Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Effexor or SSRI for Opiate withdrawal?

As you all might know, I am going C/T on June 13th, or attempt to do so from a 5 year Oxycontin addiction. Wondering does Effexor or any antidepressant meds help with withdrawal symptoms. i tried to taper today and couldn't, very depressed and anxious, instead I increased my daily dose. Trying again to taper.. so I will start the Thomas recipe soon and perhaps Effexor.
C
18 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hi Shay,

You've come to the right place to ask such questions. There is a world of information at your fingertips just waiting to be looked at here. If I could make a suggestion, try posting an original post with the heading "First Time Posting" you will get more helpful responses that you know what to do with :-)

Personally, I am on day 6 of opiate withdrawals and I've experienced all of the symptoms everyone talks about with the exception of vomiting.
     - restless arms and legs
     - lack of sleep
     - fuzzy headed
     - pain from old injuries
     - stomach upset
     - dizziness
     - no energy
     - feeling of lethargy and malaise
    
There is no easy way out, but time is key. Get some fresh air and exercise (I know that sounds nearly impossible). Eat healthy food. Be sure to take in tons of fluids. Long hot baths helped immensely - I spent most of days 2 and 3 in the bath.

Others have a wealth of information about supplements you  can take to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Start a new post and you will receive lots of support and information.

Stay strong and don't give in to the demons telling you to take one more!!
    
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Yes steaming hot showers is like my number one checklist item for any type of detox whether cold turkey or methadone or Subutex taper. If I can't have a hot shower whenever I need no matter what time and how long I need to stay n there I won't go. One place told us we were only allowed to use showers during certain day hours even though they were in our rooms. Well 2 rooms would be linked together by one bathroom and shower but it wasn't loud and didn't keep other person hope anything but if the staff heard us get a shower at night they make us get out immediately. I left this place asap because of it and went to another place.
Avatar universal
This is my first time posting.I'm starting day one from opiate withdrawals.does. anyone have any advise either (a)how not to go threw withdrawals?or what actually works to stop withdraws so that u can try to continue ur every day routines or what stops withdraws??
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Your going to have to go through withdrawals at some point no matter what to be opiate free. There are .Ed's j found that helped when one detox made me cold turkey detox because they found out at my last place I went into precipitated withdrawals from them administering me Subutex too early which Subutex is the main ingredient in Suboxone Suboxone just has narcan in it also. They usually only give Subutex in inpatient settings I ready seen anyone with a script of it on street only one person ever I seen have a script to Subutex on street. Now meds that helped me are. Clonodine who h helps lower ur blood pressure and keeps you a little Calmer and helps with got flashes and sweating. Nuerotin was another one they gave me when in cold turkey withdraw with no opposite taper just non narcotic drugs and helped alot. An ssri like Wellbutrin​ can help especially with the depression of the immediate withdrawals and post withdrawal symptoms. Muscle relaxers like baclofen or flexirill helped alot with the muscle spasms in legs and also helped me actually get some sleep even in cold turkey withdrawal which is usually impossible for me. And a real sleep aid will help too. Trwzadk e is main one I always got in detoxes but I found it is ****** and doesn't work well especially if u don't immediately fall asleep withing that first hour of taking it. I was given doxepin which is actually and an anti depressants I think but one that is usually given at bedtime instead of morning because of its seditave quality. That helped me with sleep  alot. So if u can get your doc to prescribe you some of these non narcotic meds and tell him the truth if why it could help. I even got them from various sources of friends on the street but I was well versed in what doses I needed and Such fro⅞m previous supervised detoxes. If u don't know I wouldn't try it by yourself that way for the first time I would try to get a doc to prescribe these. Hope this helps
Trazadone is what I meant to say for that first sleep med that don't work well for me at all
Avatar universal
You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You are still an opiate addict if you take suboxone. Big Pharm just wants to make money off of you. I was on it for two years. It's easier to get off than you think. But suboxone takes away all of your confidance to be clean and sober. They sell you the lie that you are clean. You are not. You are trading one opiate for another. They also tell you that you have a disease like cancer that is almost impossible to recover from. Many people like myself, are now leading happy, opiate free lives. So maybe a person isn't shooting heroine. That's good. But they are still an opiate addict if they are on suboxone. And if you are sent to the ER without them knowing you are a suboxone patient, (which happened to me), they may give you meds that will interact & send you into sever w/drawal symptom. I was not conscious when I was given the meds. It wasn't like I was wearing a suboxone bracelet. Get off of it and live free!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dreaforever posted a comment in the beginning of this year, so there's a chance people are still reading this thread. What opiates were you addicted  to and for how long? Also, what dose of well utrin did you take and when did you start taking the wellbutrin? Did you quite your addiction cold turkey while starting wellbutrin or did you taper?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know this an old thread, but if people are still reading this and obviously looking for some advice on this issue I can give my 2 cents. Look into 'Wellbutrin' (anti depressant) for opiate withdrawl. I have tried detoxing from opiates myself with no meds and it was absolutely terrible lol and was prescribed this med from my doc for my 3rd time detoxing and wanted to be prepared for the depression from paws. Well I literally had no withdrawl symptoms..! I couldnt believe it and I wasnt sure what the heck was going on. Looking into that med more and it potentially helping BIG TIME with opiate detox symptoms, there were other people claiming the same thing. Hope this info may help someone somewhere. :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had a bad bike wreck and was prescribed 180 - 30mg oxycodones per month for almost 2 years.(which I was assured by my doc to have no adverse affects... BS!!!) Needless to say, it was hard to quit. I had never been addicted to a drug in my life and I thought I could just toss them aside after taking them for so long. So I had to start on a suboxine. I got to where I was only taking a quarter of a suboxine a day.

