I'll throw in my two cents on just one of the symptoms of opiate WDs and it is, for many people, the absolute worst, hardest to ignore or do anything about: the dreaded Restless Leg Syndrome (or as someone above me wrote, Restless Body Syndrome). My experience with opiates started precisely because I had RLS without any opiate use. It has been with me since my late teenage years and has only become worse and worse over the last 10 years. My doctor and I started with Requip (a new drug at the time that was supposed to help, but in the end, actually made the RLS much worse), then moved on to anti-Parkinsons drugs like Neurontin and Lyrica (this is why you'll see people advising taking this during opiate withdrawals, because it does help somewhat with RLS). When those didn't work, we moved on to opiates, as per the Mayo Clinic algorithm for treating chronic RLS. I started on hydrocodone (2 10mg tablets a day), but those were so short lived it was never enough and I would have to take another six hours after the last one or I couldn't get any sleep. Finally, the answer came in the form of low dosages of methadone. It was strong and had a very long half life so I wouldn't have to take it as often. And that's when things got bad.
I started out on 2.5mg twice a day. This kind of worked for a little while, but after 5-6 months, I needed to go up to 5mg twice a day. This is still an incredibly low dosage when compared to what is given to heroin addicts, and many of the RLS forums I've been to have frequent posters who take, at the very least, 20mg a day. My doctor is not comfortable going above the dosage I'm at right now and I'm thinking about seeing a neurologist to help and possibly prescribe something different (a patch of some sort or increase the methadone). I've come to accept that this will most likely be a lifelong condition, and while there are certainly other things besides opiates that I could do to help alleviate the symptoms (regularly scheduled aerobic exercise and stretching, eating a very particular diet, etc...), it was the opiates that give the only real relief.
So, when some friend of a friend who was at a party at my house swiped a number of my methadone, I was fairly terrified of the withdrawal, since I was well aware that one of the worst symptoms of opiate WD is RLS. And dear god, was it terrible. Since the half-life of methadone is rather long, the withdrawals didn't hit until a few days after my last dose. When they did, it was pain like I had never felt before. My legs, my arms, my back(!) were wracked by the most intense RLS symptoms I've ever felt in my life. If I lay down, I would either be writhing in the bed or I would have to get up after 3-4 minutes and pace. While there were certainly other symptoms going on, such as diarrhea, sweats, yawning, watery eyes, and depression, none of them compared to that particular type of restless "pain" that comes with RLS. At it's worst, it got into my back at the top on both of my shoulder blades. It felt like something was trying push itself out of me, out of my skin. In my delirium I thought it was perhaps a pair of wings trying to free themselves from my body.
I only had a shower and no bath and hot showers do not compare at all to being able to soak in a hot bath or, if you're lucky, a jacuzzi. If I had access to a jacuzzi, I probably would've spent 95% of the time I was withdrawing in there. No joke; over-saturation be damned. If there ever is a next time (and who among us can absolutely guarantee there won't be a next time), I've got a few options that I've thought of and prepared for. First, I have a full bottle of neurontin and clonidine to take. This will help somewhat, but not nearly enough. Second, I have two large bottles of a powerful topical anesthetic that is used for horses for sore muscles and such. I read of a report elsewhere that claimed this stuff was a miracle worker when it comes to fighting off the RLS. Hot water is a topical treatment, and that works wonders, so I thought it was at least worth spending $20 for this stuff since I lack a bath or jacuzzi. Third, if all else fails, I'll try to find a motel with a "honeymoon suite" that hopefully isn't too disgusting and isn't too pricey and spend the worst of my days in what I assume will be the required heart-shaped jacuzzi bath in cheesy suites like these.
So, there's my story and contribution. Anyone else suffer from RLS while also taking opiates? Or have other ideas for defeating the RLS that comes with opiate WDs?
