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Opiate and opioid withdrawal: Coping strategies and medication

I think this is a very positive step, great news. :) it should be a lot easier to do this with your GP on your side and working with you.
 
Perhaps now try of a Diazepam prescription as well?

It will be more difficult to explain that you are using 'none' benzo's but worth a try I suppose? Even though if your GP does give you a script it will be a reduction script, make sure you explain that you want a reduction script and are not looking for a long term one.... every little helps.
 
cheers guys.

I have decided to decline the offer of a bupe script and go it alone, im only 2 steps away from abstainance as i explained above, so allthough it is good to find a doctor who is actually more sympathetic it's all happened far too late in the game to be of any use. I genuinely feel that i am at the final stages of getting off bupe, so it would be a backwards step really to get a prescription that would possibly be for larger doses that i dont even need any more. I have enough to complete a taper. At this stage I think its just more support that i need, rather than a prescription, and my drugs worker and the doctor mentioned an organization called RAMP, who can help with things at this stage. So Im gonna be following that up.

As for a diazepam prescription that really is completely mission impossible. Its just never going to happen. Id need 130mg per day to be an equivalent to my etizolam dose. There is just no way on earth that is ever going to happen. I will manage without it. A close relative who lives abroad may well be terminally ill, and they are just going through tests and stuff atm, so this really is an added pressure (not really the right word, but cant think of a better one) to get cleaned up as quickly as possible. There's no way im risking trying to take etiz or bupe on board an international flight, but Im gonna need to be able to take that flight to do the right thing by my family should the tests and the treatment turn out to be unsuccessfull.
 
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Right, well it's good just not having to lie to your GP or feeling judged by them. And if going it alone doesn't work out, which I hope it does, it would seem odd for them, or for this particular doctor, to change her tune and start being unco-operative.
 
Anyone else here have BiPolar? If so, what effect does WD have on your mindset? I ask because my first addiction came of opiates being the best mood stabiliser on the market, they allow me to sleep more than 2 hours a night unlike mania, but give me just enough energy to avoid the lethargy of depression. The racing thoughts are subdued yet enough clarity remains to be able to think properly. Every time I quit the hardest part is the mental state, I'm 10 days clean now, the cravings are biting me hard but the physical effects aren't too bad (though I could chop off my legs at times, fucking RLS). I've been up since 3am, after an hour of sleep, cleaning the house, taking the dog out, spamming BL and dancing round my front room to early 90's rap. My alcohol use has sky-rocketed since I quit, it's the only time I drink, over the summer I kicked opiates CT and just ended up binging on alcohol for a few weeks/months. But, alcohol stops me wanting to run around like a blue-arsed fly screaming at anyone with a wonky eye in my direction.
 
i dont have bipolar, but have anxiety/depression problems that opiates totally over ride. The good thing about bupe is that when the doses get low enough (below 1mg for me) you no longer get any / much of a noticeable high from it, so it allows you time to psychologically adjust a bit to opiate sobriety, and then you deal with the physical withdrawals safely, when you feel ready, i havent managed to complete this final step, yet. Having said that, even though there isnt much of a noticeable high off low dose bupe, i think it still works as some kind of anti depressant as my mood was very low last time i attempted to quit.

This was gonna be a suggestion that you try bupe, but maybe thats not such a good idea, even if it does seperate out the psycholgical and physical w/ds a bit so you dont have to deal with the full force of both at once, bupe wds are very drawn out. Im about 3 months into low dose bupe, and have only just reached the stage where ive adjusted enough to opiate sobriety to get by on 2mg of etiz in the evenings. At first i would be getting smashed on benzos/drink/cannabinoids as a substute. Ive gradually weened the substitutes down.

Having other things to do seems to help. Things that really grab your interest. I'm lucky that I havent seen Breaking Bad until i got the boxset for christmas. I think it well help having something good to watch on TV, as i might not have the energy to do much else for a while, when i get down to 0 bupe.
 
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SproutOnSmack said:
Anyone else here have BiPolar? If so, what effect does WD have on your mindset? I ask because my first addiction came of opiates being the best mood stabiliser on the market, they allow me to sleep more than 2 hours a night unlike mania, but give me just enough energy to avoid the lethargy of depression.
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Dangerous road to go down, is self-medication. Maybe you know that already.

