Hi Billyboy,

Findingmeagain8 appears to have posted only once and never come back here again.

There are lots of other people here to support you. I hope you will join in on some other threads. Another option is to start a new thread asking for help.

Just to throw my 2 cents in, though, I also have health issues that involve pain. Mine are mostly osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and I had both knees replaced a couple of years ago. Life off opiates is actually LESS painful for a lot of us, due to the negative effects of opiates on the pain threshhold and the dopamine receptors. Quitting is sucky, but it is doable and very worth it.

Hey, I'm 60 and feel 32 again, now that I'm off opiates. Well, maybe 42. Okay, then 52. But, hell, I'd be 60 anyway and I don't want to be an old bag addict if I have any say in the matter.

Good luck. You'll find empathy, camaraderie, stories of both success and failure, and lots more here.

FT

Hey FT, Thank you for the reply. At least I know someone hears me on here. Lol. Congrats on being sober. How long has it been? I quit taking pills for about two weeks a month ago and I was starting to feel really good and didn't really hurt as bad as I did when I was using. I was just really down and felt tired and had no energy, then my back was hurting really bad one day and I took a pill and the rest was history from there. I am quitting again hopefully for good this time. I really hope I don't let myself and everyone else down this time. How long did it take for u to feel normal again? And how long did it take you to not feel so tired and have energy? Thank you for the reply!

welcome to SR billyboy :)

D

Hey Billyboy, I am kind of where you are...getting ready to jump off and quit these damn roxies that rule my days. I have been reading and stocking up and getting ready to use some sick time. My problem, I go one day, maybe two days off by day 3 I am texting my so called friend to help me out.

Having no energy is the worst worst worst. I have to make this happen this time and soon. Everyone in my life thinks I quit months ago. :cries3:

I'm on day three Bobby and know exactly what you mean about texting a friend......today's been brutal so far

Hey Bobby, are you hanging in there? Let us know how you're doing. Trust me, we're all going through the same thing.

Stay away from Buprenorphine!!
 

Hello all, I just found this website and I am fresh out of rehab, so this detox/withdrawal discussion really caught my eye.

A little background:

I had been using opiates in one form or another for over 9 years. I started using around 2002 and got pretty heavy into OxyContin. In the early years there was always interruptions in my using when I would leave my hometown to go back to college. That is not to say I would stop using completely. I substituted with alcohol, hallucinogens and others drugs, standard college material. Whenever I managed to find opiates you can bet I was taking them. My addiction progressed, and by the beginning of my sophomore year I was definitely physically addicted. I managed to bring a small amount of suboxone with me back to Colorado where I went to school. I ended up finding an Oxy connect out there and I don't think I need to fill anyone in on how that worked out.

For the next five years, until I finally graduated college, I used heavily that way. There were a couple geographic changes and I was in new places many times, so while I was definitely an addict, there were several interruptions in my using. Again, being in college I managed to avoid withdrawals, for the most part, with alcohol and other drugs.

My addiction got real bad when I finally graduated and moved home to work full time. All my connections were there, I was working so I had some money and I dove in head first. I was using 80-160mg of OxyContin a day until they were discontinued. I used heroin, about a gram a day for some time. When Oxy's disappeared I would use high-dose generic percocet, perc 30's or OxyMorphone (opana). I used straight everyday for about two years.

When I had finally had enough and wanted to get off the junk, I made the decision to go on Suboxone with the help of a doctor. I started on 16mg a day for about two months, but soon moved down to 12mg a day. Suboxone seemed to work for about 5 or so months and I did not use any other opiates in that time. I started slipping up a little and using oxymorphone or perc 30's occassionally, maybe 2-3 times every two weeks. I ended up being on Suboxone for just over a year, and needless to say by the end I was using other opiates maybe 3-4 times a week.

I decided Suboxone was not working and that I needed to detox and go to rehab. I went to detox and was there for only 3 days. The funny thins is I was put on a Subutex taper while I was there (Suboxone and subutex both contain buprenorphine) so it was like I was taking the same drugs I had already been taking. When I left there to go to rehab they told me that I would not be physically addicted to opiates and that any symptoms would be mental.

Well, I had to go home for 2 nights to wait for a bed to open up at the rehab I was going to. In that time I did not use and began experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms, mostly sleepiness, fatigue, loss of appetite. I left on a Monday morning to go to the rehab facility and I can remember being very uncomfortable, very anxious and I started having cold sweats in the car ride up to rehab.

From there everything went to hell. Severe withdrawal kicked in my first night there. I was shaking, crawling out of my skin, every bone in my body was screaming at me, one minute I was freezing and the next minute I was drenched in sweat. Nighttime was the worst. I can remember being balled up in the fetal position, sweating and moaning, legs thrashing violently and of course not a wink of sleep.

