Good Morning.
I am now on day 28 of heroin withdrawal and I'm still sore in my arms and calves.......especially at night.....I still have RLS and having trouble sleeping.
First advice... DON'T COUNT THE DAYS. I know that's what they want you to do in NA/AA programs... but as far as I'm concerned, it's just a constant reminder. And it's nothing to be proud of... "oh, I stopped being an idiot and shooting junk in my veins for 30 days after 5 years of ruining my life!"...
When you have to try to remember how many days since you divorced the needle, that's good.
When you can't remember, that's better.
When you don't even think to try to remember, the divorce is final.
I was using heroin for three years and also using suboxone here and there between heroin scores. I withdrew like 2 years ago & it only lasted like 4-5 days and I was fine, just edgy.........But this time, 28 days and still sore? I'm not quite sure what gives.......I'm trying to decide if I'm also withrdawling from subox on top of the heroin.
I don't think there is a magic number of days. I was on/off for years. As time went on and my runs got longer and deeper, it went from 30 days to 60 days. And that's just when you stop aching and feeling like shit all of the time. It takes about twice that long for you to start to get normal again and not think about it all the time.
[quote[Basically, I'm just ready to feel normal again and to sleep. I've read a lot about PAWS and understand it can last a long time.......I can deal with the mental boredom etc; but I'm just ready to stop hurting.[/quote]
The mental part was a lot harder for me. But the times I kicked were when I wasn't working (why I had to quit) and then I would just go back to my parents house and sweat it out and they would keep me on lock down... there was only so much I could steal and pawn before they started to notice...
It's hard to say.
And I HATE preachy people or whatever... but here is my advice.. just keep it up. Nothing is really going to help that much other than good diet, exercise and ibuprofen. And my preachy part: it get's worse EVERY time you do this.
I would kick and get over it for months.. then something would happen.... and it was like an instinct... if I was stressed and sore from work or whatever, all I knew was to go back to and shoot dope. I'd chip. And usually that would lead back to a run and I can't even tell you how many DUI's, car wrecks, going through WD without ANYTHING again... when you're not even really getting high or you have to do so much that you just nod off and can't enjoy it..what's the point?
And what finally got me to stop altogether... I overdosed... I was in my computer chair and my head fell down to my chest and I lost oxygen.... I had a hypoxic brain injury and was hospitalized for three weeks. And you know what the first thing I did when I got home? Looked in my room for all of my stashes spots... my parents and girlfriend got everything... that's how fucking low I got. I literally had to learn how to walk and talk and read again - and that was the first thing I did when I got home, look for the rest of my dope. I'm glad I never found it.
Whatever. I'm not squeaky clean. I'm not perfect. But I haven't messed with heroin since that fateful day in 2007. Because every single time, the same thing would inevitably happen. I would end up back in Baltimore or Willimantic and it took permanent brain damage and the inability to drive for a year for me to finally get it.[/quote[
[quote[Does anyone have advice? I have been taking Hylands Restful legs and Xanax each night to be able to sleep. I also understand my potassium was probably zapped by the Heroin.......and i've been eating bananas, drinking OJ, and taking a vitamin with potassium in it.[/quote]
Everything you mentioned there is right. Only I would want to use a benzo with a longer half-life... more like Klonopin or Valium. Xanax is just not good for WD's.
I really don't think there is much more than you can do. Just stop counting the days. You're almost there.
I'm just frustrated at this point.
I know exactly what you mean. I've been there at least a dozen times in a 10 year period. I would go as far as I could until I was arrested or lost my job or ran out money and/or things to pawn.
Just remember what this feels like now and keep it in mind that everytime you go back, you'll have to feel like this again, only it's worse every single time.
Again, I really hate to be preachy. But I'm just trying to tell you straight up and not sugar coat anything.
Also, not my SN. I hate this SN. I created it in 2003 when I was kicking. I had another SN, but I forgot the PW after I ODed and my GF and parents went through everything and found my booklet with PW's (not that they knew what sites or anything they were for, but they tossed it), so I had to go back to this SN. I fucking hate it. I hate remembering, I hate thinking about it. The only good thing that came out of everything was that it was like a reset button and I got to start over. So I'm back in college getting the degree I should have had 10 years ago, a few credits at a time.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
......perhaps you chouls change your social scene and then watch the Benjamins fly!!
