So close to being unbearable (Opana + Benzo Taper)

[[ch...]]

So I was taking Opana (strongest opiate painkiller) for about 6 weeks. I've had issues with painkillers before but four days ago, I took my last opiate. I'm done with that game. Let me tell you that Opana withdrawal is hell. However, while I was taking Opana, I was tapering off 6mg of Klonopin using the dry cut method and did it pretty rapidly considering I felt fine when I was on Opana.

 

Obviously this was the biggest mistake of my life. Now I have two battles, I'm still fighting the FIRST stage of Opana withdrawal, then comes post-acute withdrawal (basically mental anguish) which may have already hit and right now I don't know what w/d symptoms are coming from what but I will tell you that it is so borderline unbearable. I'm not sure what to tell my doc or psychiatrist. I mean what can I really do at this point except face the consequences of my actions? It's just crying all day...

 

I'm at 3mg of Klonopin now.

 

Death to benzodiazepines.

 

Should have never left college to get help for a few panic attacks. My doctor basically gave me the tools to become a junkie and suffer. I'm sooo grateful I have support from my family but it's still torture. Lost my mind...if anyone has suggestions...please. Help me out here.

[[Be...]]

I think you should be honest about situation with your psych doc and see if he/she will let you go back up a bit on the Klonopin until the withdrawal from the Opana settles down.  You might not need to go back up to the full 6mg but it does sound like the rapid tapering of the Klonopin on top of stopping Opana cold turkey is contributing to your misery.  Just my opinion. 

[[xe...]]

Post-acute withdrawal from short-acting opiates isn't too serious. If you got through the hell of acute withdrawal.. and still feel horrible.. it is likely a benzodiazepine issue, opiate withdrawal seems to kick benzo issues into super-overdrive. Only way to feel better is to get off the benzos -- or increase the dose significantly works but leaves you with a monster benzo problem that you are not going to want to deal with. How long has it been since you stopped the opana?

 

Post-acute withdrawal from opiates == lead suit. Lethargy, depression.. But it's far more common of long-acting maintenance drugs like Suboxone and methadone.

[[ch...]]

Post-acute withdrawal from short-acting opiates isn't too serious. If you got through the hell of acute withdrawal.. and still feel horrible.. it is likely a benzodiazepine issue, opiate withdrawal seems to kick benzo issues into super-overdrive. Only way to feel better is to get off the benzos -- or increase the dose significantly works but leaves you with a monster benzo problem that you are not going to want to deal with. How long has it been since you stopped the opana?

 

Post-acute withdrawal from opiates == lead suit. Lethargy, depression.. But it's far more common of long-acting maintenance drugs like Suboxone and methadone.

 

Thanks for replies

 

I'm relieved to see someone with knowledge post about this because honestly, I wasn't expecting anyone to respond to this because I figured it's such a unique issue.

 

I've only been off Opana for five days but the anxiety is just too much. It doesn't come in spurts, it's ALL day. I don't know what to do with myself. The burning in my chest from the anxiety is the worst feeling possible. Can't eat, I just puke it up. Sleep pattern is crazy. Nightmares. Ugh... I try doing all the things they suggest doing for PAWS, deep breathing, meditation, forcing myself to do things to keep my mind from racing, nothing works. I really don't want to increase benzo dosage. Like I said, I've attempted a slow benzo taper before, I remember I was functioning. I was working. This... this isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy. I'm also taking 100mg of Pristiq and I know if I accidentally forget to take it, I get brain zaps. Well I've been taking it and I'm getting brain zaps.

 

Tomorrow I'm just going to a reg. doctor to get blood drawn and what not. I don't know what that's going to do for me. It's the fear of duration that's really sending me into a deeper panic too. They say it gets better but then I read on other sites from users that are over a year clean and still can't shake it off the PAWS.

 

The only thing that has really calmed me down is taking Nyquil, a little more than suggested. I have a script for Seroquel, but after doing research- I believe that will only add to my problems. Oh man, I really don't know how I allowed myself to get into this mess. I really don't.

[[Co...]]

Hi, I came off all meds at once and its been very painful, but I was on them all a long time. I wouldnt take too much nyquil because of the decongestant in it. You might try magnesium, tension tamer tea, or benadryl. Youll get thru it but its not easy.

[[Pa...]]

Hi charlieday,

 

I've been watching you struggling with your addictions since July 2009 when you first joined, I wish you could find peace.

 

Pam

[[xe...]]

Post-acute withdrawal from short-acting opiates isn't too serious. If you got through the hell of acute withdrawal.. and still feel horrible.. it is likely a benzodiazepine issue, opiate withdrawal seems to kick benzo issues into super-overdrive. Only way to feel better is to get off the benzos -- or increase the dose significantly works but leaves you with a monster benzo problem that you are not going to want to deal with. How long has it been since you stopped the opana?

 

Post-acute withdrawal from opiates == lead suit. Lethargy, depression.. But it's far more common of long-acting maintenance drugs like Suboxone and methadone.

 

Thanks for replies

 

I'm relieved to see someone with knowledge post about this because honestly, I wasn't expecting anyone to respond to this because I figured it's such a unique issue.

