Where did you go,I read everything from you,hanna,and zeek..you never wrote after your trip. All of you just quit posting. It was so helpful reading through all of your post's
.I'm on day 15 getting off subs. thanks for the info on the potassium,still have the RLS and night sweats happening. Stay strong and God bless
Hey there,
I am sorry i stopped posting! All the notifications went into my spam box for some reason so I assumed no one else had posted.
Yes, I am still here and still clean! Yeah, Zeek disappeared- I can only guess it's cos he relapsed, or he is clean and out there living life and being happy!!!
Its strange getting used to a life without subutex. ...I dont want it back at all...but sometimes I get a craving for it. It soon passes - I never want to go through the detox again- it was pure hell. I was in agony and wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy.
When you get clean you have to find something else to focus on and keep yourself busy. I have so much time now- i realise that the subutex would keep me awake half the night and i would sleep most of the day (when not at work) so i was in a bad pattern and exhausted most of the time. I now have my energy back and not sure what to do with it!!!
I still feel its early days and I am re-evaluating my whole life, which aint going to happen overnight, but its all good...I will get there in the end, and decide what I want to do...
Love to everyone who is going thru the pain of a detox...you CAN do it and you WONT regret it xxxx
Hanna
I am sorry i stopped posting! All the notifications went into my spam box for some reason so I assumed no one else had posted.
Yes, I am still here and still clean! Yeah, Zeek disappeared- I can only guess it's cos he relapsed, or he is clean and out there living life and being happy!!!
Its strange getting used to a life without subutex. ...I dont want it back at all...but sometimes I get a craving for it. It soon passes - I never want to go through the detox again- it was pure hell. I was in agony and wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy.
When you get clean you have to find something else to focus on and keep yourself busy. I have so much time now- i realise that the subutex would keep me awake half the night and i would sleep most of the day (when not at work) so i was in a bad pattern and exhausted most of the time. I now have my energy back and not sure what to do with it!!!
I still feel its early days and I am re-evaluating my whole life, which aint going to happen overnight, but its all good...I will get there in the end, and decide what I want to do...
Love to everyone who is going thru the pain of a detox...you CAN do it and you WONT regret it xxxx
Hanna
I hope u kept going after you posted this.
its a long process and sometimes you wonder if you will ever get though it, but you will.
RLS is the worst! I found that really hard to cope with....
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x
its a long process and sometimes you wonder if you will ever get though it, but you will.
RLS is the worst! I found that really hard to cope with....
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x
Im on day 50. It has been a roller coaster. Ive gained soo much weight. Ive also noticed i do not stay up all night and sleep during the day. I laugh more. I get angry about things that i think i self medicated for. But its ok feelings mean i feelc again. I still cannot move around like i used to feel drained but it does get easier every day. Did i mention i gain almost 15 pounds! Yikes. But i guess tis better to be healthy n clean then skinny and sick. Also i feel old i go to bed by 9 wake up by 7.
What happened to R?..Did you stay in contact with him through private message?..I'm glad you are feeling better Hanna..I really think that damn suboxone is actually harder then the percs..I have a ton going on in my life right now..I don't think I have ever been so stressed with life..Thanks for checking back and responding..I thought since months went by with no posts from you,zeek,and R that you guys would never check back..Maybe it emails you when someone responds to a thread..I didn't know how to muse this site at all,but I got an email today that some one posted in this thread..I'm so glad you have stayed clean..I really enjoyed reading all the posts,it was like reading a good book..again thanks!
hey, sorry when i mentioned Zeek i meant R... didnt hear back from R since he was going on his trip - Heard more recently from Zeek, but not in the last weeks. I hope they both r well tho, as I couldnt have got thru the detox without them!
Snowbunny. i am so glad u made it thru. when u posted when u started the detox it realy sounded like u wouldnt make it as u seemed in so much agony. glad u have carried on,
Yep, I am doing all the stuff u mentioned, which is y i say it is early days. I am very emotional. I am going to bed at 9pm and waking early, i sneeze all the time, another side affect apparantly BUT i havent put on weight. I have pretty much stayed the same and maybe even lost a bit because i stopped eating carbs.
