smileagain12

So i have been locking at many graphs online and wanted some others inputs.

From what i am reading day 3 is usually the peak and then drop.

So is hour 72 considered the "peak" for most people?

After hour 72 do you gradually start to feel better?

How do you feel on day 4 and 5 compared to day 1 and 2?

ardy

Hi smile again.. kiddo I am going to give you what happened to my hubby privately.. prayers to all that are going thro this terrible path.. of rebirth.. and hope and Faith.. ardy//

smileagain12

Thank you much.

Marcus

I guess it depends on what opiate we are talking about. Length of use and overall health play into it. One thing I do know is if I don't use more the withdrawals will be over faster.

When I was coming off a heavy dope (aka H) habit the peak would be about 36 hours in. Hydro and Oxy were more drawn out, but less severe.

It has been a while since I had to do that, but remember it well. Not fun, but was a huge first step to getting my life back. Hang in there - it will be over before you know it.

Jimmy9212

As there isn't a post here for public, I'll respond for a few reasons..one..someone may have searched this anonymously and is looking for an answer without signing up to the forum. How do I know that?

Personal experience.

Further, I want others that are signed up to know 'whassup.'

That's a phrase around here in San Diego..to know 'whassup' is to be in the know, have the 411, know the skinny..to intimately know without being directly involved.

Day 1. (I've done so many of these..in fact today is day 1..again.)
Anxiety. I'm so overwhelmed. I came downstairs this morning to see that my cats had ripped open a bag of catnip and it was all over the kitchen floor. I could have just killed them. I was soooo close to just going back to bed and F the world. My attitude is NOTHING like me. My reactions are NOTHING like my docile and peaceful personality. Someone knocked on the door. I was so scared. Who could it be? Oh my god.. Its nothing but bad news, I know it. Surely. I'm so mad. Why did you knock on my door? I cannot even get to the dishes to get a bowl for cereal. I just won't eat. That's it. These cats have sabotaged my recovery. They KNEW I was going to be going through withdrawals (commonly abbreviated as W/Ds or WDs and will herein henceforth be known as such) and they purposely are f$%^ing with me! I hate those cats. I knew I should have gotten rid of them the moment I adopted them.
Day one is full of anger, lethargy, hate, and a huge itch that cannot be scratched. Imagine being really hungry..and not eating..and getting hungrier.. then getting low blood sugar..then not eating.. the mental aspect feels like that.

Day 2 is a bit worse. DO NOT TALK TO ME. I HATE YOU ALL.

Day 3 is the same.

Day 4. I'm hungry. I'm tired. Same as above.

Day 5. I'm so tired. I want to eat. I want to be clean..can I do it? No. I hate this. Find drugs. Find them now.

Day 6. I smiled today.

Day 7. I slept last night..finally..the loose stools have stopped..I laughed today.

Day 8. I stretched today and my body didn't hurt..

Day 9. I answered the phone today..I watched a funny show..wow. I even laughed more than once.

Day 10. The hunger is fading..I feel almost normal..I'm not as angry..but I definitely feel so far from better.

Day 11+ Things get better a bit more and more..but the hunger and cravings begin to walk into the moment and every stressful thing leaves me REELING and I want to simply GET HIGH. HAVE A DRINK..get DRUNK..escape..I hate my job. I hate my boss..they become huge triggers.

Day 21. This is usually the point where I wake up feeling better. I start to be myself again..happiness is elusive but when it happens it's manic..chemicals in my brain are being produced again..just not as much or not at the correct levels.

Day 30. Holy s#%^ I made it a month..chemicals are produced and somewhat regulated.

Day 45. I just need to keep pushing.

Day 60. My mood is 'stable' - FINALLY.

Day 90. *sigh* I finally feel nearly back to normal. The urge to use is not as frequent but highly stressful situations and triggers will leave me conversing with myself. The longer I talk to myself and rationalize one pill or one drink..the likelihood of me using begins to skyrocket.

Day 120. I don't think of using. I don't drink. I still have to work with triggers and situations that leave me wanting to drug or drink..

Hope this helps..

Remember this is MY experience. Everyone is different. WDs last varying amounts of time and usually depending on time used, amount..I tapered down this time so my WDs are NOT as bad as they have been in the past.. does that make it any better? Hell no.. I'm using my prescribed medicines incorrectly..thats wrong.

I'm open to answer any other questions..but remember the first few days the urges to use and emotions are ALL OVER THE PLACE.

- J

Jimmy9212

Has it been worth it? Something tells me it has but hearing others say it helps with motivating..it has with me.

I always get to the psychological part of WDs and seem to give in or completely give up..like life gets to me..I cannot seem to deal with it well so I cover up the pain.

RedManc7

For me the first 24 hours are the worst, with maybe a day 4 chaser where I deteriorate a fair bit, Physically that is. Still all over the place emotionally etc for ages.

