Opioids Pod Withdrawal - close to 60 hours in and feeling better??

[pbuilder]

I'm 5 days total, which is so small but it's felt like an eternity! Either way, I am keeping myself busy as shit, or stoned as shit while these first couple days pass. I smoked today and I feel great now, no wd symptoms at all. Just sitting and listening to the joe rogan experience (yeah whatever lol)

Anyway, I know thing are a long way to go, but I feel optimistic. Does paws kick in AFTER the initial withdrawal, or after a period of time? Maybe I haven't hit them yet? Or they are very mild for me.

haha those podcasts can be entertaining as hell. Any one where joey coco diaz is on is always hilarious. 50% of the conversation generally ends up about cocaine lol.

 

[thePodFreak]

haha those podcasts can be entertaining as hell. Any one where joey coco diaz is on is always hilarious. 50% of the conversation generally ends up about cocaine lol.

Ha I love the old ones, like 30 thru episode 100 or so, then he got like 9000 ads. Still good tho. I'm pretty stoned so Duncan trussel is currently making sense

 

[RobotRipping]

I'm 5 days total, which is so small but it's felt like an eternity! Either way, I am keeping myself busy as shit, or stoned as shit while these first couple days pass. I smoked today and I feel great now, no wd symptoms at all. Just sitting and listening to the joe rogan experience (yeah whatever lol)

Anyway, I know thing are a long way to go, but I feel optimistic. Does paws kick in AFTER the initial withdrawal, or after a period of time? Maybe I haven't hit them yet? Or they are very mild for me.

they kick in after a couple weeks for me. Once that optimism fades it kind of just lingers and you may get cravings, RLS, depression/anxiety. I'd really just try not to worry about it though, PAWS are the worst part of it but if you can stand just getting really stoned and work on filling that void in your life it's really not that bad. After 3 months you'll wonder why you even bothered drinking down gross tea every day. It's like your brain has to rewire itself and it takes time for that to happen. As cheesy as joe rogan can be sometimes i may have to look into those podcasts lol.

 

[thePodFreak]

they kick in after a couple weeks for me. Once that optimism fades it kind of just lingers and you may get cravings, RLS, depression/anxiety. I'd really just try not to worry about it though, PAWS are the worst part of it but if you can stand just getting really stoned and work on filling that void in your life it's really not that bad. After 3 months you'll wonder why you even bothered drinking down gross tea every day. It's like your brain has to rewire itself and it takes time for that to happen. As cheesy as joe rogan can be sometimes i may have to look into those podcasts lol.

Thats the part that scares me a little. The initial euphoria wears off and now hey! you have to spend the rest of your life without opies! How do you feel!

Just gotta stay strong, I dont really like pot enough to smoke every day, but it does help on anxious days like today. Day six here I come!

 

[RobotRipping]

you won't crave opiates the rest of your life at least, just remember that. It will go away within a month - 3 months at most, since you weren't using them that long, your recovery time will be substantially less than someone who has used for several years or more. It also gets better each day, as bad as PAWS are, it won't hurt as much as acute withdrawal, though it may last longer. you're getting through it though and if you stick to it you'll make it completely, just keep up the good work and don't look back, before you know it, you will be free.

 

[thePodFreak]

Had a little trouble sleeping last night and some significant cravings...but pods are in butt fuck egypt now so no option there :D. Could have tried the bupe I have but fuck that. got through it and finally passed out getting 5 hours of real sleep, it was amazing.

This morning, while tired, I feel happy, even motivated. getting work done, although I am a software developer and I really need to try writing code...I wrote some of my best code high - shitty trigger huh? My job? lol.

I haven't taken any of the clonazepam yet today which is a major stride - yesterday I had to double up the dosage the anxiety was so bad, and unless the anxiety gets out of hand I dont plan on taking it today unless for sleep. Smoked WAY too much last night and didn't get shit done, so also avoiding that today lol. Gotta pay some bills, then its off to try a quick "hike" up a local "mountain" (its tiny) here in sunny AZ.....Ok I MIGHT take a toke or two before that, who doesn't like hiking with a little bit of a pot buzz?