Oh, I did go through a phase about 3-4 weeks into the detox when my apetite returned, when i ate EVERYTHING in site! i got worried then cos I couldnt stop eating. i ate and ate and ate and put on weight during the course of a week or so, but thankfuly my apeteite went back to normal in the end and i lost it again,
i thought it was important to check back in on this site because when i was going thru the detox, i searched high and low for someone who had been through it and come out the other side and i couldnt really find anyone!!
it really killed me to think that all the pain could be for nothing! i wanted someone to tell me that it could be done, and i didnt need to relapse and be on subutex forever....some people online said that u could never get off it. The only person who kept me going on that front was my key worker who said he had seem ppl get off subutex and it could be done. he never stopped believing that i would do it!
so, yeah, like i said, early days. things were going ok for me in life, but just had some bad news which has set me back a bit. like i said i am emotional so have ended up off work for a few days and staying with family. but i hope to bounce back by next week!
stay strong everyone.
hanna x
Snowbunny. i am so glad u made it thru. when u posted when u started the detox it realy sounded like u wouldnt make it as u seemed in so much agony. glad u have carried on,
Yep, I am doing all the stuff u mentioned, which is y i say it is early days. I am very emotional. I am going to bed at 9pm and waking early, i sneeze all the time, another side affect apparantly BUT i havent put on weight. I have pretty much stayed the same and maybe even lost a bit because i stopped eating carbs.
Oh, I did go through a phase about 3-4 weeks into the detox when my apetite returned, when i ate EVERYTHING in site! i got worried then cos I couldnt stop eating. i ate and ate and ate and put on weight during the course of a week or so, but thankfuly my apeteite went back to normal in the end and i lost it again,
i thought it was important to check back in on this site because when i was going thru the detox, i searched high and low for someone who had been through it and come out the other side and i couldnt really find anyone!!
it really killed me to think that all the pain could be for nothing! i wanted someone to tell me that it could be done, and i didnt need to relapse and be on subutex forever....some people online said that u could never get off it. The only person who kept me going on that front was my key worker who said he had seem ppl get off subutex and it could be done. he never stopped believing that i would do it!
so, yeah, like i said, early days. things were going ok for me in life, but just had some bad news which has set me back a bit. like i said i am emotional so have ended up off work for a few days and staying with family. but i hope to bounce back by next week!
stay strong everyone.
hanna x
Do you know why we sneeze so much and so many at one time? Its emberressing my hubby keeps asking why i sneeze so much. Im so happy i stuck it out. I was determined and ready for a change. Im 30 yrs old. I dont wana be 50 addicted to subs. I sleep fine well like normal people no more late nights and sleeping in. I dont miss important dates any more i.e dr app kids functions ect. I take st jhons wort to help woth depression. I still take b6. And vitamins. These past 50 plus days have been a roller coaster but here i am. No drugs. No subs. No ciggs still. Oh yes i didnt start back up while detoxing. Lol. Good for me. I told my family and they have my back. My only complaint is how i get anxiety when i wake up or knowing i have to go to this place or here or tjere. But it does go away. Also oct 18 we lost a family member...i swear it was so surreal dealing with this loss with out drugs. I actually cried. Hard. But i remember it all. The memories the service. I can appriciate that. If that makea sense. To those seeking answers and/or going through this now dont give up. You have to want it soo much more than the high. And when u feel at your worst rls insomnia runs chills no appitite no energy just remember it will pass and it does get easier. Im here and i check this.
found this online and thought the advice was quite helpful to anyone trying to quit....
(PLEASE NOTE THAT the below relates to getting off drugs/ opiates in general, not just subutex....but the advice is good....)
1/ Understand what you are getting into. The decision to quit using must be made wholly of your own accord. You cannot quit for a parent, lover, or a job. It will not work. It is a difficult decision and depending on how long you have been addicted, life without dope may be unthinkable. Many addicts find that every facet of their day has something to do with drugs. You must decide that you are done with the lifestyle and that you do not want to get high anymore. You must also cut off contact with suppliers and enablers.
2/ Plan a visit to the drugstore. You are going to want to have some of the following on hand to make your detoxification more comfortable.
OTC analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or one of the NSAIDS (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen) will be helpful for body aches. Without an exogenous opiate in your body, the most mild aches and pains will feel exponentially worse.
A first generation, sedating antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), or meclizine (Dramamine II) will help with the inevitable nausea that you will experience. An antihistamine will also help with the sneezing, runny nose and lacrimation (eye tearing). The sedative effects also may help combat some of the anxiety and insomnia.
Loperamide hydrochloride (Immodium AD) for the treatment of diarrhea. It is structurally related to the opioid meperidine (Demerol), but does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It acts on opiate receptors in the intestines and stops spasms and therefore diarrhea. It will be your best friend during this time and will make life much easier. Many people who have struggled with addiction to narcotics have reported that Loperamide not only eased their withdrawal symptoms, but abated them all together, allowing for success at an opiate-free life. Take it only if needed, but double the suggested dose. Remember, your colon is used to a barrage of narcotics, and it might not respond as strongly to the lower dose. You may still need to wean yourself from the Loperamide, however, it will be nothing compared to stopping opiates cold-turkey. Stock up on all of these medicines, as you need to be ready for up to 2 weeks of dope-sickness before all is said and done and you can get back to your life.