When I was trying to kick smack i would try and prepare my head for it - so literally as soon as I started getting slight withdrawals they got intensified like my body knew I wasn't buying more - the first day would be horrific, bed ridden, taking 24-64 mgs of suboxone but still bed ridden and drained. Load of Valium that night, sleep a bit then feel heaps better the next day, still ill, but able to get up and walk around the flat, then maybe venture to local shop day 3.

It's brutal, the worst, your bones feel like they have people sawing them apart from the inside. Even your hair hurts.
My smack pals would decline badly day 3-4 whereas I had this insane baptism of fire. The thought of the first 24 hours used to terrify me, still does, so relieved to escape that life I led.

Just read my post - shaking my head at the state I got into.

Stay strong everyone X

JennaRoseMadre

I guess it's different for everyone. My son was ok but anxious the first couple of days, then symptoms were bad around day 3-4-5 (vomiting, sweats, chills, muscles twitching, unable to sleep, never comfortable, unable to do anything but watch You Tube videos, drank water and sports drink but a lot of it came back up, Immodium, there are vitamin combos you can take - you'll find that if you Google for it). After 4-5 days the symptoms became less, but diarehea (I know that's spelled wrong) was pretty bad for a few more days. The next time he wanted to quit he was afraid to detox at home because he didn't want to go through the sickness again and he was lucky that I started working the phone and found someplace for him to go in Day 2 "if you can get him here in 2 hours" because they had a cancelation. If you have been using for a short time/not heavy user, it won't be as bad... bad runny nose, some stomach issues, hot/cold for a couple of days, but more like a normal flu. Everything back to "normal" including sleeping pretty quickly . But you need support beyond that. Please consider meetings. My son told me that sometimes people have come in while they're detoxing and literally will vomit into a trash can, but everyone is proud of them for being there and supports them. I wish you only the best.

IvanMike

Does it matter?

Do it once and you never have to do it again.

Sure, day 3-4 are the worst and then the slow end of acute withdrawal takes a while and depends upon the specific drug a bit.

I can tell you I didn't feel "normal" for quite some time. Think months. That's "normal" (sorry).

The real question is, what's your plan for remaining clean?

RedManc7

Course it matters if you've never done it before.
Especially if you surrounded by loads of junk pals telling you loads of stuff.
Changing location/environment can also help reduce withdrawal symptoms.
I remember first time i tried to quit I met some friends of friends who took me to NA they were clean 25 and 10 years respectively - I told them about my habit and they were like even if you relapse don't get down etc and I was thinking "cheeky f***ers I'm getting clean it's over etc"

They knew a lot more about it than me evidently took me another 18m and loads of failed (but useful) attempts later before I did kick heroin.

Don't think personally most people are ready to succeed in their first attempt, if it was that easy we wouldn't need things like NA and sober recovery etc just a bit of mental fortitude and away we go.

As you say feeling normal doesn't happen overnight and the plan for staying clean is the most important thing - I used to think Man if I can just not be physically addicted it will be sweet I can handle life moving forward. Incorrect!!

Leezer

I took 50mg of hydrocodone a day for 7 years and have been clean from it 4 years this past March. Something magical happened to me after 11 days and each day after that got better and better. At one month I was great. I was really really ready to stop though. I know 11 days sounds like a long time but I recommend lots of sleep (though it will be crazy), quality food and lots of water, and lots of showers (you will feel greasy, grubby, and gross). It DOES pass, thankfully, and a lot faster than other substances I've been addicted to.....after a couple of months I didn't even think of them anymore and I never missed a day of taking 50mg or more for 7 years. Hang in there. It DOES improve!

IvanMike

True.

If you're ready to do whatever it takes then it stops mattering so much.

ardy

some one hug these young people for what they try so hard to do ... and all of the below is so true.. my hubby finally hit a balance for the weekend.. number of days.. kids its been to long.. love the one that never leaves...

finaltime

You are right. All of us. We do so much and the good thing here? We are trying. We have the desire to stay clean. That is huge. HUGE> When the going gets really rough and you feel like you just can't manage the mud anymore, realise, it gets better. We have to put one foot in front of the other.

Trust me on this. It can only get worse if you know what???? WE keep picking up.

CobraCommander

i was on pain meds 10 years, i took roughly 5 15mg oxycodone a day. i consider myself a extremely high dependance case. the longer you are on them depends on how your withdrawals will be in my opinion

i detoxed myself but once i was off i seeked a new medical dr to help me out because my pulse was high and so was my blood pressure and etc. he has been helping me rebalance the chemicals in my head and transition. it was really hard for me to find a dr to deal with this. every other dr tried dumping me into a suboxone dr which is expensive and stupid imo.

im roughly 8 months off pain meds

i went into withdrawals thinking 2 weeks itll be done and ill be fine. it didnt happen. if you only been on them a short time like a year or 2 it wont be as bad as me

me i had to slowly taper for close to 8 months decreasing a quarter of a pill a month, etc. this is where you need drs help so then can properly watch you and tell u how to decrease but ill just tell u my story

after tapering my doses down per month, of course buy a notepad and write your times down that you take dosage. this helps you know how much your taking per day and how much, then you can stretch the times out farther and farther, and then the dose lower and lower

my withdrawals started bad when i was roughly down to 15mg a day, when i got down to 5mg a day i decided to cold turkey because i was having the withdrawals everyday anyways.

