can someone tell swim how to detox with clonidine?

[inspiron]

could someone help swim out with using clonidine to do this?

[Spyder]

Clonidine is now sometimes used to treat Opiate detox symptoms. Which can be similar to severe alcohol withdrawal, especially with sleeplessness, which is also stated as a use of this med.

The main use of this med is the treatment of High Blood pressure, or to counteract certain amphetamines, it seems to have several "off-label" uses.

Not sure about tolerance w/ this med, so swiS would be very careful w/ dosing, just start very very small to help w/ sleep, and if necessary increase from there?

Obviously, this can't replace the value of just getting swiYou doctor involved w/ a professional detox strategy......but swiS can understand the hesitation w/ this option? Although, it certainly worth a second thought......

Good luck....S

Reputation Comments on this post:

-0 but please don't link to wikipedia, edit the link out, leave relevant info

[drix]

Swim was given clonidine as catapres 0.1mg patches. They last a week. Swim found they didn't make any difference to alcohol withdrawal but swim also takes a lot of benzos and opiates, he wasn't taking opiates at the time because he was also taking naltrexone. Swim really didn't think there was any benefit to the clonidine at all, benzos do the job but swim has been on and off them for the past fifteen years, more on than off. Swim found that naltrexone didn't do much for the cravings either and turned disulfrim(antabuse) down flat, fuck that! The med swim found most effective for the cravings and impulse to drink was baclofen, an anti spastic that also works on GABBA 3 receptors. Swim knows that they use this in the early stages of opiate withdrawal but some of the detox doctors swim talked to didn't seem to know much about it. Swims doctor is very good though and knows a lot about addiction/detox etc. But all the meds in the world won't help unless you really REALLY want to stop. It is hard. How long has swiy been drinking for, how much at a time and what dosage of clonidine has swiy been prescribed?

Reputation Comments on this post:

good questioins/facilitation of discussion

[Mikeymc]

Yeah clonidine is usually used for an opiate withdrawl protocol, it helps ease the symptoms, however I havent heard of it being used for an alcohol withdrawl...using a benzow would be used i.e. valium or librium. The primary use of a benzo taper is to avoid seizure (DTS), and it does help with sleep. Hope that helps

[hyperbolical]

If swiy lives in the UK check out lofexidine, It is a far supperior drug than clondine in swims opinium. Swim thinks they both have similer mechanisums of action.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good information. Lofexidine doesn't have the blood-pressure lowering side-effects of clonidine, but a similar mechanism...

[oxyc]

Hi swim has detoxed from severe alcohol abuse like 300 units a week several times and by far the easiest way to do this was on Librium, swim thinks the name of the drug is chloradiazapoxide (check spelling), The times swim has tried to detox using all different types of drugs he has lost count, trying antihistamines, codiene even solvents and gas to escape the torture of the horrendous cravings, when swim first had a librium detox he was amazed at how good this stuff is, he had no cravings at all or any desire to drink, the detox usually lasts 5-7 days, after the first 3 swiy will feel like a new person and it will feel like swiy has cracked it but its important to follow up the regeime to the end.
Swim doesnt know how the hospitals operate in the USA but in the UK everytime swim has been admitted whether for alcohol related problems or something else and is at the time dependant on alcohol they always use this treatment, it must be standard practice but it always works, once swim has been detoxed he then has the choice of drinking again or not but at least he has the CHOICE where as when he is drinking there is no choice but to drink, stopping cold turkey is not an option as it can be fatal.
Hope this helps, good luck in whatever swiy decides but swim absolutley swears by Librium its like magic to stop W/Ds but remeber the hardest part of all is not picking up another drink after but at least it gives swiy the CHOICE

[bigloc]

They gave this to swim for detox from benzos and alcohol along with beta blockers and phenobarb.

[Boh Girl]

It worked for AFOAF I can help

SWIM was using over 100 mgs avg/day oxycontin. Swim had a prescription for percs and that is how she started, but, as you probably expect, overdid it and ended up getting what swim could get where SWIM could find them and this is how SWIM reached this level of needing to sniff 20-40 mgs oxy at a time a few times a day. SWIM always hated sniffing drugs and always popped them but near the end needed to get more out of it. SWIM has even used proper anal method to get the most out of it. Now I also must mention the entire time SWIM had prescriptions for other lesser opiates (percacet) and was in pain for the duration due to multiple medical procedures in a row.

SWIM stopped cold turkey as soon as the painful tube coming out of and stitched loosely to swims skin was removed. SWIM, as many, always planned on stopping immediately, no one had warned her what would happen.

SWIM made it 6, yes SIX days through this unimaginable hole of pain and inexplicable horror. SWIMs muscles were contracting so hard and the panick attacks were so severe among a million other symptoms she spent much of the last few days screaming and writhing in agony. SWIMs friends finally took her to the ER.

There, unfamiliar with such things they IV'd SWIM morphine, SWIM had the blast of her life but was so upset she had gone through so much for nothing it did not deter SWIM, instead she seeked out a family doctor, (advice of the ER doctor) not very available in SWIMs area, found a crappy one (excuse the language) who immediately tried referring her to methadone. SWIM asked about alternatives, he provided her with Librium, clonidine, and codeine (The only Opiate he had authority to prescribe but to ween down to.)

It was really hard for SWIM to go from beautiful euphoric oxys to having to take handfuls of codeine pills to ween onto them, she continued to keep a stash of percacets for when w/d symptoms got bad. Weening from the Oxy to codeine was tough but ISO crucial

After what seemed eternity, SWIM was surviving off of less than 20 mgs of any sort of opiate. She stopped again, taking clonidine and librium every 6 hours. The pain was much less swim mostly was nearly comatose due to the heart-altering effects of the clonidine so ISO be careful about that watch your systolic.. SWIM was mostly affected by chills/sweats, irritability and dizzy, totally unable to operate this time. An incredible improvement from the screaching agony of oxy w/d ISO.

This worked for SWIM, took about a week, although she was very weak for a period afterward, and hopes it will help someone else. According to SWIMs pharmacist clonidine helps chills feelings and sleeplessness (pfft.. sleep lol) but it did definitely help. The librium SWIM took when she got emotional or crave-y. ISO just make sure you don't have low blood pressure already because clonidine will definitely lower it more and this can cause very strange feelings, unpleasant.

I have so much to say I know I left much out, SWIM has been viewing this site for info for a year or so but I am a "n00b" but SWIM thinks her story and everything she learned from the many medical professional options considered/tried (including rehab/detox, SWIM hasn't mentioned yet) that SWIM and I just really want to help someone who may be feeling that agony SWIM felt for all this time. There is an end.

Boh Girl
(newb but down )

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good info and very helpful.

[Sib]

Thanks for sharing that Boh Girl.