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made it through withdrawals. Now what?

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munchbawks

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May 1, 2014
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Hi everyone. I recently just became clean from opiates after several surgeries. The last time I went more than 24 hours without opiates was a year ago. I had been through withdrawals before. But this time was a little different because I was pretty much chomping down any opiate I could. Went from 80 to 120 miligrams of oxycodone daily to suboxone, poppy seed tea to just taking any one of those just to not feel like crap. Not to mention long periods of IV dilaudid use while in the hospital. But after 5 days of sweating, shaking and crapping. I woke up this morning. Looked at the clock. And holy crap! It was 6 A.M. I slept through a whole night. Stood up and my legs no longer ached! Then the most magical thing happened. I actually fucking smiled!!! Not a normal smile. One of those smiles that makes you feel the endorphins rush and you smile more. And at this point yesterday I was crying and shaking in bed!

After all of this I find this huge gap. I am incredibly happy and proud of myself. But I still feel something is amiss. Its like I am bored as hell. I have insane amounts of energy. Something that has not happened in a long time. For the last 9 months I could barely get out of bed. Before opiates I was high strung In a good way. But now I have no idea what to do with all this energy! I have gone running. Cleaned the house. Made some waffles. Just really out of the ordinary for me. But the high strung feeling is almost a boredom. Has anyone else experienced this feeling of needing to be constantly active after going through withdrawal? Its like a gnawing feeling in my bones telling me to go do something. It is not however an alltogether great feeling. I really want to relax and unwind after the hell I just went through.
 
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I know exactly what you're talking about - I felt like that too when I came off methadone (and even before that, when my dose was starting to get really low). Its almost a jittery feeling - Im always bouncing my leg or tapping my fingers, like I want to just go DO something. I think it's just the bodys reaction to being clean after being on a drug that sedates you for so long.

The boredom, I felt too. Still feel. You have to remember that opiates make it feel like everythings ok. Thats why we love them. No matter whats going on... it feels like everything's ok, VERY ok, lol. And I think it satiates that part of us that hungers for something interesting to do. So when we quit, that part is awakened again. YOu just have to find something to do, simple as that sounds. A hobby, go out with friends, a part time job.. just gotta find what works for you. But I think these feelings are very normal, cos I've felt exactly like you're talking about.
 
Indeed, very normal to be feeling this way once you reach the light at the end of the tunnel. I can completely understand how uncomfortable it may be however, having just been through quite an intense physical ordeal and wanted to simply relax. Maybe take this opportunity to start building a routine of exercising, getting shit done and being active during the day and go into full blown relax mode in the evening after a nice long productive day.

Congrats on the progress and keep up the great work!!! :)
 
Thanks for the responses. Anyone else have any ideas how to cope with excessive energy after withdrawals?
 
Go to meetings, with your personality coming back it feels good to socialize. Doesn't seem like a high energy thing but it's mental energy. Go to a dog park. If you have a dog it will make friends with another dog and boom. Instant segway to a conversation with the dog's owner. I'm a big DIY person, starting craft projects I find on Pinterest gives me something to look forward to. Look into marathon runs, you are supporting a good cause so you feel good, feel good from the exercise, win-win.
 
This wound up feeling is starting to slow down. Been having an excessive appetite too. So I have been killing time making food. I think I may still be in some form of withdrawal because of how I feel. Maybe PAWS? All i know is I don't have the impending doom anxiety anymore.

I am really confused right now because I don't feel normal. Just not terrible in a trainspotting kind of way. And when I burn energy. The moment I stop it comes surging back. Almost like I am having adrenaline pumped into my brain.
 
I think thats pretty close to whats actually happening. I know your body ramps up your central nervous system after youve been on opiates for a while, to counter the sedation. Then when u take away yhe opiates you're left with a CNS thats still revved up, even after acute withdrawals are over. It tskes a while for your body to realize whats happening abd get back yo normal, but it'll happen.
 
munchbawks said:
This wound up feeling is starting to slow down. Been having an excessive appetite too. So I have been killing time making food. I think I may still be in some form of withdrawal because of how I feel. Maybe PAWS? All i know is I don't have the impending doom anxiety anymore.

I am really confused right now because I don't feel normal. Just not terrible in a trainspotting kind of way. And when I burn energy. The moment I stop it comes surging back. Almost like I am having adrenaline pumped into my brain.
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This is normal, you will be up and down for awhile. You will notice that over time you will start to feel "normal" and this will increase in length.

Also it is important to try to figure out if you were self medicating to cover up anxiety/depression. I'd talk to a doctor. A meeting would be good too.
 
But what if you don't want to go back to feeling normal? Apologies for thread highjack. I am at the end of three days clean, having somewhat enforced the cleanliness through moving countries since I figured I ought to try and construct rather than destruct but still........
 
bluebellbutterfly said:
But what if you don't want to go back to feeling normal? Apologies for thread highjack. I am at the end of three days clean, having somewhat enforced the cleanliness through moving countries since I figured I ought to try and construct rather than destruct but still........
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Meaning you want to keep using or what? Or you want to improve yourself and be a new and better normal? Lets start here and try to work out "where you are at".
 
Well that's a very good question. My life has been a delicate battle between self destructing and keeping myself from self destructing. This move is the latest counter attack against the self destruct side whilst the self destruct seethes at the fact it's not possible to get high here and plans how and where to get high again. When people talk about their old age I don't think of mine because I don't want to get there but yet here I am, some twenty odd years (i started out reasonably young) later still going and still fighting.
 
I totally feel what you are saying, in my experience my addiction is often the "self destruct side", but it can also manifest as "you earned this" thinking.

I started young myself as well. In my case, starting using at such a young age stunted the growth of a lot of my coping skills. Of course I am going to think "get high" when I am stressed, because its how I lived for a long time. Thankfully, I have new skills and coping mechanisms today.
 
So. I have been running most days since I stopped shitting myself every time I sneezed. Its been 10 days off the crap. Feeling better each day. Still having mood swings when I don't run. But I am easily sleeping through the night. My main issue right now is restlessness and mood swings. I think that may be because of the long halflife of suboxone. Today is also the first day I have not had the crawling gooseflesh.

I do need some feedback though. In my fellow forum friends opinions. How much time should I give myself before looking to get a job? I am feeling at about 85% but the psychological defficiencies have been bugging me.
 
As others have said all of what you are going through is completely normal and it is PAWS. Most people get through the PAWS in six or seven months to a year, but for some people it can hang on longer. Exercise is great but its important to look at if we are just switching an one addiction for another. Here is some good information on PAWS.

PAWS LINKS
Why We Don’t Get Better Immediately: Post-acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
Post Acute Withdrawal (PAW) Excerpted From “Staying Sober” By: Terence T. Gorski
Post-acute-withdrawal syndrome Wiki


Chemicals and supplements to recover from opiate addiction
Managing depressive thinking

it is a powerful thing to keep our thoughts possitive and here are some threads many of us use to help us do this.
Good things about being off drugs/getting sober
Share something POSITIVE from your day!
Today I Am Thankful For... Ver. 3: Earth, Wind and Fire!
Here is the mindfulness thread.


Your doing great and this does clear up after a time:D
 
Thanks neversick! Super helpful information! Seems like I have a lot more reading to do.
 
Totally normal to have energy again(and not much sleep) I ride bicycle everyday/YMCA/ and swim.....and KAva helps some too...
 
I have noticed my hash oil intake rise drastically in the hopes to get me to chill out a bit. But I am not sure if it is helping or hurting. I just feel more stoned since I'm not on the opies. I feel like it is making it hard to enjoy this new clarity. But weed has always been my go to medication for anxiety.
 
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