So 45 mins away from 14 days (2 weeks). Starting to sleep again, eating great. Seems like the only residual effect is a mind fog... Not sure if it's just a result of the fatigue from lack of sleep or a normal part of the process? Anyone relate to the foggiest?
Forgot to mention I had the RLS for the 1st few nights pretty severe. That actually did last at a lower level through the 6th night but is basically gone now.
Happy to report I'm 1 hour shy of day 7 and really was lucky to only have 3 days of the chills, no GI issues or anything. What I didn't expect was the holy insomnia. I've always had a problem the first couple nights traveling to a diff time zone so maybe planning this the day I land 3 hours ahead and in a small "hotel" room wasn't the smartest idea. Hoping the trip back today to the west coast and my own bed tonight will help out. Haven't had more than 4 hours of sleep in a night (mostly 2-3) and go back to work Monday so fingers crossed on some sleep. Thanks again for all your words of encouragement and direction.
Thanks guys. Oh I'm done, completely finished. Way too much to lose. I have a therapist I signed up a few weeks ago that specializes in addiction. Have seen him once and made a good connection. The quick spiral of this scared me. Plus addiction runs in the family.Happy to have that support. Been getting 2 to 3 hours max of sleep for three nights. And yes, despite all of this thankfully the "flu" didn't last long and I'm able to enjoy myself. Tired as heck but at least I'm not at work! Thanks again for all the support. Wish I could post more but man, Internet is expensive!!! :)
Sure, you can talk to the ship's doctor, but you HAVE to be honest about the fact that you're in w/d's.
You can take a prescribed sleep aid, but beware...Ambien, Valium, all of these drugs have addiction potential and should be used short term only.
Do you think you're done, completely finished, or do you see yourself using the opiates to get high again some day?
What kind of cruise are you on? Are you managing to enjoy yourself despite the detox?
I have to say, you have many advantages over a lot of other addicts, the biggest one is that the light bulb came on for you after only a relatively short time using! That will REALLY work in your favor for recovery AND for detox.
It sounds like you're through the worst of it (yay!)...and like the others said, sleep is usually the last thing to normalize, so as tough as it may be, just try to hang in there and be patient.
MY personal opinion is to try NOT to resort to taking sleep remedies of any kind...and let the sleep restore itself naturally. Adding sleep remedies into the mix (even natural ones) can slow the overall process of normalizing your sleep patterns.
As long as you're not going many days on end with NO sleep, you'll be okay. Tired, but okay. People start to panic when they aren't sleeping much, but the truth is, a day or two without sleep isn't going to kill you, and even if you get an hour here or there....you'll be fine. Again, tired...but fine. So, unless you really are dealing with severe sleep deprivation, I would just try to be patient and try to do this without adding a sleep aid. Just my opinion. Exercise is great for not only sleep, but for detox in general. Also, be sure to avoid alcohol and stimulants (caffeine). That will make you feel a lot worse. If you DO end up turning to some kind of sleep aid, try to use it sparingly, only here and there, not every day.
When your cruise is done and you're back home, be sure to look into some addiction counseling, or some kind of addiction program. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. You may think since you didn't use for very long that you don't need it, but you really do.
You need to find out WHY you talked yourself into thinking that abusing a strong narcotic like Oxy for recreational purposes was okay (at the time). That in itself indicates a tendency towards addict thinking. You may have dodged a bullet with your use....but you must be proactive in getting into some kind of consistent recovery plan. Private addiction counseling would probably be a good place to start. Getting clean is actually the easy part.....staying clean...not so much. Relapse is probably THE biggest struggle for addicts, hence why recovery programs are SO important.
Enjoy the rest of your cruise with a sober mind...that in itself is a wonderful gift you've given yourself. Best to you!
I've gotten to know the ships late night crew really well!!!
Thanks for the response. Was taking recreationally off and on for a year only the last two months have been daily. Prob avg 150mgs over the 2 months with the last couple weeks pushing 250.. I'm totally over most of the physical stuff, and had no gastric issues which really surprised me as when Id use for a week I may have bathroom issues for a day or two so I was fearing the worst. This sleep thing is a bugger!!! Wondering if it's worth talking with the ships Dr? Or is taking Ambien, a waste? Bad idea? Wondering who has had experience?
Oxymoron!! (I love that handle, so funny), so your detoxing on a cruise, huh? Dang, I have detoxed on vacations; cuz I always ran out of my pills. Good times, huh?
82 hrs, good! Your almost at 4 days. Sleep is the last thing to come back. Try to have patience w/ it: I know how bad it sux. You will get a few hours but it may take a little while. You can try that rescue remedy stuff, or dramamine which can make you drowsy (mite be good on a boat!) Stay away from benadryl right now, it will make your heart palpitate at this point. One of our old timers on here always says: "you gotta be okay w/ NOT being okay for a while." We inhaled these dang drugs for a quick high and now we gotta pay. We gotta have patience.
Can you give more info? How much were you taking? Was it recreational to begin with? What is your reason for stopping now?
Well sorry for not checking in. I'm on hour 82!! All the physical symptoms appear to be mostly gone. The only lingering effect is I CANT SLEEP!!! Thinking I may see the ships doctor tomorrow
To get something to help. Any suggestions? When do a few hours start to come
Back?
Most people who haven't been on opiates for years and years (like me) will find that the w/d's peak at 72 hours.
I gotta ask though, hon: why did you do this to begin with? Were they prescribed for pain?
If you're partying with these drugs, please re-think your choices. These are REALLY strong drugs that totally screw up your life. Just don't. That's my advice. Figure out why you did this and fix what made you do it.
I took opiates prescribed by doctor for 8 years. My dosage never went up, I never got high, and I took more than I should (10 mgs) maybe 3 times. But it was always for breakthrough pain.
How I wished I had not gone down this MEDICALLY SUPERVISED road. I'm on day 24 (not 25 as I posted earlier...got confused) and I'm scared I'll never be normal again. I can't stop coughing, my stomach is absolute disaster, my moods are all over the place (I cried over a vacuum cleaner commercial.) and I can barely work.
I'm at square one again with my back issue. Lovely.
These drugs are like dancing with the devil.
Hi there! Thanks for the response. I'm a 42 yo male in relatively good shape. Normally on pacific time but am eastern now through this. Decided to detox on a cruise. Long story... I'm at 43 hours since my last one and after a quite long night feeling a tad bit better. I'm hoping my shorter duration of use will allow me to turn the corner at 48 hours (230pm eastern) not that I'm counting! You Gus are amazing!!!!
Very clever username! Do you mind if I ask; how old are you? Age makes a big difference in how quickly we recover.
You only used for 2 months but it was a fairly high dose. If you are young, this shouldn't go on much longer. I'm over 50, used 40 mgs of oxycodone a day (prescribed for severe back issues) and this is taking a long time for me.
BUT. I took the oxy for EIGHT years. I'm on day 25. I am slowly getting better with some days good, and some days not so good.
You'll be turning a corner soon...the biggest danger is relapsing. Don't get on this merry-go-round again..Good luck!
Thank you for the post. Oh I want off this ride NOW! Just wish the time went faster!
Hi hun and welcome
Well your usage went up high very fast and you had already built a tolerance so it isn't unusual that you are feeling lousy. I was taking 150 mg a day and thought I was gonna die. You seem to be right on track...day 3 was the worst, day 4 not much better and then a little improvement each day after that.
Just keep thinking to yourself that this will get better...it is rather like having a really bad flu bug. Are you wanting to detox off these drugs completely or is this just because you've run out???
Love and Hugs