 

I've only been off Opana for five days but the anxiety is just too much. It doesn't come in spurts, it's ALL day. I don't know what to do with myself. The burning in my chest from the anxiety is the worst feeling possible. Can't eat, I just puke it up. Sleep pattern is crazy. Nightmares. Ugh... I try doing all the things they suggest doing for PAWS, deep breathing, meditation, forcing myself to do things to keep my mind from racing, nothing works. I really don't want to increase benzo dosage. Like I said, I've attempted a slow benzo taper before, I remember I was functioning. I was working. This... this isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy. I'm also taking 100mg of Pristiq and I know if I accidentally forget to take it, I get brain zaps. Well I've been taking it and I'm getting brain zaps.

 

Tomorrow I'm just going to a reg. doctor to get blood drawn and what not. I don't know what that's going to do for me. It's the fear of duration that's really sending me into a deeper panic too. They say it gets better but then I read on other sites from users that are over a year clean and still can't shake it off the PAWS.

 

The only thing that has really calmed me down is taking Nyquil, a little more than suggested. I have a script for Seroquel, but after doing research- I believe that will only add to my problems. Oh man, I really don't know how I allowed myself to get into this mess. I really don't.

 

Don't fear the duration of Opana withdrawal. Five days ain't enough, that's like the peak of it. You aren't in PAWS yet, you are in acute opiate withdrawal. Give it at least two weeks, but you should feel MUCH better somewhere around 7-10 days from jumping. PAWS isn't like this at ALL.. IF you even get significant PAWS, which is unlikely, and in short-acting opiate cases is generally very short-lived.

 

I danced with opiates, including Heroin, over a decade, was on Suboxone a whopping 10 years, was in withdrawal/PAWS (pretty much ran together) for a looong time, and do technical hosting for an anti-suboxone site. I'd tell you what it is, you'd get good advice to get through opiate w/d, but I'm not sure this is allowed here. But I can pretty much tell you whatever you want to know.. And perhaps the PAWS stories from Suboxone would scare you into thinking that's what happens with all opiates.

 

If you can keep going another few days without increasing your benzo dosage, you are doing EXCELLENT, and it WILL subside far, far faster than anything your experience with benzos would lead you to believe.

 

Safe Comfort Meds -- can you ask your doc for some clonidine? This helps enormously and is fairly standard practice for severe opiate w/d. Also Immodium.. not sure I can advise you to exceed recommended dosages here, ask your doctor, many many people report this takes the edge off. Ibuprofen if you can stomach it. Magnesium and/or Potassium for RLS. Probably forgetting something.

[[ch...]]

Thank you for that relieving post xenofears. A portion of my anxiety went away! I have read so many PAWS horror stories...but never one from Opana. It's usually vicodin, oxycodone, heroin or subs and I never plan on taking Suboxone. I could probably get Clonidine, doesn't that help with high blood pressure? Oddly enough, my 2nd day jumping off Opana, my blood pressure was pretty low but I felt like I was going insane. The other day it was fairly high, 141/70. I have immodium and have read about a lot of people using it for the runs. Again, I just started getting the runs 3rd day into my ct w/d. I thought it would have been immediately.

 

Why do you think that remaining at 3mg is excellent? I mean obviously the rapid taper didn't really effect me symptom-wise since I was using Opana everyday but can a rapid taper ruin the process of a successful benzo withdrawal? The last thing I want to do is start over again. I don't want to go up again either. I can't. I think I'd have to go up to probably 9-10mg (my pdoc actually suggested that to me at one point) just to stabilize and that would just be absurd.

[[xe...]]

Thank you for that relieving post xenofears. A portion of my anxiety went away! I have read so many PAWS horror stories...but never one from Opana. It's usually vicodin, oxycodone, heroin or subs and I never plan on taking Suboxone. I could probably get Clonidine, doesn't that help with high blood pressure? Oddly enough, my 2nd day jumping off Opana, my blood pressure was pretty low but I felt like I was going insane. The other day it was fairly high, 141/70. I have immodium and have read about a lot of people using it for the runs. Again, I just started getting the runs 3rd day into my ct w/d. I thought it would have been immediately.

 

Why do you think that remaining at 3mg is excellent? I mean obviously the rapid taper didn't really effect me symptom-wise since I was using Opana everyday but can a rapid taper ruin the process of a successful benzo withdrawal? The last thing I want to do is start over again. I don't want to go up again either. I can't. I think I'd have to go up to probably 9-10mg (my pdoc actually suggested that to me at one point) just to stabilize and that would just be absurd.

 

Clonidine is a high blood-pressure med, but it calms down a part of the brain that goes nuts in opiate w/d and helps a lot.. it's pretty much a first-line treatment for severe acute opiate w/d, it's well known to use for this purpose, not a surprise to any doctor well versed in opiate withdrawal.

 

Immodium is an opiate that supposedly doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier. It helps with a lot more than the runs, how who knows, basically an opiate with little to no euphoric or dependence liability.

 

I really don't know anything about your benzo taper, but skyrocketing your dose to 8-10mg sounds about right for someone in your situation and being strong and keeping it where it is is tough and good job for that, it'll make it easier for you later, that's why it's excellent. Who the hell wants to come out of opiate withdrawal with an 8mg+ K/day habit? From my experience, this can greatly increase or even induce opiate PAWS, so keeping it where it is, while making the acute experience worse, will probably be much better off in the long run.

 

Feel better. My experience jumping off short-acting opiates is 7 days of major acute symptoms.

[[Be...]]

 

The burning in my chest from the anxiety is the worst feeling possible. Can't eat, I just puke it up.

 

This sounds a lot like acid reflux or heartburn, which can be caused by benzo withdrawals.  Have you had this ruled out by a medical professional?