As 'good' a mood stabiliser as opiates may seem (and I'll admit they do keep you comfortable and 'level' in a sense), are you aware that they're also fantastic at inducing hypomania/mania? That may have something to do with why you prefer them to other mood stabilisers! ;)

They really don't help in the medium-to-long term though, and from what I can gather you're obviously in a state that sounds similar to hypomania. Bear in mind that a crash is usually the next step in this cycle, and you really don't want to crash when you're already weakened by getting clean and (especially) heavy drinking. If at all possible, try to let your body have some kind of respite before long.

Good luck - I'm bipolar too (in case you didn't guess from the above) so I know nothing is simple.

Are you currently taking a prescribed mood stabiliser or other medication, may I ask?
 
Sammy G said:
Dangerous road to go down, is self-medication. Maybe you know that already.

As 'good' a mood stabiliser as opiates may seem (and I'll admit they do keep you comfortable and 'level' in a sense), are you aware that they're also fantastic at inducing hypomania/mania? That may have something to do with why you prefer them to other mood stabilisers! ;)

They really don't help in the medium-to-long term though, and from what I can gather you're obviously in a state that sounds similar to hypomania. Bear in mind that a crash is usually the next step in this cycle, and you really don't want to crash when you're already weakened by getting clean and (especially) heavy drinking. If at all possible, try to let your body have some kind of respite before long.

Good luck - I'm bipolar too (in case you didn't guess from the above) so I know nothing is simple.

Are you currently taking a prescribed mood stabiliser or other medication, may I ask?
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I've been med-free, in the Psychiatric sense, for about 2 years now.
Hypomania is fucking fun! Sure, I'll probably end up in full blown, insomnia and delusion filled, mania in a few days but I really fucking love Hypomania. It makes it all worth it. I'm fuckinggg flyingggggg! I actually sympathise with "normal" people, never feeling like I do every few months? Sure, the depression is awful but nothing beats Mania! I feel absolutely fucking awesome, dis-inhibited and free, my mind is steaming like a fucking 19th century train with a jet-pack attached. Fuck yeah!!!!
 
The mania sounds wild. I had a friend in school who had the condition, it would be like he was high somedays, he just couldnt stop laughing at silly things like if his desk squeaked when he leant on it in a certain way, and he'd keep repeating actions like that until it pissed the teacher off, this was when he was 18 years old.

From what i gathered on that program Stephen Fry did with Bear Grylls recently, Fry who has bi-polar, as you probably know, seemed to suggest he has gone most of his life without taking psychiatric medication, and only recently started taking it following his latest suicide attempt, and thinking about his responsibilities as chairman of MIND.
 
SproutOnSmack said:
I've been med-free, in the Psychiatric sense, for about 2 years now.
Hypomania is fucking fun! Sure, I'll probably end up in full blown, insomnia and delusion filled, mania in a few days but I really fucking love Hypomania. It makes it all worth it.
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Does it though? That's a question to which I would have offered an automatic 'yes' in my twenties. I ain't so sure anymore.

Of course, a lot depends on exactly how your periods of hypomania affect your behaviour and your decision-making. It's also important to remember that meds can have a very positive effect on the depressive periods too. Though yes, I can certainly empathise with anyone who'd rather be on the rollercoaster than have to deal with life as a medicated 'crazy person'.

It's up to you, but I know that personally the unmedicated / self-medicated life would have killed me before I got to forty. Still might, if I decide to stop taking the lithium. Which I almost have once or twice.

Best of luck to you whatever path you go down, but I hope you've given the decision to go through life unmedicated a lot of serious thought. Which is difficult if you're in the fog of drugs at the time.

Take care. :)
 
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Sammy G said:
Good decision, MDB.

Gutsy too. Much respect to you, and best of luck with everything. Honestly, I'm proud of you.
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Truthquoted.

