hmm i agree to an extent but Paws is very real..Paws is the main reason why most people relapse imo...you go months and months of just feeling like shit and u wil give in, well most people will..lethargy, anxiety, foggy thoughts, dysphoria i have all experienced and i link most of them to Paws..i have talked to the local doctor that scribes subuxone and he claims Paws is extremely difficult to treat and that most doctors just try to tackle the symptoms instead of Paws itself..
Props for sticking it out. How long did it take for you to get back to normal physically? Most have been a few months at least.
Thanks Mr.Scagnattie The acute physical withdrawal stopped in around 7 days after taking last dose. Having said that, proper (badass) withdrawal symptoms didn't start until day 3 (!) due to the very long half-life of buprenorphine. On the 7th day I went out for beer and tacos to congratulate myself (and get some much needed calories after not being able to keep anything down for 4 days except a bowl of soup).
It was actually interesting because on day 7 when all acute withdrawal symptoms stopped, I felt joyous. My mood was actually higher than average. Also I had no other physical symptoms beyond this point, so I guess you could say my recovery was mercifully quick.
Unfortunately this *post-withdrawal high* didn't last, and after 5 months of not taking any psychoactive chemicals at all, intense anxiety and a persistent gloominess led me back to taking dihydrocodeine, and soon thereafter Suboxone, again (now 8mg/day).
It probably should be noted that since then I've been diagnosed with type-II bipolar disorder twice, so this may be the reason I end up seeking solace in opiates, not necessarily PAWS.
Yes PAWS is very real indeed, but 7-8 years later...? Come on. PAWS generally lasts 6 months-2 years on the high end.
Having been on 120mg of methadone since 2006. Originally i was driving to a dosing clinic 1.5 hours a day but fond a local doctor to prescribe my dose. Every now and then he does something completely screws me even when i taker my meds just as directed. LIke he will be out of town for a week on your appt day and no one ever bothers to call and notify you. So the last time he did this he was gone for 11 days, and I had to detox for 6 of them. The worst part is the feeling that every nerve in your body literally ever nerve ending is burning. You cannot regulate body temp properly and go from hot to cold in a matter of seconds. No appetite - no sleep, clock watching , you contemplate things you'd never contemplate such as corporal self harm - if you get my drift. I was afraid cannabis would make the terrible anxiety that comes with it worse but in very small doses it offered some comfort. Also hot showers and soaks for some reason helped me. Benzos would if they're available and none were. Once during that 6 day period i payed 100 dollars for 2 15mg roxys because the guy had a pill count the next day and was going to have to take flack for being short. I hear people mention diarrhea and restless legs syndrome and frankly i'd prefer either of those to feeling like my nerve endings are literally burning, being touched is uncomfortable and the sweats never stop. I realize that no ER doctor would have sympathy even with a soaring BP and obvious acute withdrawal. I am sooooo sick of the junkie cycle, All i really want is to taper myself, very mildly until i hit 30mg a day and can try suboxone or maybe skip that step and phase out all together on my own. I need someone in my family or someone neutral and trustworthy, who doesn't use, and who will not cave to my to appeals to dispense extra here and there. Because many times the detox part has been my fault -- we all know how it goes. "Ill take a couple extra today, make up for it tomorrow by taking one less". That rarely if ever goes down that way though and we end up 4 days til appt. day suffering or expending all the time , money and resources to procure the relief we seek.