Howdy folks, it’s day 30 and I’m feeling totally back to normal. To be honest, I was feeling much better about a week ago, so at about the 21 day mark I was feeling much better. The last lingering symptom that I had was sleep and it’s normalized itself again without medication assistance.
I figured I’d share what helped me get back to normal so quickly and what helped me get through WDs with relatively few intense symptoms. I’m hoping this post can just help people make a decent game plan for WD and honestly reassure folks that it does get better. I was absolutely terrified my sleep was never going to get back to normal and I’d feel anxious and low forever but at about the 3 week mark I was feeling way better and even more like myself.
For reference, my usage Hx: 60gpd, MIT-15 + 7OH tablets x 3 years
Rough list of my WD symptoms that I did have:
-insomnia (3 weeks)
-intense anxiety and low mood
-very high libido (unexpected, has settled down some, somewhat uncomfortable)
Supplements/Meds that I did take that helped immensely (obviously do what you feel is best, you guys know your own bodies the best, but these are just some things that I felt helped me immensely and prevented a good deal of the evil WD symptoms)
1.) clonidine
-this med is the difference between a life and death painful WD. Clonidine prevented RLS, sweats, shaking, and even helped me to go to bed in the first few days. You can very easily get a script for it via telehealth bc it’s not a controlled substance and it’s used for like so many other conditions (ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, High BP) and just so happens to be used off label for Opiate WD. This med genuinely saved me during that first week.
2.) NAC
-this supplement sped up the detox process tremendously. I took about 2 1000mg capsules daily and it helped so much with my stomach issues AND respiratory issues. So fun fact, bc opiates depress the respiratory system, you can get a form of sleep apnea unknowingly and it can stop your breathing during slumber. NAC works to keep your lung tissue healthy and specifically targets it to detoxify the mucus from opiates and other harmful substances. It will also help your liver do its job tremendously.
3.) a benzodiazepine
-unfortunately, I received an infusion of this via IV in the ER because I had such severe insomnia from the WDs and I was beginning to hallucinate music from the lack of sleep, but when I did get the infusion it was like I had been kissed by god, I finally was able to get 8 hours of sleep after like 3 days of no slumber. If you have a PCP or psychiatrist, just be honest with them to the best of your ability because the indicated treatment for WD is actually by the book a benzodiazepine, so they aren’t inclined to deny you treatment with this med because it is by the book what they are taught to use. It helps calm the mind tremendously and I wish I had spoken with a psychiatrist/my PCP before deciding to quit CT to get a script to help the insomnia and very intense anxiety.
If I had to go through WD again, I would have prepared by getting a benzodiazepine script ahead of time.
4.) white chestnut + valerian root
-Both of these herbs after about the 7th day helped me sleep at night tremendously, both have an impact on the portions of your brain that produce anxiety and insomnia. I will be honest, they were not impactful during my first week of WD because that insomnia is like impossible to fight without clonidine or like a heavy duty sleep med in my opinion, but when your sleep cycle starts to normalize typically in the 2nd week it can help a ton with sleep in my experience
5.) Magnesium Glycinate
-I took about 2 500mg capsules daily starting on my first day of WDs and I’m still taking it. The magnesium glycinate completely got rid of the tight muscles and just general rigidity of the body that i know can happen during WD. I believe it also helped me to sleep during that 1st week when sleep was scare after the 3rd day of WDs and it did help imo with anxiety.
Meds/Substances I did NOT use:
1.) Suboxone
- So, in my experience, my withdrawal was very well managed without the use of suboxone and so I felt no use to add another addictive substance into the mix. The meds above cut like 99% of the WD symptoms that you may experience, so I want folks to know that WDs can be managed very decently without the use of suboxone. Also, something I think people should be cautious about (I am not passing judgement, I’m just seeing to relay things I have heard from healthcare providers in the past), having a suboxone script in your medication history list can limit you from accessing certain types of care. While it’s not fair in the slightest, healthcare providers may deny you pain medication after surgery, be unwilling to prescribe certain kinds of anxiety and depression meds, and a lot more just because they associate suboxone = addiction. I haven’t seen anyone talk about that on here, and so I just wanted to make people aware that this is a very real possibility that people should consider before deciding to pursue suboxone treatment. Again, NO JUDGMENT if you needed suboxone for your WDs, I just want people to be aware of the implications it could have on your future healthcare and that it is totally possible and feasible to go through WD without suboxone.
I know this is a very long and exhaustive list with huge explanations but I really wanted to put a list of stuff that helped me with through explanations so if someone was suffering and just didn’t know how to plan for WD like me that this could offer some guidance. If you guys have any questions or just want some encouragement, please don’t hesitate to DM me.
It DOES get better you guys, I’m proud of each and every one of you whether you’re just a lurker on this sub or actually going through WD, I know it’s not easy, but you aren’t alone and you will make it through this ❤️