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How to Quit Heroin with Meds |
Before we begin, I want to stress
again that the best way and the right way to quit heroin
is cold turkey. But again, I realize that quitting heroin cold
turkey is much easier said than done. Believe me, I've
been there and I completely understand. Nevertheless,
quitting heroin cold turkey
should always be Plan A.
We learn a greater lesson and have
a far greater fear and respect for heroin when we quit
heroin cold turkey. The painful withdrawals from
quitting cold turkey are, in a sense, our reaping for
being so foolish for trying heroin in the first place, for
turning our bodies into slaves and hurting all those who love us the most.
Furthermore, once you go threw the
pain and agony of quitting heroin cold turkey, you'll
have a far greater chance of staying clean and staying
far away from heroin for good.
However... if you tried your best,
and failed to quit heroin cold turkey then by all means
DON'T give up!
Move
on to Plan B!
Plan B: Quitting Heroin
Warm Turkey with Less Evil Opiates
Disclaimer:
Information on this web site is provided for
informational purposes only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. You should consult a
physician in all matters relating to your health. Any
action on your part in response to the information
provided in this web site is at the reader's discretion.
But if you've been dope sick for 24 hours or more then
don't worry, thou shall not die.
When quitting heroin warm turkey you will be
doing everything the same as if you were
quitting cold turkey but with the help of 2
'lesser evil' opiates such as Valiums
and/or Vicodins or whichever low level
opiates are offered in your country for anxiety and
pain.
Here you would wait until
your body goes into full withdrawal from the
absence of heroin (12-24 hours) and then take 1
10mg Valium and 1 10mg Vicodin every 4-5 hours.
Then relax in the hot tub and let them take
effect. |
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Valium is a
benzodiazepine derivative drug and can be used to treat
anxiety, insomnia, and most importantly, symptoms of
acute opiate (heroin) withdrawal.
Vicodin is
another opioid product which contains hydrocodone which
helps relieve those bone crushing leg pains and other
withdrawal symptoms to a certain degree. |
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The goal here
is not to get high and comfortable but instead,
to minimize withdrawals. Taking these opiates at low
dosages may be just enough to keep stomach cramps,
nausea and diarrhea on hold. You'll still feel
withdrawals symptoms even when taking Valiums and Vicodins but your
internal suffering will be less when
quitting warm turkey compared to quitting heroin cold
turkey.
I do not recommend using any of these meds for longer
than 20-30 days - just long enough to get off of the
heroin. Depending on how you feel after the first 7-10
days, you may want to start tapering down by spreading
your intake to every 10-12 hours for a few days. Then
take 1 10mg Valium and 1 10mg Vicodin 1 time per day for
4-5 days.
Then start splitting tablets.
Then the week after that, take one dose every other day,
then once every 2-3 days, until you can begin to
function like a normal human being.
Of course, it will vary for each
individual according to your daily intake of heroin.
The
main thing is, to get OFF of the heroin while keeping
your stomach in tact.
Coming off of Valiums and Vicodins
is much easier than
coming off of heroin. You will lose sleep for about a
week or so and have mild cold chills. But believe me,
sleeplessness are the least of your concerns compared to
the other withdrawal symptoms which come from quitting heroin cold
turkey. You can use those sleepless nights to start
thinking about what you're going to do with the rest of
your life.
Don't get used to the Valiums and Vicodins. Use them
only as a crutch to relieve nausea, diarrhea, stomach
cramps and pain. Start tapering down at least after the
first 7-10 days.
Obtaining Valiums and Vicodins is a
whole lot easier than obtaining other meds. You can
visit your local CVS pharmacy medical walk-in center.
Ask to speak to the doctor. A doctor should be there
present from 8:PM to 5:PM. Visits and consultations are
very affordable.
Explain the situation to them. Let them know that you
are quitting heroin and need a prescription for Valiums
for anxiety and withdrawal, and Vicodins for the pain.
They may recommend you seeing a private doctor to obtain
a prescription for Methadone or Suboxone tablets but
we're saving that for Plan C.
If you are not able to visit your local
CVS medical walk-in center for whatever reason, then
you may want to start calling everyone you know to try
to obtain some Valiums and/or Vicodins. Most people
have Valiums and/or Vicodins in their home. You would be
surprised at how many people have these and other opiate meds
in their medicine cabinet.
