Stimulants Withdrawal Qurstions

[brighteyes2342]

My ex boyfriend is trying to get off of meth. He's been an addict for about 20 years and he's the only person I've ever known to be "dope sick." I thought you just slept and ate when coming down but he has serious withdrawal symptoms. I don't know what to do.

He's currently asleep in my bed but I need to know what to do to make this better for him. So far I have.....
- made coffee (he didn't drink it)
- made banana nut muffins (his favorite) and fettuccine alfredo. (second favorite) He ate neither.
- made him shower for the first time in four days. I started his water, grabbed his dirty clothes and changed the bed sheets which were NASTY. I put a towel and some clean sweats in the dryer to heat them up for when he got out because he keeps telling me he's "chilling."
- I rapidly made the bed and put a quilt in the dryer for when he got back in the bed. He laid down and I covered him up with it. He still says he's cold.
- brought him a mountain dew which is the only thing he's attempted to ingest
- gave him two DayQuil Severe for his cold/flu symptoms
- last night, I gave him two generic Tylenol PMs because he said he couldn't sleep from being so "achy."

What can I do? Is there any medication (OTC, obviously) that will help him? Cold/flu meds maybe? Also, this is day four. How long is this going to last? Is there any food I can make that he might eat? What do I do about him staying cold?

Any advice sincerely appreciated.

 

[EnlightenedOne1]

I don't want to preach or sound authoritative or definitive for everyone due to my subjective experience which involves years of heroic adderall binges and I've smoked meth twice and snorted it twice in my life...IMO, if he has been using meth for 20 years he has done permanent neurological damage and will never recover nor enjoy any aspect of life ever again..Sounds morbid, albeit once your dopamine is depleted, it's game over. Maybe he will be different....Here's what's important for him to do:

-Hydrate
-Exercise (more than 2 studies on aerobic exercises for helping amphetamine abusers cease use)
-Sleep (after 6 hits of smoking glass I was on my feet for 78 hours and when I crashed I slept for 3 days straight.
-There are no OTC meds that will help...you giving him NSAIDS after being chronically dehydrated for 2 decades and washing it down with mountain dew is just killing him more...

Don't want to come off as all doom and gloom but it's the truth...my real advice (and I'm anti rehab) is to take him to the ER and tell the truth so he can get some benzodiazepines and multiple IV bags...He might luck out and end up "ok" but 20 years of meth use is unreal...If he can't drink water--take him to the ER...

Elaborate more on his usage please.


This. I'd be a bit more optimistic, this sounds pretty correct .

 

[jamesBrown]

-Hydrate

Definitely

-Exercise (more than 2 studies on aerobic exercises for helping amphetamine abusers cease use)

Since he has been taking meth, one of the strongest "uppers"(heart rate increase, BP increase, etc...) there is, I'm not so sure that exercise during this stage of recovery would be wise. He could have a damaged heart or circulatory system that needs time to heal(if it can heal) and any exercise could potentially cause a heart attack or some similar episode. Or it could just simply make his symptoms worse.

-Sleep (after 6 hits of smoking glass I was on my feet for 78 hours and when I crashed I slept for 3 days straight.

If possible, YES, sleep would be beneficial.

-There are no OTC meds that will help...you giving him NSAIDS after being chronically dehydrated for 2 decades and washing it down with mountain dew is just killing him more...

I am not an expert on meth WD's, but I find it a little hard to believe that there aren't ANY OTC meds or herbs or supplements that could benefit him. I would just try to stay away from anything that is likely to increase his heart rate or blood pressure. But checking with a doctor first would be the best option.

...IMO, if he has been using meth for 20 years he has done permanent neurological damage and will never recover nor enjoy any aspect of life ever again..Sounds morbid, albeit once your dopamine is depleted, it's game over. Maybe he will be different...

Don't want to come off as all doom and gloom but it's the truth...

I actually don't agree with this. Not only is there no guarantee that there will be neurological damage(although it IS likely), but even if there definitely was damage, there is no way of knowing to what degree the damage has reached. Nor is there any way of knowing how permanent the damage is, if at all. Of course...if he were to go see a doctor(a specialist would be best)...then you can actually start getting answers to questions about any damage done and how permanent that potential damage is likely to be.

my real advice (and I'm anti rehab) is to take him to the ER and tell the truth so he can get some benzodiazepines and multiple IV bags...He might luck out and end up "ok" but 20 years of meth use is unreal...If he can't drink water--take him to the ER...

I agree that taking him to the ER or a doctor is in his best interest, ESPECIALLY if he can't drink liquids. If he can't drink...get him to the ER immediately.

