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TDS Opiate withdrawal and insomnia

Pagey

Pagey

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
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The Valley of Ashes
Alright I need help. I'm going insane. I'm on day 8 of coming off months of almost daily heroin/bupe/oxy/etc use. I went cold turkey because lack of money prevents me from doing it any other way at the moment. Anyway, most of the WDs are done and by now all I've got left is RLS and insomnia, the latter of which is just making me lose my mind. In the past 8 days I've probably had about 5 hours of sleep in total, and none at all in the last 3. I've been to both my shrink and GP and neither are willing to prescribe anything at all to help. I got some cheap sleeping pills OTC but my tolerance is way too high for them to be effective in any way. So meds are basically out.
I've kicked before but it's never been as bad as this...does anyone have any idea how long the insomnia is likely to last? Any non-drug related tips that might help with it? I would just suck it up and deal with it except that I've got important exams in the next couple of weeks and no fucking idea how I'll even manage to pass if I still haven't slept by then.
Any help at all would be much appreciated, thanks.
 
Even though it is near impossible maybe excercise
Or if you know anyone with hbp ask around for clonidine
 
Quitting IV heroin -- every other day approach

I'm sorry I can't post my own thread but it is related.

I am planning on quitting heroin, my friend and I are quitting together. (We live together, cop together, etc). My friend is more responsible than me and has more willpower.

I was wondering if tapering (I know, I know, everyone says its nearly impossible). But we are planning on basically going every other day without using, which will naturally lower the tolerance as well so we should be using less each subsequent every other day of use. So yesterday we did some, today we are not going to do any. Then tomorrow, so some more (coming from a .5g/habit IVed per day). I was wondering if this will actually help or if will just prolong the inevitable. I am thinking it will ease the final withdrawal, in a "pay-it-forward" sort of way. As in, everything bad I feel today will help towards the final kick.

We would just quit cold turkey, but my friend has a job and can't call in for a week, nor can they take a week off in a few weeks by putting in for time off -- because we don't want to wait that long as we have travel plans coming up in a month or so.

Has anyone had luck with this? I was also considering loperamide, ibuprophen, cimetidine, GFJ and tonic water -- as they have worked in the past, but I don't want to do this on the days off as I feel that truly will just prolong the inevitable at the same level (except ibuprophen I will be taking that). I was going to save this treatment for the final kick. I also have access to just a few clonapins, which I plan on taking to sleep on the nights I don't use.

Any thoughts? Will this mitigate the final withdrawal symptoms a bit? I know it takes lots of willpower, and despite having a wavering amount of willpower, one thing is working in my favor: my friend who I'm quitting with works basically every other day, or every few days -- so they will take the stuff to work with them so the option of using isn't even on the table even if I'm tempted.

Also, on the days of nonuse, I plan to exercise (I used to be quite fit but fell out of the habit 5+ years ago). I know I should exercise everyday, use or nonuse, but on days of using I mostly clean then sit on my lazy butt and chief cigarettes constantly.. I'd smoke mary jane but have no access at the moment (despite it being legal! still not buyable at the stores without a license).

Thanks, and again sorry for not creating a new post as I cannot just yet.
 
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I know you're after non drug related tips but I would like to suggest looking into L-Tetrahydropalmatine(L-THP). It is an extremely effective supplement when it comes to combating insomnia that works by blocking dopamine from the brain. It has zero recreational value/abuse potential IME and does not have the groggy feeling that accompanies OTC sleep meds. From what I can tell it also has much less potential for addiction(if any at all) than the over the counter stuff, I can take it every night for a week without experiencing rebound insomnia. Sorry if this is not what you're looking for. I just always feel the need to preach the gospel of L-THP when I see others struggling with insomnia as it seems very much unheard of in the western world. The chinese however have been using THP containing plants from the corydalis genus as a remedy for withdrawal for hundreds of years.
 
Make your own sauna. Close the bathroom door put a towel under it, and turn the hot water on in the shower. Keep the door, and window closed. It'll steam up real quick. Sit on the toilet or floor. I hope this helps.. You've gone this far hang in, you can do it.
 
I always ask my self the same question every time I quit. To be honest it seems like the two week mark is the big turning point. But really it takes weeks/months for your body to completely recover. Chances are you'll feel much better by the end of week three.

Your best bet is to do whatever you can to keep your self from relapsing. Trick your mind and don't give in to the symptoms.
 
Man, the whole reason I even joined BL years ago was in search of a insomnia cure just like you. Doesn't it piss you off how some people can sleep right through the whole damn deal? My girlfriend can kick and shes sleeping 16 hours of the day away while I'm miserable ALL-NIGHT. I have never successfully quit daily use in the past four years for more than a month or two at a time and the insomnia is what always hooks me back. However, I did learn a trick or two along the way.

Kava root extract in some kava tea, down it hot and fast, seemed to help with anxiety and sleep, weed, booze, benzos if you can get them for the first few days, hot showers put me out for about an hour or two then RLS kicks back in and I'm in the shower again, the smallest amount of suboxone does wonders short term for sleep ( 8th or 16th of a strip) but your just trading one vice for another. Honestly I know its not the best solution but I just drink hard liquor like a fish and smoke bowls until I pass out for a max of 4 hours a night. From the bottom of my heart I wish you luck.

(Im going to look into the L-THP)
 
I've been there, several times, and it sucks, but it will pass. My insomnia lasted a little over a month, and I still have RLS. Hot showers, as hot as you can stand, helped me out right before bed. Half the time I was so damn exhausted I would just sit in the bath and run it, but it helped. Weed helped too, if only to help numb out the aches and just general feeling like shit. It took me about five weeks for things to start being better to the point I started to feel normal, but that was after 2 1/2 years of nearly daily use, so yours probably won't last that long. Don't give up, it will get better.
 
I hit two weeks today and my stay so far on this side of the line is that I was able to get normalish amounts of sleep after day 10. Last night was probably my first full night of sleep with no RLS (or so my wife says). Every day I stay on this side of the line sure does feel better though.
 
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