You can also call and visit any local family doctor and
ask for a prescription for these meds as well. You may
have to go see the doctor and explain the situation to
them in order for them to give you a prescription.
You
do not need medical insurance for any of these. You can
simply pay cash. |
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If you tried Plan A, and Plan B,
and failed at both then again, DON'T give up and
don't slow down! Quickly Move on to
Plan C
Plan C: Quitting heroin with Methadone and/or
Suboxone
When quitting heroin with Methadone
(tablets/juice) you can relax. You won't be
going through any withdrawals or cravings when
administered correctly. Methadone stays in your
system longer (24 hours) so you won't get sick
right away, or the morning after.
Methadone is a full opioid agonist which
relieves all of those painful withdrawal
symptoms and cravings, thus allowing you to
quit heroin and continue to work and function like a normal
human being. |
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There are a few ways to approach this. The first being
the most uncomfortable for most pretty girls and pretty
guys is: visiting your
local methadone clinic every morning to get your daily
dose of methadone juice.
Call it pride, or call it shame, but many pretty addicts
don't want other addicts to see them at the methadone
clinic getting in line to receive their daily dose of
methadone juice.
All you have to do is wear a hat and
sunglasses. Get in, get your daily dose and get out.
The good thing about the Methadone
clinic is that many clinics administer free dosages because
they're state-run, (ran by the state). Other Methadone
clinics may charge a small weekly or bi-weekly fee. But
if you find a free one or can afford to pay, or even if you can ask someone, friend
or family to sponsor you and help with the costs then by all means do it!
You're better off visiting the Methadone clinic and
drinking your daily juice than committing a crime by
visiting the dope spot, participating in an illegal drug transaction and
then on top of that sticking needles in your arm,
day after day after day. Give your veins a permanent
vacation. They desperately need it. You desperately need
it. Life will change instantly.
Furthermore, at the clinic, they will drug test
you to make sure your not using heroin while taking
Methadone and thus forming a double habit. A double
habit is when your taking your methadone in the morning
and then later on getting high on heroin which is the
worse thing to do. They will find out. And if it keeps
on going then eventually the Methadone clinic will kick
you out. I've been there as well. It's no fun at all.
However, one major problem with many methadone clinics is that they'll
start you off at a high 50-100mg daily dose if you let
them, which is a big mistake. So many addicts had wished
they had started off at 30mg's tops when they first got
started. They wish they would have gotten off of the
Methadone within the first month. As a result, they stay
on Methadone for many many months and sometimes years.
This is no way to live. |
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You would be much
better off starting off at 30mg's while tapering down
1-2mg's every 4 days. Don't stay on this stuff for
more then 30-45 days, or else, you'll be hooked all over
again on a whole new drug. Once tapering is done and you have
come down to 0mg (zero milligrams) then jump ship onto a
lesser evil opiate, or one 2mg Suboxone, or nothing.
You will feel mild withdrawals, occasional mild
chills, stomach cramps and possibly mild diarrhea. You
may not feel those as well. It depends on the user and
how you tapered.
Wait 24 hours and then take a
lesser evil opiate such as a 10mg Vicodin and watch how fast your stomach
starts working properly. The idea is to trick and wean
your receptors.
Skip a day, then take another 10mg Valium or Vicodin. If
needed, skip 2 days and do it again for only 4 or 5
times. This should help get you off of the methadone
without much discomfort. Again, it all depends on the user.
You may need more or get by with less.
Another way to bypass the Methadone clinic environment
is to obtain a prescription for Methadone or Suboxone by
visiting your local family doctor. Look through your
Yellow Pages phone book and start calling local
private/family doctors. Ask the doctor if they can help
you quit your heroin habit with Methadone or Suboxone.
You'll have to be sincere and honest with the doctor in
order to get the best help possible. Most likely he/she
will say yes. Make the appointment and go as soon as
possible.
Most people become scared or ashamed when speaking to a
doctor about their heroin addiction and become worried
of how they will be treated. Do not worry about what the
doctor or the girl at the front desk will think of you.
Don't let your mind play tricks on you.
Chances are, they’ll become very
interested to see if in fact they can actually help you quit heroin and will be
more than happy to assist you. The doctors visit should
be affordable and you should be able to pay in cash if
you don't have insurance.
Treatment is more likely to be successful when
accompanied by a family member, quitting buddy or close drug-free friend
who remains involved at all times.
