• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Meth withdrawl help questions!!

S

STLcardinals2

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 11, 2014
Messages
44
So my friend has been on meth for four months and was IV meth about 4 times a week in that span. He was wondering how bad his withdrawl symptoms will be. All he can find online is people who have used for years. What week will be the toughest? How bad will the tiredness be? Will he be mentally okay after a couple weeks? He knows that it wont be fun and depression will be terrible, but does anyone have any experience with how deep the withdrawls will be from only 4 months of use? Any advice for a family vacation that is planned three weeks from now, will my friend survive this in his third weeks of withdrawls. Anything will help!
 
Hey STLcardinals, welcome to bluelight. I will move you thread to the appropriate subforum, you will get a better response there

MED >> OD
 
Please take a moment to read OD Guidelines and the BLUA.
http://wiki.bluelight.org/index.php/Bluelight_User_Agreement_(BLUA)
http://www.bluelight.org/vb/showthread.php?t=558663

We don't allow SWIM, my friend, my pet hamster, etc. We know it's you. Pretending otherwise offers no legal protection and it's annoying to read. Please edit your post or I can if you don't know how to.

The Greenlighter's Guide is also a great resource for new members.
http://wiki.bluelight.org/index.php/Greenlighters_Guide

And you can post in New Member Introductions if you want to introduce yourself.
http://www.bluelight.org/vb/forums/143-New-Member-Introductions

The members in NMI will welcome you and can help answer any questions you have on the site.
There's also a New Member Adoption Program.

Welcome to Bluelight :)
 
In regards to your question, I'm assuming you're referring to methamphetamine. Sometimes people call methadone meth also, which can be confusing. Please clarify if that's the case.

There is no physical withdrawal from methamphetamine. The hardest part will be the come-down and the lack of sleep, appetite, and thirst that comes with it. For the first week, it's important that you rest, stay hydrated, and eat. Your body needs to recuperate. The following are ways you can get through the come-down and feel normal as quickly as possible.

Sleep
Prescription options: Benzodiazepines, sleeping medication (Ambien, Trazadone, Lunesta, etc), Seroquel, Remeron
OTC Options: Diphenhydramine or Doxylamine
Herbal/Natural Options: Melatonin, Valerian Root, Kava Kava, Chamomile Tea, St. John's Wart, L-tryptophan

Taking a hot shower before bed, drinking warm milk, and making sure your room is completely dark and free of distractions can also help. If you're having anxiety and can't calm your mind, having the TV or music on low can help. Just cover it so there's no light.

Food & Water
- Have a large bottle of water at your bedside and make sure you're drinking half your body weight in ounces (if you're 100 pounds you need to drink 50 oz water daily).
- You can also drink Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Pedialyte, etc for electrolytes. Juice is good too.
- Start with soft food and fluids: bananas, yogurt, apple sauce, soup, oatmeal, etc
- Take a daily vitamin and eat a lot of fruit, veggies, lean protein, and complex carbs

Other Things You Can Do (good for when you can't sleep or if you're craving meth)
- Exercise. Even if it's just a walk around the block.
- Hit a NA or AA meeting. It'll help distract you and you'll meet sober people.
- Journal. Write about whatever you want or just doodle.
- Hang out with sober friends and family.
- Clean and reorganize your house.

All that being said, you'll be fine. I posted the above because I had some really traumatic come-downs and I know they can be rough. But once you get through it, you'll probably actually feel better. Just take care of your body so it can recover, meth really does a number on your body.

Edit: The HARDEST part about quitting meth is the mental part, that drug fucks with your mind like no other. I would binge for a few days and just hate it, I would feel like garbage and get straight suicidal on the come-down and every time I'd swear I was never doing it again. I'd quit, and a week or two later completely forget how miserable I was and think how fun it'd be and do it again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I agree with all that you guys said. Has anyone ever seen any research, or know by personal experience, the differences between like a ten year metham withdrawlyear long meth withdrawl and a 4 month withdrawl? I know its gonna suck but im determined
 
Again, there won't be withdrawal. Meth does not cause physical dependency.
The only rough period will be the comedown and the week after while you get caught up on sleep and your body recovers.
Meth is a damaging drug but you'll rebound quickly if you rest, eat well, stay hydrated, and take a vitamin.
4 months isn't long, you'll be fine. If anything, you'll probably feel better.

