Opioids Painless withdrawals!

[emjay]

I'm coming off a 2-year, 96mg/day Dilaudid habit (mostly plugged, otherwise snorted), and entering day 4 of being off it completely cold turkey.

By any accounts, it's not a low dose. And even when I tried tapering, maybe to 80mg, the withdrawal symptoms were just too much to do it.

Yet cold turkey, except for occasional cravings, I'm pretty much symptom free.

I'm taking clonidine, a MODERATE amount of loperamide (12-24mg), and a LARGE amount of Lyrica (1200-1800mg/day). And it seems to take care of everything except the cravings and MAYBE a bit of depression. But damn, I'll take it.

Of course, such a dose of Lyrica leaves me pretty loopy, but who cares? This has been a cakewalk.

Just thought I'd let everyone know that they too might be able to go CT *painlessly*.

 

[Thank_ful]

Hey, hey! Good for you! Nothing worse than a bad case of W/d. I too have decided to get myself in order with a 7/day methadone detox. This is my first Done experience. I took the time to do a whack of research and so far so good. Really surprised how this stuff works. I blew it yesterday a little by rounding off my day with my old DOC but now that it's all gone feel like I'm equipped to stay the course. I'm not too bad off at this point but really needed to break my old cycle. My research suggests that there is in fact such a thing as a 7-21 day methadone detox but I'm still not at all sure how it works once I'm done? All I did was replace one with another but people say it works so what the heck, give it a try. The done was given to me and if Istick with this detox it'll save me a 1K at worst.

Keep it up!

 

[Azurite]

Loperamide really is a godsend. With that stuff alone, I can go on and off opiates with no trouble whatsoever. Most people need more than just that though so I count myself really lucky in this matter.

 

[Thank_ful]

I've read extensively on this and might plan to make it part of my "toolkit" at the end of next week. The Lope in addition to a nutrition, supplement, and exercise regime. Last night was my first go at dealing with the psych side of things and made me realize that's it's real and in order to be successful I have to change my routines. All was well last night, feeling good and then boom! It hit me. The surroundings were set for my old using self and sure enough there I was...using. When that hits I realize that I need to react fast and get out of the house. I share custody of my dog with my Ex and having him (Big ass Lab/Bernese Mountain Dog mix) around through this is great! LOL On the lighter side of things.

Loperamide really is a godsend. With that stuff alone, I can go on and off opiates with no trouble whatsoever. Most people need more than just that though so I count myself really lucky in this matter.

 

[Hobble]

How fast were you tapering? Do you mean you tapered slowly down to 80mg and then sorta "hit a wall"? Or do you mean you tried to drop from 96mg down to 80mg right away and it was just too hard?

 

[Azurite]

I've read extensively on this and might plan to make it part of my "toolkit" at the end of next week. The Lope in addition to a nutrition, supplement, and exercise regime. Last night was my first go at dealing with the psych side of things and made me realize that's it's real and in order to be successful I have to change my routines. All was well last night, feeling good and then boom! It hit me. The surroundings were set for my old using self and sure enough there I was...using. When that hits I realize that I need to react fast and get out of the house. I share custody of my dog with my Ex and having him (Big ass Lab/Bernese Mountain Dog mix) around through this is great! LOL On the lighter side of things.

I would definitely recommend doing that. For me personally, loperamide made me feel like my old pre-drugged self for the first time in a year or two when I started taking it to get out of a really long cycle of anger, self-hatred, and desperate abuse of several different opiates. The fact that I could feel somewhat happy without being in the middle of a nod was amazing. For years I was primarily on morphine and fentanyl but there were even times when my script would run out and I would have no contacts so I would stoop so low as to drive around different pharmacies all over the city and purchase ten or more packs of fairly weak DHC and APAP pills just so I could feel normal for a few hours when withdrawal hit. The stomach pain, diarrhoea, back aches and RLS were the worst I've ever experienced, but I don't have to go through any of that anymore. The fact that I can now just pop 10 or 20 cheap and, most importantly, readily available loperamide pills has allowed me to quit easily, to the extent where I don't even worry about withdrawals when I do use again, since I no longer have to go through them, at least not to any serious extent. Anyway, I sincerely wish you well in your endeavour to quit and hope you get just as much good out of these miraculous little blue and grey pills as I have. Good luck, man.

 

[emjay]

How fast were you tapering? Do you mean you tapered slowly down to 80mg and then sorta "hit a wall"? Or do you mean you tried to drop from 96mg down to 80mg right away and it was just too hard?

