louisdq

As my past messages will show, I have been on and off of hydros for a while. No need to hammer that story home as I am sure it is familiar to a lot of folks here. Recently, I had kicked for about two months then slid back and taken them at a rate of about 12-14 10mg hydros a day for about a month and a half, maybe two. Long and short is that I haven't been off of them for longer than a few months for about 2 years.

So, I wanted to get off and stay off (always wanted to stay off, just didn't... I won't make excuses). Anyway, I took the last of the hydros I had about 40 hours ago but rather than hunkering down and just waiting through the typical 3-4 days of physical unpleasantness, I decided to try it a different way. I have been taking about 5 or 6 2mg Immodium every 6 hours, starting before the WDs kicked in and I can honestly say that I feel totally normal. Like no WD's to speak of. I am taking .5mg of Klonopin 3 times a day (as prescribed) as well as Buspar (as prescribed). Other than that, I have been leading my life normally.

I took it easy on myself yesterday (it was Labor Day) and did a lot of laying around, waiting for the WD's to hit, but they never did. And here I am, half way through day 2, and I feel just fine. Keep in mind that I am not taking one of those crazy mega-doses of Immodium that some take to try to get high, I'm not drinking grapefruit juice or taking Zantac to try to get its opiate structure to stick across the blood brain barrier. Everything is normal, or so it seems right now.

There are tons of reports out there about loperamide in Immodium helping people with WD and plenty of stories about how it did nothing. Firstly, I consider myself to be very fortunate in that I am not sweating and twitching on my bathroom floor (although WD's have never been THAT terrible, more of a head thing with lots of weird emotions and some GI distress). But, I am wondering if I am just putting off the inevitable? Like once I stop taking the loperamide will WD's just kick in like normal? Am I dragging it out?

Have any folks out there had luck with this stuff because I have been through WDs before and they never felt like this. I could fill in a lot more behavioral details if people are interested and I know a relapse is always around the corner and I need to address the things that trigger my desire for opiates but, at this moment, I would really appreciate hearing from people on this particular point. Thanks a million.

dragonfire613

For my 2 cents from another addict layman... I can't possibly see how the Immodium is affecting your detox, other than potentially staving off the runs.

If it is helping, I don't see how it could be "prolonging the inevitable" and cause you delayed withdrawal... although I guess you will be a test case in a "wait and see" kind of way.

I have tried loperamide more times I can count with my detoxes... just taking one or two always gives me stomach cramps, and never really helped me with the runs. I tried taking like 6 or 8 once and it just made me feel worse... so put me in the "it doesn't help me" camp.

I've read all the info on the massive doses theory and don't see how it can get across the blood-brain barrier, regardless of how much of it is in your system... but what do I know? Given my experiences with the stuff, I've never had the balls to try taking that massive of a dose... just seemed like a bad idea for me.

I truly hope the rest of your detox goes this mildly! If it does, thank your lucky stars and do what you have to do to stay sober and never look back.

Sober since 7/19.

louisdq

Thanks for the reply, I know that loperamide has not helped with a lot of people's WD's but I am familiar enough with WD to know what it feels like and this isn't it. But, just to be clear, I am not doing mega-doses and don't feel buzzed. I am certainly taking more than is recommend but not some of the massive amounts you read about. Anyway, we will just have to wait and see. I'll report back with how things go and I really, really hope that I have have taken my last pill. If I can skate on the WD's then hurray for me I guess. Thanks again.

liv1ce

I just went back and reviewed some of your old posts. There is a similarity to yours just as ther is a similarity to my posts to you. Your posts always deal with withdrawal in some stage and you are always doing a balancing act with some type of alternative medications trying to modify the symptoms You are either feeling or fearing that you are going to feel.
As usual I feel that if you are taking medications to modify your feelings or your life in some way then you are not really getting clean or training your habits to live a life without drugs which is your stated goal. Little do I actually know beyond myself but your difficulty with successfully accomplishing this goal may be related.

louisdq

I think that is a very fair and largely accurate statement. I have not done a stellar job at fixing the things in my life that prompted me into reckless behavior in the first place. I wish I knew how to make sure I do it right this time in a way that I could get behind. I know the schools of thought out there on the subject and am perhaps too vain or too stubborn to own up to them. But, I am trying and maybe some of these failures were just my issues running their course. I don't know. But, I do feel like I am in the best place to really kick than I have ever been in, but we shall see. Pride goes before a fall.

So, all that taken, I am still kind of amazed that I don't feel WD symptoms.

louisdq

All of the root issues of my addictive personality aside, although they have only manifested themselves with opiates and cigarettes, I wanted to post about my progress. I am on the morning of day 3 of my 5th (I think) kick after about 2 years or pretty regular narco abuse. This morning I feel fine and I slept through the night just fine (aside from waking up at about 3 AM to eat some peanut butter).

I am still taking 5 x 2mg of Immodium (loperamide) every 6 hours and thus far I have not felt any of the physical aspect of WD and very little of the mental part. There is the standard re-entry boredom but I feel good. I rode my bike both the first and second day of the kick, ran errands, talked to my family, did work stuff, got my hair cut, etc. It all went fine.

I remain concerned about any delayed WDs after I stop the loperamide but we will just have to see how that goes and I also remain concerned about relapse (per the messages above). But, physically loperamide has been a literal miracle drug. I should also mention that I have been taking L-Tyrosine and vitamins and drinking lots of water. The thinking goes that your neurons are so used to getting bombed with opiates that they have forgotten how to make naturally occurring chemicals and it takes a while for your body to catch up and that the L-Tyrosine encourages your body to kick start that process. I can't attest to how much they really work but I can say I am hopeful, rested and in good spirits just 57 hours into the kick.

As usual, and what I have usually failed at, is sticking with it. I have undertaken some major life changes in the past few months that I think (hope) will leave me better equipped for sober life but that remains to be seen.

This report is really more about how the loperamide helps with WD. The things that prompted me to use in the first place are another issue, but I have made tangible steps towards fixing those as well. Only time will tell, but today is a good day.

liv1ce

I wrote you a long detailed post that the site would not load because "the token had expired" whatever the fuuck that means. At the moment I am too pissed to rewrite it but know I am thinking of what you have written and are going through.

smacked

1. Didn't help me at all.
2. Withdrawal doesn't last forever

Stride34

Loperamine, in larger doses, helped me a great deal. It allowed me to function at work sometimes when I was in mild WDs. I remember that the chills, cold sweats, temperature fluctuations, was one of the worst parts of w/d's, and it absolutely helped with that and made me feel a bit more comfortable. Not placebo either.

When my habit got severe and my w'd's were brutal, it wasn't enough to really make a difference