The severe symptoms lasted for about 10 whole days. For 7 straight nights I did not sleep at all, and in the next four nights got about 7 hours of sleep, even while taking Trazadone for sleep. From about day 11 to day 14 my symptoms gradually improved, the skin crawling and night tremors stopped and the anxiety reduced greatly.

I was in acute withdrawal however, for about two whole weeks. I am on day 33 of being clean and I am still sweating in my hands, feet and armpits and it is extremely uncomfortable. I am still very fatigued and I feel light headed for much of the day. I would definitely not say that I feel back to normal and it has been over a month now. Buprenorphine, taken at higher doses over an extended period of time spells disaster for detox and withdrawal. These are by far the worst withdrawals I have ever gone through and the withdrawal symptoms last so much longer than any of your standard opiates (heroin, oxycontin, percocet, vicodin, etc.)

So, I just wanted to share my story and cast my vote for buprenorphine as the worst opiate to withdraw from. Will all that being said, I hear from multiple sources that methadone is the single worst opiate to withdraw from, although I have never personally experienced that. Thank you for reading.

You may want to start a new post on this as the original post is several years old.

I am just starting myself. Its been 30 hrs. my wife has basically wrote me off and said she is done. I have two wonderful daughters who are supporting me and a beautiful grand daughter. Having the stupid thoughts right now what to be better NOW. hearing you all really does help. just wanted to thank you.

Hello,
I am on my 2nd day clean. I was taking between 40 and 80mgs of hydrocodone a day on and of for a year and daily for the last 6 months. The only w/d symptom I am experiencing is what im seeing is called the "crawlies" can't seem to sit still and I have quite a bit if anxiety. I work a 40 hr wk as a maintenance person at a hotel. I took work off today because I felt I just can't work up the motivation. When can I expect this feeling to subside because I cannot miss anymore work. I would really appreciate so advice. Thank you so much

Hello,
I am on my 2nd day clean. I was taking between 40 and 80mgs of hydrocodone a day on and of for a year and daily for the last 6 months. The only w/d symptom I am experiencing is what im seeing is called the "crawlies" can't seem to sit still and I have quite a bit if anxiety. I work a 40 hr wk as a maintenance person at a hotel. I took work off today because I felt I just can't work up the motivation. When can I expect this feeling to subside because I cannot miss anymore work. I would really appreciate so advice. Thank you so much

Day number 4
 

I have been struggling with opioid addiction since 2005 (Junior in high school). I was diagnosed with a sweating disorder called "hyperhidrosis", which basically means I constantly sweat. As you could imagine being in high school, this was very rough for me. I found that opioids completely stopped the sweating, hence the reason why I got addicted. Now, 7 years later, I have finally chose to get off. I am on day number 4 and its not been a fun week. I have tried the 'Thomas Recipe' to assist with the horrible WD symtoms, and so far I would have to say it has been working well. I have most of the common side effects still, but very managable. The absolute worst symptom is that I cant get ANY sleep, no matter what I take. The only real side effects im suffering is loss of appetite, excessive sweating, non-stop yawning, lack of motivation, and weakness. The different vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants (in the Thomas Recipe) really help with the symptoms. Also, i quit "cold-turkey", without weaning myslef off and started the Thomas Recipe the day I quit.

I would recommend giving this a shot if you are having bad WD symptoms...

Can u explain the thomas recipe please.. I relapsed after two years of sobriety but i have only been getting high for two months but i know this is going to suck. Can you tell me any things that helped you?

i'm back -- oh lord
 

been a while -- alcohol is still on my heels, but i developed a rather nasty opiate addiction. if you have never done opiates DO NOT TAKE THEM!! especially if you have the addictive behavior i do. the withdrawal is insanity and the body feels so pummeled that you feel you are not going to make it. the only bad thing you think is that it does not kill you. this is no life for anyone.

but i am reading about it and the good word is my body is healing. it just does not feel that way. well i am not shaking, sweating, i am out if bed. this is the 8th or 9th really bad withdrawal. so i probably a head of the curve and thank the blessing that i am realizing it now.

the addiction has lasted 3 1/2 years. it started with some chronic fatigue, which i passed off as pain and got a prescription, which now that i think about it was a result of abusive partner and cocaine usage. i've been clean for 3 years on coke. ironic that's when opiates kicked in, NOT. at first it wasn't everyday, but it didn't take long, hydros turned into oxys and morphine no matter where i needed to get them. so it's hard to say if i have ever been drug clean since 1977.