The only thing to watch out for long term is cravings and you may have some mental PAWS.
It really won't be as bad as you think, not even close.
 
rhun - Is ihe ratio of water consumption Vs. body weight as an influence in health backed by any empirical evidence? I mean I know that there's a minimum you need before organs are damaged/destroyed (and a maximum), I'm supposed to (according to the numbers you mentioned) drink about 100 oz then, but is it healthier to drink more? Is that just a minimum or is 150 oz better?

As for Saint John's Wort I would skip it. It has interactions - with many things (including methamphetamine, but probably to a lesser degree than stronger serotonergic drugs like MDMA). I'd skip it. I wouldn't think you would want z-drugs or benzos for sleep (maybe anxiety) as I was under the impression that upon cessation sleep is very easy to come-by, the problem is the lack of energy, malaise, acute depression (but nothing as painful as opioid/benzo withdrawal).
 
^ I had a doctor who always said that to me and I looked it up and found him to be correct. I think it's more a general rule of thumb, I just found it easy to remember and it stuck with me ;)

Not everyone is the same, but sleep can be impossible for the first few days accompanied by intense anxiety. After you've had some sleep it usually goes away.

I agree on the St. John's Wart, I should clarify I meant for those sleep aides to be taken individually not in combination. And only if you can't sleep initially.
 
Mayo clinic says

So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.
Click to expand...

That is 101.4 oz (your rule of thumb actually comes out to the recommendation for me....) however since they don't differentiate by body weight, although I bet you could vary it a bit, if you weigh 100 pounds you probably could get away with 50-60 oz.
(Sources for mayo clinics recommendations)
Click to expand...

As for St. Johns Wart, I don't think I'd ever take it. If you need an anti-depressant they have ones that increase serotonin more safely. That stuff induces several enzymes which cause interactions(lowering below therapeutic levels) with many drugs, and it is dangerous with almost every serotonergic drug, besides who knows the standardization.
 
Thanks for the help. I dont want to take any other medications because I know that I am an addict/alcoholic haha. Was sober for 3 years before this slip. I went through one of the worst opiate withdrawls 3 years ago. IV heroin in Cali for 2 years and didnt go to detox so had to detox myself. Worst experience of my life so im sure if I can handle that, then I can handle this. The anxiety with that was honestly overwhelming. But I def wont take this meth withdrawl too lightly. Any other tips or whatever would be appriciated but thanks for hel
 
The herbal remedies he mentioned - Valerian root, and especially melatonin - are safe and non-addictive if you need a sleep aid. If you can handle IV heroin withdrawal then meth withdrawal is nothing. Just depression and feeling shitty for a bit - where with opioids you get the depression and that crazy aching, insomnia, sweats, vomiting.
 
Yeah I cant imagine anything worse than opiate withdrawl. I can remember crawling to the shower and just laying there till the hot water was gone. Then waking up and having such bad anxiety that I felt my heart would explode. Never want to be there again. I can handle the cravings for meth (I know it will be hard but I have gotten clean before), I know I can handle the tiredness bc I will just sleep. The biggest fear I have is how I have read that on meth withdrawl, it is hard to fond pleasure in anything for months. Thats what scares me the most. Boredom is bad, especially when you know meth will help. Fear sucks haha
 
^ this will be a walk in the park if you've been through opiate withdrawal. I'm sure you've had to come down at least once in the past 4 months, it'll be like that but you'll probably spend a lot of time sleeping once you can and cravings will occur I'm sure. Gotta avoid those people, places, and things. It's a 12 step thing but it's true.

lolwhatzdrugs said:
Mayo clinic says


That is 101.4 oz (your rule of thumb actually comes out to the recommendation for me....) however since they don't differentiate by body weight, although I bet you could vary it a bit, if you weigh 100 pounds you probably could get away with 50-60 oz.
(Sources for mayo clinics recommendations)


As for St. Johns Wart, I don't think I'd ever take it. If you need an anti-depressant they have ones that increase serotonin more safely. That stuff induces several enzymes which cause interactions(lowering below therapeutic levels) with many drugs, and it is dangerous with almost every serotonergic drug, besides who knows the standardization.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I liked my doc's water tip because most water recommendations don't factor in weight. I'm assuming he either came up with it himself based on general water intake or he heard it somewhere else (I'm pretty sure he's not American). I think it's a safe amount to aim for or I wouldn't suggest it.

