SickAsADog

i came to europe to stay with my grandparents so i could get over a 5 year battle with opiates, mostly heroin. i am almost on day 4 (in 11 hours, but who's counting ) and i was wondering if anybody may have some advice for me. i am able to eat, but the cold sweats and the insomnia and the weekness is driving me mad. i knew this wasn't going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but after feeling like this for a few days you get very depressed and desperate. i have no desire to go look for drugs while i'm here. i just need some helpful advice to get me through this, however long "this" is going to take. i've heard so many different time tables. some say 3 days, well obviously that's not me. some say 10 days, god i hope not! i had a habit of shooting a quarter gram in the morning and then the same at night. so, if anyone has any advice or information to help with my plight, i'd greatly appreciate it.

thanks & i hope you are all well

kj3880

i think you are in the worst of it now. It should start to get better in the next day or so according to most of the people I know that went cold-turkey. So hang in there, it's supposed to get better now. If you start to get really ill, you may need to go to the ER. You can get badly dehydrated. If you're keeping down food though, maybe you're oK? Praying for you to get through this.
KJ

SickAsADog

you told me everything i wanted to hear & the fact that you're not lying makes it even better. i'm not throwing up so i should be ok. i'm just so weak. i try to get up and walk around as much i can though.

thanks again,
you're a live saver xox

Anna

Do you have a dr that you can talk to and try to get some information?

I wish you well and hope you keep posting and reading here.

illbeback

Hang in there, my man! Please also post in the Narcotics Addiction section -- you'll probably get a lot more replies there.

As was said above, you're probably already over the worst of it, but be prepared for some more to come. Once the physical symptoms go away, the mental issues stick around for a while (I was on opiates, but not heroin, so I don't know how long for you -- again, the Narcotics Addition forum will have much, much more for you! Use that Search function). Anyway, if you can, I'd find some AA/NA meetings as soon as you feel physically up to the taks of going out. I personally could not go anywhere during my first 3-4 days cold turkey, but once you CAN get out to meetings, I urge you to do so. And keep going back as much as you can. Maybe you'll find others who can help!

Oh, and if nothing else, check with your doctor to see if it would be OK to get some medicine to help you sleep. Lunesta (non-narcotic) worked for me. Lack of sleep can kill all that tough mental resolve in no time flat. Even with Lunesta I didn't sleep much for about a week and by the end, I was a zombie. But a SOBER Zombie. I"M NO DOCTOR, so don't take my word for it. I've kicked cold turkey many, many times, but everyone is different, so get yourself to a doctor if you can.

Good luck!! Keep us posted, please.

SickAsADog

actually my grandfather's sister is up here with us right now and she has worked with detoxing patients off alcohol and heroin and other things i'm sure for 20 years in germany, so i think she can give good advice. she actually has. it's just that i'm in the worst of it when nothing seems to help. at least i can keep food down though. i do have a tiny appitite but an appitite non the less. i just keep trying to think of the good things.

thank you to everyone who has responded to this. it has already made me feel a lot stronger. xox

tanyapmc

I have detoxed off of opiates and it does suck. Drink as many fluids as you can. A hot bath always helped me. I would take as many as I could. I just want to tell you that I'm proud of you and you NEVER have to do this again!

SickAsADog

thank you. i have noticed the hot bath or shower thing totally works for a while. any advice is better than nothing. it's so much easier when you have people gathering around you to support you.

thanks everyone!

Aysha

I have no idea what you must be feeling. And I really never want to find out.

All I can say is get it over with and you neevr have to go through it again.
Good luck and hope you feel better.

SickAsADog

thanks everyone. it's day 6. i still feel like a mess of a human physically, but i'm told i should feel better by the 1 week marker. the sweating & being cold at the same time is still really a problem & i have really bad back pain. any suggestions always appreciated.

thanks

Anna

Hi,

I'm glad you're hanging in there.

For the back pain, I'd try stretching exercises and/or yoga. That might help.

I hope you feel better soon.