Opiate Withdrawal: Methadone & Heroin Facts

Question: My mom is going through opiate withdrawal, any advice?

(Posted by: Alex on 2010-04-04 16:11:44)

I'm not sure what's going on with her not wanting to go to detox, so does anyone have any advice for me on this? I feel so useless, she keeps telling me that I cant do anything and that she just wants to die. Its been about a day since it started. I quit my job in order to help my mom and take care of my little brother so my dad can work, I'm prepared to stay home 24/ 7 for a long time, so any advice will be appreciated.

Posted by: skifreak3591 on 2010-04-04, 16:54:08

Unfortunately I know exactly what this feels like, I feel your pain. I detoxed my boyfriend 3 times in the past year and a half. He was doing heroin, I don't know exactly what your mom is doing, but what I have found works the best is a non-opiate drug called Suboxone. If you can get her to at least go to a pain doctor you will get it no problem. It takes away most of the withdraw symptoms and cravings. She can take it for months until she feels comfortable enough to live her life without drugs. I've never dealt with methadone, but hearing what I've heard I'd stay away from that stuff, coming off of that is 10x worse than heroin. The clinics will normally take last minute appointment, but they don't take health insurance often. I paid 250 up front and every other appointment was free, just paid for the Suboxone at the pharmacy. I'd find one soon because the next couple of days will be worse, and depending on how much she was doing can actually make her have a seizure. The suboxone works like a charm, you put what the directed amount is under the tongue and let it "melt ", your tongue will go numb, thats normal, and it's not nearly as addictive as the opiate based ones. Hopefully this helped, and hopefully she'll stay sober, life is so much better that way.

Posted by: Jen S. on 2010-04-04, 16:13:31

Honey, i think it is absolutely incredible that you're doing this. try to make sure she goes to detox...she won't want to, but she needs to. you might want to try to see a therapist or talk to someone, though, that must be so hard on you. best of luck xx.

Posted by: Zassou Enkan on 2010-04-04, 16:23:10

Make her go to detox. She wont want to but it will real help.

Posted by: VaYnEpwnzzzBKzzz on 2010-04-04, 20:02:36

"PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor, simply a long-time Rx opiate junkie who has had many opportunities to develop a way to detox. This is a recipe for at-home self-detox from opiates based on my experience as well as that of many other addicts. It is not intended as professional medical advice. It is always wise to make sure none of the recipe ingredients or procedures conflict with medications you may be taking. Likewise, if you have any medical condition, disease, allergy or any other health issue, consult your doctor before using the recipe. Thanks, Thomas THOMAS RECIPE If you can't take time off to detox, I recommend you follow a taper regimen using your drug of choice or suitable alternate -- the slower the taper, the better. For the Recipe, You'll need: 1. Valium (or another benzodiazepine such as Klonopin, Librium, Ativan or Xanax). Of these, Valium and Klonopin are best suited for tapering since they come in tablet form. Librium is also an excellent detox benzo, but comes in capsules, making it hard to taper the dose. Ativan or Xanax should only be used if you can't get one of the others. If you access to these I recommend her taking them. Try to get your doctor to give you a prescription to one of these, just tell him your situation and he should write you enough for a week. Best thing to do so she doesn't have to resort to getting it off the streets and risk getting in trouble with the law. 2. Imodium (over the counter, any drug or grocery store). 3. L-Tyrosine (500 mg caps) from the health food store. 4. Strong wide-spectrum mineral supplement with at least 100% RDA of Zinc, Phosphorus, Copper, Magnesium and Potassium (you may not find the potassium in the same supplement). 5. Vitamin B6 caps. 6. Access to hot baths or a Jacuzzi (or hot showers if that's all that's available). How to use the recipe: Start the vitamin/ mineral supplement right away (or the first day you can keep it down), preferably with food. Potassium early in the detox is important to help relieve RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). Bananas are a good source of potassium if you can't find a supplement for it. Begin your detox with regular doses of Valium (or alternate benzo). Start with a dose high enough to produce sleep. Before you use any benzo, make sure you're aware of how often it can be safely taken. Different benzos have different dosing schedules. Taper your Valium dosage down after each day. The goal is to get through day 4, after which the worst WD symptoms will subside. You shouldn't need the Valium after day 4 or 5. During detox, hit the hot bath or Jacuzzi as often as you need to for muscle aches. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of hot soaks. Spend the entire time, if necessary, in a hot bath. This simple method will alleviate what is for many the worst opiate WD symptom. Use the Imodium aggressively to stop the runs. Take as much as you need, as often as you need it. Don't take it, however, if you don't need it. At the end of the fourth day, you should be waking up from the Valium and experiencing the beginnings of the opiate WD malaise. Upon rising (empty stomach), take the L-Tyrosine. Try 2000 mgs, and scale up or down, depending on how you feel. You can take up to 4,000 mgs. Take the L-Tyrosine with B6 to help absorption. Wait about one hour before eating breakfast. The L-Tyrosine will give you a surge of physical and mental energy that will help counteract the malaise. You may continue to take it each morning for as long as it helps. If you find it gives you the "coffee jitters, " consider lowering the dosage or discontinuing it altogether. Occasionally, L-Tyrosine can cause the runs. Unlike the runs from opiate WD, however, this effect of L-Tyrosine is mild and normally does not return after the first hour. Lowering the dosage may help. Continue to take the vitamin/ mineral supplement with breakfast. As soon as you can force yourself to, get some mild exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, etc. This will be hard at first, but will make you feel considerably better. Thomas " Believe me, it works really good. Opiate detox blows, but this really helps, it really helped me.