Good luck!

jB

 

[Ksa]

What are you doing with your ex boyfriend trying to get him off meth? Is he paying you? Do you have kids together? Do you meet just for sex? I can't put the two and two together. You might be a very nice person. The first thing you need to be aware of is the change in his perception. For one he will look at you differently and he won't be the same person again. For two, watch out for things that you liked about him and make sure it's still there. You have no security concerns, for what I know, there's very few chances for him to get violent. For withdrawal:

Take his blood pressure and heart rate. Get him to stand up and walk...make him walk around see if he's losing cabin pressure. Hydrate him to support vasodilation. Forget all about the heart/brain damage, I've never heard of a person damaging an organ for 20 years and survive...chances are his body adjusted well to meth and might have even benefited in terms of lowered stress and increased reward, so what you're looking at may be a spoiled brat and not a human wreck. He has to eat. Forget the banana...go buy some smoked salmon at 25$/lb and make him eat that. Make him eat quality meat that tastes good, expensive meat. Give him some glycerol for the constipation that is to come.

 

[brighteyes2342]

Thank you all for your different perspectives. I'm going to work on keeping him hydrated, clean and (hopefully) fed.

KSA - No, he isn't paying me. No, we don't have any kids. Well he does, but I don't. No, we aren't shagging. I don't have any illusions that he will view me the same way nor do I have any intentions in looking for the things I adored about him because although I love him and care about his well being (as evidenced by him withdrawing at my house) I have zero desire to ever pursue a relationship with him again. He doesn't really have any family or friends who will take him in because of his addictions and/or resulting behaviors so what can I say? I have a bleeding heart. I still care about him, even if I'm no longer attracted to him.

In other news, I've heard vitamins will help. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks again!!!

 

[Gorillaboy21]

You're a beautiful person and I believe you , there doesn't have to be an underlying reason for her to do this other than feeling bad for someone you've once loved or just straight human to human maybe she feels everyone deserves a friend and help without judgement .

I'm no expert on meth withdrawal mainly downers but I think it would be smart to take care of the essential parts of his health first like hydration vitamin levels blood pressure etc so maybe a quick (or as quick as possible ) force him to get up as weak as he is to go in case there is something serious that you are unaware of .
Till than get the highest electrolyte PH level water from your local stores whatever country you're in (you said shagging so I'm guessing not the United States lol) get 7.5-9.5 PH water bottles , Gatorade , preferably sublingual vitamins so he doesn't have to swallow horse pills , keep him comfortable with heat blankets whatever he needs if his clothes are soaked in sweat have a few clean new pairs sitting nmready to switch any time .
It sounds relatively similar to any detox in general alcohol , benzo , or opiate they are all different of course but similar in terms of how the body might react become dehydrated and such.
Just make sure you get him to the doctor before he becomes too weak or something bad happens or if he loses it and ends up buying more meth so you're an angel I respect you keep it up and keep us posted

 

[Ksa]

I have to insist on eating meat. Meth withdrawals leaves the body exposed especially the heart. He needs to eat red meat and suck on omega-3 pills. It's important for the omega-3 oil to soak the mouth before swallowing it. This is not the time to eat healthy and have a banana and fruits diet, he needs to eat red meat and drink raw eggs. Beat 3 or 4 raw eggs into pulp add sugar and honey and make him drink that.

 

[jamesBrown]

I have to insist on eating meat. Meth withdrawals leaves the body exposed especially the heart. He needs to eat red meat and suck on omega-3 pills. It's important for the omega-3 oil to soak the mouth before swallowing it. This is not the time to eat healthy and have a banana and fruits diet, he needs to eat red meat and drink raw eggs. Beat 3 or 4 raw eggs into pulp add sugar and honey and make him drink that.

I agree that eating meat in general(including fish) is important, as long as it's possible for the person to eat. I would often not be able to eat during WD's most of the time and if I tried it usually ended up with me gagging and vomiting and shaking, as well as a general worsening of my symptoms. So if he literally CAN'T eat, then don't force him.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

He really needs to just eat well and sleep as much as needed during this period. When I quit after using stimulants after years of daily use, I slept nearly 20hrs a day for a week and then almost 16hrs a day for the second week. I basically only woke up to eat and use the bathroom.

Once he gets past this acute withdrawal stage that you are describing he will still have a very long recovery. He will be unmotivated to do anything, find little pleasure in life, be depressed, deal with constant cravings and desires to relapse, etc probably for a VERY long time. It's essentially a period of PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome). Most people associate PAWS with opiate cessation but it can happen with heavy long term stimulant use as well... The sysmptoms of which are similar.

