Thanks for posting all of your stories, thought I’d share mine. I’ve taken vicodins and oxycodones off and on for a few years, never in doses more that literally one pill a day and never had an issue. Then in the last year or so I got a supply and thankfully still had the will power to never go over 20mg of oxy in a day. I only take them when I get home, usually 7.5mg around 6pm, the maybe another 7.5 mg around 8. That’s all. Anyone else on a very small regiment for a while? Should I expect crazy withdrawl? The last stuff I took was 15 mg, about 24 hours ago, and just took a Darvocet and a half of a xanax because I don’t know what to expect. There are a lot of horror stories on here that don’t list dosages. Can someone let me know whether I’ll kinda be fine? I had a bit of a headache and flu feeling near the end of work today, and I’m hoping that’s the worst of it.

Thanks!

-Dave

When you do get off the opiates, you will see the world in a new light. I am not talking some science fiction/religious crap here though it may feel like it. It is because the opiates constrict your pupils at all times. Once this disappates, the sun becomes brighter, the sky becomes clearer. Depending on the length of your addiction, this effect could be so dramatic you may end up needing sunglasses for awhile but in the end, it is nice. I enjoy to see the world for what it is without a mask pulled under my eyes.

Second is without a doubt the sex drive. Your hormone/testosterone levels can become severely decreased on opiates, especially the longer acting ones like methadone. Don’t fret, theres no thing wrong with you. This will go away after the withdrawal and you will find new meaning in sex. Just make sure your partner understands because, well, you won’t be lasting very long when you return to normal the first week.

Thirdly, to be able to not be dependent on a drug to get through your day is a huge thing. For years I have been programmed to get up at the same time to make it to the methadone clinic, fearing withdrawals if I didn’t. There are people that will be there for life because they hold onto this fear. Don’t buy into it. I’ve done a large amounts of IV heroin and methadone and the withdrawal, while very dragged out, ranges from mild to moderate symptoms for the majority of the time with the exception of the 4th and 5th days where symptoms peak. Even at this point it did not compare to the street drug withdrawal I had in the past. Your limit is only what you place on yourself. You dont have to be one of those people at the clinic that will be there for life. You dont have to be stuck on pain pills your whole life either especially if you are at a young age. Look into everything you can if your reason is an accident. For disc injuries, places like spinemed appear promising. The medical field is growing fast and you need to keep up with the latest technologies because some random person isnt just going to fix all your problems.

Your doctors might have the best intentions but surely very few of them have truely experienced what we have been through. The value to this is worth more than any standard medical school training one could receive. People will try to help you with their best intentions, but these intentions are based on their own education and assumptions. I would take advice from an ex junky who kicked than most internists any day.

In the end, through research and dedication, anyone can get off this stuff. The one thing I always remember is that ‘it can always be worse’. It can _always_ be worse.

I had an IV heroin habit for 2 years which I broke only by going onto a methadone program for about 5 years. I quit cold turkey off 41mg 15 days ago and am doing well enough. I sleep probably every other night or every night but at sporatic times (thanks to restless leg) since the first day of the withdrawal. I am getting better daily but this will surely drag out another 2 weeks at least.

Every opiate has its own severity of withdrawal effects. The thing you have to remember with a vicodin or oxy addiction is that it -will- be over for the most part after 7-10 days. Really, that isn’t shit. Personally, kicking the heroin was worse for me than the methadone but it was over much sooner. 10 days of insomnia (I got 2 hours sleep on day 8 I think) and then, finally began to sleep 4-5 hour nights. The bottom line really is that for morphine and heroin users, your withdrawals -will- be severe, but with the benefit of a short lasting withdrawal.

That said, here is what has helped me get to day 15 of no methadone:

- Clonidine – For HBP and tachycardia. It can also help with the cold sweats and the hair sticking up type feeling. Do note however that this has the side effect of making me weak for a few hours in additino to the withdrawal weakness, but I think it is worth it. Take it at bed time only if you can.

- Clonazepam (Klonipin)- This stuff can help moderately with insomnia. I have tried things like melatonin with no such luck at all. If you take a high enough dose of this, you will probably pass out. I can’t remember having a single dream since using these, but the goal is really just to ge tto the next day.

L-Tyrosine- This helps for energy, and it helps me quite a lot. The Heroin withdrawal was severe symptoms. Every known opiate withdrawal symptom at its worst possible level. With the methadone the worst has been the malaise. I can’t walk around a store for longer than 5 minutes without having to sit down. This stuff will really help with that. Just don’t take it any where close before bed time. 1000-1500mg seems to work well.

-A strong, pharmecutical grade multi-vitamin: Since taking these (which I recommend doubling up on for the beginning) I have no real diahrrhea symptoms. Its also necessary when you just can’t stomach most foods.

Other than this I am sure there are more supplements out there. Doctor David Arnesons method(google it) of treatment uses many herbal supplements along with the typical clonidine/benzo combination for withdrawal that almost any internal medicine doctor should be able to perscribe you. If not, go to a walk in clinic because these two are probably the most helpful.

If you are really ready to quit, there is hope. Every 24 hours from your last opiate dosing, mark off an X in your calendar. I still do this because sometimes days blend into the next along with the all too common saying of taking withdrawal a minute at a time. 24 hours is no joke. If you made it even that far, going back would be plain stupid unless it was your desire to get back into that kind of lifestyle which no one should have to live. Do your research and find what works best for you. if you need time off of work, take it. If you can’t, pretend you have the flu if you are able. Personally I needed 2 weeks time on my own after kicking the methadone to even consdier working again. Everyone is different though. Just remember your internist doesn’t know everything there is about opiate withdrawal. They may be a great doctor, but specializing in opiate withdrawal syndromes is a rarity. Your own research is needed.

I hope this post helps someone out there. Its currently 3am and Im unable to sleep yet so this is occupying me for now until I get tired enough to sleep. I should also mention simple walking for 10-15 minutes a day (when able) can make the insomnia much more tolerable when used in conjunction with a long acting benzo (clonzepam) . Good luck to all here just keep remembering that the days will pass. There is no stopping time. Everything in life is temporary. So will your suffering.

-Pain