KTurner0524

Hello friends, I hope that everyone is doing well tonight. I have a quick question and I figured that someone must have first hand experience that they would be willing to share. Forgive me for not searching the forums for this information, but I am feeling awful and find it so hard to concentrate and stare at my iPad or laptop screen right now....headache is border line migraine.

I was wondering if there are any natural remedies that would help alleviate some of the detox withdrawals, such as specific types of teas, vitamins, plant extracts, etc. I hope it goes without saying that I am only interested in legal remedies that can be picked up at the local health food store, grocery store, or department store (Target, Wal-Mart, etc...).

Main issues are shacks, tension, nausea, stomach, liver, and kidney pain. I seem to recall that valerian root has relaxing properties, but could that be used in place of Librium.

My general practice doctor is aware of my drinking problem and has been trying to convince me to quit for months, I plan on taking to him about putting me on Librium while I detox, but I will not be able to get a hold of him until Tuesday due to the holiday weekend, and that will be to late to be helpful.

I am on day one of quitting, with my last drink being last night around 9pm MST. Any advice about natural remedies would be greatly appreciated, especially teas, I love a good hot tea, even though I have not had a cup in over 5 years.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

Dee74

We can share our experience in a general way, but we ask our members do not ask or give medical advice for obvious reasons

I can direct you to this thread tho:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

I think the first days are rough, and I don't think there's any way getting around that.

D

Pelican

I hope you will call emergency services if you start to experience any serious side effects of alcohol withdrawal.

Mine included hallucinations, anxiety and high blood pressure.

I drank lots of sports drinks with electrolites and followed Carol D's tips.

polaris

Most likely there is, but there is probably no one here qualified to advise you on such matter.

KTurner0524

My appologies, I sincerely didn't mean to cross any lines, or think I would be with such a post; however, in hindsight I can understand why such a post would be discouraged.

For instance, if someone were to recommend a natural remedy that could help calm anxiety, and I were to take said advice and have an allergic reaction or something of that nature, it could potentially open up a whole world of legal issues.

Sincerely,
Me.

Dee74

For me, the rationale behind the rule is simply looking out for everyone's benefit here - what's worked for one else, may not work or be suitable for someone else

I'm glad you'll be seeing your Dr

D

Boleo

I was one of those who knew various ways of circumventing hangovers and DT's with nutritional tricks & tips. The end result was it "enabled me" to drink years beyond the point I needed professional medical attention. I was in effect silencing all the alarm bells that should have lead me to the Doctor.

I don't believe in sharing such information as it does more harm than good.

Fandy

Vanilla ice cream before bed.
a big turkey sandwich
i take my allergy meds at bedtime or a tylenol pm if i need it.

CarolD

To clairify our SR Posting Rule on medical advice...
here it is..... Welcome to our recovery community KTurner0524....
My best suggestion.....drink lots of water to flush out toxins.

sugarbear1

water. doctor.

You're gonna make it sober!

Elisabeth888

This is not medical advice, just something that helped me with nausea - beef broth made with bouillion cubes and boiling water. Drink it in a mug and alternate with chugging ice water.

That settled my stomach more than I thought it would. Try it! And welcome!

Edit : know that you do not ever have to go through this again and go to the ER if you need to.

Orbea

Good luck on the detox!

Huey

A process not be taken lightly . Doctors orders everytime.

penny74

l doubt there is anything natural that will help you.
You need a doctors opinion.

KTurner0524

Thank you all for the supportive words.

I did not say what I am about to say initially because I did not want to come across as argumentive or disrespectful, and I hope that the following is not interpreted as such.

Being a 38 year old man with serious medical conditions that Have plagued me and my family since I was 14 years old, I am no stranger to the medical profession.

Whether it be with my GP doctor, a specialist, or the ER, I have spent more time in doctors offices and hospitals than I care to admit. It is also important to point out that I did not have my first period of bing drinking until I was 26 years old, and it was in part due to my inability to cope with my illness and the all the lose it has caused during the proceeding 12 years.

I am sure many of you can relate to having felt the pain and panick of not being able to get in to see your GP doctor for weeks, or even over a month without an appointment having been made months in advance. Sure there are Insta Care and Urgent Care facilities, but they do not have insight into my complex medical history and are fearful of doing anything that could make matters worse.

Then there is the ER, but nausea and mild uncomfort are not an emergency in my opinion, and I don't know about the rest of you, but given the current economic climate, the cost of living, and the fact that employers are not increasing salaries in many cases because they know they can get away with it, a $100 co-pay for an ER visit or $50 co-pay for Urgent Care can be a financial struggle; of course, now that will be offset by the fact that I am not drinking anymore....alcohol, now there is a needless expenditure.

