Qutting opiates while keeping my job

[Mike965]

SWIM has been addicted to opiates (Hydrocodone, Oxycodone) for the better part of three years. SWIM is in a constant cycle of withdrawal and relapse because of availability of said opiates. SWIM is ready to get over this addiction for good but can't imagine going through withdrawals while continuing to work full-time. SWIM doesn't currently have a doctor to go to for help and is wondering what can be done ?

[thebige]

Hey Mike,......Swim feels your pain,Swim believes you are a resourceful person,and it might benefit you to check your connects for some suboxone (bupe).
If swim is not familiar with this pill,check around ,plenty of info here.
Or find a doctor that prescribes this med...................that would be the smartest thing.One could pull off a full withdrawal...........while working............in 5 days........With almost no symptoms.....Thebige beleives and this is his opinion.....your results may vary..........As they say .After that the littlest things in life brings pleasure.
Good Luck,Mike.....................bige

[MarkyMayhem]

Short-course detox with methadone or suboxone seems to SWIM to be SWIY best bet.
In days past, SWIM would have to get clean to go out of town for work. SWIM would score 80 - 160 mgs of methadone on the street, and split it in to 5 doses. Take the 5 doses over 5 days, tapering down each day. The half-life of methadone is such that you get an auto-detox [and residual methadone in one's system preventing withdrawal] for about 2 weeks after the methadone is stopped.
SWIM did this from high doses of china white by SWIMself many times, and was actually in a residential treatment programe that used the same method, it works.

And now in the US there is suboxone. not the best choice for longterm use, but for a 1-2 weeks taper / detox, SWIM hears it's even better than methadone, and it has the advantage of being prescribed in out-patient settings in the US. SAMSHA has an online buprenorphine / suboxone physician locator, use google.

SWIM tells me either method is pretty much painless, although you will have some major problems sleeping for weeks after...

[Mike965]

SWIM has been looking into Suboxone but has not been able to get hooked up with a doctor or other source as of yet. SWIM has been able to get off tramadol using Neurontin but SWIM has since lost his connection for that and is not sure if a doctor would perscribe it just on asking. SWIM is also slightly hesistaint to go to a doctor and ask for methadone ? Is this irrational ?

[thebige]

No Mike, swim believes going to the doctor and explaining your current dilemma is not out of the question................might be the smartest thing.
But it may be something you may not choose to do due to family,work,and personal reasons.
Swim had a problem one time and could only obtain 3,8mg Suboxone and detoxed pain free in about 4 days........around family,friends and during other social obligations.......but that was swim,and everyone is different.
You could stop taking meds on Thursday,get sick on Friday at work....go home early from work(must of been those tacos from Taco Bell)...........and you might be able to call in sick on Monday....maybe Tuesday.(still on the toilet and vomiting)

That buys you about 5 days..........if you could somehow find the remedy from a friend or something?

Good luck.........and keep us posted on your progress.

[smeghead]

yea, swim wish he'd stopped his last does on Thursday instead of Saturday

swim just called in sick monday and today (tues)... will go in tomorrow still looking ill, so at least they will think he is genuinely ill (which, tbh, he is!) and take pity maybe

sucks

[ex-junkie]

Originally Posted by Mike965

SWIM has been addicted to opiates (Hydrocodone, Oxycodone) for the better part of three years. SWIM is in a constant cycle of withdrawal and relapse because of availability of said opiates. SWIM is ready to get over this addiction for good but can't imagine going through withdrawals while continuing to work full-time. SWIM doesn't currently have a doctor to go to for help and is wondering what can be done ?

sweety, swiy is going to need some time off work to tackle this problem, or some sort of maintenance drug like methadone or subutex to stabilize swiy. unfortunately with the maintenance drugs, swiy is going to have to go to the chemist to dose, and the amount of take away doses is more or less restricted to how generous the prescribing doctor is. if you abuse their generosity in any way, your take away priviledges will be ceased all together.

if swiy wants to stop completely, then swiy is going to have to ask for some time off for recovery/support from either a support service/family or friends- whichever you have available to you.

swim understands its a horrible predicament to be in, and wishes swiy all the best of luck in their journey.

when swim detoxed, she came off of 50MG of methadone (at home), first by going cold turkey for 3 days, then following with temgesic (buprenorphine) for 5 days, then was hospitalized the next day and given small doses of naltrexone (1MG every 2 hours over a 24 hour period). swim was medicated with a one-off promethazine injection in the bum (drowsy antihistamine), then every few hours 10MG temazepam, 50MG(?) chlonodine (unsure of exact dose). swim was lucky not to have any withdrawals over a 24 hour period, then dosed a full tablet of naltrexone the following morning. there was no withdrawal reaction, so she was allowed to go home and has been clean ever since.



swim was seeing a specialist in opiate addiction/pain relief, and her hospital stay was claimed on medicare (public health care benefit scheme in australia).

9 days it took.


oh and dont be embarrassed to ask the doctor for help. its what theyre there for!

in a nutshell, if swiy wants to keep using opiates, then go down the methadone route. if swiy wants to stop the opiates all together, then get suboxone or subutex. just keep in mind that swiy will have some yucky withdrawals if swiy takes opiates whilst on suboxone/subutex.

[rhudson]

Originally Posted by Mike965

SWIM has been addicted to opiates (Hydrocodone, Oxycodone) for the better part of three years. SWIM is in a constant cycle of withdrawal and relapse because of availability of said opiates. SWIM is ready to get over this addiction for good but can't imagine going through withdrawals while continuing to work full-time. SWIM doesn't currently have a doctor to go to for help and is wondering what can be done ?

Kratom actually does help in some cases. SWIM has used it to drop small habits before. Buprenorphine (Suboxone/Subutex) is better for larger habits.

Fuck methadone.

[smeghead]

yeah I agree, though I feel hypocritical as I've never tried Methadone, the w/d horror stories I read on here (lasting Months!) don't bare thinking about.

and some ask for Methadone for a Codeine addiction! madness.

I went in on Wed and went home again, couldn't hack it. been off since. It's the sleeplessness now that's caning me hard. Hopefully a nice weekend and I can go back on Monday over the worst of it, and can make a real recovery...

[oxynomo]

Swim does'nt want to be a buzz killer but swiy is going to need something from Dr. to help him sleep.Swim went weeks with the least amount of sleep imaginable.Wishes for ya.o

[Sib]

I've done it cold turkey I took 5 days off and said I had the flu, there's lists of OTC meds, fruit, drinks etc that will help you, good luck.