Category Archives: Dope Sick

How to Deal with Suboxone Withdrawal

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How to Deal with Suboxone Withdrawal

What is Suboxone?

Suboxone is a prescription medication that contains both buprenorphine
 and naloxone. Both of these drugs are often given to addicts recovering from opiate addiction. Suboxone helps addicts overcome any drug cravings, thereby assisting them in the recovery process. Doctors should slowly taper the dosage of suboxone until you no longer need it to cope with the consequences of drug addiction.

The buprenorphine found in Suboxone is similar to what is found in other opiates, like morphine and heroin. As an opiate, buprenorphine can cause your body to become physically dependent on the drug, so when you suddenly discontinue suboxone, it will cause your body to undergo withdrawal. Withdrawal is your body’s way of attempting to recover from excessive drug use. Suboxone withdrawal can range from mild symptoms to serious, possible life-threatening effects.

Signs and symptoms of withdrawal:

  • Uncharacteristic irritability or agitation
  • Anxiety
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Profuse sweating
  • Excessive tears
  • Runny nose
  • Frequent yawning

However, these symptoms are usually overlooked and may be passed off as symptoms of the flu or other mild diseases.

How to deal with Suboxone Withdrawal

I don’t know. Coffee, ibuprofen, lots of water, natural sleeps aids such as melatonin, hot baths, massage?

As a recovering opiate addict, I tried both a methadone maintenance and suboxone (at different times in my addiction). And quite honestly, the withdrawal sucks. That is totally an understatement.

Some years ago, I kicked methadone. Cold turkey. Not recommended. I stayed away from opiates for a little while but, soon enough, I was back at it. I thought the pain and discomfort of kicking for over a month would be enough to keep me from going down that road again. So, when things got bad again, I decided to get on suboxone. I don’t deny that this can be helpful when detoxing from other opiates (yes other because, after all, suboxone does contain an opiate called buprenorphine). But it is meant to be used short term, as in a week at the most, and with a rapid taper. There will be some discomfort at the end, but nowhere near what it’s like to go cold turkey.

While I was researching suboxone for the purpose of writing this blog and time and time again, I kept finding “information” which stated that, if tapered off of suboxone, you won’t experience any withdrawal symptoms and that if you do, you only think you do; it’s all mental. That’s plain old bullshit. I was on a very low dose of suboxone when I decided to go to treatment. I was taking maybe 4mg a day for the last several months of my active addiction. I tried to taper myself completely but the withdrawals came, and with a vengeance. I could not face suboxone withdrawal again. My solution was going into a medical detox and inpatient program.

If you are facing suboxone withdrawal, you may want to consider doing what I did. There are programs that specialize in suboxone detox that can assist you in the process with very little discomfort.

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Dope Sick Detox

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Dope Sick Detox

Detox is the first step to getting into treatment for drug addiction and alcoholism. Detox is also the safe haven for many addicts who are dope sick. Dope sick is most commonly a term used to describe someone who is coming off of heroin. When an addict stops using heroin they experience both mental and physical withdrawal symptoms. Heroin withdrawal symptoms are known as dope sickness. The symptoms of being dope sick include chills, irritability, anxiety, muscle pain, depression, nausea, and vomiting and muscle pain. Heroin withdrawal symptoms are not life threatening but they are really uncomfortable. In fact, most heroin addicts will just continue using the drug to avoid being dope sick at all costs. That is, until they detox.

There are many different dope sick detoxes out there. If an addict is dope sick they can pick from a number of different detox methods to become well again. The first of the dope sick detox programs is a rapid detox.

  • Rapid dope sick detox involves the use of drugs to push heroin out of the body. The addict is put under anesthesia in a medically controlled setting and is unconscious for the entire procedure. As a result the heroin addict doesn’t actually experience being dope sick. With a rapid detox like this addicts are usually under the general anesthesia for around two hours and are in the hospital for up to two days until they are physically stable.
  • Another dope sick detox is known as a drug assisted detox. A drug assisted detox uses drugs such as methadone or buprenorphine and clonidine to provide relief from being dope sick but none of the high. Buprenorphine, clonidine, and methadone are all very similar in structure to heroin. With the drug assisted detox the addict takes regular doses of the drug over a period of time slowly lowering the dose. This allows the addict to withdrawal from heroin without feeling dope sick. Unfortunately the drugs used to assist with being dope sick are addictive too so there may be some discomfort felt by the addict.
  • Medical dope sick detox is like rapid detox but the addict is awake. In a medical detox the addict quits cold turkey but the medical team helps them with the feelings of being dope sick by making them as comfortable as possible. This may mean the medical team gives them drugs in order to give the addict some relief from the symptoms of being dope sick. Medical detox lasts the same length as the symptoms of being dope sick.
  • Home dope sick detox means quitting cold turkey, with no medical help and this means the addict will definitely be dope sick. The addict basically “rides out” the withdrawal. While this method can be successful, without supervision the addict may use heroin again in order to stop the symptoms associated with being dope sick. Quitting cold turkey and going through being dope sick is not highly recommended by anyone including former heroin addicts.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Dope Sick Remedies

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If you have ever been dope sick you are probably wondering if there are any remedies for it. If you have never been dope sick but are worried you possibly could be in the future than you probably want to know some of the remedies. Either way it is probably good to know ways to prevent feeling dope sick.

  • Loperamide. Loperamide is an over-the-counter medication used to treat diarrhea. The structure of loperamide is closely related to Demerol, which is an opiate with effects kind of like heroin. If you are looking for dope sick remedies you may want to try this. Loperamide works by stopping spasms in the intestinal tract. Loperamide does not cause intoxication. Other symptoms of being dope sick can be alleviated too. This dope sick remedy may work for nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
  • Some other dope sick remedies are more natural, such as ginger. A common place item found in most cabinets, ginger is a helpful herb to have on hand. It serves the purpose of relieving both nausea and physical pain. This is perfect for feeling dope sick. Ginger can be brewed into tea or taken in pill form for its medicinal effects. If you are searching for dope sick remedies this is the perfect place to start, your own cabinet.
  • Over-the-counter analgesics. These are probably the most helpful dope sick remedies. Over-the-counter painkillers can be helpful in easing the physical pain of being dope sick. Medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen. These medicines work as dope sick remedies by reducing inflammation and treating the widespread pain. Acetaminophen is a painkiller with fever reducing properties which also may help with the hot cold chills of being dope sick.
  • Passionflower. Yes this is one of the dope sick remedies. Passionflower grows wild in many parts of the world. Passionflower has many uses including the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and muscle spasms. Passionflower is an excellent dope sick remedy because it helps to relieve both the physical and emotional pain caused by being dope sick. Passionflower can be as effective as clonidine which is an actual drug to treat being dope sick. As one of the dope sick remedies it is the most helpful in alleviating symptoms such as anxiety and muscle pain. If you have clonidine, passionflower greatly intensifies the effects of it if you take them together.

If you are seeking dope sick remedies you may want to think about entering an inpatient detox or treatment center also. If you are dope sick, chances are that you have a drug abuse problem and need outside help. There are also more comfortable dope sick remedies if you seek medical attention for your withdrawal. Being dope sick begins when your body has become physically addicted to a substance and then you stop using that substance. Being dope sick does not last forever and doesn’t mean you should continue using. If you do not want to seek outside medical help or professional help then try some of these dope sick remedies for yourself.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.