Taping off Heroin and Really Need Your Support!

[Sosick]

Hey anonman
Sorry to hear the taper isn't going as planned. Tapering is a tough thing to do. As I said before I could never taper. But you have options maybe suboxone is a good choice for you.
You had asked about my PAWS honestly the worst is the fatigue the rest is fairly manageable but the fatigue is unbelievable. I have variations of it from day to day ranging from not too bad to I feel like I have a piano tied to my ass.

It's really frustrating because on those days my list of things to do go out the window. Of course I have mild anxiety, mild depression. The sad thing is the whole reason I came off OxyContin was to see where my actual pain was at and it seems to still be here some days pretty bad.

 

[phactor]

Yeah the fatigue is one of the worst parts about it, the weird thing is I have heard people complain about it frequently from PAWS after abusing several different types of substances, Benzos, Alcohol and/or Opiates seem to really sap you of energy for awhile.

Anyways I am sick (as in virus sick) right now and I am having a pretty rough PAWS day, I feel like I can hardily move for real.

 

[Kledsky]

Hey anonman,

I feel for you in your post because you suffer back pain. I had surgery when I was 15 to my back to fix a bone deformity and it's caused constant severe pain since then and I'm now 29. My back pain has been without a doubt the biggest deterrent to getting clean. How is your taper going? Are you using the heroin IV and then are you planning on using the morphine pills orally? Are you taking the morphine pills orally now? I guess I'm just wondering where you are at in terms of your taper and your plan. I've tapered many times and have also gone cold turkey many times. I've been "successful" at both and am planning on tapering once again in a very similar fashion - IV the rest of my h until I switch to oral morphine.

It's definitely doable, especially in my experience if you have other things going on to fill the time. PAWS is all about filling the time and finding a way to get the sleep you need. With opiates it's very easy to get messed up in a taper because you can't get the sleep required to keep a clean mind and a healthy body. How is your sleep? Are you getting enough? Try and plan your taper so that you do a little bit in the morning to help you get up and ready for the day, and then dose the majority at night to make sure you sleep! I can stress enough how important sleep is to successfully perform a taper from opiates. Keep up the good work and don't fall back on old habits and excuses. You can do this, keep up and please let me know how you're doing.

 

[Sosick]

Hey phactor
That sucks I hope you feel better soon. Have some chicken noodle soup n get some sleep.

 

[anonman17]

hey thanks everyone. I think the taper plan isn't going to work. I just wrote a new thread about really getting honest about what i need to do.

 

[rhun]

Tapering absolutely DOES work. But not with your opiate of choice or with a short acting opiate. I've never seen a heroin taper work.

I've posted some responses to recent threads that include information about buprenorphine, you're welcome to check them out or message me.

Cold turkey detox from heroin has been proven to be almost completely ineffective with most addicts eventually relapsing. Rapid or slow tapers with buprenorphine have a much higher success rate. I personally don't support methadone, but I've seen a rapid detox with methadone work in a few cases.

There are many options out there to safely get you off heroin with minimal discomfort. You don't need to suffer needlessly. But managing your own detox is setting yourself up for failure. If treatment isn't an option, a doctor certified to prescribe buprenorphine or a clinic that dispenses it can be a great option.

Once you're off though, nothing short of active recovery will keep you from eventually relapsing. You need a plan and support.