• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Opiate PAWS symptoms?

K

Krowsnose

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
401
Location
Richmond va
I am currently one week clean of opiates, just getting over withdrawal and feeling almost normal physically however I can tell I have a lot of emotional and mental adjusting to do.

The scariest thing is I can't seem to have any sort of focus in life. I feel like I'm solely a reactive being incapable of action. I can think of things I'd like to do but then I don't really see the point in pursuing it. For a lack of a better term I feel like my brain is fried. Is this typical of users getting off opiates or dope?

When can I expect to get my concentration and focus back in life.
I truly want to stay sober and am enrolled in IOP for the next 5 weeks.

Is what I'm going through normal?
 
How long have you been using? Sounds pretty typical to me worn out and dreary brain head. I have had friends that have complained it taking years, or months, some people I see at NA meetings claim just a few weeks. Its so individualized so its hard to say. Duration and frequency of use and how addictive your behavior is seems to show great variety in recovery.

Peace,
Seedless
 
Exercise, good nutrition, avoiding large amounts of sugar and caffeine and creating/maintaining a good support system that understands what you are going through can truly go a long way in helping you deal with the PAWS symptoms and even shortening the duration of them.

Essentially, physical and emotional balance has been destroyed through your drug use and anything that helps bring you back to that will be beneficial.

NA, group or individual counseling may also go a long way in helping you address the reasons for your use and help you maintain sobriety and move on with your life. There is a lot of great information on PAWS and recovery both here on BL and throughout the internet so search around. If you are committed to sobriety there are so many things you can do to make the process less difficult and improve your life.

Take care
 
Last edited:
What you are going through is typical PAWS. Great job on kicking! You are only one week clean, so PAWS will continue for some time, keep that in mind. Exercise and drinking lots of water are essential during the upcoming weeks. It helps to cleanse your body of all those toxins. Again great job and keep up the good work!
 
This is very typical when you come off opiates. Ive been on opiates for roughly 6 years and when i come off my motivation is 0. But this does go away after awile and you kinda have to force yourself to do things to help you get over this. Yeah i know it sucks having to do stuff when you have no energy to do anything but lying around all day makes the PAWS worse. Plus it gives you too much time to think about getting high.

Right now im off opiates a few weeks myself (not totally volantarily) and it's a job to get outta bed some mornings. But i still force myself to do something.
 
If I've been doing a decent amount of opiates on a daily basis for a few months or more- it takes me about 2 months to feel "normal" again. Even after 1 month I'm pretty much there. There's so much conflicting info out there as to how long PAWS will last, I've heard soooo many different things. As others have said above- it really depends on the person. Be patient, I know it sucks though, but this is just something you gotta wait out. Exercise will DEFINITELY help you feel better even if just for a little while.

I'm going through some w/d myself now and I fucking hate it. Get through this time and don't do what I did and start again. Thhhpptthhh....
 
PAWS is a serious deal, and it sounds like that's what you are going through right now. i'd do a bit a of a google search about it, as it may give you a broader scope. as far as what's worked for me... exercise!!!

you wont want to do it, but i guarantee, you will never regret it!!

best of luck to you :)
 
i almost am skeptical when i hear someone say they stopped opiates and were feeling great within 7 days..either they had a very minor habit or they have an amazing ability to go back to normal..when i detoxed from oxycontin it took me a solid month to feel right again when it comes to energy levels, motivation, just decent...then kicking heroin/methadone seemed like it never would end..it took several months to feel even OK again...fast forward 4-5 years and here i am clean from opiates but i still feel Pas rear its head ...general lethargy, foggy thoughts, well-being isnt where it should be etc etc..its a bitch and i eat right and exercise...
 
belfort. The first time I quit I had paws for like 2 months and it just lead to relapse as soon as I got out of my Venezuelan rehab.

But the second time I quit, it was a even huger habit. I was banging 30mg dilly and 80mgoxy everyday for a long time.

I cold turkeyed that shit and after about 7 days I was def feeling happy. I was happy to be not sick though I guess lol. Im on like day 15 now and I feel ok... not terribly terribly depressed, but my attitude has changed a lot.

The first time I quit my attitude didnt change and therefore I was just a miserable prick not on drugs, instead of a miserable prick on drugs.

The second time I was like this whole miserable prick thing isnt working for me.

Its been a real challenge not being miserable, but definitely its helping...
 
^^in certain ways most definitely...i have more money, i can keep a job, i maintain physical health with exercise/diet.....the flipside of the coin is i have become more introverted, even more than i used to be...i simply dont even understand the idea of going out with friends or family, id rather just be left alone to my own hobbies whatnot..its like i get no reward or benefit from talking to people like i used to...my well-being hasnt gotten back to normal in those 4-5 years...after exercising i feel normal for a few hours but thats it... i definitely dont feel 'right' but its hard to explain..

i havent had a craving in 4-5 years though so thats a plus..i have friends that have been clean for 10 plus years, go to meetings ever day, are on meds yet they still get intense cravings...so i guess everyone is different with how they respond to getting clean...some do very well, some do terrible...i have heard dr drew pinsky even say its impossible to predict how someone will do once they get clean..
 