The best news of all is that I have zero cravings since waking up. I think about it a lot, but I dont get that "OMG I NEED IT CRAWLING OUT OF MY SKIN" feeling that I was getting even as recently as last night... Next goal is to get a good night sleep without drugs....Last night to finally pass out I took 1mg clonazepam and 100mg hydroxyzine which FINALLY after about 5 hours of tossing and turning passed me out. Pot didnt help at all with the falling asleep - almost made the RLS worse...then again it was a sativa dominant...

I'll be continuing updating here on a regular basis. I see sooooooo many terrible stories of ungodly withdrawal from hell, soul sucking death spirals that never seem to end as time dilates and every minute seems like an eternity....and even though I think I got off easy due to my low tolerance, it's still therapeutic to post my daily progress, at least for now.

 

[thePodFreak]

you won't crave opiates the rest of your life at least, just remember that. It will go away within a month - 3 months at most, since you weren't using them that long, your recovery time will be substantially less than someone who has used for several years or more.

This is something that I have been lucky with so far. The bad physical parts honestly only lasted 3 days, and when I was at 72 hours I was feeling quite better aside from the anxiety. I have had sleeping issues and random RLS and cravings, but so mild that I should be thanking god, buddha Muhammad, Vishnu, the FSM, ANYONE for how short the physical part lasted. I played it off as a flu and everyone bought it. After that I have only really had to deal with cravings, slight RLS, and anxiety now....anxiety is being kept at bay with the clonazepam, but im already trying to get through days without it, can't trade one addiction for another! especially because the benzos just put me to sleep - no fun anyway!

the 7th day off pods now, December 13th, coming up quick. I have to say, for the amount of misery Pods CAN give you, I got very lucky (and was also probably due to me having shit pods or somehting). Im hoping that my posts about the "milder" pod withdrawal I went through (it was still hell) can at least get some visibility.The stories on here are mostly heavy users (that I saw when I was scouring this forum about it) about soul sucking skin crawling death grip of w/d lasting 10 days STRAIGHT type of withdrawal, and it scared the SHIT out of me. So much so that I almost got on suboxone when it would have been a complete mistake with my mild habit. Not only that, the crazy stories about p/w are the only reason I refused to take it - I didnt think I was far enough in to withdrawal even though it was death torture. They said go til you cant go anymore, and I just never reached that part of it.

However. it pisses me off I even got suboxone, and how completely cluelessly they hand it out.. you shouldnt start at 12mg, start at 1 (or less), and slowly move up til you feel ok, if you dont know how much your patient is using. He saw me, had no idea what alkaloids I was even getting, and prescribed me 12mg a day...who is on that much that really needs to be??? Giving me subs would have been a brand new prison sentence with a different CO.

Curious (and probably dumb question)...can they measure your opie content as far as how much of it is in you? then maybe they would know what to prescribe? I was probably needing a .5 or 1mg dose, he prescribed me 12mg a DAY. If I had taken that, I would have been basically trading in much easier w/d with the potential hell of bupe w/d...Light users (even light everyday users like myself) need to have some kind of guidance, otherwise, like me they could look in to Sub when it's totally not worth it, and potentially ruin their lives (not to say bupe if used correctly can help a lot of people)

The beauty of how I feel tonight - I could get on a plane no problem and not even have to think about how im going to function without my tea.. (shit I'd usually mail it to my location :D) The ride would be long having to sit still wile still having restless problems, but seeing family would be awesome (I am far away from them right now). But hopefully, with some green motivation, the flight...I'll handle it

 

[thePodFreak]

Well in my time zone it's just about 12/17 which means 7 fucking days. Been a ride and still a lot of healing to be done...still haven't gone a day without a couple kpins or some pot. Tonight I just took the recommended of the kpin with a lot of pot and I am totally relaxed....getting super baked is like a reset button for me...hopefully the inability to sleep stops soon, otherwise ill be baked nightly....

Anyway, can't ask for a better day6, so on to day 7! Goal today? No kpin OR weed. Completely straight. Hopefully it's a chill day, but coffee seems to have begun to have a good, instead of terrible (during wd) effect. We will see....I'm doubting tho.