I am now3 days into a complete detox and even coming off of 1/4 of a suboxine a day I still feel like shite. My muscles ache, I'm on edge, and I have a bad upset stomach. Any input would be appreciated. I feel like a pile right now.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had a bad bike wreck and was prescribed 180 - 30mg oxycodones per month for almost 2 years.(which I was assured by my doc to have no adverse affects... BS!!!) Needless to say, it was hard to quit. I had never been addicted to a drug in my life and I thought I could just toss them aside after taking them for so long. So I had to start on a suboxine. I got to where I was only taking a quarter of a suboxine a day.

I am now3 days into a complete detox and even coming off of 1/4 of a suboxine a day I still feel like shite. My muscles ache, I'm on edge, and I have a bad upset stomach. Any input would be appreciated. I feel like a pile right now.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just came of buprenorphine which was my drug of choice to begin with. I've had withdrawals from many opiates, but the worst ones prior to my suboxone withdrawal were morphine and poppy pods. Suboxone withdrawal for me was twice as bad; I never had all the symptoms of opiate withdrawal until I ended suboxone, and I'm three weeks into it and still feel f-ed up. I was given prozac for this post acute withdrawal syndrome and it does actually help some. I wouldn't recommend SSRIs for acute withdrawal, but they do help the post acute stuff, which mainly comes from methadone and buprenorphine.

Hope this helps.
Helpful - 0
614557 tn?1243708351
Yes, I think it is just you.However, in active addiction, a person's thinking is quite different than while being in recovery and making the necessary changes to go on living without taking their drug of choice.
Even though we all suffer from the same situation, I do not think life/health altering decisions should be made without consulting with a professional or someone who has been clean for an extended period of time. As I said, an antidepressant is not enough to combat all of the symptoms of addiction recovery.That is not saying it doesn't help at all.There is a wide spectrum of things that need to go along with recovery.
I do not claim to be an expert either, I just happen to speak very frankly, and I do not believe in sugar coating my responses.I feel that people's lives are at stake everyday- and they need the most educated information they can get when it comes to addiction.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
No. Its not just him. Your post is abrasive and misinformed.
372880 tn?1332879487
This is an old thread so I'm not sure that it is even worth the effort. I am in a similar place as wannabeclean was when this post originated. I too have dealt w/the pain and feelings of failure due to inability to taper! It's tough. I hope you are doing well Oxy...
To Shelwoy: Maybe its just me but ur post seems a bit abrasive. I think most in this forum are quite educated. Antidepressant tx is a reasonable approach to dealing w/the chemical changes we have cause in our addiction process.No one here claims to be experts but we are all in this together and I have learned a lot of valuable info from this forum.
I'm glad suboxone has wked for you,now you have a dependence and not an addiction.
Helpful - 0
614557 tn?1243708351
Any educated doctor is not going to give you antidepressants for detoxing or trying to get you to stop using another drug, if they do, you need a new doctor.Opiates cause severe changes in the brain, one of the side effects of stopping the opiates is depression, so since depression is only a fraction of what you will deal with, it is not nearly enough to combat what you will experience.If the Thomas Method works for you, then you are lucky.I tried several methods to quit on my own and failed miserably.
I have been in treatment with Suboxone for over a year now, and I have had more success with learning to live life without active addiction this time, than any other time I have tried in the past.That is because I am working with a treatment facility who confronts me anytime I start to alter my clean life, addiction is a life long journey, and there is no quick way to end it.You are never cured, but you can put your addiction in remission and go on to live a drug free life.
Get educated on your situation.Sometimes it is hard for me to understand how so many people know nothing about addiction, and are mislead by bad information from other addicts.Get professional advice and/or treatment, it is a much smarter way to start healing.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i just got a script for cymbalta. i took it one day and could not get out of bed.its meant for tingling in the hands,and anxiety and depression. i never said i had depression to mydoctor,however this was recommended  to me. i think it would have a negative effect on my brain.maybe they gave it to me because they think it may benefit me and help me get off the roxicodone more easily.what do u think?i do not like taking any antidepressants.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i had a totally negative experience with effexor - I did use lexapro during w/d's for anxiety. I really feel that the Amino Acid Protocol really helped me more than anything else......check it out - 5HTP and DHEA are two good ones for sure......Thomas Recipe and Amino Acid Protocol are at loweer right of page
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would suggest lexipro please dont go on efferor the wd's from that were almost as bad as the wd's from pain pills.
Helpful - 0
401095 tn?1351391770
Tapering is not easy....and depression is a major side effect for many during withdrawal...i started lexapro a couple of weeks before i quit then stopped it a few months afterwards...just as a safety net...i ended up stressing so bad trying to taper that i would actually take more than my usual dose..for real!...sad but true...i struggled with tapering for 6 months on my own and felt like a complete failure as a person by the time i handed them over to a friend who doled them out to me each day...it was a hassle as i would have to drive over each night to get them and i felt so weak having to resort to this....i did a quick taper and was very glad when i was off work and quit day arrived...i cheated during my taper even tho i handed over my pills but i did manage to get my dose down a bit and i think it mentally prepared me for what i was going to do...i also think it made me realize how addicted i was to those pills...dont beat urself up...may need to make an adjustment to ur plan
Helpful - 0
464044 tn?1343702043
I've never heard of antidepressants helping with wd's. I imagine that if they did, my doc wouldve told me that by now. The thomas recipe does help. Try that. Honestly, tapering is very hard. If youre going to taper you may need to have someone dispense your pills for you. Good luck, I wish you the best.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

Top Addiction Answerers
495284 tn?1333894042
City of Dominatrix, MN
Avatar universal
phoenix, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.