After extensive online research, I did not think it was possible to have precipitated withdrawal from Loperamide. However, after the last week of hell - I'm convinced. After years of heavy opiate use (Oxy, hydrocodone, Morphine, etc), I was switched to Tramadol, at about 16-18 pills a day - no seizures luckily - which turned out to have the worst withdrawals of all. Then I got laid off and had to stop cold turkey.
When I was withdrawing, i was taking high doses of loperamide (about 60-80 mg) with cimetidine along with Seroquel and Gabapentin, noticing mild euphoria and then went down to about 30 mg for about 4 months. Every time I went down lower -serious depression and withdrawal kicked in. I finally decided, after I got a high stress job position, I will go back to tramadol until i can detox with help of a therapist since I was failing miserably and worried about all the loperamide I was taking. I ordered tramadol from a well known and trusted IOP - obviously I won't identify here - and it came last week. here is how it went down:
Thurs morning - 40 mg Loperamide
Thurs evening - see my Tramadol cam e- do a happy jig and take a small amount since its been about 5 months - 100 mg
Fri morning - take 100 more and 300 mg more throughout the day until I go to sleep
Sat morning take more - but feel oddly shaky and wiry at the gym.. by nightime at rabbit rescue where I volunteer - sweating, shaky and cold/hot..absolutely nothing like tramadol feels for me. Worry the IOP sent me something else or I'm having a heart attack at age 39. Almost faint on the subway..everyone staring at me and asking, "are you ok?" These were more intense symptoms then normal and they went on and on (maybe due to Lopes long half life???).
By Sunday and then Monday I was so sick I was sent home from my new job (I said I had food poisoning) and each night I soaked all of my sheets and shivered like hell. This felt nothing like Tram but this IOP has a spotless rep and I felt oddly buzzed while sick, if that makes sense.
Deciding to see if its because I stopped Lope - I took 30 mg and then reintroduced the Tram. Sure enough - the sickness stopped and I am taking 400 mg tram a day and tapering off the Lope and its going well. I am confident it was Tram i got and stopping Lope is what did it.
How can this be? I did not have many withdrawal symptoms using Lope to withdraw from Tram and for Pete's sake, it is diarrhea medicine we are talking about here!
When I was withdrawing, i was taking high doses of loperamide (about 60-80 mg) with cimetidine along with Seroquel and Gabapentin, noticing mild euphoria and then went down to about 30 mg for about 4 months. Every time I went down lower -serious depression and withdrawal kicked in. I finally decided, after I got a high stress job position, I will go back to tramadol until i can detox with help of a therapist since I was failing miserably and worried about all the loperamide I was taking. I ordered tramadol from a well known and trusted IOP - obviously I won't identify here - and it came last week. here is how it went down:
Thurs morning - 40 mg Loperamide
Thurs evening - see my Tramadol cam e- do a happy jig and take a small amount since its been about 5 months - 100 mg
Fri morning - take 100 more and 300 mg more throughout the day until I go to sleep
Sat morning take more - but feel oddly shaky and wiry at the gym.. by nightime at rabbit rescue where I volunteer - sweating, shaky and cold/hot..absolutely nothing like tramadol feels for me. Worry the IOP sent me something else or I'm having a heart attack at age 39. Almost faint on the subway..everyone staring at me and asking, "are you ok?" These were more intense symptoms then normal and they went on and on (maybe due to Lopes long half life???).
By Sunday and then Monday I was so sick I was sent home from my new job (I said I had food poisoning) and each night I soaked all of my sheets and shivered like hell. This felt nothing like Tram but this IOP has a spotless rep and I felt oddly buzzed while sick, if that makes sense.
Deciding to see if its because I stopped Lope - I took 30 mg and then reintroduced the Tram. Sure enough - the sickness stopped and I am taking 400 mg tram a day and tapering off the Lope and its going well. I am confident it was Tram i got and stopping Lope is what did it.
How can this be? I did not have many withdrawal symptoms using Lope to withdraw from Tram and for Pete's sake, it is diarrhea medicine we are talking about here!