3/ Prepare for the mental withdrawal as well. Although the physiology of opiate withdrawal is NOT itself life threatening, it will impair your judgment, your ability to think clearly, reason and rationalize. You may have very unpleasant and intrusive thoughts among other symptoms. Because of these other effects, opiate withdrawal does increase your risk for dangerous and self-destructive behaviors including suicide. If you have those thoughts now, or a recent history of "acting out", hurting yourself or others you may not want to do this alone. If you can report to a psych hospital or even to a general hospital ER and tell the triage nurse that you need to be committed because you are going through withdrawal, they may help place you in the appropriate facility.
A psych hospital is a much better place to be during withdrawal, however any place is better than being alone. You will have to be more direct with a general hospital in asking for medicine to help with the pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. (Ask to be seen by a psychiatrist if the ER staff is giving you a hard time#You may find it useful to be in a 12 step program such as NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). If you have been a user for a long time it will be pretty tough to kick the habit without a support system. This new support system will make it easier to cut off contact with dealers and friends who use. You can find a list of local meetings for your town online. A nice thing about these meetings is that they are generally nonjudgmental toward new people. Their guiding principles include the idea that "the newcomer is the most important person in the room" and that the only requisite for attending is "a desire to quit using".4A helpful pharmaceutical aide for some in kicking any opiate is Clonidine. This is a non-opiate, non-addictive blood pressure medication, not to be confused with Klonopin (a benzodiazepine with addictive qualities, somewhat similar to Xanax and Valium). Clonidine inhibits the sympathetic response and helps decrease the sweating, chills, anxiety and restlessness. Side effects include dry mouth, sedation/tiredness and, for some, insomnia. It also causes a drop in blood pressure, so if you have low blood pressure to start with, you must be extra careful. In patients with with normal blood pressure, it is not uncommon to notice vision distortion when standing up quickly; therefore, take precautions. Clonidine does have the potential for physical addiction, but in no way provides euphoria. Short term however, although everyone's physiology is different, you should have no problem with physical addiction. Doses start at 0.1mg, and generally go no higher than 1.4mg total within a 24 hour period. Try to maintain a low dosage, between 0.1 to 0.3mg two to three daily.5If you have been on opiates for a long time and find it impossible to quit on your own and are always relapsing, you may find Subutex/Suboxone (buprenorphine) helpful. This is a long-lasting partial opioid agonist that blocks withdrawal symptoms. The upside is that it is available by prescription (no methadone clinic), is much easier to kick than methadone, and can restore you to a fairly normal life if you quit using other drugs. Its long half-life means you take it in the morning and you are fine until the next morning (once you are stabilized). The downside is it still takes longer to get off of (withdrawals are milder but last much longer). Also it can be expensive as doctors must have special training to prescribe it and they can only have so many patients at a time. Many doctors are cash only, and currently, in the US there is no generic. Eight milligram tablets (containing 8mg buprenorphine, and 2mg naloxone) cost approximately seven dollars per tablet. Buprenorphine has a very high binding affinity to Mu, Kappa, and Delta receptors; however, buprenorphine has both agonist, and antagonistic properties. Because of the antagonistic properties, as opposed to methadone a pure agonist, there is approximately 10% of patients who do not respond well to this medication. Your prescribing doctor should be able to tell, as well as you should. However, you must wait for at least the duration of the half life of your opioid of choice to pass before taking Suboxone. If you do not, it will precipitate withdrawal symptoms. As mentioned above benzodiazapines have potential for physical withdrawal, but small doses of diazepam (generic Valium), 5mg twice to three times daily, or 0.5 to 1.0 mg of clonazepam (generic Klonopin) two to three times daily, for a short period shouldn't be problematic if tapered off. If abused, and not detoxed properly can cause symptoms including, but not limited to, tonic clonic seizures, and death.
Tips
Remember, you can do it. No matter your age, your brain is flexible - just as it adjusts to opiate use and you need more and more opiates, it also adjusts to the lack of opiates by making more of its own good stuff.
Do not get on methadone unless you've used drugs for a long time. It is a nightmare to kick. If you are on methadone, consider reducing your dose slowly to 30mg and switch to Subutex then kick that way.
Consider the idea that getting off long term opiates (methadone, subutex) requires planning. You are more likely to be successful with a sane, long term taper. Impulsively jumping off at 20mg methadone or 6mg subutex may cause extreme, unnecessary misery and leave you at increased risk of relapse.
