Opioid WD toolbox: Harmalas
Most opioid users/ abusers here probably have a few tools in their arsenal when the time comes for withdrawal, the right comfort meds can really make a huge differance in the intensity of acute WD. I've tried and used many of them, here is i brief review of the effective ones:
Oxcarbazepine: Works wonders for tramadol withdrawal, it literally puts every WD symptome on hold. Needs to be fased out since the WD symptoms comes back when cutting the dose. In my limited experience it's not as effective on methadone and kratom WD:s, but my memory of it may be skewed. I can only vouch for it on tramadol WD:s, but there it works wonders.
Phenibut: Seems to be suprisingly selective on managing kratom WD:s, but it's not a magic bullet like oxcarbazepine is on tramadol WD:s. Symptoms are still there, but at least kratom induced withdrawal symptomes are greatly attenuated. Not really effective on other opioid WD:s IME, but it could be a dosage issue.
Loperamide: Seems to help quite a bit with most opioid induced withdrawals if you eat enough. Not a magic bullet though, and it needs to be fased out or WD:s return full force.
Pregabalin: Just tried it for the first time on methadone withdrawal. It's very efficiant and takes care of all symptoms. The mood stabalizing and anxiolytic effects really shines on this one, but this one needs to be fased out as well.
But here comes the reason for this post, I'm really baffled that there seems to be a complete lack of first hand accounts on the merits of utilizing harmalas to manage acute opioid withdrawal symptoms. I first discovered it's powers when I was dependent on kratom a few years ago. I was experimenting with microdoses of powdered banisteriopsis caapi vine, and to my suprise found myself sometimes "forgetting" my kratom doses which I'd normally be brutally reminded of by a running nose, aches and chills. The effects of kratom was not in any way potentiated by the vine, but the delay of the doses would not put me in WD as expected. This benefit of the caapi was duely noted, but no further experiments where undertaken at that time. However, just a quick google search revieled that the attenuating effect of harmalas on opioid (morphine in particular) withdrawal symptomes in rodents were thouroghly documented. Just a quick pick, there is a lot more:
Fast forward to today, I've used peganum harmala seeds to quickly taper out and withdrawing from a small (about 30 mg/day) 6 month old methadone habit. I use about 5 grams spread out a day (I've made capsules of the ground seeds, about 500 mg per cap) and I'm happy to say it helps
alot. No insomnia, no restless legs (or arms!), no temperature fluctations or sweats! It is not as effective on anxiety or overall mood as pregabalin, but still, absolutely no lack of sleep and the complete absence of "restless arms" and other shitty pains when withdrawing from methadone is huge for me! It's been 2 weeks since I dropped the last dose of methadone. I'm completely broke and can't afford any other comfort meds, but I have in my possession more than 1.5 kg of Peganum harmala seeds so I will not run out anytime soon
I experience no psychoactivity from the amount of seed I'm consuming, I just pop the capsules spread out during the day, as soon as I'm beginning to feel cold, achy or restless another capsule halts the WD:s in it's tracks. My P.H seed dose is limited by a bit of upset stomach, but that is about the only side effect I experience.
Anyway, I only wanted to share this because as mentioned earler, I've never ever seen any personal accounts of this, and given it's percieved effectiveness, documented efficiancy, availability and price, it is absolutely baffeling it isn't raved about on forums like this. If I were to rate it it would fall just abit behind pregabalin in efficiancy, but it is quite available, non-addictive and practically free (I payed $55 for 2 kg, am I allowed to say this? 8( ). This is huge IMO

Granted my current habit wasn't a huge one, but if it wasn't for the seeds, I'd be a complete mess right now.