 

[RobotRipping]

was this your first w/d from opiates? the first one is never bad. I remember thinking my first time, this withdrawal just isn't bad enough to keep me from using opiates again. I lost track of how many days since i had PST (well over a month) but i still get the shits really badly if i don't take loperamide and still struggling with RLS, nightmares and sleep issues big time. I thought i got through it painlessly at first but in the end i paid for every high i got with the intense misery i experienced this month. I wish i could get on subs easy here but it's as big of a pain in the ass if not more than methadone (which requires me to be IVing to even get considered for the program). However subs and methadone just aren't warranted for poppy tea, they both have a worse withdrawal from what i hear.

i'm sure you'll be fine now, that's how my first withdrawal went and because it was so easy i did relapse and made it much worse. I started drinking coffee as well when i quit, it's great for that boost of energy you need in the mornings, especially if you have PAWS. Sometimes i drink too much and get anxiety though.

i think it's possible to measure how much of an opiate someone would have in their system and whether that warranted subs or methadone. i think some places actually make sure you test positive for opiates before getting maintenance drugs. The whole maintenance thing is fucked up though both subs and methadone have worse withdrawals, not to mention skyrocketing your tolerance. They are both often over prescribed as well (in terms of dose).

 

[purrpilll]

I am so glad to read this! I'm glad you are feeling better. I agree with you Subs are way to easy to get. For you I would only suggest using a small amount only if you were like going to die without your pods and couldn't stop yourself from getting them. YOU have your head in the right place, and I believe things will only get better and better as long as you never touch an opiate again. Today I'm glad you are feeling good.

 

[cook]

Yes the withdrawals tend to get worse, my first pod withdrawal was fairly easy and I actually enjoyed it at some point. However, after couple of withdrawals it got worse and longer, last time it took 1.5 weeks. So you want to make sure not to put yourself in that situation again.

 

[purrpilll]

^^^^Worse and worse and harder and longer. I hope OP gets it this time and learns how bad it will be, but not first hand. I'm sorry that is fn crazy that they would put you on Subs at all. There are detox protocols much more appropriate.

 

[sekio]

IME, PAWS is only an issue if you are either predisposed to it or have a crappy environment (I.e. if you spend a lot fo time sitting around bored, or have a crappy job, or significant stresses in your life etc)
Many people find that keeping physically active can help restore your body's natural balance of endorphins and hence help combat opioid w/d.

 

[thePodFreak]

IME, PAWS is only an issue if you are either predisposed to it or have a crappy environment (I.e. if you spend a lot fo time sitting around bored, or have a crappy job, or significant stresses in your life etc)
Many people find that keeping physically active can help restore your body's natural balance of endorphins and hence help combat opioid w/d.

I know for me right now while I work on a comp all day, yard work and errands make the anxiety, restlessness, etc seem to vanish - even the cravings. That said an idle mind is a crafty thing and believe me I have almost talked myself in to buying some 2 times today lol. no worries tho - half way through day 7 and taking the light w/d as a warning shot - like it's tempting me - U SURE YOU WANT MORE OF THIS PUNK, OH YEAH DRINK THAT TEA lol. Still having trouble sleeping...anyone know what to do besides fucking myself up on pot and taking a couple kpins? I am trying to stay off the kpins, I don't like the high but god damn I need sleep, it's ridiculous how many times I flip over a night....also it might sound weird, but I have been getting a bunch of RLS type feelings in my arms and hands....drives me nuts when sleeping.

 

[RobotRipping]

klonopin isn't great for putting you to sleep. I'd suggest another benzo or a z-drug, zopiclone works quite well for me during withdrawal. Sometimes i use trazadone too but i find it unreliable. I'd stay away from anti-histamines, they make the restlessness worse for me. I usually take loperamide before bed to get rid of the restlessness and it works (6-12mg).

 

[thePodFreak]

klonopin isn't great for putting you to sleep. I'd suggest another benzo or a z-drug, zopiclone works quite well for me during withdrawal. Sometimes i use trazadone too but i find it unreliable. I'd stay away from anti-histamines, they make the restlessness worse for me. I usually take loperamide before bed to get rid of the restlessness and it works (6-12mg).

