Has anyone else ever overcome an opioid addiction?

[OneLoyalMauveMentor]

Posting in aibu in the hope of more responses! Although I’m really scared I’m going to get flamed: I’ve been addicted or at least dependent to opioids for the best part of ten years. Tramadol, codeine, dihydracodeine.. I made the decision to come off and I’ve done it! I tapered sort of slowely and I’m so proud of myself. A couple of days ago was my last day of taking 2, been off for 3 days and my anxiety is through the roof. It’s horrific. Has anyone else experienced this? Never ever want to go back on the horrible things again but don’t want to feel like this. I suppose I want reassurance it’s normal :(

Hey. Didn’t want to leave you unanswered.
I just had a Quick Look and it seems that anxiety is a withdrawal effect from codeine. https://talktofrank.com/drug/codeine

i have stopped taking codeine regularly now and don’t really miss it, but it took a while to not take it daily. It was hard to break the habit.

well done to you. Seek out support if you need to. You’ve done a really big and difficult thing in stopping using painkillers.
you should be proud of yourself x

After ten years, a DIY taper won’t be enough to set you really right again.
(You said ‘sort of slowly; it’d need to be a pretty drawn-out taper anyway, not a drop off from 2 tablets to nowt, even if these were only Nurofen Plus. Does your GP know what you’ve gone through? She’d surely offer you an interim anxiolytic to ensure you don’t relapse)

There’s a thing called PAWS: post-addiction withdrawal syndrome which can bedevil you for ages.
I’m writing this in haste in order not to forget my point, but I’ll try to find you a good link all about it.
. The basis of the self-treatment is supplementing with DLPA, which Solgar produce. It’s a flipping wonder, addiction history or not. Not costly, an amino acid. Anyway, read up about it.
(Other related supplements help too, of which I’d say theanine would be your other great support.)
I’ll go and fossick around for that link.
Well DONE! What an excellent achievement 👏🏼☀️✨

I haven’t but I know people who have. Well done but I think you should probably have support in place. I have been told that the physical withdrawal is almost the “easy” bit (I know that sounds stupid) and the psychological part is the really tough part.

Are you in NA?

I’m mistaken, it’s POST-ACUTE withdrawal etc.
(Long time since I thought of this, mercifully)

Spot on.

OP, here’s a bit of info about the supplement I mentioned. There’s a mountain of research out there about its mood support ability.
Bottom line here, as in so much else, is fixing your damaged DOPAMINE production. And your fundamental, bedrock intake of B12, Vit D, magnesium must be adequate of course.
(NB DLPA not to be contemplated if you are taking anti-depressants.)

Well done! I taking the same tablets around 50+ tablets a day for 10 years up until 5 years ago but I sought proper help firstly from my gp then they referred me to compass… I wasn’t treated like a “druggie” they were brilliant and the weekly urine tests also made sure I was not taking anything except from the buprenorphine they prescribed and they slowly tapered me off that. I’d tried so many times before I’ve lost count but I always relapsed. I hope you continue but if you do happen to relapse don’t be hard on yourself coz it’s extremely difficult but please don’t ever be embarrassed to get help, it changed and probably saved my life! Good luck to you!

Opioids change your brain chemistry so I believe it is very difficult without a substitute like methadone, but that might be for stronger ones like heroin?

Thank you so much everyone for your responses. I’m going to get myself into NA. My dr has been absolutely crap tbh, no support at all but there is a local outpatient rehab type thing that im going to get in contact with as doing it alone is really hard

Your brain is trying to get you to think you need it. Your brain needs to get used to being without it and it can continue for weeks but it actually proves that the brain is adapting and is a sign of recovery. I explained that to a family member who was convinced that abstinence wasn’t working and he said it made all the difference knowing that his brain chemistry was adapting… well done on your success so far! It’s an amazing achievement.

Google PAWS (post addiction withdrawal syndrome)

Thought of something just now; hope it doesn’t come over as insensitive or unhelpful!
Just that if one is having to face a withdrawal, then opiate addiction is not really the worst, by quite a long shot.
It’s no walk in the park, but there are withdrawals ten times more ghastly caused by many drugs prescribed with abandon in Britain, which are pretty complicated and devious compounds compared with opiates (which are really much ‘cleaner’, in this regard).
Those complex chemical blends can result in a withdrawal which wrenches you from different directions, unlike codeine and its ilk.
(That’s a risk with Tramadol, though, as it has a two-pronged action. Depends on how recently you were taking that one)

I only mention all this in order to say (in a French accent) ‘Du courage, ma chère!’.

You can do this, and the end result will have been so worth any grimness you must go through. Freedom.
It will be all right. 🙏🏻☀️✨

Well done on your efforts so far. I was on opioids earlier this year following surgeries and had a long taper. That was tough and was much shorter term!

I’m very surprised and sad your GP is being so useless - can you ask for an appointment with a different member of GP Team as really they should be offering some support and referrals to other services. The physical and psychological effects are real and they need to be aware to help you manage this major change.

Please do try again with GP alongside specialist services like NA / Frank etc. Good luck.

Well done OP! What an amazing achievement!
I agree with PP that support over the longer term would be of huge benefit. What a shame your GP has been unhelpful, I’d also ask to see someone else. Is there anyone at all you could talk to like a friend or family member? Hang in there, it will be so worth it.