Tell yourself you are doing ok, the pains you are going through are merely labour pains, you are giving birth to a new you.
Make sure the fridge is filled with easy to eat things like yogurts, mousses, things that are soft and sweet.
Make sure you have a stack of clean cotton sheets and towels and loose comfy cotton garments nearby - you may need to change everything often because of sweating.
Keep the room well ventilated, consider a fan, and have a soft warm blanket to hand.
Make up some fruit flavor rehydration salts and keep a big jug of the stuff nearby. Dehydration (from sweating, vomiting etc) with make you feel even worse. Keep some good tasting juice handy too.
Have a stack of light hearted comedy DVDs to watch. Nothing heavy at all! Nows the time to watch re-runs of "The Waltons", "Happy days", "I love Lucy", etc.
Keep a laptop handy so you can get support from on line forums - worth their weight in gold.
Marijuana and benzodiazepines can help control your symptoms without posing a serious health threat. If you do overdo it, and take a rather large dose of benzodiazepines, your overdose symptoms can include drowsiness, double-vision, amnesia, and more seriously, coma or death. Benzos are also addictive, so don't hop from the frying pan into the fire. Marijuana can be a great comfort during these dark days - there is a reason that more and more US states are legalizing marijuana for its medical potential.
Write a notice saying "I'm a fantastic person, and I'm doing something amazing" and leave it where you can see it. While alcohol does in fact help ease with the symptoms for very short periods of times, it will further dehydrate your body, pollute your system, and leave you with a hangover.
Each step of the ladder can leave you in the same spot you're in now, but if you have really decided to quit you must first realize that anything from cheeseburgers to sex can lead to a self destructive lifestyle.
When you are feeling a little better, have non-druggy friends around to talk to and spend time with, especially the kind that forces you to discuss any aspect of your life except drugs. Your mind will be safe, away from dwelling upon your habits, your last hit, or people you used to get high with. Those kinds of thoughts can cause your brain to release some of the same exact endorphins it released when you were high. You are then that much closer to losing your sobriety.
A little, light exercise - walking, housework will help. Don't overdo it.
Keep your surroundings fresh and pleasant to keep your spirits up.
Plan a little treat for yourself to look forward to each day to reward your success.
Know you are doing something noble - its worth it and so are you.
Be Gentle with yourself, and give yourself a lot of love.
Order some Kratom online if you are in North America or most of Europe (it is illegal in Australia). It is an opioid-like substance, but very short acting. If you absolutely HAVE to do something, you can take small amounts of it to ward off the withdrawals temporarily without making it too much worse for yourself. Be careful--it too is an addictive substance, and should be used only to do things you absolutely cannot miss and then should be discontinued afterward.
Keep plenty of sweet stuff around just like quitting smoking, your body is going to crave something to fill that "hole" with. After about a week you'll start to have an appetite again and snack cakes, candy, or anything else you like to munch on will be helpful. You may go through the withdrawals and try to eat everything in the house from kids cereal to everything Little Debbie cakes, but just keep your head up and focus on the aspects of life you personally deem valuable. Don't forget about even the small, seemingly inconsequential things that bring you joy. They make the longest days go by more quickly.
Warnings
There are likely to be some instances where you can access opiates for a period, and it's important to not use during those low points. The more you use, the worse the effects will be when they do come. Every minute you stay clean is money in your pocket and once the withdrawal symptoms end, you will never have to experience the effects again
Do not mix! Mixing opiates with alcohol or benzodiazepines (Valium aka diazepam, Xanax aka alprazolam, Ativan aka lorazepam, Klonopin aka clonazepam, etc.) can be deadly!
Though alcohol can eliminate symptoms for a very short period, the down-side outweighs the benefits. Take this only as advice if you must, but do not drink while kicking the opiate habit.
You need to eat. You won't have much of a appetite but you can force yourself to eat something for all three meals of the day, breakfast, lunch, and supper. Vitamins will also help. When you can try to exercise that will also make you feel better about yourself. Hang in there it'll get better. I know I just went through withdrawal. It's not easy probably the hardest thing you will do on your own. You can have all kinds of people around to help comfort you, but in the end you do it yourself. It gets better every day that you don't use. Be strong you can do it.
Hope this helps someone!!!
Hanna xxx
(PLEASE NOTE THAT the below relates to getting off drugs/ opiates in general, not just subutex....but the advice is good....)
1/ Understand what you are getting into. The decision to quit using must be made wholly of your own accord. You cannot quit for a parent, lover, or a job. It will not work. It is a difficult decision and depending on how long you have been addicted, life without dope may be unthinkable. Many addicts find that every facet of their day has something to do with drugs. You must decide that you are done with the lifestyle and that you do not want to get high anymore. You must also cut off contact with suppliers and enablers.