Once he gets past these acute withdrawals he will still be VERY vunerable to relapse. He may need a support system, therapy, etc. A visit to a psychiatrist or doctor may be beneficial. For example, after I quit stimulants I found taking the atypical antidepressant wellbutrin helpful. It helped somewhat with the lack of motivation and lack of any pleasure I was getting out of life.

Quitting long term daily stimulant use is very hard. He will likely relapse. I relapsed an embarrassing amount of times before finally quitting for good. He will still struggle his entire life with thoughts of using, I know I do.

I wish you both luck.

 

[Ksa]

Also a quick word on relapse, because it was mentioned. Relapsing is a serious word pronounced 99% of the time by naive individuals. We have 2 scenarios:

1) If a drug seriously decreases a person's quality of life, and that person goes back to using the drug through an impulse of the moment, as a symptom of substance addiction, we can safely say that the person relapsed.
2) If however, a person's quality of life is way superior on the drug, and the person notices this fact after withdrawing, if the person goes back to using the drug, he's not relapsing: He's making a logical choice.

So distinguish both scenarios. It is also an insult to tell a person making the logical choice of using a drug, that they are relapsing, and I consider it to be a violation of their human rights and dignity. Many individuals draw a net benefit from using meth, it has zero negative impact on their health, on their life and family, and when they're on it they're a blast, they're more productive, they make more money and are more friendly and nicer to be around. So what we're trying to do is help people in need, and avoid harassing people who are not in need and don't need your help.

 

[OntarioGuy]

I wasn't aware that methamphetamine caused a heroin style "dope sickness" I used meth everyday for months and stopped abruptly with no symptoms.....but 20 years is a long time.....is it more just like getting back to normal sleep patterns and diets again that is the "withdrawal" of meth? Like I know a lot of ppl call the crash after a binge withdrawal, but I've never thought it was anything like dopesickness of opiates or benzodiazepines

 

[Ksa]

I wasn't aware that methamphetamine caused a heroin style "dope sickness" I used meth everyday for months and stopped abruptly with no symptoms.....but 20 years is a long time.....is it more just like getting back to normal sleep patterns and diets again that is the "withdrawal" of meth? Like I know a lot of ppl call the crash after a binge withdrawal, but I've never thought it was anything like dopesickness of opiates or benzodiazepines

Maybe his mother was absent from his childhood and he never got that type of affection, you know when you're sick and your mom cuddles you and makes you tea? Maybe he's trying to get some of that void filled, you never know what you're getting into huh? Lol. There's a reason why he's his ex. Maybe he needs a mother and not a wife, who knows. Children don't make women wet that's for sure, it dries them up pretty good.

Would be good if OP talked to us about his parents lol.

 

[deadendgame]

You are a good person. I can see that you are doing all that you can for your loved one. I don't know how to help you honestly, because I have never even heard of anyone being on meth for that long. Some vitamins that you could feed him are maybe some B vitamins and tyrosine. Tyrosine is an amino acid that gets converted to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that your boyfriend is lacking right now. If you give him a little bit of tyrosine each day, maybe his dopamine levels will return to normal. Of course he needs water and food, so definitely try to shuttle him as much of that as possible. It may be that he cannot ingest solid nutrients so maybe feed him some protein shakes and/or oatmeal. As for the hygeine, okay, maybe ask him to walk in the shower and walk out. Just wash, don't put any soap, that's too much effort. And lastly, try to make sure that he's active in his waking hours. Like maybe ask him to walk a little bit everyday. Not run, because I know he probably won't be able to do that. Keep his morale high. Make it seem that he has something to live for. Lastly, make sure you take care of yourself first! Also, maybe take him to see an outpatient doctor. Not inpatient. Don't check him into the psych ward. They will probably put him on antipsychotics and that is really painful. You are a good person, and I sincerely wish you and your boyfriend the best of luck! Because I believe that yall have some chance of getting out of your situation. I think, the goal should be to make little improvements each day.

 

[Ksa]

You are a good person. I can see that you are doing all that you can for your loved one. I don't know how to help you honestly, because I have never even heard of anyone being on meth for that long. Some vitamins that you could feed him are maybe some B vitamins and tyrosine. Tyrosine is an amino acid that gets converted to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that your boyfriend is lacking right now. If you give him a little bit of tyrosine each day, maybe his dopamine levels will return to normal.

Thank you for lecturing us. Tyrosine is raw material. I ask you, you have a wood factory processing freshly cut trees. With 100 workers, each producing 150 wood planks/day for a total of 15,000 planks/day: If you fire 90 workers, does it help to have more wood to cut in order to restore your daily plank production to 15,000? Easy math question you can do on a napkin. It doesn't work