Posts from — July 2008
The Opiate Withdrawal Survival Kit Part 2: Drugs for Detox
The Kick Pack
I remember when I was younger, there was a clinic by my house that would give patients an opiate withdrawal “kick pack” to help them with their detox. You had to sign all of this paperwork, much like the methadone clinics of today, and then they’d give you this little kit full of drugs that you could use to detox with. I personally never got the thing, but I’d heard that it had stuff in it like, Darvocet (warning: do not use Darvocet/Darvon/Propoxyphene), Clonidine, and maybe some Valium or other tranquilizer. Ideally, you want to get through your detox without having to resort to using any other drugs, but sometimes that’s either too difficult, or just not feasible. If you believe in harm reduction, then this post is for you. If you think that a good detox is one that is completely “cold turkey,” then that is understandable, and more power to you…go for it!... continue
July 19, 2008 331 Comments
The Opiate Withdrawal Survival Kit Part 1: Preparation
As I mentioned in my previous post, a great deal of planning and preparation should go into a detox session. The reason why so many people enter rehab in order to detox, is because it can be a very traumatic experience. One that will most likely put the rest of your life on hold.... continue
July 18, 2008 38 Comments
Surviving Your First Detox; What to Expect
I still remember the first time I detoxed from opiates. Back then it was heroin that I was kicking, and I had no idea what I was in for. Though the symptoms are very similar, I must say that withdrawing from vicodin (hydrocodone) is far far worse than the heroin. I’m not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the way vicodin is synthesized that makes it much more painful when it comes time to detox. Vicodin is a semi-synthetic derivative of opium. It is essentially codeine with a hydrogen atom attached to it. Scientists believed that by hydrogenizing the codeine molecule, they could make it easier on the stomach. Well I guess they didn’t account for what happens when it begins to leave the body during withdrawal.... continue
July 10, 2008 190 Comments