Withdrawal questions

[PieceByPiece]

1. How long after your last dose of opioids does withdrawal start?

2. Is a fast heart rate and anxiety a sign of withdrawal?

3. Is it better to reduce your dose slowly to stop or go cold turkey?

 

[cuivre]

1. It depends so much on what kind of opioid you're talking about and whether it is long acting or short acting, as well as your metabolism and whether or not you have any renal/hepatic impairment. Anywhere from a few hours or less with short-acting, IV opioids to approaching a full day or longer for long-acting opioids or for those with other problems causing slow elimination.

2. These are hallmark signs of withdrawal for most people, and often some of the earliest symptoms to manifest.

3. The jury is out on this one but there is a reason so many addicts end up on maintenance therapy. Going cold turkey may end up making withdrawal last for a shorter period of time overall but isn't necessarily a great foundation for long-term cleanliness for everyone. Certainly there are addicts who have gone cold turkey and managed not to go back; I'm not saying anything to the contrary. It pretty much ends up boiling down to personal preference and what your health care providers are willing to do, IMO/E. Personally I think as much as possible, tapering or dose reduction is better than cold turkey, even if it's not long-term maintenance therapy. Anything reasonable you can do to cut down on how severe withdrawals will ultimately be is a good thing in my book. The biggest problem with slowly reducing your dose is that it's nearly impossible for an addict to do it alone, and often requires outside assistance. Cold turkey is "easier" (ironic quotes) in some ways because you just have to get rid of your drugs or run out, whereas tapering requires a bit more planning and resources... but nothing worth doing is ever easy though, right?

 

[benzopiatez]

My dog tried cold turkey with ACFent and it was fucking hell. Like having the worst flu ever without the puking. So weak he couldn't get out of bed. I would recommend tapering, slowly. I didnt get fast heart rate, but that definitely is a sign of w/d. My dog took benzo's for the anxiety and to help sleep. My dog is still in withdrawl after a week. Cold turkey would be faster but it feels really terrible.... what kinda opioids we talkin here?

 

[wezface]

1. see below

2. yes

3. see below

1&3 are highly personal and subjective to each individual and his or her own circumstances. Cuivre has it right: your time to withdrawal will depend on not only what opiates you've used, but also how long you've used/abused them, how often you tend to dose (how long your body is used to waiting will change the outcome), and your physical metabolism. But it also depends on a lot of other factors: your emotional/mental situation, your metabolism and physical fitness level, what you're eating, whether you're in a different environment than the one in which you're used to using/being. This is just something everybody has to figure out for him/herself. Very generally, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Some people (especially first time users/abusers) can abuse opiates for several months without getting any withdrawal symptoms at all. Some people get symptoms after as few as a couple of weeks.

1/3. 3 is also a very personal question as everyone's addiction works differently and has different triggers, strengths, and resource potential (for both continued abuse and recovery). Some people prefer to go cold turkey. I'm of this ilk because when it comes to opiates, the self-control and patience that is so present in every other aspect of my life just flies out the window. If I'm tapering, or maintaining, I have to be held accountable by an outside party. This is just the nature of my addiction and I've learned to work within its confines. Tapering, however, is less acutely uncomfortable and can be more successful depending on you and your set of resources. Either way, the chance of success without a plan in place for after the withdrawal and for continued recovery is very, very low. Quitting the drug is about 20% of quitting the drug, if you catch my drift.

back to 1: I've found that, since about 80% of withdrawal is mental, if I put myself in a totally separate location/environment/circumstance than I am in when I'm using, the withdrawals are FAR less uncomfortable if noticeable at all. This is my biggest suggestion to people, followed by making sure your support system is set up and not quitting until YOU, personally, WANT to quit. That desire can't be for anyone else, or from anyone else, or it won't work.

Good luck.