Thoughts on Withdrawl Treatments?

[Artsygal]

I've heard that high dose Imodium is a miracle worker. SWIM took some this morning and it does seem to be helping tremendously (surprise!). Does anyone else have any experience with this? Any problems with bad constipation afterward? Whatever information is going to get swim through is most welcome. Anything else you know that works well?

[sassy]

something strong to sleep, if you have it.

[pod77]

How much Imodium did you take??

[Artsygal]

I was told to use 4-6 tbs of the liquid (1 is the recommended dose for diarrhea) and it did help ease the physical symptoms. Keep in mind, there is no calming effect -- nothing mental -- just physical. If you feel like your brain is going to crawl out of your ear and make a run for it, it won't help that. But if you have upset tummy and the jitters, it will take the edge off and help get you through.

I read about it and discovered Imodium is an opiate derivative originally designed to be a competitor to Fentanyl. Researchers were disappointed to discover it had no pain management effects at all - however, it did work well on diarrhea, so that's what it's marketed for. Some people have discovered that it also seems to work well to ease the physical symptoms of withdrawl because, while it doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier, it does attach itself to the weak mu-opiate receptors in the body, thus easing the body's reaction to the lack of medication.

Everybody is different though, so take it for what it's worth. A lot depends on what you were taking, how much, and for how long.

[Klynn]

I'm a little late on this post, but I sure hope you are doing well.

At the risk of sounding like some Forum Evangelist... Pray.

I know it may seem strange, but during the season of Lent, the reason people fast (give up something we REALLY ENJOY) is to have like a "built in alarm clock" to remind us to put our focus towards God.

I'm not very good at fasting... I tried to give up smoking and sex during lent last year. It didn't work out too good.

All I accomplished was realizing what a horrible sinner I really am.


In closing, I've read on forums over the years that Robitussin Gel Caps help.

Let us know how you are doing.

[Artsygal]

I'm hanging in there. Imodium does help a lot, but since it doesn't give you the warm fuzzies, it's tough psychologically. The good news is, aside from minor jitters, it has stopped the worst of the w/ds. Someone also suggested kratom, and I checked it out, and while there are obvious benefits, price-wise dose-for-dose, it's about the same as vike, so I really can't justify it. The imodium is OTC and perfectly legal, and for pain, there's various otc meds which are giving me enough relief to maintain. It's tough, but there's hope.

And for those wondering, yes, my GI has ground to a halt. Hopefully there will be some movement soon (if you get my drift).

[ttkitty]

I'm hanging in there. Imodium does help a lot, but since it doesn't give you the warm fuzzies, it's tough psychologically. The good news is, aside from minor jitters, it has stopped the worst of the w/ds. Someone also suggested kratom, and I checked it out, and while there are obvious benefits, price-wise dose-for-dose, it's about the same as vike, so I really can't justify it. The imodium is OTC and perfectly legal, and for pain, there's various otc meds which are giving me enough relief to maintain. It's tough, but there's hope.

And for those wondering, yes, my GI has ground to a halt. Hopefully there will be some movement soon (if you get my drift).

Hey there. Hope you are feeling even better now. As someone who previously indulged in opiates waaayyy too much and paid the price, I can vouch for the kratom alternative. It really doesn't cost that much. It lasts a long time, has no physical withdrawal effects at all, and works wonders when you need something. It improves my mood, my energy, and my bowels, if you know what I mean. But when I don't take it, I'm still ok. Go ahead and spend the $15, pm me if you want a recommendation on where and how, etc.

I promise you will be glad to have it on hand.

ttkitty

[Artsygal]

Tried the kratom. It was okay, but not great. Good to know because it's perfectly legal, but it's pretty expensive on a per-dose basis and it's not a really strong effect (it's extremely mild). Didn't mind the taste -- rather like ground up tea leaves. Since it's not exactly a cost-effective alternative to getting meds from the SY guys, from now on, SWIM plans to use medication *much* more sparingly, and combine it with other OTC painkillers to make it work better and last longer.

I CAN say pretty definitively that using Imodium does indeed work wonders. Had to take a lot of it (around 20mg at the height of it), but it does work. Instead of the costly liquid stuff, I used the pill form. Minimizes jitters, cramping, sweats, yawns etc -- everything except pain management and mental withdrawls. I used Alleve for pain and lots of walks and exercise (and meditation) for the mental part. Ground the digestive system to a halt, but no constipation afterward. If you have to stop taking the opiate pain meds for a while, I can heartily recommend the Imodium method.

[PAL20]

No doubt, WD's are no fun, and very uncomfortable if you happen to be IV'ng you drugs/pills/etc. I've never injected, but I do know people that have been down that road, and most never leave it.

For the rest of us, WD's are about as bad as we think they can be. Meaning, I find it extremely beneficial to tell myself that it's not going to be that bad this time around, and it does help. The only sure-fire way to feel comfortable and normal during the 48-72 hours of physical WD(shouldn't last any longer, mental issues/cravings may never go away completely however, but those don't "hurt" in the truest sense of the word) is take a valium or two for those 2/3 days. It's the only time benzos have ever been of any use for me...but they do work, amazingly. If you don't have any on hand, take a long bath in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Makes your body feel OK. I'd also eat around 500 calories per day during the 48-72 hr WD. Helps with stomach issues, and I do believe it speeds up the process, especially if you are doing a true water fast during this time.

Anyway, try to tell yourself that it isn't going to that bad. Thinking it's the worst thing ever and not a minor sickness/flu for a few days can only make it so.

Best of luck!

[doc]

Hey there just wanted to add to some of the posts. You are actually 100% correct on the weak affinity the immodium has for the Mu receptor. It can certainly help on multiple levels with the withdrawals.

Also the bath suggestion is a big one most forget. If you are really hitting it hard get into a HOT bath particularly good if you add Epsom Salts to it as well as it aides in muscle pain/strain. It works wonders if you do it right but only lasts as long as your in the bath FYI!

Also for other symptomatic relief remember Sudafed for nasal congestion and runny nose.

I prefer Ibuprofen for body pain and aches you can take 600- 800mgs at a time. If it is combined with headaches/ migraines try Excedrin as it has caffeine and APAP.

Also other meds like Valium/ xanax/ or ultram can aide in stepping down.

GOOD LUCK!

[CentaurusA]

XXXXXX helps with withdrawls. Meth*****, too PLEASE DONT KILL MEEE

I won't kill you cent, but come on now.

[CentaurusA]

And furthermore.....

[Isabella]

I thought we created a thread dedicated to you !!!!

[yellowbook]

How about how to get off the Meth*****? I used it to get off pain pills and now how do I get off it? Been on it for teo months now.

[Missybel]

. Where do you receive it from ? To get off of Meth***** is a very slow process and you definitely need help with this. You haven't been that long on it so it might be easier for you. But I have heard it can take for some people a year to get off of Meth***** completely after long long use of it.