2/ Plan a visit to the drugstore. You are going to want to have some of the following on hand to make your detoxification more comfortable.
OTC analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or one of the NSAIDS (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen) will be helpful for body aches. Without an exogenous opiate in your body, the most mild aches and pains will feel exponentially worse.
A first generation, sedating antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), or meclizine (Dramamine II) will help with the inevitable nausea that you will experience. An antihistamine will also help with the sneezing, runny nose and lacrimation (eye tearing). The sedative effects also may help combat some of the anxiety and insomnia.
Loperamide hydrochloride (Immodium AD) for the treatment of diarrhea. It is structurally related to the opioid meperidine (Demerol), but does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It acts on opiate receptors in the intestines and stops spasms and therefore diarrhea. It will be your best friend during this time and will make life much easier. Many people who have struggled with addiction to narcotics have reported that Loperamide not only eased their withdrawal symptoms, but abated them all together, allowing for success at an opiate-free life. Take it only if needed, but double the suggested dose. Remember, your colon is used to a barrage of narcotics, and it might not respond as strongly to the lower dose. You may still need to wean yourself from the Loperamide, however, it will be nothing compared to stopping opiates cold-turkey. Stock up on all of these medicines, as you need to be ready for up to 2 weeks of dope-sickness before all is said and done and you can get back to your life.
3/ Prepare for the mental withdrawal as well. Although the physiology of opiate withdrawal is NOT itself life threatening, it will impair your judgment, your ability to think clearly, reason and rationalize. You may have very unpleasant and intrusive thoughts among other symptoms. Because of these other effects, opiate withdrawal does increase your risk for dangerous and self-destructive behaviors including suicide. If you have those thoughts now, or a recent history of "acting out", hurting yourself or others you may not want to do this alone. If you can report to a psych hospital or even to a general hospital ER and tell the triage nurse that you need to be committed because you are going through withdrawal, they may help place you in the appropriate facility.
A psych hospital is a much better place to be during withdrawal, however any place is better than being alone. You will have to be more direct with a general hospital in asking for medicine to help with the pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. (Ask to be seen by a psychiatrist if the ER staff is giving you a hard time#You may find it useful to be in a 12 step program such as NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). If you have been a user for a long time it will be pretty tough to kick the habit without a support system. This new support system will make it easier to cut off contact with dealers and friends who use. You can find a list of local meetings for your town online. A nice thing about these meetings is that they are generally nonjudgmental toward new people. Their guiding principles include the idea that "the newcomer is the most important person in the room" and that the only requisite for attending is "a desire to quit using".4A helpful pharmaceutical aide for some in kicking any opiate is Clonidine. This is a non-opiate, non-addictive blood pressure medication, not to be confused with Klonopin (a benzodiazepine with addictive qualities, somewhat similar to Xanax and Valium). Clonidine inhibits the sympathetic response and helps decrease the sweating, chills, anxiety and restlessness. Side effects include dry mouth, sedation/tiredness and, for some, insomnia. It also causes a drop in blood pressure, so if you have low blood pressure to start with, you must be extra careful. In patients with with normal blood pressure, it is not uncommon to notice vision distortion when standing up quickly; therefore, take precautions. Clonidine does have the potential for physical addiction, but in no way provides euphoria. Short term however, although everyone's physiology is different, you should have no problem with physical addiction. Doses start at 0.1mg, and generally go no higher than 1.4mg total within a 24 hour period. Try to maintain a low dosage, between 0.1 to 0.3mg two to three daily.5If you have been on opiates for a long time and find it impossible to quit on your own and are always relapsing, you may find Subutex/Suboxone (buprenorphine) helpful. This is a long-lasting partial opioid agonist that blocks withdrawal symptoms. The upside is that it is available by prescription (no methadone clinic), is much easier to kick than methadone, and can restore you to a fairly normal life if you quit using other drugs. Its long half-life means you take it in the morning and you are fine until the next morning (once you are stabilized). The downside is it still takes longer to get off of (withdrawals are milder but last much longer). Also it can be expensive as doctors must have special training to prescribe it and they can only have so many patients at a time. Many doctors are cash only, and currently, in the US there is no generic. Eight milligram tablets (containing 8mg buprenorphine, and 2mg naloxone) cost approximately seven dollars per tablet. Buprenorphine has a very high binding affinity to Mu, Kappa, and Delta receptors; however, buprenorphine has both agonist, and antagonistic properties. Because of the antagonistic properties, as opposed to methadone a pure agonist, there is approximately 10% of patients who do not respond well to this medication. Your prescribing doctor should be able to tell, as well as you should. However, you must wait for at least the duration of the half life of your opioid of choice to pass before taking Suboxone. If you do not, it will precipitate withdrawal symptoms. As mentioned above benzodiazapines have potential for physical withdrawal, but small doses of diazepam (generic Valium), 5mg twice to three times daily, or 0.5 to 1.0 mg of clonazepam (generic Klonopin) two to three times daily, for a short period shouldn't be problematic if tapered off. If abused, and not detoxed properly can cause symptoms including, but not limited to, tonic clonic seizures, and death.