Only just caught up with this thread and glad I did - that's really great news on both fronts, MDB. Great that you've finally found a doc who listens to you that you feel confident in, and great that you had the sense (and balls) to not just snatch her hand off at the chance of a script. Sounds like you've done all the really hard work and the know damn well the last thing you need is to have to do it all over again. You are so close to the end of the tapering part, and sound to be in good spirits and feeling positive about getting to that end, that you're clearly doing something right. Stick with it. Knowing you have a doctor you can speak to is rather the cherry on top. Great stuff and good luck with the final push when you get there :)<3
 
Cheers. Again. :D

You know what has immediately made a huge massive difference to my physical wellbeing ? Giving up nicotine. Why the hell did i not stick at this earlier i do not know, ive had the idea floating around in my head for weeks, have had about 3 aborted nicotine quit attempts, but i feel that finally this is the one that ill stick with at least long enough to help deal with the physical side of bupe w/ds. There is a little psychogical concern about the mood drop i will probably experience, but with us now being on the right side of the winter solstice, and the days getting longer, and closer to spring, all these little things help.
 
fucky fucking fucksticks.

Benzos and opiates. Devils drugs. I'm shattered but I can't sleep. I've had 2mg etizolam but obviously my tolerance has gone up having taken 4mg on Hogmanay. I'm not wanting to up the dose, so I'm going to make a weak poppy tea. I've run out of diphenhydramine which I would have preferred. Never mind. of course secretly I'm looking forward to my poppy tea but don't tell anyone.
 
Update: After 13 days of CT PST withdrawal; I caved.
My moods are a little "strange" recently, head is now spinning rather than steaming, haven't slept for a few days so I'm getting the full on "head-fucky" visual distortions (thinking I'm on the other side of the room, things spinning, tunnel vision), nearly smashed the shop up because they didn't have what I was after (I don't usually get the ragey thingy bitty during hypo/mania like most people). Tried drinking myself into sleep and just ended up wildly intoxicated and got ~20 minutes of horrible sleep due to fucking retarded Sleep Paralysis and Exploding Head Syndrome. I'm beginning to lose my envy of "stable" people, the singing stupid songs to my dog at 3am at the top of my lungs in the garden started to annoy the neighbours a little. Just been out and spent far more than I needed to, and to the bewildered looks of taxis and cashiers. Turns out getting a cab to the supermarket at 5am, grinning ear to ear, isn't normal... Ooops.
 
Fuck what other people think. Not that you seem overly concerned. They dont understand why you are as you are.

I really dont know what to suggest other than perhaps making an appointment with your GP, if you feel you want help, they should be able to direct you to the appropriate services or medication, if you want it.

Btw well done on holding out for 13 days, i only managed 6 days at a time, when i first attempted to quit bupe. By then both the physical and mental misery was too much to bare. I think this time I might try a 0.1 bupe step. Yeah its a bit woosy, but last time i found the step from 0.2 to 0 absolutely fucking brutal. Maybe with a 0.1 step placed inbetween it might soften the final blow slightly. I dunno. I can but hope. Otherwise Im just putting myself through 2 horrible steps, when i might as well just do 1 brutal step.
 
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get a bag - sorted

*EADD Disclaimer - getting a bag will lead to worse withdrawals if you decide to give up, again, at a later date!*
 
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mydrugbuddy said:
I think this time I might try a 0.1 bupe step. Yeah its a bit woosy, but last time i found the step from 0.2 to 0 absolutely fucking brutal. Maybe with a 0.1 step placed inbetween it might soften the final blow slightly. I dunno. I can but hope. Otherwise Im just putting myself through 2 horrible steps, when i might as well just do 1 brutal step.
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Even small drops in dose hit hard once you're down to dribs and drabs unfortunately, MDB. There's nothing wussy about opting for a 0.1mg drop instead of a 0.2mg drop. The important part is that it's still a drop. There is no point in making it any harder than it already is so if you really struggled dropping 0.2mg then try 0.1mg instead. It's still going in the right direction :)
 
Thanks for that, that kinds of seals things, I'd virtually decided to try 0.1 until my supply runs out, but thats settled now, that is what i will do. I am off out hopefully potting pool balls off the lampshades tomorrow afternoon so that gives me one more day of comfort, before the battle of the bupe starts again on Saturday.
 
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