Basically, the medical profession today is under staffed and over worked as it is, if a simple request can be fulfilled by peers who have been through detox, then I see that as being helpful, not harmful.

Doctors don't know what will work for me and not for you, or what will affect me one way and you another, anymore that you or I do. Doctors are people, educated people, I am an educated person, I have an associate degree, bachelor degree, and plans to pursue masters degree. In fact, my current GP doctor of over a year has yet to discuss anything with me in which I did not already have intimate knowledge.

I didn't go to medical school, but I have a computer and know how to use the internet for research, not to self diagnose but to educate myself regarding health concerns. Yes, I know that most doctors hate Internet self diagnoses or education, personally I think it is an ego thing, since most doctors that I have seen in the last 5-10 years are 100% ego and 0% bedside manner, but that is beside the point.

I was not asking for medical advice, or where I could score tips on how to avoid the suffering that I rightfully deserve and earned with a couple years of binge drinking. I wasn't asking were I could score pharmaceuticals to take rather than seeing my doctor and obtaining a proper legal script.

I was looking for home remedies, which are typically items such as drinking beef broth for nausea...thank you Elisabeth888, or drinking plenty of water...thank you CarolD.

A few that I found via Google are to drink lots of cranberry juice to help flush out the toxins and promote healthy kidney function/urinary track health, or to make sure you take a good multi vitamin and keep your electolytes replenished.

These are just a few things that can help. Additionally, it doesn't even have to be advice about consumables. It may be advice such as reading a good book, watch a movie that interests you, or anything else that you have found successful in occupying your mind during such times, things that would not require to much physical exertion.

I find that in this overly PC (politely correct) world that we live in so many of are worried about saying the wrong thing that we end up refusing to say anything. We can't help each other if we can't or won't communicate.

Obviously, there is a line and if someone logged on and started to dispense actual medical advice then that would be crossing said line...someon prescribing a nice hot cup of camomile tea, not so much.

God bless and be well everyone. If we worked together to achieve our dreams, rather than dreaming in private, one day our dreams will become reality.

Dee74

You're free to do whatever you want in your own life KT.

However...I have serious medical conditions too...I've dealt with Drs all my life....I'm also university educated....I'm also a skilled and avid Google user.

Unfortunately none of that saved me from nearly dying (literally) from my own attempts at home detox....

That's why I impress upon people the necessity to seek professional advice - I think it's the responsible thing to do

D

RobbyRobot

I second what Dee is saying.

I've had and have serious medical conditions too, known doctors all my life, drank my way out of college scholarships, and know my way around google... and doing a home detox without any doctor's opinion or supervison in play is not a smart move. I've done home detoxes and was never successful, risked everything for nothing, since I always went back to drinking anyways, because I was doing my detox wrong. Finally I did a supervised detox in rehab, and that worked. I'm happily sober now many years.

So yeah, you're free KT to decide whatever, of course, but the responsible thing is to have a medical opinion which informs YOU about what is what for YOUR successful detox.

CarolD

The only reason I did not get professional assistance with my de tox
was that I had no idea that it could be dangerous
.

Yes my SR friends....that was also long before the
www was in place with it's information and or opinions.

I credit my cancer team for keeping me as healthy as can
be expected although that has nothing to do with my de tox
or my recovery from alcoholism.

I also have on going chronic conditions that need medical
assistance and prefer to use professionals.

No Dr. Google for me ...thanks ..

freshstart57

It's a long, lonely row to hoe, this withdrawal stuff, and unpredictable. Some of the folks here have shared that they detoxed multiple times, figured that they knew what they were doing, and ended up with hallucinations and life threatening seizures and critical blood pressure. You can research in other corners of the web for advice, and it will be worth every penny you spend. I most certainly wouldn't trust a bunch of people even remotely like me for medical advice. So? Drink water, eat simple easily digested food, stay away from liver toxic stuff like tylenol and try to get some rest.

Please don't be frustrated with us here, we really do have your best interests at heart. Putting a foot wrong here can have serious consequences for any you and any advisor, and I would feel terrible should something go wrong for you. You are obviously an intelligent person, do some reading, use some common sense, and keep that ER number handy,

I wish you the best of success, KTurner. As soon as the drinking stops, you are on your way to that sober life that we all strive for.

Elisabeth888

Did you try the broth? I swear it helps!