i went to a 28 day treatment program. GREAT EXPERIENCE! right after i joined SR.com about a year ago and i just try and go back to the routine they had me on. rest but don't nap, now for the first part of withdrawal i needed sleep. but i am passed that now. a steady routine. lots of reading from other addicts who are making it and struggling is very important for me. and i eat well and drink lots of healthy juices.

i am in school, but i took a very light load, only 3 classes since i knew it was going to be one hell of a month. planning on going back to meetings. actually i have had some calls about it. irony my closest friend in AA turned out to be my closest severe opiate addict. have to cut that tie no matter how bad it hurts. well the better course is to say if meetings are helping i guess. this a tricky one. maybe i should just not answer his number and stick with what is helping me, my little girl, school and meetings!!!! stay focused!

i will be the first to admit that after 35 years of drugs, alcohol and a generally poor lifestyle, i don't expect much for me. but i was blessed with a daughter and if i can do anything i can teach her how to write and show her things that most might not see. it is for me to be a good dad, which is my main motivation and that in turn helps her it is simply a side effect of what i need for me and that should rub off on other poeple if i stay the course!. my dad was an alcoholic and died an opiate addict. i do not want to be that!!!!!

i've done this over and over, i just have to keep getting up!!

:thanks for letting me share!

@resnbldoubt if i am not mistaken the thomas recipe calls for Valium and warm baths. think of your body as having the flu. i cannot advocate taking valium so get niquyl or some OTC sleeping agent to get passed what i call the tremors from hell. stay focused and know that it will pass, it just takes some time!!

for some reason i could not post this as a reply

one week and it is going to get worse before it gets better. it will not be long that you might not be able to get out of bed. CALL A FRIEND! i wish i could give you a better answer. best thing to do is call it the flu and treat it is as such. YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING! when you can eat drink tons of orange juice if you can eat candy try little candy bars. you need to get to eating 3 times a day if it's nothing but chicken soup. vitamins good ones!

To nodl5, I'm glad you got through the bad opioid withdrawal without using again, it's so easy to relapse when you know a cure is right around the corner. But it's a temporary fix to a permanent problem in the long run.

I'm kinda in the same boat as you are, I'm going back to school and I've had bad stints of using cocaine and opiates, or just cocaine. The thing is, I'm on suboxone. So it's a safety net to fall on.

The thing is even using heroin or methadone for a week or two sucks because then I have to go through some withdrawals before taking my suboxone (don't want to go through precipitated withdrawals). I'm going back to school after failing a few classes and I have to stay level headed and I need to concentrate on school, so I'm going to stay on suboxone for quite some time.

i love suboxone. seems they wanted to put me in treatment to get it. i'm thinking why would i do that? just give me the strips in person and lower the dose over time.

Hmmm. Are you totally off opioids? I wouldn't recommend suboxone even for people with a mild opioid addiction because suboxone is really hard to get off of, some say it's even harder than kicking methadone because the withdrawals are mild but they last months, even up to half a year.

I'm not planning on weaning myself off until I feel I'm ready. Fortunately my step father is a psychiatrist and I don't have to make monthly visits to a doctor.

But yeah I don't blame you for not wanting to go to treatment. 3 months ago I completed court appointed rehab, it was 4 months long with routine urine screens. I live in Florida where if you pee dirty even once you will go back to jail.

It gets worse every day Im clean, too. Day 20!
 

Simmion, thank God I found a kindred soul. I always had light sensitivity that made me only able to sleep with a sleep mask for the last 25 years, but after 2o days cold off of suboxone to get off tramadol(equivilent to just 1-1/2 percocet) the sun was so blinding and burning to me i couldnt go out in the day and often slept till sundown. Now that im back on tramadol(a very weak opiate mimicker) I still have mild depression and sun bothers me some, but i dont feel like jumping off of a roof! So do i stay on 8 tramadol pills forever? Im afraid i9f i go cold again, remember i have no support, no family or friends in the whoole state, 18 months of NA made me more depressed than before i went into it, and by day 20 of being on nothing i didnt even care if i lived or died. wouldnt even go outside for days at a time. my worry is in 2 years when my money runs out and im still unemployed and have no social life..what then? Ive gone thru the outpATIENT SUBOXONE WAY TAPERING OF SUBBYS FOR OVER 9 MONTHS! Didnt ever get off them.sOP THEN I went to a detox for 10 days and by another 10 days at home i was ready to lay down and die i was so weak and depressed. so i went back to my tramadol and been there a year now and at maximmum (8 pills) legal dosage and my family doc says i might have to stay on them for life as nothing else helps my severe back pain,either. last time i got a warning that told me to take something, what if i wake up one morning and just turn the gas jets on? i dont think i should chance that. Opinions????