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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Tapering off of poppy pods

Ok I'm officially done!!!!
No more opiates for me =]

My final dose was .10mg sub last saturday. Its thursday, and I feel fucking great. I'm not depressed, I'm sleeping well, and the RLS has officially ended.

I should state that I've been taking kava kava, and some detox pills, but I also went to the doc today FINALLY and got some clonidine + a refill of my inderal.

Between the kava kava, detox herb pills, and clonidine today I'm 100%. I'm slowly going to taper off all the herbs and clonidine prob till right before school starts, but I can just feel it in my body I actually feel healthy for once.
The herbs do help a lot by themself, but an hour after I got that clonidine in my stomach I felt all the tension, all the adrenaline, and all the restless energy just stop completely.

I think if any kind of paws were going to surface I would be feeling something by now, and I really do just feel 100%. I really really though once I got to day 3 or 4 this time the insomnia/rls would slowly start escalating like last time, but they just died completely and died quick. Its day 5 and I'm in awesome spirits already.

I got the clonidine mainly for the hypertension, and the inderal for school. I also took like 20mg inderal on top of the clonidine to drop my bp further. And its amazing how much better I feel now just by getting the blood pressure undercontrol. I'm not shakey and tense anymore, I just feel very relaxed and chill. And I'm SO FUCKING HAPPY to be done with opiates once and for all.

I have EVERYONE in this thread to thank, and I'm just so appreciate today because I really thought I'd be spending the next 2 weeks with bad depression/insomnia but I definitely tapered long enough to make a smooth jump off. My energy is really the only thing thats still off, but I suspect in another 2 weeks I can really get back to the gym the way I want to. I'm just so motivated now to start doing good things with my life for once. I think the best feeling is when I wake up, and feel like I have to take a pill just out of habit, but than realize I'm not going to get sick if I don't take it.

And its truely one of the most liberating feelings in the world!! Hope you guys are surviving out there. Life does definitely get better when you fight for it long enough.

edit: I'm going to bump and finish off my thread. Not to distract people from this one, but I still wanna do a "tips" write up on the last page, and I still have to blow up a poppy pod for helpme which I plan on videotaping this weekend.
 
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Bo, I am so happy for you. I knew that you had kicked RLS and insomnia to the curb!!

I am so glad for you, Ham and everyone else posting here; it has made the world open up for me after 'hiding' for the last few years. I truly felt alone until I found you guys. Now I just need to follow your lead. I think in my case, I will taper, taper, taper...I have enough to go for quite a while and with my kids and job and husband, I want to be as ok as I can through this. But I will be so happy when I'm done; even at my current dose, which is about 1/3 of what I was taking a month ago, I feel different. Not W/D symptoms different; just like a cloud is lifting. When I first took opiates, that made everything ok. Now I see it's numbed me too much, perhaps. I know this has come up on the thread before but I'm beginning to see if myself.

MLK...if you're around, how are you doing? I know way back in the thread you said we had very similiar stories...you are right!! My kids are 6 and 8..sorry I didn't answer you on that earlier.

Hope everyone else is hanging in there...
 
Yeah, congrats to everyone that has kicked this bitch to the curb. This thread has been my support group, just reading it has helped a lot.

notme- I know exactly what you mean by feeling different. Been on these for going on 6 yrs- tapering off is a strange feeling. I'm not used to it- feel exposed in a way. It's scary, uncomfortable but also liberating. Just knowing I can make it through the day on a tablespoon as opposed to a cup is awesome.
 
All kinds of good news in this thread!

I'm doing okay too. Ups and downs but the ups are lasting longer and the downs not as deep. I'm getting better inside and out. Not much to report at this point- the boredom is decreasing and my motivation is improving. Starting to get to sleep earlier instead of being up till the wee hours. Kind of shocking just how long the aftereffects last so it's a good thing the human body is so resiliant...

That's it. I'm having a "normal" day today: Mowing grass, going grocery shopping, all the exciting things normal people do. It sure as hell beats moping around feeling sorry for myself huh?

Keep up the good hard work people. It's worth it. Just hang in there, be patient, and keep your eyes looking forward toward a better life ahead.

Hang tough!

Peace.
 
