Jade's Ultimate Guide to Surviving Physical Opiate Withdrawal
Hey friends! As an addict myself, I’ve had to face physical withdrawals from opiates many times over. It’s very common for users to continue abusing their drug of choice just to avoid getting “dopesick” - a term for the awful side affects of abruptly stopping opiate use. And since about 9% of the population is believed to misuse opiates in their lifetime, I’d like to share all of my tips for getting through the week after your last dose relatively scathe-free! Let’s get started, shall we?
Symptoms and their severity are dependent on age, the amount a person has been using, and the length in which they’ve been using them. Those that are younger, have been abusing smaller amounts, and have not used for a long time will have shorter and less difficult withdrawals.
Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms include:
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Muscle aches
- Insomnia
- Runny nose
- Sweating
- Chills
- Fatigue/weakness
- Tummy cramps
- Diarrhea
- Goose bumps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Appetite Increase/Decrease
- Restless Leg Syndrome (Can commonly appear in other parts of the body besides the legs, such as arms/shoulders/etc.)
- Rapid/irregular heartbeat
- Light sensitivity
Depending on how long a person has been abusing opiates, withdrawal can begin to set in anywhere from a few hours after the last dose to 24 hours after the last dose. Those who have been abusing opiates much longer will find symptoms arise much more quickly. The severity of your symptoms will usually peak around the 2-3 day and most symptoms are usually gone by 8 days after your last dose. In my experience, all of my symptoms are typically present until the 5th-6th day, in which symptoms then start to drop off.
Combating Agitation, Anxiety, and Emotional Distress
For some, the awful emotions that arise from stopping opiates is the most difficult symptom to cope with. Agitation, anxiety, stress, and suicidal thoughts/actions are very, very common. Because the body adapts to opiates by increasing adrenaline levels, when one stops opiates they suddenly have an excess of adrenaline, which translates to them panicking. As time goes on, adrenaline levels will slowly return to normal, but it’s a very slow process. It’s been said that it takes a full year for your brain chemistry to return to that of a non-addict. By continuing opiate abuse you’re simply delaying this process and making it harder for the brain to recover. Here are some of the tactics I use to combat my anxiety, agitation, and suicidal thoughts.
1. Have people to support you - It’s very important for your sanity to have people around you that love you and can help you out of a pickle if you start to become very distressed. Explain to those around you that you are not feeling like yourself lately, which means you may snap at them or become agitated at them very easily. Explain to them that it’s just the opiate withdrawal talking, it’s not you actually disliking them or wanting to hurt them. If you don’t have people around you to support you through your journey, or you’d like to speak to someone who has gone through the situation themselves, feel free to contact me through tumblr at any time, or visit an NA meeting. Narcotics Anonymous is an incredible group of empathetic people who can get you through your time of need. It’s not necessary to align yourself with the program, you can go there for support any time you need, provided you’re not causing some type of disturbance. Use this website to see meetings in your area. If you’re too shy/skittish about visiting a meeting in person, NA has online meetings every single night at 10 pm open to public, along with a chatroom that’s open 24/7 that does not require signing up. Here is the current link to the NA chatroom.
2. Remember that what you’re feeling is only temporary - Whenever I’m going through withdrawal, I like to keep focus on the fact that the way I’m feeling will only last for a week. Take things day by day or hour by hour if you need to. Things seem way more manageable when I realize that they will only last for a very, very small fraction of my life. Also remember that what you’re feeling is withdrawal, it is not a part of who you are as a person.
3. Keep yourself busy - The best way to combat anxiety and the like is to not give yourself an opportunity to think about it! Netflix and TV have proven invaluable to so many people who are going through this. I like to watch Youtubers play exciting actions games a lot, because of my anxiety I end up getting really excited and into the game instead of feeling icky and down! Other activities that are low energy and suitable include coloring, reading a book, tidying up your room, board/video games, sudoku/word search, doodling, etc.
