PAWS and Low Dose Naltrexone
Hi Everyone,
I want to tell everyone about a therapy that is going to help you with your withdrawl and especially your PAWS. As you know withdrawal can be awful. Also, one needs to go through a detox program for opiate withdrawal under medical supervision. Once the initial withdrawal is over however, PAWS can last up to ten years (Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms), it can come from stressors such as anxiety, foods, illnesses etc.
PAWS can come out of nowhere in moon cycles such as 30, 60, 120 days for no apparent reason. It has something to do with your neurotransmitters in the brain. For the longest time you have used synthetic endorphins which gives you that artificail high. Over time your body, brain and peripheral endorphin receptors are upregulated (many more of them around). When you stop taking the synthetic endorphins, a.k.a opiates, your body and brain have forgotton how to make their own endorphins and now you have thousands of screaming endorphin receptors thirsty for endorphins or opiates and none are delivered. Then you go into withdrawal whereby your adrenaline/epinephrine autonomic nervous system runs wild un-balanced from any calming effects endorphins because you cannot produce enough. So how do we get our receptors and brains back in order. Well it takes time. But some people's PAWS are as bad as their acute withdrawal. So how do we help bridge the gap to health.
First lets see what PAWS is and get educated about it. It is the reason why most people relapse into drug taking or alcohol again. Follow this link then come back and read the rest of my thread please. You are very close to getting help.
http://www.tlctx.com/ar_pages/paw_part1.htm
....Okay you are back and now ready to tackle your long term recovery. Firstly, you need to know that you can beat this. But you have to be motivated.
To reduce PAWS you need to:
1. Exercise regulary each day to increase your own natural endorphins. Please talk to your doctor before embarking on any physical activity that you are not already use to.
2. Eat healthy. You need to replenish your amino acids, proteins etc. to help heal those brain receptors. Vitamins too but these can make you feel like crap for a few hours as for some reason they stimulate the adrenergic system. But it is short lived and I believe multivitamins and fish oils are healthy. But again, talk to your docotr. I know I keep saying this throughout but it is important because I want you all to be safe. For example fish oils can thin your blood and cause bleeding etc.
3. Recognize PAWS and know that emotionally you are more high strung and sensitive when it comes around. Let your loved ones around you know this.
4. Stop lying to yourself and others. This often times goes along with any addiction. The truth about your problem will set you free. Do not be ashamed. Many of strong men and women have been under the control of a substance and had to fall before getting back up. You are not alone.
5. Some caffeine, or any foods with high sugar etc can stimulate your adrenergic/adrenaline system and can make you feel terrible or stimulate PAWS so be careful with those types of foods at the beginning. You will get back to being able to take in a little more of those in the future.
Now to the best and I believe most important therapy to tackle PAWS and withdrawal. Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). Many people going through withdrawal and PAWS use Methadone and Suboxone to keep off drugs etc. However, I beleive these are just substituting one addiction for another. Over the long run, this is not the road to recovery. Now do not stop these abruptly and you cannot go on LDN if you are still taking narcotics/alcohol or on methadone or suboxone treatments. You must talk to your docotor and under their supervision, you need to get off of those drugs before getting on LDN.
But do not worry, LDN helps stop or drastically reduce the withdrawal syptoms until after only a few months they virtually go away.
With the prescription of a doctor, one should be off all narcotics, including suboxone and methadone at least 10 days before staring LDN therapy. Going off of suboxone and methadone abruptly can be dangerous so do it under a medical program or facility please.
For LDN...
It is recommended to start at 2 mg every night before going to bed. The range of effectiveness is between 1.5 mg and 4.5 mg per night. Anything above or below that dose does not increase your natural endorphins but decreases them and makes you feel horrble. You must do this under a doctors supervision because LDN, although very safe and with little side effects can produce liver effects and blood pressure drops, especially if you are on antihypertensives.
How does it work? Well, by taking it at night your endorphin produsing receptors are shut down for a few hours. But by morning this limited shutdown casues a sling shot effect meaning your brain produces 100s of times the amount of endorphins to calm the withdrawal and actually improve your immune system too by default. Many people on LDN say that they don't get as sick from colds like they used to.
So LDN combats the withdrawal and PAWS by balancing against your adrenergic system which produces adrenaline unabated during withdrawal and PAWs and makes you feel horrible.
Over time, the LDN heals your brain and brings back your endorphin system to a better state. You can stay on it forever as it is affordable, has very few if any side effects and has other health benefits as well. People with high LDL cholesterol howeve can experience a slight bump and therefore need to be followed with some blood work. Also you liver must be healthy even though it is not hard on your liver in theory like high dose naltrexone is.
So on this you will get your life back. You may still experience PAWS from time to time for the next 5-10 years for those with the worst syptoms but it will be mild and you will be able to cope.
I have seen many patients on this regimen for different purposes and it works wonders. I am a health professional and have researched this thoroughly. Talk to your physician and really push for them to give it to you in the manner stated above after you have been detoxed off narcotics, methadone, suboxone etc. Some doctors have egos and don't like to listen to patient's ideas. I really detest that. Find one that will listen to you and follow you closely. It is a very benign and cheap drug that needs to be filled at a compounding pharmacy. Follow this link to read about where to get it and how it works for other diseases. Read, read read! The more knowledge you have about all this, the better you will be able to tackle your addiction withdrawal.
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/
Good luck! Remember it takes your effort to stay healthy.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
It was the best high I've EVER experienced, and I honestly never thought there was any better high than feeling opiates course through my veins. Realizing that I was wrong has made me truly content once again for the first time in years.