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Poppy Seed Tea Withdrawal Is Hell

I come from the punjabi community where poppy pods have been used for generations you can even buy ground poppy pods from many Indian grocery shops.The withdrawals do last longer then with short acting opiates.I have known many people who quit them it normally a full week of hell.Try to get hold of lyrica I used it for heroin and it helped also gave some to a Indian taxi driver who was quitting poppy pods he said it made all the difference for him.Keep strong mate each day will get easier good luck
 
Reason im saying try to get some lyrics it will give you a good sleep use for a few days and then stop
 
@Yubacity: Thanks for the suggestion and support. Another poster also suggested the lyria. At this point, I am committed to teaching myself a hard lesson for a stupid decision. If I am sitting here at this time next week still with no sleep, I may try something different. Of course, if I am still here next week with still no sleep, I will probably have to be committed in another way...
 
@Yubacity: Thanks for the suggestion and support. Another poster also suggested the lyria. At this point, I am committed to teaching myself a hard lesson for a stupid decision. If I am sitting here at this time next week still with no sleep, I may try something different. Of course, if I am still here next week with still no sleep, I will probably have to be committed in another way...
The no sleep is the worst without it you feel shit all day.Like you I spent my wd dreading the night because thats when anxiety was worse and you end up walking around house all night.I
 
Mid-morning on Day 7. Wow, Day 7 already? How time flies...Actually it seems like it should be August by now. This has been the longest week of my life.

Managed to sleep from 4am to 7:30am which is the longest stretch of sleep I have had all week. I woke actually feeling kind of human. The physical symptoms seem to diminishing every hour. I am still very tired and physically drained having the sum total of 2 and half pieces of toast, 6 soda crackers, and 2 cups of soup to eat in the past 6 days. I have lost 11 pounds. My wife is making me a scrambled egg which does not sound good, but I think a shot of protein would be good if I can keep it down. I do not feel especially nauseous but also do not much of an appetite either. Still having some issues swallowing, especially solids. That is really unexpected and concerns me. I may schedule my way past due physical soon once I return to the world of the living. No headache today and very little anxiety. Some loose stool, but no diarrhea which is a huge bonus at this point. Just absolutely no energy at all--every step is a chore and the slightest physical exertion causes me to break into a sweat.

But I did manage to pry myself out bed and take a real shower (not a hot a bath), shaved my week old beard, and got dressed in real clothes. I still look like hell though. I stood in front of the full length mirror in our bedroom for a long time and stared at what I had done to myself. Gaunt, out of shape, pale, dark circles under eyes, the grey in my hair seems much greater for some reason. I have got to get my shit back in one pile.

I am going to try and answer the countless emails I have ignored this week and address a number of work items I have blown off. Don't think I have the juice to drive into the office, but baby steps, right? Also, plan to take the dog for a walk. A number of people have suggested getting some exercise as soon as possible and I think that is good counsel. I can't say that I look forward to it, but I think some activity might help the insomnia which at this point is the greatest issue I am facing. if I can overcome that, I think might be OK.
 
Your doing great man!!
i wish I had your strength and determination which I should for my family.
ive got a long way to go. You are almost there!! Keep it up. If you are a religious person, pray your heart out.
I?m sending one up for you whether you want it or not. Hahahaaaaa
seriously though, man keep at it. It should be almost over. When normality hits, its one of the best feelings ever!! Better than any high I?ve ever had.
 
@Beenbetter: Thank you so much for the supportive words. Truly the reason I started this was for my sister and I tried to keep her needs as my singular focal point. Had I not had that, I would not have been able to do this. Today is really the first that I really feel like I have got this. It has literally taken everything I have mentally and physically to survive. I once hiked the Grand Canyon carrying 50 pound packs and went 40 miles in 3 days to the bottom and back. That was a cake walk compared to this week.
 
I have almost made it through Day 7 and starting to feel closer to normal or whatever normal used to feel like. Took the dog on a short 1/4 mile walk that absolutely exhausted me. I know that doesn't sound impressive, but I had trouble making it from the bedroom to the bathroom a couple of days ago. Still little appetite and worried about sleeping tonight. Depression seems to be lifting but I still have a sad melancholy feeling inside. And, I am starting to sense something else that is probably going to be a problem: boredom. My entire schedule used to revolve around getting, washing, and drinking poppy seed tea and then just wasting my life being high. Now with out that daily ritual I see a lot of time and energy that needs to be filled. I plan to start working out again and getting back to my woodcraft as soon as I feel able which should help, but still it worries me.
 