The latter... out of necessity more than anything else. I had to jump back up to 96mg because it was just too hard, and hope my doc would buy my bs about why I was early. I've tried tapering at 2mg (quarter pill) but just didn't have the willpower. But when I went to 80mg, I did it without any help, and it was agonizing. Yet going completely cold turkey, it has been almost too easy with my particular cocktail. I feel loopy and exhausted from the Lyrica and clonidine, but that's far more preferable, IMO. It's day 4 and I'm totally comfortable!

 

[bigjoey]

wow you're lucky.i went thru hell countless times kicking dope and or meth.so this loperimide thing seems to be pretty decent then,eh?i've seen it talked about on a few vids.tryin to get off suboxones now and it's a bitch.what saved my life from my last relapse in 08 is the same thing that's keeping me hostage,just at a different level.happy for you bro that so far no hard kicking.keep it up and let us know how the weeks feel as they progress.stay strong...

 

[bran91]

In some cases of chronic Dialudad abuse, withdrawal can be a painful process with drugs that counteract the withdrawal symptoms and titrating the dosage.

 

[emjay]

I really have no idea what you just said.

 

[ThankYOU!]

I wonder if Loperamide would work well for methadone withdrawals? Have you ever hear anything, or has anyone else? Thanks!

 

[Swimmingdancer]

In some cases of chronic Dialudad abuse, withdrawal can be a painful process with drugs that counteract the withdrawal symptoms and titrating the dosage.

Do youmean tapering the dosage? Titrating is gradually raising the dose to achieve the desired effect.

I really have no idea what you just said.

As far as I understood it bran91 was - I think - referring to the fact that for some people on opioids withdrawal can still be very painful even with gradually lowering the dose and using meds to help with the withdrawal symptoms. Methadone has certainly been that way for me.

I wonder if Loperamide would work well for methadone withdrawals? Have you ever hear anything, or has anyone else? Thanks!

I have been experimenting with using loperamide for methadone withdrawals recently and so far it hasn't seemed to help with anything other than the diarrhea and nausea/vomiting. Maybe I need to try a huge dose but I'm kind of nervous about it because for me it seems to keep me awake all night, which is not something I need. But I have heard people have success with it and it is better than nothing and cheap and readily available. Maybe the key for the OP was taking it as well as clonidine and Lyrica. I have heard a lot of people strongly recommending clonidine for opioid WDs lately. Methadone withdrawals are one of the worst things in the world and just seem to go on forever.

 

[ThankYOU!]

Do you mean titrating as in drugs like Methadone?? Maybe not, and I'll re-post this on it's own, to be sure (hope that's OK).....it's pretty much why I joined. That, and I love reading the people here. Well, most I'm sure! hah. Their real.

I need someone to tell me something good..hahha. Make it all better, please?

I don't think I've EVER been as sadly HOOKED to anything in my life more. And I've taken A LOT of lengthy test drives..hence the Methadone. It will be 3 years this Christmas, and lately I am absolutely WRECKED with depression. I don't think it's chemically induced by the DONE (after this long??) it's just the thought of ...you know? WHEN? I don't want to be on this crap forever. It had it's place, I am not putting it down. But all I think about lately is how sucky it is that I have to keep freaking taking it. WHINEY WHINE! Sorry! But I think a lot of people feel "stuck" on it, for the God awful fear of the HORRENDOUS withdrawal stories! One of those, if I knew then what I know now things. It did save me, of that I'm gravely sure. Has it's place....but, they kinda forget to tell you, you may not want to make a career drug out of it. Some people really do want, and need to stay....endlessly, but I'm asking (every five seconds!) When is the end??????

Anyone? I'm so ridiculously down about this! I'm not one to stay depressed, but it's been a few months now-affecting my normally pretty happy self...I mean I don't crap rainbows, but seems like I used to be happy... I want off this stuff!!!

I've read it all, it would seem: "I tapered down, and it was great!" (GRRR! SMACK! Happy for them, really....) but I'm pretty positive it's going to be harder than anything I've ever stopped. I've heard some people even going back to what got them ON it, to get OFF of it - seemed crazy at first, but I can actually see logic in that.

I don't want to be sick for what....up to a year!?? Months for sure. Somebody shut me up! ) Tell me there's a miracle, and it's just not all hard work, and deal with it. Easy way out? YOU BET! I do not like opiate withdrawals x 100000, pretty sure no one does. I'm on 120, been up over 110 most of the 2.5 years.

