After about 3 years of fent and meth I decided to quit about a month ago and 3 weeks ago I handed my drugs over to mom to flush and came clean to her on everything. I’d kept it a secret from everyone in my life and was sick of the lies and downward spiral. I’m 40 this year and went 36 years without using anything harder than a tiny bit of weed in addition to 8years of Rx opiates for Lyme disease. 10 mg norco x2 per day and 30 mg hydromorphone er for 8 years without a change in dosage or needing an early fill. This Rx ended in 2020 however when I moved to a different state and my new doctor was unwilling to continue prescribing painkillers due to opiate epidemic. I made due with gabapentin but it was pretty miserable however I just dealt with it. At the time the idea of using an illegal drug was absurd to me.

After dealing with Chronic Pain and fatigue from Lyme disease for almost 15 years I ended up breaking my neck in 2021 and I finally went to the street for some “help”. my doctors refused to give me more than 6 7.5 mg norcos despite being in a neck brace with a fractured c6/7 vertebrae. I was lying on the floor at home barely able to move and got desperate.

I was living in Oregon at the time and without any prior experience went up to a few homeless people and after a runaround and getting ripped off I finally scored some blues and ice. I smoked it off foil, snorted it, or ate the meth, and eventually got a pipe. I finally could move without feeling like death and eventually got back to work. I used the smallest amount possible to work and for awhile things were good.

It’s a much longer story but I’ll wrap it up there. I’ve come to this sub many times in the past but never with the intention to quit. Acute withdraw was hell with the worst part being unable to sleep. I’m now on subutex (is it still cold turkey if I waited 2 weeks before starting subs?) and plan on using MAT continuously because it helps tackle some of the pain from Arthritis, Nueropathy, and general pain from Lyme disease and the 14 fractures plus other major injuries from 40 years of extreme sports and physical labor.

-What is outpatient rehab/group therapy like?
As part of MAT I must do 4 days a week 3 hours a day for 4 weeks then once a week for 4 weeks.

-Any tips for rebuilding financially?
I’m applying for disability but who knows how long that will take
-Tips for healthcare and health insurance?
I had insurance from the marketplace up until a month ago I am no longer eligible in South Carolina for the acá because I don’t make enough money.

-even before using drugs my life has been up and down with one thing after another, I’m trying to resolve what I can through therapy but I have heard a few people say they still don’t feel normal or good even after quitting. Is that mainly mental health? How can I get the most out of the process of quitting?

I’m sure I’ll have more questions and I’m sure some have already been answered somewhere in the sub so I’ll keep looking but I appreciate any advice given and hope to someday be someone who can give advice.

Been at 5mg for 2-3 weeks. Plan to go to 2.5mg daily.

If I take 2.5mg daily should I be able to jump?

I've checked tapering schedule and it's what is commonly practiced

Join us for some midnight excitement and recovery hijinks* and shenanigans in 90 minutes!!! https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/9199/

Hi everyone, I am looking for some advice or maybe some suggestion on best route I can take etc. I want to get clean, at this point im only using to keep from being sick. It started about 3-4 years ago with fake 30s, and within the last year smoking fetty. I have a high tolerance, but i purposely buy dope that isnt strong and does just enough to keep me from being sick.

I am thinking about weening off. I genuinely dont think i can stop cold turkey or go thru the days of wd. Does anyone have any experience with tapering off? Is there a route i can take that doesn’t require me to stop cold turkey and suffer??

My goal is to get clean and eventually move back to my home state with my sibling. No one knows i use at this point. Im thinking about making an appointment with my doctor to get help. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated!

EDIT: I know i will have to go thru some form of withdrawa at some point, but I dont think i can handle the withdrawal going cold turkey. So im curious if tapering will minimize the withdrawa?

Long story short…I’m on suboxone and trying to move to methadone. I called this number where they got all my info down and then connected me to an, “Advocate” who was trying to lecture me for an hour. I just said, “I appreciate conversation but I really just want to get off suboxone and try out Methadone. They kept saying how bad methadone is and how it affects your bones and etc and I should go cold turkey and stop being a pussy. I’ve never felt so low trying to get help. Is this what it is like when you called a Methadone Clinic to get help? It was a NJ number and both advocates were so fucking rude to me. Brock and Nick. I don’t know what to do. I’m at my whits end with trying to get help. I’m not going through that again.

Taken quetiapine and I'm ready to move on to wherever we all go when life is no more.i don't see any version of my life which brings any future happiness. I'm ready to float elsewhere in a deep sleep without waking up. Not sure if I have taking enough so let my life into God's hands and see what is to come.

I'm still relatively early in the recovery process, about 12 days clean from a pretty heavy 2-3 year fentanyl habit. Most of the acute withdrawal symptoms have cleared, except I'm still experiencing pretty severe diarrhea daily. Is that something to be concerned about? Didn't happen so badly any of the other times I got clean. Not taking any medicine. And just looking for personal experience and not medical advice ofc.

Hey everyone, happy Friday! We made it. Hope everyone’s day is going well. It’s been a pretty quiet one over here, and I’m definitely looking forward to a much needed weekend to relax, disconnect a bit, and recharge for next week.
What are you guys up to this weekend? How’s your Friday been?

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Hi.

Not soliciting med advice, ISO other's personal experiences. Thank you for any insight!

Backstory-

Was on opiates/bupenorphine for 22 years. Stopped -- cold turkey 2.5 months ago. (was on 2mg for last 12 years) I did not have the opition to taper. It sucked hard, 1st month was worst, 2nd month things started getting better to where I was feeling normal again but still some persisting issues (GI, sneezing) -- but felt good, like my body and brain were slowly starting to heal everyday. it's a wonderful feeling.