Ham, glad you checked in. I was re-reading this whole thread and I realized that I was just making myself worried, so I've been taking a little break from checking in so much. I know you did the same, and now especially I can see why you would try to move on from the site.

I'm just happy to hear things are getting better for you; you are such a strong person! I know I've thanked you already but once again I am so appreciative that you let us share in your success. HOPE is one thing that all us 'taperers' need and this is where I finally got some; from you and all the other folks here.

MLK...I'm guessing you are taking a break from here too. I wish I could PM; not posting enough and I don't want to post nonsense to get to 50...but I hope you are doing ok.


Peace to you too, Ham. You deserve it!
 
How everyone doing?

Today marks 1 official week since taking my sub. I feel pretty freakin good still. I am kinda draggin my body around at times it seems with the energy thing but its really no issue at all for me right now. Nothing that can't be quelled with lesser herbs and caffiene.

I love how ham wrote about all the normal things he doing now lol. Mowing grass, shopping, all the "exciting" things people do. Its weird because we DO see them as boring activities coming off an opiate addiction, but normal people also see our activities as out right selfish and mindless. So is it worse to be a little bored from time to time, or is it worse to be carrying a gorilla the size of king kong on your back everyday? lol. I don't think I need an answer to that.
I'm just hanging out today not working or doing anything. The cool thing about tommorow is tommorow marks day 8, which is the same day I broke down last time and had to go back to pods. But in no way am I broken down this time, so it will be nice to cross the day 8 mark and feel like I'm FINALLY where I should be for once. I think this monday I wanna see if I can start working out again. Its been impossible for the last 2-3 weeks but at some point I really gotta start forcing myself. I think it will also help my natural energy come back quicker too.

Hang in there people!
 
Yea this pod shortage has me thinking of quitting. I usually take 20g in the morning 20g at night; I use a stove-top expresso maker (the MOST efficient way). Probably just going to buy some tramadol and taper off. I'd prefer codeine, but those sources are less reliable.

Poppys are available but are shitty and expensive.
 
Negrogesic if you're going to buy tramadol you might as well pick up some clonidine too. Codiene sucks for pod wds I tried it myself at 300mgs every day. Then I bumped it up to 400mg and did NOT feel a single relief of anything. This was also when I had tapered down to like 15gms. But I think pods are just so much more of a narcotic than codiene, its like a little army of withdrawal producing alkaloids.
Tramadol however would be much better. I could see it quelling at least 80% of the wd symptoms. Throw some clonidine in there and your set.
 
Negrogesic-

Taper your poppy dose as much as possible before you jump. The lower the better. If you've got the same kind of crappy weak pods everyone else seems to have you might be surprised at how much easier it will be to taper and jump compared to when the pods were really strong. For me the weak pods were a blessing in disguise. Once I got down pretty low I just jumped as there were hardly any active ingrediants in my dose at that point.

Lots of good tips in this and Bo's thread as far as tapering. Read up and post any questions that come up. Chances are someone here has faced the same issue so help is never too far away it seems.

Best wishes for you!

********************

I'm hanging in there. Starting to get little glimpses of "normal" life. Actually my life was pretty normal. I'm starting to FEEL normal here and there. Like I did before I get on the damn pods. While I still have massive swings from elation and contentedness to crushing depression it seems like I'm getting better. I'm going longer between ups and downs and they don't seem as intense. I think the supplements are helping. My hours of sleep are the same but it's a better quality of sleep. That surely helps.

I'm not spending a lot of time here these days. I'm trying to find some support for the issues that drove me to numb myself in the first place. I'm not going to go into that stuff here- not the place. PMs are always welcome, for any reason, any time.

This whole damn pod run was the first time in my life that I used drugs to "help" with emotional stuff. In the past, when there was a crisis, I didn't use anything. No drugs, no booze, not even weed. I wanted to be 100% on top of my game to deal with whatever was in front of me. This time, though, I intentionally used pods as and anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, and honestly just to shut off my feelings. I hate to say it but it probably kept me from putting a bullet in my head. Well now the pods are gone and my emotions and thinking is running at or near 100%. Time to take care of business. Time to face the devil himself, stand my ground, win the battle, and ultimately, hopefully, heal my broken soul.