Sorry for the long first post.

Saw this on PubMed: Why is this medication prescribed?
Loperamide is used to control diarrhea. It is available with or without a prescription.
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

And this when I Googled "Other uses for Loperamide: (on a Vet site-lol):

Loperamide is a synthetic piperidine derivative, a weak narcotic with antidiarrheal properties. So I guess, take away the flu like diarrhea, and give me a "weak narcotic"? I'll probably be wearing a diaper anyway on..oh, maybe day 4.

Also this, not sure why anyone would want to know. I feel compelled!
This drug is not approved for use in animals by the Food and Drug Administration but it is prescribed legally by veterinarians as an extra-label drug.

Swimmingdancer: Please share anything you may have found? If you would be so kind..I got nothin'. Except SUFFER. I'm just not happy with that one....yet.

 

[tricomb]

My best advice to you would be to slowly begin tapering down, 120mg methadone to none will be nothing short of Hell on earth. This can be avoided by slowwwwwly tapering off the medication. I know you want so badly to be off this, but you're going to take the word SUFFER to a whole new level if you don't taper off such a high dose of methadone. Be it by 5mg/week or 5mg/2 weeks, just try to get that dose lower.

 

[RegisteredStoneeer]

I am not experienced in dosages, but ThankYOu, how many mg is the 'done your on relate in terms to oxycodone? I only ask because I wonder if your tolerance is too high for kratom replacement management therapy? Trading daily opiate pill swallowing for daily kratom tea making, than tapering off that which has much more minor withdrawal. Maybe it is what you are looking for.

 

[DrugOmen]

I wonder if Loperamide would work well for methadone withdrawals? Have you ever hear anything, or has anyone else? Thanks!

no man when i was on super insane doses of methadone i would eat like a fuckin bottle of lope and nothing at all it seemed... the done was just wayyyy too powerful but i was on hundreds of mgs.

 

[vikenRedbull]

Loperamide is the miracle drug, pound it. i took about 30mg this morning with a few other things and feel great.. btw how long should i wait to take another vicodin? can too much Loperamide earlier in the day make the vicodin high too intense?

 

[tricomb]

I doubt loperamide will help someone coming off 120mg methadone for over 2 years.

^ You realize that by adding in loperamide you are unnecessarily raising your tolerance to opiates with very little reward in return?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Swimmingdancer: Please share anything you may have found? If you would be so kind..I got nothin'. Except SUFFER. I'm just not happy with that one....yet.

Unfortunately, some suffering is probably going to be involved no matter what you do. My advice would be to get off the methadone - by slowly tapering the dose lower and lower - as soon as you can. The longer you are on methadone the worse the withdrawals get. Many people have some withdrawal symptoms and depression even when tapering, but it is still a hell of a lot better than just going from 120mgs/day to zero. The fear of withdrawals is what keeps many people on methadone forever. But you don't actually know how bad they're going to be unless you try. There is no point in not even trying or in hoping for a magic way out.

You should start by talking to your doctor about lowering your methadone dose. He/she can help you come up with a plan. It may take you a long time to get all the way down to zero. Generally it's best to start reducing it pretty quickly, at 120mg you should be able to drop it by 10mg no problem. Then as your dose gets lower and lower you will want to start dropping by much smaller amounts. Think of it as a percentage of the total. Ideally you probably only want to reduce by 10% at a time. So at 120mg 10% would be 12mg. But at 10mg 10% would only be 1mg. Really I didn't get withdrawal symptoms from tapering until I got down below about 35mg/day. You might notice when your dose gets that low that the methadone doesn't last as long, if that happens ask your doctor if you can do "split-dosing" and take it every 12hrs instead of every 24hrs.

Once you start getting withdrawal symptoms you might want to take some things to help. I recommend the following:
- Loperamide with a glass of grapefruit juice to potentiate it
- 5-HTP, a natural anti-depressant
- Vitamins and supplements
- Clonidine for serious acute withdrawals, you will need a prescription
- Something to help you sleep.

Best of luck! If you have anxiety and depression already you may want to talk to your doctor about that and see if they can suggest treatment.

The other thing that I have found very helpful is ayahuasca. But that is not something I would recommend for everyone and it's safest not to take it until you are at a lower dose of methadone. Let me know if you'd like some info on using ayahuasca to treat addiction.

 

[80mg]

96mg sounds bad but when you count for the BA your actually only really taking about 25-30mg per day.

Im on Lope currently. This stuff truly is a god send.