Again, it depends on the user, but
you might want to ask the doctor to start you off on a 1
week prescription of Methadone tablets at 30mg per day. Although that should
do it, you don't want to get completely comfortable 100%
or else you'll just stay on it for good.
You're going to have to start tapering down after the
first 7-10 days to avoid getting hooked on the
Methadone. Try not to stay on the tablets for more than
30-45 days, again, while tapering down during those
30-45 days. It's harder to quit Methadone than
it is to quit heroin without proper tapering. Withdrawals from
the methadone last longer as well. As mentioned above, once down to 0mg's on the Methadone, then jump ship and wait 24 hours
before taking another lesser evil opiate (Vicodin) to keep your
stomach in tact. |
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The good thing about
seeing a local/private/family doctor is that for one,
it's private, and he can start you off at low dosages of
Methadone tablets while at the same time give you low
dosages of other prescriptions to relieve other
withdrawals as well, especially towards the end when
you're getting ready to come off of the Methadone for
good.
Does taking Methadone work for quitting heroin? Yes,
when done sparingly. Use the Methadone as a crutch and
not as a replacement drug or maintenance program.
Suboxone/Subutex. These days,
more heroin addicts are getting help with Suboxone/Subutex
because it's easier to come off of the Suboxone
than it is to come off of the Methadone. The primary
active ingredient in Suboxone is Buprenorphine.
Because buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, its
opioid effects are limited compared with those produced
by full opioid agonists, such as oxycodone or heroin. |
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Suboxone also contains naloxone, an opioid antagonist.
The naloxone in Suboxone is there to discourage people
from dissolving the tablet and injecting it. When
Suboxone is placed under the tongue, as directed, very
little naloxone reaches the bloodstream, so what the
patient feels are the effects of the buprenorphine.
However, if naloxone is injected, it can cause a person
dependent on a full opioid agonist to quickly go into
withdrawal. So don't even think about shooting up suboxone!
Suboxone is a partial opioid agonist and thus may be
the reason why some addicts claim Suboxone does not
completely relieve them from all withdrawal symptoms.
For this reason, many heavily addicted users still
prefer methadone instead of Suboxone. Some users also
report that while Suboxone may take away withdrawals, it does nothing to
take away the cravings.
However, studies do show that Suboxone, along with
proper counseling and strategic lifestyle changes, has
been proven to be successful.
Induction works best when taking one
2mg suboxone tablet every hour until you become
stable. Stabilization can take place at 6mg, 8mg, 12mg
and sometimes at 16mg. Serious addicts start off at 8mg
and then another 8mg within an hour. It may take 20 to
40 minutes before heroin withdrawal symptoms are
alleviated so spend those 20 minutes in the hot tub.
Many users take 2 8mg Suboxone tablets daily and do fine
while others need a minimum of 24mg daily just to take
the edge off. But if just one 8mg Suboxone
tablet does the job then leave it at that. It will be
less painful to taper down from 8mg than from 16mg.
Suboxone dosages are normally taken 1 time per day in
the morning. If your dose is 1 8mg Suboxone
tablet, place it under your tongue and let the tablet
dissolve completely. Suboxone is absorbed into the
bloodstream through the veins under the tongue.
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If your dose is 2 tablets, place both tablets under your
tongue, 1 on the left side and 1 on the right side and
let the tablets dissolve completely. If you have more
than 2 tablets to take, put the next tablet(s) under
your tongue after the first tablets have dissolved.
Suboxone takes a short time (5-10
minutes) to dissolve. Don't chew or swallow
the tablets, because less Suboxone will be absorbed into
your bloodstream, it will not work as well, and your
withdrawal symptoms could very well persist.
And as is the case with methadone,
try your best to stay as low as possible on the
Suboxone, not using it for more than 30-45 days.
After day 7-10, start
tapering down every 4-5 days by 1mg (split a 2mg tablet
in half). Towards the end, you can even start splitting
those 1mg parts into .50mg and take one .50mg piece
every other day for 3-4 days. And if
still necessary,
you can split those .50mg parts into .25mg and
take one .25mg piece every other day for 3-4 days.
I have seen and read of too many
cases where addicts end up staying on Methadone and/or
Suboxone for many many months and sometimes years only
to later return to heroin. As with Methadone, use the Suboxone as a crutch to get off of the heroin and not as
a replacement drug or a maintenance program.
You may also need the help of lesser evil opiates to
come off of the suboxone as well. Use them sparingly.