I once again want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. It really helped me to know that somewhere out there, wherever you folks are, you were going through the same thing. The same pains, the same emotional stuff, etc. That really was a comfort to me. I'm not one to reach out. I'm private. I tried something different here and I'm glad I did. It opened my eyes and my mind to some new ideas. I've made some friends here and that really means a lot to me. A LOT! It's been one hell of a ride and I could not have done it without you all. Thank you.

I'll still check in and check up now and then but as I said I've gt some heavy stuff to deal with. I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel. I've still got a few things I want to do and until I'm "whole" I'll never achieve my goals.

So a new chapter begins. I'm off opiates. Now I stay off, work hard, grow, and heal my mind, body, and spirit. Well that's the plan anyhow...

********************

Take care of yourselves. Slow and steady. Stay the course. It CAN be done. You CAN make it!

Wishing everyone who tapering, kicking, or even still using but wanting to quit, the very best.

May hope, courage, and peace be your constant companions.

Peace.
 
six weeks clean and almost three months since the taper began. this is very doable, full withdrawals would've been the death of me.

and just to note, I wasn't only on pods, I was using pharm morphine and oxy too, and dabbling in heroin. poppy pods are the best thing I can think of for tapering off opiates. people who go with subs or methadone often get stuck on them for ages and never really get clean
 
/\ I couldn't agree more.

Which is the same reason pods are usually the first thing I recommend to harder opiate addicts. It seems everyone gets on sub "to get clean", but they never actually wind up getting OFF the sub, same with methadone. They "maintain" on it for a year or 2, get sick of it, realize they're still just addicted to another opiate, and then face an ever longer wd getting off them.
But I DO suppose its still better then scheming for dope/oxies everyday.

And 2 weeks clean today!!!! Its definitely not easy but I'm hoping this total lack of motivation lifts soon, I have so much shit coming up I need to do I have no clue what kind of shape my brain will be in.
 
Bojangles69 said:
Mowing grass, shopping, all the "exciting" things people do. Its weird because we DO see them as boring activities coming off an opiate addiction, but normal people also see our activities as out right selfish and mindless.
Click to expand...

I find reading to be the cure for me - mowing the grass just doesn't cut it. books are the ultimate escape. since I got clean I've read Frankenstein, picture of dorian gray, e.a. poe stories, and so on. it just transports you to a different world, like drugs but without all the side-effects. bo, you don't need to try to be like "normal people" - all that stuff like shopping and mowing the grass is completely mindless, as you say. just because they're not on drugs doesn't mean they're not dumbasses. just read a book.
 
Hey all...

I hgaven't been on in quite a while. Still hanging in there. Things are slowly getting better. Still some rough days but they seem to be spread out farther apart and not as deep and dark as they were at first. I think I'm starting to make some progress.

This thread got awfully quiet. I hope that means everyone who was tapering is hanging in there and staying away from BL like I've been doing. Maybe by bumping this thread back up to page one will inspire fomr of the "regulars" to check in.

In any case I hope everyone is hanging in there. If ya fell off the wagon just regroup and get back on when you're ready again. Don't ever quit trying. I don't think many people get it right on the first try. I sure as hell didn't!

Well that's it. Hang in there good people!

Peace.
 
Hi Ham...you're right, just taking a break from BL; have myself down to 3T 2x a day (very flat tablespoons...estimating 2g each). So 12 g a day (end of July I prob took about 30g a day), and I'm going to extremely slowly taper from here.

Glad you are hanging in there; you are the best thing that happened for us pod users, and opiate users in general. Thank you again!

Bo...was just reading this and thinking, man, how inconsiderate of me to not include you....I just finished reading your thread and between that and this one, you guys have BOTH done folks like me a great service. So Thank You to you as well!
 