Krowsnose said:
Is what I'm going through normal?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Almost everyone goes through similar shit when getting off opiates. In my opinion, the reason opiates are so hard to quit isn't just the physical withdrawal, but the general malaise, apathy, mood lability, anxiety, and other shit that comes after it. But just know it does get better.

I got off Suboxone about 5 weeks ago. Every week I'm noticing big improvements in motivation, energy, etc. I still don't feel great but it keeps getting better. I'm not depressed (mildly, but not clinically), can enjoy certain things, and am free from opiate addiction. The anxiety and general stressed feeling you get right after getting off opiates gets way better after a few weeks, and once that starts to lessen you'll have more energy and feel more motivated.

Here's some tips/things that have helped me:
1) Stay clean. In my previous experience trying to get clean, if you use even like once a week you don't really start feeling better. It just sets you back.
2) EXERCISE. It will make you feel way better mentally and physically. Try to find something you enjoy.
3) Get out in the sun! Sunlight really improves mood. Thank god spring is here. I hate winter.
4) Keep a positive attitude. Or try as much as possible.
5) Stay busy, or if you're still really run down, try to do a few worthwhile, productive things to do each day.
6) Eat healthy. Get nutrients. Take a multivitamin, and drink protein shakes.
7) Go out with friends (who don't do opiates)
8) Go to NA...I don't do it personally, but I know a lot of people who swear by it.
 
belfort said:
i almost am skeptical when i hear someone say they stopped opiates and were feeling great within 7 days..either they had a very minor habit or they have an amazing ability to go back to normal..when i detoxed from oxycontin it took me a solid month to feel right again when it comes to energy levels, motivation, just decent...then kicking heroin/methadone seemed like it never would end..it took several months to feel even OK again...fast forward 4-5 years and here i am clean from opiates but i still feel Pas rear its head ...general lethargy, foggy thoughts, well-being isnt where it should be etc etc..its a bitch and i eat right and exercise...
Click to expand...

I was in a manic state when I said I was feeling great. You definitely don't recover that quickly and I realize that now. The longest period of sobriety I've had before this was only about a week so yea, I'm getting into some uncharted territory.

I'm feeling a lot more stable today than I was the past couple of days though which is fucking relieving. I finally have a little bit a peace instead of my mind going 1000mph and experiencing every emotion and feeling in rapid fluctuations.

WSB: Thank you very much for those tips, right now I'm eating healthy as shit which I've never done in the past and getting more exercise and I think that is helping. I still have diarrhea like a mother fucker though, I wish that'd go away.

My biggest issue in general is this internal conflict with my morals. I've felt secure in being a self-centered bastard since my teens and now I'm realizing there's a shitload more to life. And it's those mental behavioral adjustments that scare the fuck outta me. I guess that's what every addict struggles with though.
 
Right now i'm kinda in limbo with getting clean. Doing alot better than I have in a looooong time and quit bangin'. But I have access to oxymorphone about once a week so that's been setting me back. It's basically like I go through withdrawals a few days, start to get better, then hit the reset button. It really is all or nothing with this. If you're trying to quit and you do 20mg. of something worthwhile you're basically starting over from day one IMO. The morphone connect will not be a permanent thing though so I guess i'm "enjoying" it while i can *sigh*. Hopefully after that runs out for at least a couple of weeks that'll give me enough time to get through the most intense parts. Good luck everyone. I'm surely gonna need it, especially with Opana....
 
Krowsnose said:
WSB: Thank you very much for those tips, right now I'm eating healthy as shit which I've never done in the past and getting more exercise and I think that is helping. I still have diarrhea like a mother fucker though, I wish that'd go away.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Exercise is probably the best thing you can do. Try immodium...it helps with not just the diarrhea but other opiate w/d symptoms.
 
Krowsnose said:
My biggest issue in general is this internal conflict with my morals. I've felt secure in being a self-centered bastard since my teens and now I'm realizing there's a shitload more to life. And it's those mental behavioral adjustments that scare the fuck outta me. I guess that's what every addict struggles with though.
Click to expand...

First, I'm really glad you're starting to feel a little better, I know how daunting this all can be.

A lot of people experience what you mentioned above when they are fighting addiction, which is usually very selfish or self-centered disease.

Many clinicians advocate what Alfred Adler described as the development of 'social interest' for people coming out of addictions. This is, very basically, working with other people for the "common good". You could volunteer, get involved in social, political or community groups or many other activities that are rewarding in themselves and tie you more strongly to other people.

Often people lack social interest who get involved in drug use to medicate this hole in their lives so becoming socially interested often times can really help people stay away from drugs and feel more fulfillment in their lives.

take care
 
The fog of anhedonia and anergia that is characteristic of PAWS has caused me to pick a heroin habit back up on eighteen separate occasions over the past ten years (I keep a detailed file on myself--some would call it a diary). I am currently not in active addiction and I believe I have modafinil to thank for lifting the PAWS fog. 200mg qd. Downside: the high cost of modafinil caused me to upgrade to amphetamine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top