4. Focus on your breathing - If you find yourself having a panic attack, focusing on your breath and slowing it down can really help mellow you out. Make sure to breathe in for a shorter amount of time than you breathe out. Many people like to employ the 7/11 tactic, in which you breathe in for 7 counts and exhale for 11. Mediation/light yoga can become invaluable in a time like this, feel free to try it out!
5. Avoid caffeine like the plague - I cannot stress enough that caffeine in a time like this is an awful idea. Avoid drinking coffee, energy drinks, and soda like your life depends on it. Anxiety, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, and agitation will increase if you consume caffeine. I made the mistake of drinking vanilla coke during one withdrawal and my symptoms became nearly unmanageable.
6. Exercise very lightly - Exercise has always been a tool of mine to combat anxiety, but considering how fatigued/weak you’ll likely be feeling, it’s important to not take things too far. Light yoga and walking are excellent exercises to be doing. During the first couple of days, even moving around and taking a shower can be considered exercise along with cleaning your room. Move around as much as you can handle, the more you exercise, the more quickly the opiates will get out of your system!
Tumblr has a plethora of guides to combat anxiety under the tag #anxiety tips, check it out if these tools are not enough!
Combating Muscle Aches, Sweating, and Chills
It’s not uncommon for someone who’s going through withdrawal to be dripping with sweat in one moment and then shivering cold the next. On top of that, due to your body getting used to having opiate receptors bind to nerve endings, it no longer recognizes normal, everyday sensations. This leaves a user feeling very achy and tender the next day. Here are some tips to get through aching, sweating, and chills.
1. Leave the window open/crank up the AC - To best regulate your temperature while it’s bouncing from freezing to sweating, start with an ice cold environment. You can always add more layers/blankets to keep you warmer, but you can only take off so many clothes before you’re stuck being naked and still too hot.
2. Make your base layer of clothing cotton - Make the clothing layer that’s closest to your skin cotton. Cotton soaks up all of your sweat and allows your skin to breathe best. Considering you’re going to get pretty wet with sweat, you’re going to want something to soak it all up. (Sorry, it’s gross and unavoidable, folks).
3. Keep plenty of blankets/layerable clothing at hand - When you start shivering, now’s the time to break out all your warm blankets and stuff yourself into a cocoon. Make sure any clothing/blankets you have on are easy to remove. You want items that are easy to add or remove because your body temperature fluctuates so frequently. Add or take away clothing/blankets to keep yourself at a temperature that makes you most comfortable.
4. Use over-the-counter pain medications around the clock - Now don’t go do something silly like using a different addictive pain medication in order to combat withdrawal, that’s not going to help you. Use non-addictive pain medications such as Advil, Tylenol, or Aleve to lessen your muscle aches. Take as many as is safe to take according to the directions and make sure you take them in time once their effectiveness has worn off. Not every OTC pain medication works best for everyone, see which ones relieve your pain the best.
5. If you can stand it, heat can provide pain relief - If you’re already sweating and too warm, don’t use heat to relax your sore muscles. However, if you can stand it, heat can be very effective in taking away muscle pain. Hot showers, hot water bottles (the rubber kind), electric blankets, and heating pads can all be used to keep you toasty and comfortable.
Combating Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting, and Appetite Change
In my personal experience, I haven’t experienced any vomiting while going through withdrawal, but I have had diarrhea so severe I literally cried with relief when it stopped. (Yeah, that bad). It’s also much more common to have appetite decline rather than appetite increase; I find myself having to force myself to eat during withdrawal. Here are my tips to cope with diarrhea, nausea, and minimal appetite.
1. Gatorate/Pedialyte is your best friend - When someone is having diarrhea, sweating, or vomiting, their body quickly loses electrolytes. Electrolytes are important to replace, as they keep the body from seizures and becoming dehydrated amongst many other things. I found that while drinking Gatorade during my withdrawals, my diarrhea was greatly reduced. I literally was on the toilet about ¼ of the time I was before, I cannot recommend it enough.