Tips
Remember, you can do it. No matter your age, your brain is flexible - just as it adjusts to opiate use and you need more and more opiates, it also adjusts to the lack of opiates by making more of its own good stuff.
Do not get on methadone unless you've used drugs for a long time. It is a nightmare to kick. If you are on methadone, consider reducing your dose slowly to 30mg and switch to Subutex then kick that way.
Consider the idea that getting off long term opiates (methadone, subutex) requires planning. You are more likely to be successful with a sane, long term taper. Impulsively jumping off at 20mg methadone or 6mg subutex may cause extreme, unnecessary misery and leave you at increased risk of relapse.
Tell yourself you are doing ok, the pains you are going through are merely labour pains, you are giving birth to a new you.
Make sure the fridge is filled with easy to eat things like yogurts, mousses, things that are soft and sweet.
Make sure you have a stack of clean cotton sheets and towels and loose comfy cotton garments nearby - you may need to change everything often because of sweating.
Keep the room well ventilated, consider a fan, and have a soft warm blanket to hand.
Make up some fruit flavor rehydration salts and keep a big jug of the stuff nearby. Dehydration (from sweating, vomiting etc) with make you feel even worse. Keep some good tasting juice handy too.
Have a stack of light hearted comedy DVDs to watch. Nothing heavy at all! Nows the time to watch re-runs of "The Waltons", "Happy days", "I love Lucy", etc.
Keep a laptop handy so you can get support from on line forums - worth their weight in gold.
Marijuana and benzodiazepines can help control your symptoms without posing a serious health threat. If you do overdo it, and take a rather large dose of benzodiazepines, your overdose symptoms can include drowsiness, double-vision, amnesia, and more seriously, coma or death. Benzos are also addictive, so don't hop from the frying pan into the fire. Marijuana can be a great comfort during these dark days - there is a reason that more and more US states are legalizing marijuana for its medical potential.
Write a notice saying "I'm a fantastic person, and I'm doing something amazing" and leave it where you can see it. While alcohol does in fact help ease with the symptoms for very short periods of times, it will further dehydrate your body, pollute your system, and leave you with a hangover.
Each step of the ladder can leave you in the same spot you're in now, but if you have really decided to quit you must first realize that anything from cheeseburgers to sex can lead to a self destructive lifestyle.
When you are feeling a little better, have non-druggy friends around to talk to and spend time with, especially the kind that forces you to discuss any aspect of your life except drugs. Your mind will be safe, away from dwelling upon your habits, your last hit, or people you used to get high with. Those kinds of thoughts can cause your brain to release some of the same exact endorphins it released when you were high. You are then that much closer to losing your sobriety.
A little, light exercise - walking, housework will help. Don't overdo it.
Keep your surroundings fresh and pleasant to keep your spirits up.
Plan a little treat for yourself to look forward to each day to reward your success.
Know you are doing something noble - its worth it and so are you.
Be Gentle with yourself, and give yourself a lot of love.
Order some Kratom online if you are in North America or most of Europe (it is illegal in Australia). It is an opioid-like substance, but very short acting. If you absolutely HAVE to do something, you can take small amounts of it to ward off the withdrawals temporarily without making it too much worse for yourself. Be careful--it too is an addictive substance, and should be used only to do things you absolutely cannot miss and then should be discontinued afterward.
Keep plenty of sweet stuff around just like quitting smoking, your body is going to crave something to fill that "hole" with. After about a week you'll start to have an appetite again and snack cakes, candy, or anything else you like to munch on will be helpful. You may go through the withdrawals and try to eat everything in the house from kids cereal to everything Little Debbie cakes, but just keep your head up and focus on the aspects of life you personally deem valuable. Don't forget about even the small, seemingly inconsequential things that bring you joy. They make the longest days go by more quickly.
