)

Split Oxy in half, and take 2.5mg at the exact same periods, resume everything else exactly as the same and NEVER, go above it at all to cope.

Any suffering happens when your reducing at this level is what it is, masking it is asking for trouble.

Low THC, Fullspectrum cannabis is your only choice imo but only if absolutely desperate and the Hydroxzine and Clonidine.

Clonidine needs to be tapered I believe if you end up using it for more than a few weeks.

Give it 1-4 weeks

1.25mg same time periods.

1-4 weeks

Zero

1-4

Weeks

Then Gabapentin

300mg and repeat, speak to your doctor always first but you likely can drop to just once a day, then zero, or 100mg if they make it once a day then zero.

Then Lunesta

Also, I’d stop using other benzodiazepines and stabilise on 5-10mg diazepam immediately, I can’t make out what the dependence is, if your not dependent and don’t need to use Benzos just please stop.

The longer you go down the road with Benzos the worse off you will be, so just stop. It’s masking something now to allow much greater pain for later,

If you are dependent on benzos, see if you can stabilise on 5-10mg Diazepam, then the same reduction or slower if you can get 2mg tabs.

After you’ve cleared the Opiates, and Gabaergics, go for the lexapro and then the nicotine.

The other stuff seems less cause for concern.

There is acceptance in this period other things changing will allow a much better outcome and easier path to success.

priotise eating whole foods, don’t worry about loads of cooking, if you eat some wholemeal bread, fruit, leafy greens, some milk, orange juice, and some beef, chicken or legumes, your basically good.

Sort sleep, walking + resistance training, keep a journal, pursue hobbies and then set aside time for rest and restoration.

That’s it, if you want to get of it.

I’ve done Opiates, Benzos, Ketamine, Alcohol + SSRIs and Mirtazpine.

Taper at the biggest reduction that is tolerable to be able to carry out daily living with non chemical coping strategies that soothe the distress.

 

[Allylbenzene]

Split Oxy in half, and take 2.5mg at the exact same periods, resume everything else exactly as the same and NEVER, go above it at all to cope.

Here are some options for supporting the process of tapering opioids:

• Black seed (Nigella sativa) oil (thymoquinone)
• Myrhh extract capsules
• Vitamin C (buffered form as sodium ascorbate)
• Agmatine

The longer you go down the road with Benzos the worse off you will be, so just stop. It’s masking something now to allow much greater pain for later,

If you are dependent on benzos, see if you can stabilise on 5-10mg Diazepam, then the same reduction or slower if you can get 2mg tabs.

Here's an idea for a sustainable benzo alternative/taper aid:

Niacinamide/nicotinamide is OTC. 50-200mg daily with carbs/sugar. Larger doses are often counterproductive.
Start with 50mg and slowly increase the dose.

It appears that niacinamide has similar anxiolytic properties to that of the benzodiazepines. This is supported by the fact that the patient did not feel any difference, in terms of response and effectiveness, between the benzodiazepines and niacinamide. He was able to switch with little difficulty from the daily use of a benzodiazepine to niacinamide.
...
While it is impossible to conclude that the effects of niacinamide are due to its interaction upon the benzodiazepine receptor, it does appear to influence neurotransmitter metabolism in a manner that is comparable to benzodiazepines by a route as yet undetermined. Even though most of the studies dealt with animal rather than human models, the results suggest that niacinamide has a potent benzodiazepine-like action on the CNS.
- source

Nicotinamide is an active compound found in rat or bovine brain that shares several pharmacological properties with benzodiazepines.
It has been shown to facilitate GABA-dependent presynaptic inhibition.
Like benzodiazepines, nicotinamide protects animals from seizures ... and also possesses myorelaxant and sedative activities.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/nicotinamide

Theanine powder is OTC, the dose range is 100mg to 1g+

L-Theanine, a non-proteinogenic amino acid is a well-known agent for improving sleep disturbances. Previous studies suggest that L-theanine exerts its relaxant effect by enhancing GABA levels.
In animal studies, L-theanine was shown to oppose caffeine’s effect and promote sedation. In addition to its relaxant potency, L-theanine has a neuroprotective role since it acts as a glutamate receptor antagonist, upregulates GABA receptors, and increases the expression of antioxidant enzymes.
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.874254

Taper at the biggest reduction that is tolerable to be able to carry out daily living with non chemical coping strategies that soothe the distress.

A good option for supporting the taper process for most drugs is Agmatine. It's sold as a supplement so is OTC and fairly cheap.