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I just wanted to thank you all for posting this thread. I have really been looking for a way to stop doing pods recently. I have been on them every other day for about 6 months, but before and during that time I have been on norco (hydrocodone) and I have been on that since 2002, via prescription from my doctor for a collapsed arch and ruptured tendon in my foot. The reason why I started pods about 6 months ago was because the hydro just wasn't doing the job anymore, and I would take far too much of it just to get through my days (i have two jobs and they are both very demanding). The first time that I did pods I was so impressed because they worked so well and lasted for so long, but to tell the truth now I kind of regret trying them at all, because the withdrawals are hell compared to hydro. When I would stop doing hydro for a few weeks (which I have done periodically over the past 8 years) it was just some back pain, a headache, and a few other small w/d affects, but it would be gone in a couple of days, no big deal. So I discovered pods for the first time about 6 months ago, and loved them, they worked so well and for so long, and cost me a fraction of what it would cost me to get pills on the street when I would run out of my script. I guess I should have done a bit more research on them before jumping in, because I started doing them every other day only, thinking that this way I would not become dependent on them. WRONG. Last week I was running low on them, which is when I would usually put in a new order, but I decided for a few reasons (a big one is that these things kill my sex drive, and my poor partner is not happy about that), I just decided not to order any more and just get off of them. For the first day everything was fine (as I said I only have been taking them every other day, with a few weekend exceptions over the last six months), so that was normal. The second day I woke up with a runny nose, headache, and felt like shit, kinda like I had a bad flu. All throughout the day I had hot/cold flashes, sweating, and my whole body (especially my quads) hurt like hell. That's when I realized that I was going through w/d. I then ordered more pods, because like I said, I have two jobs, and I couldn't just not go to work for however long this may take to stop, and decided to do a taper with my new pods. That's when I found this thread, and I just want to thank you all so much for posting all of the info that you have posted here, because now I really feel like I'm prepared for this, because I really do want to stop all opiates for a while (not forever unfortunately, because of my foot), but I do think that once I am able to stop for a while that I will be more careful in the future with my pills not to take too much so that I don't grow such a tolerance, and I can just take the pills and get rid of the pods all together, because the w/d from these pods is like nothing that I have ever experienced before from any pills, and I've taken everything from hydro, to oxy, to ms contin, pretty much anything that I could find on the street when I ran out of my monthly script of norco. Anyways, sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give you some background on me and my situation, and I hope that everyone is doing well with their tapers, I'm just starting mine now, and I hope that I can be as successful as all of you are! Thanks again everyone for all the information and the taper schedules, I have found them very useful and am going to work on mine, and hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be through it without having to take any time off of work.
 
Hey Electronica,

Feel free to start your own thread if you need extra support and guidance. Withdrawals from pods are definitely not a joke, and I've grown past the stage of periodically checking my wds by stopping for a day or 2. Its absolutely not fun at all and I'm not sure how the hell you can even make it to work in that condition.
One of the most important thing about pods is 100% to make your doses and bag them all up at once. I would try measuring by the day, by taking it out of one tubberware container where I had all the grounds stored, and it was always too easy to put a few extra scoops or into my doses.
Also, it helps to realize that tapering REALLY ISN'T that much worse than staying on a maintenance dose of pods. There was a point where I was doing 50-60gms a day of quality pods for NO REASON AT ALL. I would not feel a thing, no warmth, no euphoria, as the body becomes so tolerant to it - it feels like you are drinking lipton tea. Tapering slow enough really can sometimes feel better imo. I start sleeping less (which is a good change from hypersomnia with pods), I get less of a histamine rebound (which can sometimes feel like I swallowed a bottle of benadryl the following day if I take a large enough dose the night before). You will experience wds but you also can feel your body getting healtheir when you taper slow enough. So its really not as bad as it sounds.

The worst part for me was jumping off the taper completely, at which point PAWs did me in only 23 days later. But I'm tapering down again myself off the pods now, and am jumping straight to lexapro this time for the paws.
 
Electronica, of all the variations I've heard on PPT maintenance dosing schedules I have to say you are the first person I recall that used them regularly every OTHER day. I used then 1x daily and thought myself pretty proper doing so, while so many dose multiple times and really suffered at the very least twice as much as I during their tapers. This is a very general observation or mine. When I tapered, my 1x a day dosing put me at a significant advantage to multiple Xs daily users. If your regular dose is every other day then the conclusion I draw is that you are in excellent position to taper with grace and have high probability of success. You've demonstrated your grit with the grinds already so good luck and keep us posted. Welcome to BL!
 
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