Hi I've read the whole thread. Just found ya here tonight.
Two points - maybe 3. The melancholic mood will be part of your life possibly a long while. IT will wax and wane but ... point two may help : yes you'll need hobbies n healthy focal points to put that time n energy into
Exercise. The woodcrafting. Maybe health foods or cooking. Whatever floats your boat that should help guard against the boredom AND depression you'll face down the road.

Now : the trouble swallowing. Obviously don't take this In place of medical advice but I do have an anecdotal report which Might explain it.
A year ago I experienced this complete n total loss of appetite outta the blue. We eventually learned I had a paralytic ileus (a stopped bowel ) . The point is for 17 days my body absolutely refused food. If I tried to take any my throat would start to feel like it was closing up. The doc said that happens when your body knows before you do, that eating at that point would do you more harm than good.
Once my bowel straightened out my appetite n normal swallowing returned immediately. I was starving ! I ate an awful lot that first good day .

Well congratulations on this Start to your recovery. You're gonna meet a Hell of a guy here pretty soon..... it's the guy you Are, and the guy who's been buried under the opiate mask all these years. He might even fall in love again. I'll bet your wife n kids have missed him.....May be one day you'll tell them.
If they love you, they'll have nothin but respect for ALL you're doing here now to get well, all (*started as) to Be There for your sister.

You're gonna have quite a fan base: tell us any time any thing you need to let rip. We've been thru these days n night's of Hell. We would love to see you on the other side!
Take care --
- Fox
 
P.S.
Pedialyte is always best when you're becoming real dehydrated. Food can wait but fluids truly Must be maintained. Id hate to see you wind up in the hospital after you've come this far on your own.
 
@Runningfox: Thank you so much your thoughts and advice. The swallowing comes and goes but seems to be mostly associated with solid foods. I think it may have more to do with how I have conditioned myself over the past few years to accommodate my daily habit. I found that to get maximum bang from the tea, it was better to drink it on a completely empty stomach so I would avoid eating 4 or 5 hours before each dose. Then after the buzz hit I would binge on junk food or whatever sounded good. My thinking is that body (and mind) got used to only processing solid food when it was totally relaxed. Now that I am in a tense, stressed state, my throat is restricted. But like you I am not a doctor either. I did have a colonoscopy about 3 months ago so no problems with the overall plumbing. I plan to schedule a physical in the very near future since I have avoided it for years. My doctor always does blood work and I really didn't want my little habit showing up. God, the more I write about the things I have done to support and hide the drug use, the stupider I feel.
 
It is now Day 8. I totally forgot that today is Mother's Day did not get anything for my wife or mom. I have got to force myself off of the couch and head to mall and then to my parents. That should be an interesting excursion since I have not left the house since a week ago yesterday.

Feel pretty good today--similar to yesterday so I don't sense much improvement. Slight headache but I have not had any coffee yet. Definitely better than I was earlier in the week. Sleep was sporadic last night but I did sleep. Seems like I kept waking up every hour on the hour but probably managed 4 hours or so. Believe me, I will take anything I can get at this point.

Still very drained with not a lot of energy. Every minor task seems like a huge undertaking. Legs ache more than yesterday and feel like I have been standing for days even though I have not. Going to try and do another walk to see if that helps. Not much appetite but did manage to get an egg and half a bran muffin down.

Amazingly, I have had no cravings or desire for the poppy seed tea the past couple of days. As noted above, I am sure it will come back eventually but currently I want noting to do with it. God, I hope that feeling lasts.

Nausea has passed and diarrhea has become mostly loose stool which makes me excited. That is a sentence I never thought I would ever write.
 
You got it man!! Keep pushing. I know how hard it is. Done it before me self. Yes it hurts, and hurts bad. Truly the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Youve come so far don’t even think of going back. I’m here for if you need to chat, pm me.
 
@Beenbetter: Thank you so much. I am so grateful for all of the support and encouragement I have received from everyone on Bluelight. Starting this thread was the best decision I could have made and I really do believe it has made the difference between success and failure.
 
I've almost made it through Day 8, but still have to contend with Night 8 which is where things have been going off the rails. If I could just get about 5 or 6 consecutive hours of sleep, I think I would feel much, much better. My legs have been especially achy today for some reason and walking even a short distance is laboring. Headache is gone as is the nervous anxious feeling. Still feel really down emotionally but trying to stay positive. Still no appetite, but GI issues seem to have diminished for the most part. I can't say my head is completely clear yet as simple things seem to be very complicated. For and engineer that is terrifying as it is usually the other way around. Humorously, my daughter asked me when I was going to open the swimming pool for the summer. I almost told her--as soon as I can remember how to tie my shoes.