As for the St. John's Wart, yes there can be interactions. But I think most people use it as an alternative to medication. For example, I'm in Nor Cal where we have a lot of people who are anti Western Medicine (and lots of hippies) so we have a lot of herb shops and doctors even hand out alternative medicine type pamphlets with SJW on it. So they're taking herbal remedies because they don't want to resort to psych meds or they don't believe in them or they can't get them or any other reason.

If someone is already being treated with psych meds, there's no need to take a more natural option. I definitely don't go around promoting herbal remedies but I think they're an appropriate option for someone in detox who doesn't have access to prescription meds or who doesn't want go that route. Ideally, using other drugs isn't going to be happening and that's exactly why I suggest it in detox cases.
 
You know, for me I have never had insomnia from it. In fact, my issue with stopping meth use is staying awake. the first day I dont use, I am fine usually, but by day 3, I feel sooooo tired all day long. Just want to sleep and sleep. is insomnia common?

ps. I use meth and heroin, though meth is a side drug. I use it regularly, but very little, I would say 1-2 grams a week, usually mixed into my shots. i think I mainly do it so I can keep working on the dope, otherwise, i just pass out.
 
It will be hard, yea tiredness will be an issue that all depends on how much labor needs to be done, if this person doesn't have school or work that's much easier, you can always lie to work and say you have a family emergency if its in your best interest to stay alive.

Give him ALA and 5-htp. Withdrawal will be strong for one week, psychosis is a given. but remember it will pass
 
I agree with the 3 days thing. AWFUL tired feeling and irritation when I know I have things
to do. I do have a job, and as anyone knows who has had a meth problem, my job is seeing me miss a couple hours here and there, late, and missing a day or two. Always a new excuse, but always for the same reason. I also have a wife who has 0 clue ive been using. She knows my past with IV herion, but doesnt know I relapsed. So is hiding the one or two weeks of tiredness/letharic impossible? I will probably eventually tell her, but that wont happen till I get back into 12 step work! I worry about a few things with her. 1. She will notice the difference in not ever being tired for 4 months and now want to nap/sleep all day. 2. My "running" regime has lost me 15 lbs. I actually look pretty good (Can see tons of weight loss in stomach and face/neck. Well I know you can exercise during withdrawl, but comeon, there no way I can keep this weight down. Honestly, its almost a joke that me "running" for 4 months like 3 times a week can take me from 200 lbs to 185lbs. Unless I was trainig for the Olympics haha. 3. The irritability will be relentless. I love my wife and always will, but I know I am g
 
sorry accidently hit send. I know im going to be a dick.
4. Sex. I havent had much sex (with her) in the 4 months. You would think the opposite but meth would rather hide in secret and I get nervous with semi obvious track marks that she may see during sex.
I know I have put myself in this situation, but Tina has a strange effect on me. Esp with IV. A good rush is euphoric and better than sex. I am def going to do this because although I do love me some shards, the money, time spent, paranoia (i am a HARDCORE window peeper, never ever have I been worried about cops. But if the wife works from 9-5, I will freak
 
Have to love positng on phones, sorry everyone and mods. Anyway, If the wife work from 9-5 I will already be window peeping by 12, thinking "maybe she will come home and surprise me" even though the rational mind would say, "Hell No" because she works 5 days a week and has never done that. Anyway, its a love/hate relationship with window peeping..at times I enjoy being stupid and "stuck" in something, on the other hand, what a waste of 4 hours haha. A side note with window peeping, I swear my 80 yr old neighbor was watching me in the backseat passenger side seat of her car. Good God what Tina can do to a otherwise healthy mind.
So back to my main point, I know withdrawl will be easier than opiates, but its still gonna suck. Anyone have experience with meth withdrawl while hiding it from wife/work?
 
I wouldn't be surprised if she already knows. We're not as sneaky as we think, especially when meth is involved.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top