2. Drink as much water as you can - Again, diarrhea, sweating, and vomiting will get you dehydrated very, very quickly. On top of that, the more water you drink, the quicker you can flush the opiates out of your system.
3. Force yourself to eat - You need the fuel and the energy food gives you in order to recover and get better. It’s going to be hard to get yourself to eat because you’ll have no appetite, but it’s in your best interest to get some food inside of you. If you’re having a hard time getting yourself to eat, now’s the time to break out with your favorite foods that you just can’t resist.
4. Eat foods that are more bland - Blander foods are much easier to keep down if you’re vomiting. Crackers, toast, rice, and bananas are good foods to choose not only because they’re less likely to come up, but also because those foods keep you from having more diarrhea. Foods/drinks with ginger, such as ginger ale, can also help settle your stomach so you do not vomit. Avoid spicy foods and alcohol, that’s you begging for diarrhea and vomiting.
Combating Restlessness and Insomnia
Anyone who has abused opiates knows that they make you very sleepy. This means that when you stop using them, it ends up catching up to you, leaving you restless and unable to sleep. Here are ways I’ve managed to stop my RLS and sleeplessness.
1. Take over the counter sleep aids - Things such as Benadryl and Melatonin can help get you to fall asleep if you can’t naturally. Be careful, these things are not as effective when you’re going through withdrawal, which might tempt you to take a higher dose. Don’t take so many that you end up in danger, alright? Melatonin is naturally produced by your body, so it’s likely the safer OTC bet.
2. Get some exercise not too close to bed - What better way to tire yourself out than exercise, right? Be careful so as to not exercise too close to bed, you’ll end up giving yourself an energy boost and you’ll have a harder time getting to sleep than before. Exercise can also alleviate any restless leg syndrome that you may be having (that’s a tingling sensation in your limbs, not necessarily your legs).
3. Experiment with massages and hot/cold treatments - Some people report relief from their tingling muscles through massaging the affected area, or by alternating hot and cold treatments. See what works best for you! Rubbing an ice pack on your legs may help, or running hot water over them, or both!
4. Have an orgasm (or a few)! - Orgasms have proven to be an incredibly effective way to stop any tingling you may have in your limbs. Not only that, but orgasming right before bed time helps many people fall asleep. Orgasms are what I’ve found to be most effective in getting my RLS to stop.
1. Consider quitting opiates permanently - If you stop using opiates for good, you’ll never have to go through physical withdrawal again and trust me, that’s quite a big incentive. Look around for local rehab centers or NA meetings in order to get the support you need to stay clean.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself - We all make mistakes, and I know if you’re trying to get clean you’re likely regretting even starting abusing opiates in the first place. Focus on the fact that you’re trying your best to get better, that’s what counts. Don’t strain yourself too hard during your physical withdrawals, your body is going through enough!
3. Remember what opiates took away from you - If you start reminiscing about the fun times you had on opiates, you’re dooming yourself to relapse, meaning you’ll just have to suffer through physical withdrawals again and again. Remember all the bad things your addiction has forced you to deal with. Has it ruined your relationships? Has it cost you a lot of money? Has it made you suffer emotionally? Don’t lose sight of the reasons you want to quit using.
4. Keep a positive mindset - The more optimistic you are, the easier it is to beat this thing. If you believe in yourself and try your best to stay as happy as possible, this week might just be a walk in the park! Keep your head up, I believe in you!
“Opiate Withdrawal: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ medlineplus/ency/article/000949.htm>.
“Opiate Withdrawal Timeline - The Opiate Epidemic.” The Opiate Epidemic. 19 Dec. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://opiateepidemic.com/opiate-withdrawal-timeline/>.
Ewing, John. “The Peril and Folly of Opiate Abuse.” Spirit Lake Wellness, Inc. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://http://spiritlakewellness.org/wp-content/perils%20and%20follies%20of %20opiate%20addictionweb.pdf>.
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