Mild Opiate Withdrawal: what works for swim

[norcolepsy]

Swim's friend has been on and off daily use of hydocodone (mostly on) for the last year and would like to share his experience with alleviating mild opiate withdrawal. Currently, Swim's friend has used 25 mg daily for the past 90 days.

In order to know if one classifies as a victim of mild opiate withdrawal sympton, the following criteria should generally be met:

- have used an opiate daily for over 3 weeks
- have used < half gram of heroin a day
- have used < 30-40 mg of hydrocodone / < 20 mg of oxycodone

Swim's friend found the following regimen to relieve WD symptoms 65-75%

- Wake up early (as if one has much choice) and have 6-800 mg of IBuprofen or ASA readily available to wash down

- Stretch your muscles (swims friend has tight hammys and usually experiences WD discomfort and focuses on stretching those out more then anything but may vary for each person)
- Take 40 mg of inderal (this is more accessible for swims friend but clonodine is said to be a better choice) note that swims friend hasn't seen this documented but swears it does help
- take a massive multi-vitamin along with a vitamin B complex
- take hot shower/baths, spend time in the warm sun (if possible, luckily it is summer here) and..
-exercise! even if its low rate exercise like walking, golfing, frolfing..whatever, try to stay active
- stretch before going to sleep if need be (note again, this may not do much for some but swims friend's muscles are irregularly tight and it DOES help him alot)

That is mainly it. Mild Opiate Withdrawal syndrome is no doubt, a cinch compared to regular or sever opiate WD..but nonetheless can be extremely annoying when you are trying to stay on par with your job/life/goals. Hopefully this homemade remedy will help someone else out there.

[Politicalchalk]

Swim agrees that keeping active is *essential* for getting through it. If one has all day to sit around, do nothing, etc, one in w/d tends to think of getting drugs. Keeping active focuses the mind away from this.

Supportive measures are also helpful, if not key: addressing your specific symptoms, and targeting them individually. Muscle aches? Muscle relaxer. Can't sleep? Sleeping pill. Random, assorted pain? Ibuprofen. The shits?:loperamide (Immodium) or diphenoxylate (Lomotil) can really come in handy. Anxious? Maybe a benzo, or hydroxyzine. Clonidine helps in some weird, general way. If possible, try and titrate down as low as you can, over as long a period of time as one's supply will allow. This will decrease the overall intensity of symptoms.

Also, when one stops completely (not "running out," but "trying to get clean") -- it is important to ensure that one has no access to more. It will only prolong withdrawal.