Warnings
There are likely to be some instances where you can access opiates for a period, and it's important to not use during those low points. The more you use, the worse the effects will be when they do come. Every minute you stay clean is money in your pocket and once the withdrawal symptoms end, you will never have to experience the effects again
Do not mix! Mixing opiates with alcohol or benzodiazepines (Valium aka diazepam, Xanax aka alprazolam, Ativan aka lorazepam, Klonopin aka clonazepam, etc.) can be deadly!
Though alcohol can eliminate symptoms for a very short period, the down-side outweighs the benefits. Take this only as advice if you must, but do not drink while kicking the opiate habit.
You need to eat. You won't have much of a appetite but you can force yourself to eat something for all three meals of the day, breakfast, lunch, and supper. Vitamins will also help. When you can try to exercise that will also make you feel better about yourself. Hang in there it'll get better. I know I just went through withdrawal. It's not easy probably the hardest thing you will do on your own. You can have all kinds of people around to help comfort you, but in the end you do it yourself. It gets better every day that you don't use. Be strong you can do it.
Hope this helps someone!!!
Hanna xxx
Hi Hanna ,
Thank you for the helpful info. I have been reading your posts for the last couple days. I'm taking subutex 4mg. But 3 days ago cut back to half of that. I'm wanting to get off of this stuff without being to sick. I'm a widowed mother of 4 children and it will be very hard to be real sick and take care of them. I have no one to help me. My doctor wants to keep me on the subutex and I'm wanting to be done with it. I have been on them for over 7 years. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm so glad to hear how well you are doing. That's wonderful. Congrats !
~ V ~
Thank you for the helpful info. I have been reading your posts for the last couple days. I'm taking subutex 4mg. But 3 days ago cut back to half of that. I'm wanting to get off of this stuff without being to sick. I'm a widowed mother of 4 children and it will be very hard to be real sick and take care of them. I have no one to help me. My doctor wants to keep me on the subutex and I'm wanting to be done with it. I have been on them for over 7 years. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm so glad to hear how well you are doing. That's wonderful. Congrats !
~ V ~
hello Vic
I am glad to hear the info has helped.
I think what everyone has to remember is we will all feel it differently when we come off subs.
My key worker was shocked when he saw me as he didn’t think I would get so bad- (probably because when I stopped I was on a miniscule amount)…I was just exhausted, depressed, and in such pain…..(but then, I do think I can be a bit of a baby sometimes…..!!!)
I feel for you if you do not have any one to help you thru this. I don’t think I could have done it without support, but then, like I said, we all feel different.
And with kids to look after? Is there anyone who can take them for a while? Or just come and help out with the practical stuff?
I think there is some really good advice on this post, and I would follow it and prepare yourself with all the bits if you can.
I would also prepare physically. I didn’t do this, so I was pretty unfit/ unhealthy and I think this made me worse. It hit me hard and there were days were I literally could not walk to the toilet….When I was walking I felt like I was wading thru mud..it was like walking uphill all the time and it was a struggle.
Don’t get me wrong, it feels great when you finally get thru it…I have so much energy now
BUT, the subutex has been numbing emotions my years and I have had to deal with all of that now. I am now going through a sort of depression, thinking about all the stuff in my past and things that have hurt me. Its weird, but I can see why I started taking heroin and crack in the first place!!! (to block out the world and its horribleness!) Whereas when I was on subutex I didn’t see the attraction. I was ok….or so I thought.
Either way, I will now have to deal with life and everything it throws at me, because the alternative (subutex, or other drugs) is just not an option.
Hanna x
I am glad to hear the info has helped.
I think what everyone has to remember is we will all feel it differently when we come off subs.
My key worker was shocked when he saw me as he didn’t think I would get so bad- (probably because when I stopped I was on a miniscule amount)…I was just exhausted, depressed, and in such pain…..(but then, I do think I can be a bit of a baby sometimes…..!!!)
I feel for you if you do not have any one to help you thru this. I don’t think I could have done it without support, but then, like I said, we all feel different.
And with kids to look after? Is there anyone who can take them for a while? Or just come and help out with the practical stuff?
I think there is some really good advice on this post, and I would follow it and prepare yourself with all the bits if you can.
I would also prepare physically. I didn’t do this, so I was pretty unfit/ unhealthy and I think this made me worse. It hit me hard and there were days were I literally could not walk to the toilet….When I was walking I felt like I was wading thru mud..it was like walking uphill all the time and it was a struggle.
Don’t get me wrong, it feels great when you finally get thru it…I have so much energy now
BUT, the subutex has been numbing emotions my years and I have had to deal with all of that now. I am now going through a sort of depression, thinking about all the stuff in my past and things that have hurt me. Its weird, but I can see why I started taking heroin and crack in the first place!!! (to block out the world and its horribleness!) Whereas when I was on subutex I didn’t see the attraction. I was ok….or so I thought.