I'll. try the lope tonight - and yeah, Benadryl fucked my RLS BAD! Now even more drowsy and even less likely to sleep!

 

[thePodFreak]

Today trying lope only to put me to sleep - just tried about 12mg, who knows.. I know it has to be high dose in order to cross the BBB. Feeling pretty normal overall today, I have cravings but they are light really - not a craving as much as a "it'd be nice to have some ppt to power through this programming assignment!" type thought. That said they seem relatively easy to ignore.

Still trying to figure out what to do with this Bupe...I'm thinking hold on to it - I have absolutely ZERO desire to try it, but who knows in a pinch if I end up relapsing I'll have something to help me taper in w/d or something....either that or I'll find someone in need and give it to them when they need it most. It's funny how after you go through w/d for the first time (this is my first CT w/d from start to finish - usually dosed before the worst set in) you get this new found love and compassion for those going through the same thing.

Im staying up late to try and wear myself out to get as much real sleep as possible...Could backfire sure, but whatever. Oh and did I mention, Day 8! Smoked a little cannabis today and only took one of my three kpins for the day, and I feel pretty ok. Going to try and sleep without either as I feel relatively tired. I think tomorrow I am going to try and go without ANY of the comfort meds to see where I really am.

One weird/gross thing - does anyone else, after getting clean for just long enough, realize that what you eat suddenly affects your bowels again?? lol I swear coffee had me in the bathroom multiple times - on PPT even after an espresso I was shitting bowling pins! Its weird things like those that really let you know how much having the addiction fucks with your body's natural processes.

 

[ErgicMergic]

^ A much better OTC sleep combo is 600mg chelated Magnesium (must be chelated), 0.5-1mg melatonin (more is counterproductive), and 30mg Zinc, all of which not only help you get to sleep, but also improve sleep architecture to make it a more relaxing sleep.

Also, if you can get your hands on a script, 10-25mg of hydroxyzine twice a day is fantastic OCD and anxiety due to its unique (for an antihistamine) 5-HT2C antagonistic properties, Mirtazapine is also great for opioid withdrawals, at 7.5-15mg, as it helps with sleep and appetite big-time... mirtazapine might work on 5-HT solely through its actions as an alpha adrenergenic agonist, like Clonodine or Guanfacine, which also help for opioid wd.

The nice thing about hydroxyzine is that it has no significant anticholinergenic actions (which cause RLS), which makes it unique among its family of 1st gen antihistamines. Mirtazapine, on the other hand is very anticholinergenic, but might help you for a few days for sleep.

Best of luck, man Keep us updated with your progress

 

[thePodFreak]

^ Also, if you can get your hands on a script, 10-25mg of hydroxyzine twice a day is fantastic OCD and anxiety due to its unique (for an antihistamine) 5-HT2C antagonistic properties

Funny you mention this, last night I took specifically that without taking the clonazepam, and actually slept! it was pretty awesome after so many days of being a human pancake, flipping and flipping and flipping....

 

[sekio]

One weird/gross thing - does anyone else, after getting clean for just long enough, realize that what you eat suddenly affects your bowels again??

From what I understand, regular opioid users are usually on a first-name basis with their shits 'cos they happen so rarely.It's really common to be constipated with heavy opi use; conversely it is common to shit a lot when you're in WD.

If you can discontinue regular use of the clonazepam you'll be good for quite a while. (regular, long term BZD usage is never good and is harder to discontinue than opioids by a factor of 10)

If you're feeling better with regards to your W/d (the flu-like feeling has abated) it's best to just get rid of the bupe. Give it away, get someone to lock it in a safe deposit box, or sell it or something. In the end it IS an opioid, even if it's a partial agonist. But if your tolerance is low enough it will still give you opioid effects, and it will still produce dependence. It's not something you need to take if you are off opioids.

I also second the reccomendations of hydroxyzine, Calcium-magnesium-zinc (doesn't neccesarily have to be chelated, just take 2, twice a day - it will also help your stools harden), & melatonin. (The 0.3 mg sublingual tablets are good). Mirtazepine is actually an atypical antidepressant and SNRI so it may not be something you want to go for.

It sounds like you are doing great. Keep your chin up. You're almost through the rough patch.