She drove me to the mall and over to my parents. My Mother thanked me for her gift, told me she loved me then said I looked like hell. Ah moms--you got to love them.

I am going to try and make it into work tomorrow. Should be interesting since my employees have not dealt with me sober in about 2 years. Not sure if they suspect what has been up but I suspect they do since they are smart people--I went from a 'hey, we can do this, no problem' kind of guy to 'meh, whatever'.
 
Day 9, almost to double digits. Last night was another rough one. Slept from 3 to 5am and 6 to 7am. The lack of rest is absolutely killing me as I have no energy and my brain feels like it is a jello mold. Other than that, I feel good overall today and plan to go back into work for the first time in a week. Legs still ache a bit and feel tired, but again, I think that may be sleep related as well.

Not feeling anxious or nervous, but still especially congested and sneezing a lot. I have considered trying some decongestants, but feel it is probably better to just let it all get out of the system. Appetite is still not back but the gastro issues seem to be over at this point as I had a near-normal bowel movement earlier (sorry--just trying to be thorough with this journal). Speaking of that, and not to seem too obscene, I actually woke up with an erection which was something of a surprise. Don't misunderstand me, I did not feel like joining an orgy or anything and don't really have any physical/psychological issues down there, but the tea's libido suppressing effects have just kept it from happening for a long, long time. Anyway, I take it a s good sign that my body is in reset mode and things are starting to return to the way they are supposed to be outside of an altered state.

Another thing that is starting to happen is that I am beginning to notice things that I did not see through the fog. I used to be very anal with my home and vehicle maintenance, and even though my brain is barely out of neutral, I can see that the yard really looks like shit, my cars are all dirty and behind on maintenance, my workshop is piled high with crap, my desk is covered with papers, the softener is out of salt, the mailbox is about to fall off, there are bird nests in the eaves, I have a couple of shingles missing from a storm last summer, a gutter on the garage is hanging loose, a burner is out on the stove, etc. etc. God, what else have I not been seeing and ignoring? That scares the hell out of me.
 
Wow! What a journey! I have been on opiates for various reasons off and on for about 30 years, and on pain management for 10 of those years. I've recently decided I want to quit - I'm tired of the side-effects and also of the idea that somewhere down the line something will come up and I might have to deal with being forced to quit cold-turkey (like losing my insurance, etc). You will not believe that in some forums Poppy Seed Tea was a suggested alternative to opioids, and to help with withdrawals! I never really considered it, but now I know I definitely never, ever will!!! I, too, have had to contend with withdrawals - I've run out of meds and could not be rescheduled in time, and the longest I've gone without is a month. It was hellish, and I was counting down the days until my next appointment. Even at the one month mark, I was still struggling with withdrawal. But what you've described is ten times worse, and I am so impressed with you that you've hung in there! If I had a "stash" in my garage - I would have caved right away. I'm really proud of you and support you as you journey on. I still have not picked a date to quit my pain meds (and I'm still iffy about it especially since it does address my chronic pain), but I know to taper down and to get help from my pain clinic when I do decide. But, because of you, I know to steer clear of PST! Keep up the fight - you have much support and lots of readers cheering you on! Thanks for taking the time to post everything you have and for sharing your experience. I think it'll help many more stay away from PST.
 
@ShyDebTasTic: Thank you for the feedback and supportive message. Yes, please stay away from PST. Had I known what was in store for me, I would never have taken the first drink. The last week was beyond horrible and I am still not completely over it. Legs are still very achy and my brain is not thinking properly yet. Insomnia is the worst. I think I am going to try some Melatonin and Valerian Root tonight to see if I can get some rest. I was trying very hard to detox without the aid of support meds, but I am having trouble functioning without sleep. And, I am not as young as I used to be. If I were 25 the experience may have not been as hellish and I may have bounced back quicker. I always thought of myself as an intelligent person, and thought I was so clever with my "legal high"--not anymore.
 
Insomnia is always the toughest symptom in any drug withdrawal for me because my brain can't operate without it. I wouldn't feel too bad for teaching for some kind of comfort med, especially natural ones. Valeriann and melatonin are excellent choices. I like to use Nature's Best Valerian. The bottle with the purple cap because it has valerenic acid in it, not just the root. This helped me a little bit with benzo withdrawal in the past. L-theanine, chamomile, Passion Flower Extract, and Lemon Balm might help you as well.
 
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