Either way, I will now have to deal with life and everything it throws at me, because the alternative (subutex, or other drugs) is just not an option.
Hanna x
Hello snowbunnychic
Yep the sneezing is a bit annoying, but I think I am just happy I got thru the detox. The sneezing I can deal with!!! I guess it will stop eventually…maybe in a few months, cos I have heard it can take up to 6 months for all of the symptoms to go.
I totally understand being emotional- I have been up and down, and pretty down at the moment so trying to pull myself out of it. Life is too short to be moping around and feeling sorry for myself.
I have been taking 5HTP for sleep/ depression and that seems to help me…
Hanna x
Yep the sneezing is a bit annoying, but I think I am just happy I got thru the detox. The sneezing I can deal with!!! I guess it will stop eventually…maybe in a few months, cos I have heard it can take up to 6 months for all of the symptoms to go.
I totally understand being emotional- I have been up and down, and pretty down at the moment so trying to pull myself out of it. Life is too short to be moping around and feeling sorry for myself.
I have been taking 5HTP for sleep/ depression and that seems to help me…
Hanna x
Hi Hanna ,
Thank you for the reply back.
I'm sorry about the depression you are going thru as that is something I have been dealing with for awhile now myself and its a demon on its own.
Unfortunately I don't have anyone who can help me. I just know that I have to somehow get thru this and still be able to take care of my kids as they depend on me.
Would you suggest that I stop taking the quarter sub now and get on with this ? I'm a pretty big baby myself when it comes to the emotional part of this. I can handle physical pain very well. It's just the emotional part that I can't handle. I have some flexeril to help with the leg cramps. I'm really scared of this nightmare. But I know it has to be done.
Any advice you could give me would be much appreciated. When was the worst of it for you and how long did it last ?
I'm praying for you with what you are dealing with.
All my best
~ V ~
Thank you for the reply back.
I'm sorry about the depression you are going thru as that is something I have been dealing with for awhile now myself and its a demon on its own.
Unfortunately I don't have anyone who can help me. I just know that I have to somehow get thru this and still be able to take care of my kids as they depend on me.
Would you suggest that I stop taking the quarter sub now and get on with this ? I'm a pretty big baby myself when it comes to the emotional part of this. I can handle physical pain very well. It's just the emotional part that I can't handle. I have some flexeril to help with the leg cramps. I'm really scared of this nightmare. But I know it has to be done.
Any advice you could give me would be much appreciated. When was the worst of it for you and how long did it last ?
I'm praying for you with what you are dealing with.
All my best
~ V ~
Vic
I had no help but what help is they went to school and they are not babies. It is hard but prepare. And i heard wellbutrin helps if you start one weel before detox. U will still go thru detox but it wont be as bad. For some people subs are good for long term and others its not. Prepare because im on day 50 something and im better but mentally whew.
So just make sure it is best for you. Hope you keep us posted.
I had no help but what help is they went to school and they are not babies. It is hard but prepare. And i heard wellbutrin helps if you start one weel before detox. U will still go thru detox but it wont be as bad. For some people subs are good for long term and others its not. Prepare because im on day 50 something and im better but mentally whew.
So just make sure it is best for you. Hope you keep us posted.
Hi Snowbunny ,
Thank you for the reply post. I just went and picked up my script for Wellbutrin. I'm horrified by the pamphlet that they include when you pick it up. I think that's why I never took it before. I think for me I need to come off the subutex. It has made me not deal with the reality of things in my life. I was placed on subutex from a bad car accident I was in that really messed up my neck and back and the same car accident I lost my husband. He was killed instantly. For me I think it's better to suffer the pain of my injuries and to get of the subutex. I just don't know if I can do it alone ? Please any other advice you can give me I would appreciate so much. I'm going to try my best to keep a journal of this nightmare that's ahead of me.
I'm praying for each and everyone of you who are battling this same demon ! God Bless You All !
~ V ~
Thank you for the reply post. I just went and picked up my script for Wellbutrin. I'm horrified by the pamphlet that they include when you pick it up. I think that's why I never took it before. I think for me I need to come off the subutex. It has made me not deal with the reality of things in my life. I was placed on subutex from a bad car accident I was in that really messed up my neck and back and the same car accident I lost my husband. He was killed instantly. For me I think it's better to suffer the pain of my injuries and to get of the subutex. I just don't know if I can do it alone ? Please any other advice you can give me I would appreciate so much. I'm going to try my best to keep a journal of this nightmare that's ahead of me.
I'm praying for each and everyone of you who are battling this same demon ! God Bless You All !
~ V ~