Clonidine for Opiate WD

Clonidine is something that I've used for withdrawal, and I can tell you that it certainly helps out a lot.  It is a medicine that most doctors prescribe willingly, as there is very low potential for abuse and addiction.  It solves many of the aspects of withdrawal, and is used for detox off of other substances like cocaine, amphetamine, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.  It is one of the only drugs given for detox in prison and involuntary hospitalization. 

I've used both clonidine and benzodiazepines during withdrawal, and I find clonidine to be more effective in many ways.  Part of this is that clonidine fixes the cause of with physical withdrawal, rather than masks it like benzodiazepines do.

According to Howard Shen, “Clonidine treats high blood pressure by stimulating α2 receptors in the brain, which decreases cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance, lowering blood pressure. It has specificity towards the presynaptic α2 receptors in the vasomotor center in the brainstem. This binding decreases presynaptic calcium levels, and inhibits the release of norepinephrine (NE). The net effect is a decrease in sympathetic tone.”

Basically, I’ve found that clonidine prevents the random rise and fall of blood pressure and heart rate that is so commonly experienced during acute opiate withdrawal.  Additionally, clonidine has a great side effect of sedation, so it can help with the insomnia experienced. 

If you find that you’re having trouble with the sedation side effect during day time use, just know that it goes away after repeated use. 

NOTE, I AM NOT A LICENSED PHYSICIAN IN ANYWAY, AN THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE, AND MINE ONLY.  I used clonidine in the .1mg increment during the day, every 8 hours or so.  At night I’d up my dose to .3mg.  If I had suffered much more severe withdrawals, I may have needed more.

It should be noted that if you use clonidine for more than a week or two, you may have to do a quick taper.  This is because rebound hypertension can be experienced from sudden discontinuation. 

Email me if you have any questions.

Opiate/suboxone withdrawal tips (continued)

Heres a little bit more of stuff that really helps in withdrawal. I plan on covering things that aren't medicine next, like saunas and the like.

DXM- separates the body from the mind. This was probably the thing that got me through the initial WD phase and eventually off subs for good. It's a dissociative NMDA drug. NMDA drugs have been studied and proven to help with withdrawals and tolerance of many types of drugs.
DXM is an interesting drug, one that I particularly enjoyed at one point of my life. However, to many it is uncomfortable and unenjoyble. I had experience with it so I knew what to expect. I highly suggest people try it before withdrawaling because I can't imagine tripping in acute WD on something unfamiliar.
The best feature of DXM is that it separates the body from the mind, so you can't feel the withdrawal. Like, it's almost cheating it worked so well in helping me quit.

5-HTP- helps with sleep and overall mood.

Doxylamine succinate- a potent antihistamine that can be used for sleep. Many people find that it works greatin WD, while others say it intensifies certain aspects like restless legs
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Magnesium (preferably magnesium citrate)- magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant and is great for neurotransmitter health. It will help with muscle stiffness and cramps you experience with withdrawal. Get magnesium citrate or another one of the high absorption ones. The commonly sold magnesium oxide is terrible for WD because it doesn't absorb well into the body, so it ends up in the intestines, acting as a laxative and intensifying (an already terrible) diarrhea.

L-Tyrosine- this works really well as an energy enhancer once the initial acute withdrawal phase is over. Without going into much technical detail, tyrosine converts itself into dopamine. Dopamine will help a lot with mood and get you back on track to happiness

Multi vitamin WITH minerals- this one is rather obvious. Add it to your regiment of WD aids.

Naproxen sodium (aleve)- helps with muscle pains and discomforts. I typically prefer this over Tylenol, although its mostly because I've taken a lot in the past with hydros and oxys and don't want to do any more damage!

Potassium- helps with cramping, electrolyte levels, etc. Very helpful.

Opiate/suboxone WD tips (work in progress)

Here's a little list I've been working on. All this stuff helped me get off subs. I will continue to work and expand on it. A lot of the stuff on here has been written about before, but I tried these and found them to work, so here it is:

supplies:
Water (LOTS)- This is the nutrient that all life is made up of. Its extremely necessary to drink boat loads of water in withdrawal. The reason behind this is that opiates tend to "store" water in the body. Basically, when you're high your body soaks up all the water (like from your bowels, which results in the opiate constipation). When you're withdrawling your body is no longer "holding" the water. So it ends up coming out in diarrhea, vomit, sweat, pee, etc. I cannot stress enough how important water is during acute withdrawal. Water will really help with the creepy crawly feeling you get in your limbs.

loperamide (immodium)- This one is debated upon. However, it's generally agreed that everyone should have this during the acute withdrawal period in therapeutic doses. It will help with having to run to the bathroom constantly. The debated upon part is loperamide in higher doses for opiate withdrawal. Loperamide was originally developed as a painkiller. It was a schedule 4 drug in the USA for a short while before the discovery that it in fact did not cross the blood brain barrier, meaning it didn't affect the brain and the central nervous system, which are responsible for the "high." What they did find was that it bound strongly to the external opioid receptors throughout the body, which is why they approved it as an anti-diarrheal. The great thing about loperamide is that it helps with the physical withdrawal symptoms a lot. You won't get the "kicks," the "creepy crawlies," and general dope sickness as bad if you take the loperamide in above recommended doses. It should be noted though that loperamide may only delay the inevitable. Since it technically is an opioid (one that's closely related to fentanyl), there WILL be some withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it. However, those symptoms will be no where near as bad as a normal opiate.

Melatonin- This one is for sleep. One of the worst parts of withdrawal is the sleepless nights. Melatonin is naturally produced in our brains, and it helps get us in the "mood" to

Health Shakes-The kind that help people maintain a healthy weight, like Ensure. You won't be hungry, so these are good to use. It will help maintain nutrition.