remember again im a extremely high case so dont let this frighten you to much, but also dont get depressed if it takes longer then expected. it can take a year for your brain to fully pan out

i developed a cough, it lasted 3 months. the first 2 days was the worst of the pain. i couldnt sleep and i finally took another pill just to sleep. a day or 2 later i again went cold turkey. i did that a few times in about 2 weeks i would go over 24 hours without a pill, then made it up to around 40 hours. i had to slightly relapse a day or 2 just to sleep

so when i finally got cold turkey for good and kept going the worse was 2 weeks. my sickness came in different waves. first was the 3 month cough. then not hungry, then diareah (force yourself to eat toast) leg cramps were the worst so i bought every vitamin i could think of but a multi vitamin is better. i tried gatorade for electrolytes but it made me sicker i recommend alot of water. i had to take tylenol pm to sleep but i suggest melotonin as its a vitamin sleeping aid. i had leg cramps bad for 3 months, and forr 6 months they were mild. and now they are just if i get overtired.

my arms and legs and hands started going completely numb and got pins and needles, this lasted a few months

i ended up having to get on a anxiety medication, and been working on getting off that. the dr tried giving me tons of anxiety/depression pills but they all have made me sick and worse and i refuse to take them.

i also have a bad back, knee, and rib. so while stuck in bed sick for most of last year i made these pains worse. after i while i started walking again around the house, then i started being able to shop, and drive, and then i started exercising at the park when i can. im still out of shape and have a hard time breathing when walking but before i could only walk .30 miles in a hour. now i can average 2.0 miles in 40 minutes. and if i feel good enough and my back dont hurt ill walk 2 hours for 5 miles.

like i said take my situation as worst case scenario. there was also a few days my head had what they call "the fog" or brain cloud. it felt like i wasnt here. my mind was totally blank like i had no clue what was going on. that lasted i think 2 or 3 days and came and went a few times after.

when you quit pills your lungs get alot more air and wont be so compressed. you get alot more oxygen. you also have to figure out how to deal with your real pain and slow life down, assuming you have a actual injury. i did so much work while on pills because i was numbing the pain. now off pills i cant do as much. i take a ibprofin, do what i can and then rest.

when your off pills remember your body has a natural high called endorphins. a few ways to activate endorphins is sex, masterbation lol, or exercise. if im having a bad anxiety attack (i had bad anxiety before pain meds and now off them i have anxiety again) if im having a bad anxiety attack i go directly outside and drive to the nearest park and start walking. for the first half hour its hard to breath and then the natural endorphins take over. the walk gets me tired and my breathing slows down as i slowly also start getting happy. i start enjoying seeing rabbits and squirrels and talking to passing by people and my mind gets off the pain and anxiety. before i know it i dont wanna leave and walk until im in to much pain to walk anymore. the rest of the day im usually good. if i dont go for my walks for a few days my anxiety will come back and i know to get out and force myself to do something

AdelineRose

Even though this post is not from the last couple days, I want to give my .02 in case someone looks at the post or if the original poster is still trying to get things under control.

If you can get a doctor, psychiatrist, and substance abuse counselor behind you before, during, and after you detox they will be able to stabilize you as much as possible while you are detoxing and after. Getting on the proper medications to treat my co-occurring disorders has made detoxing and creating a strong lasting recovery a million times easier. (Getting a full psych evaluation can't hurt- the worst they can do is tell you that you don't have any co-existing disorders).

Also drink TONS of fluids, as much as you can possibly force yourself to get down and then some more. Also force yourself to eat. You won't feel like eating but it will help you feel better sooner at least in my experience. It will help give you strength. (my easiest detox was when my mom forced me to eat and drink Gatorade non-stop and wouldn't let me take any Immodium because it was better to "let it out"- I thought she was crazy but I did feel better that time then the thousands of times before)

Also, make sure you take your vitamins. You need all the help you can get when detoxing.

Even if you can't sleep, lay there with your eyes closed in a dark room for as long as possible to try to relax your body. Breathing techniques, yoga, meditation, praying, etc. also can help calm your body and mind down. I found coloring helped me get a little out of my own mind also.

I also kept a detailed journal so that after it was over I could always go back and read it if I started to feel cravings and start to think that doing a shot of heroin was worth it.

The sooner you force yourself to move around and walk walk walk the sooner you will feel better also. Just laying there not moving is not going to do your mind or body any good.

Burning your bridges also helps mentally. Knowing that you do not have the ability to just pick up your phone and call your dealer really helps mentally. I also changed my phone number, deleted facebook, and made sure to completely disconnect from my druggie "friends" and dealers.

YOU CAN DO THIS!