It is harder to come off of the Methadone than
it is with Suboxone.
Do not let them place you on a long term Methadone or
Suboxone maintenance program or else you'll be trapped
and enslaved all over again.
The goal of every heroin addict
should be the same, and that is to become free from
heroin, all opiates and all drugs; to be able to wake up
in the morning and feel your normal body once again without
having the need to take any opiate drugs.
The head of a Suboxone treatment
program was quoted as saying that “Suboxone treatment
has a low success rate when not accompanied by proper
counseling”. Therefore, it is highly recommended that
you seek drug treatment counseling from either the clinic, your doctor,
a professional therapist or from your local NA
meetings. If counseling is not available or affordable
then having a quitting buddy by your side can help as
well.
I have personally tried quitting heroin with many
methods. I have quit heroin cold turkey. I have
quit heroin with Methadone at the Methadone clinic. I
have quit heroin with a private doctor. I have even been
in Brookside Hospital Rehabilitation Center and the
truth is, they ALL work when taken seriously and done
correctly.
However, quitting is one
battle. Avoiding relapse is another battle all together. On my
last and final successful attempt, I had to move far far
away from the dope spot, from Massachusetts to Florida.
I cut all ties with old friends. Total separation. And started my life all over again from scratch. |
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Transforming your life is not easy. It's a
process which takes time and hard work.
I quit heroin first,
then coke, then weed and then cigarettes. I even quit listening to
that old school gangster rap music which had become a
great driving factor in my daily life as a heroin
addict. That in itself was very hard to do. None of this was
easy.
The transition process was long, rough and difficult.
But what a wonderful feeling it was to finally wake up
one morning and feel my normal body once again. No
chills, no leg pains, no nausea, nothing. No more
worries for that first bag of the day. No more cops. No
more jails.
It took me 6 months to feel my normal body again. I
haven't touched heroin, methadone or any of that stuff
for over 16 years and I will never touch that or any
other drug, ever again. Man it feels great to be free!
It feels great to feel your normal body once again.
And in order for any of these methods to work
for you, you'll have
to re-arrange your whole entire life. Start your life all over again from scratch. But
this time, do it right!
Dump your old dope friends. I
don't care how cool they are with you. The aren't your real friends. They are
there to help destroy you. Remove all of their numbers
from your cell phone. Change your phone number or throw
your cell phone away. Get a new one later.
Total separation will be
required. Relocation is
also a powerful strategy as well. When the dope man comes
after you in one city, 'flee ye therefore to another'.
Come clean! Tell
a good trusted, drug-free friend about your heroin
addiction and your desire to quit. Tell your mom, your
dad, your brother or your sister. Come clean, ask for
forgiveness and BEG them for help! Once you come clean,
everything will change instantly.
Addicts have a much greater chance of quitting heroin
and staying clean when surrounded by well trusted,
drug-free family members and friends. The more people
who know about your dope problem then the more people
you'll have to help and support you while going
through the greatest struggle of your life.
You would be surprised of how many people will be
willing to help you once they see you start heading in
the right direction. But first, you must prove to them
and to all looking on that you are going to try your
best, not only to quit heroin, but to also turn your
life around completely.
Because the truth is, that's the only way you're going
to be able
quit heroin and stay clean
for good, is by changing
your life completely. Going all the way...
And in the end, it wont be the subs or the methadone
that helped you quit- it will be you who forced yourself
to quit this heroin slave habit and turned your life
around. |
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Beware: I can assure you, as always, once you start
heading in the right direction and start turning your
life around, 'then cometh opposition, 'then cometh the dope-man'. Your dealer
or dope friends will
come looking for you. Someone will come
to you with a bag of dope.
Money may come
faster and easier, bringing you the temptation to go
straight to the dope spot to buy a bag. It's crazy but
it happens.
There's a dark force, a dark system out there
that wants to keep you and your loved ones trapped and
enslaved to heroin permanently.
Once you see those
obstacles and what might appear to be random situations
arise - get up, say NO, and then run. Run for your life!
Do whatever it takes to say NO to heroin and say yes to
your life, yes to your family and yes to all of
those who love you the most.
Quitting heroin cold turkey is the
best way to go. But the truth is, it doesn't
matter how you quit heroin - just as long as you
quit heroin, stay clean and turn your
life around!
So get up, start planning, and
start quitting now!
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