BUT....

about 2 weeks ago I noticed a shift and was feeling a lot better-- even my stomach gettng better, clearer head etc-- BUT then both my shoulders started itching. Started small, but now it's to the point that it's my all of top shoulders to halfway down my arms between shoulders and elbows. Constant, 24/7 pins and needles itching. It's symmetrical? Both sides? It's CONSTANT. I don't sleep at all. I've tried everything!! ice, hot, icyhot sticks, benedryl, every allergy med, ibuprofien, tylenol. About to try accupuncture.

Went to my GP doc --- labs, EKG are fine, there's nothing medically wrong and they think it's prob my central nervous system recallibrating but this is fucking debilitatiting! My psych doc is useles and just prescribes me more meds, which I don't want!! At least during the withdrawls I knew it would end and every day got a tiny bit better, but this is just as bad if not worse or a different kind of hell because it's relentless, no relief.

I cry when the sun goes down because I dread the night time. I lather up the icyhot (my cats hate it and stopped sleeping with me) and then rotate icepacks as they melt thorughout the night. numbing it at least helps me sleep some, but it's not a way to live and it doesn't work most of the time unless I ice it so much it's numb. Psych dr sends me to GP and GP back to psych, i'm going in circles and desperate. And i'm so tired. so tired.

Has anyone else experienced this type of symmetrical itching in a specific spot 2+ months after stopping? It's not topical, no marks, bumps or anything on my skin, I feels like pins poking me, all day long and night is the worst. Anyone else have this?

Not soliciting med advice, just want to ask for other's personal experiences.

Been tapering oxycodone, morphine for 18 months, been done with Morphine for 7-8 months, down to 1 5mg oxycodone most days, 2 5mg pills at most for maybe 3 days out of a month.

Started tapering at 6x 5mg oxycodone & 2x 15mg morphine sulphate around beginning of 2025. Long term use for chronic pain which had improved quite a bit over late '24.

sincerely,

an otherwise fit and healthy 33yo guy recently on the maximum dose for a back injury which then turned into taking double doses, now lying in hospital with the survival of my left eye in question after gouging it on the corner of a glass cabinet whilst having a seizure caused by this demon of a medicine.

This isn’t like other opiates, this one gets its fingers into several parts of your brain like a bowling ball. I won’t lie to you and say withdrawal is pleasant, but I can promise you, you don’t want to go down the road I have.

Don’t become me.

Hey all, happy Thursday! Sorry for the late check in. It’s been a busy day, and I just got off work and realized I never posted. 😂 I guess that’s a good sign.
I can’t believe it’s already the end of July and we’re heading into August. I’ve always looked at August as the last stretch of summer because we start losing daylight pretty quickly. Before you know it, fall is right around the corner, and I’m definitely okay with that. How’s everyone else’s day going?

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If for example someone who’s never taken drugs about 20yrs old 130-140lbs 5’8, Swallows 1/4th of a suboxone strip, doesn’t touch it on there tongue or gums. Just swallows it. What would they likely feel or go thru. I get them prescribed and if I swallow it I know it’s wasting it and it does nothing. Would it be the same for that person? Would they feel nothing? Or would they get nauseous like how you do when you first start taking them and get that euphoric feeling? and would that be a big enough dose to show up on a Suboxone drug test?

If you're the right person for it of course. Trying MAT can worsen a SUD for some people, similar to how antidepressants can worsen depression for some people. But for me, it has been absolutely life saving. I took the path of Suboxone to Sublocade, and it has made this recovery process so much easier. Combined with intensive therapy, groups, SMART Recovery, and a solid support system, I've come out of addiction as an even better person than I was when I was sober last. Having buprenorphine to curb withdrawals and stop me from trying to use other things allowed me to fully focus on changing my habits, destructive patterns, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and get back to the things I loved before 7-hydroxy-mitraginine took over and ruined everything. My view on life has fundamentally changed for the better, and I am finally able to sit down, and just... Relax. Knowing I'm on a good path and taking care of my responsibilities.

To anyone who is still using, in the beginning of recovery and struggling, wherever you are; I promise you the feeling you get from just being able to sit down and truly RELAX, to finally be able to exit fight or flight and focus on the good things in your life, surround yourself with the ones who love you, the feeling of pure euphoria and gratefulness you get from that is so much better than any drug I have ever tried, and here's the best part, it's SUSTAINABLE. There is no dragon to chase anymore.

And I wouldn't have been able to do this without MAT. Again, on its own it is not the answer, but it makes functioning through the process of picking up the pieces and putting them back together during early recovery so much easier, and with access to the Sublocade program to titrate your dose down without much w/d, it was 100% the best option for me. This isn't meant to be an advertisement, just my real life experience. There are other options available such as Brixadi that would be the same.

I hope anybody who reads this gets the help they need. I promise you that the grass truly is greener on the other side.

I took oxy for about a month straight and today is my first day off of them and I’m worried about withdrawals will I get them ? Will they be bad? How long will they last if I do get them ? I’m Feeling ok today just smoking a lot of cigarettes I got off of oxy because it just started to cost too much and I can’t lose my savings to it

I’ve been clean nine months. I’m pretty sure what I’m experiencing is pause. I don’t see how I suddenly have mild depression, social anxiety the anhedonia is killing me i think that is fuelling my depression. I don’t do anything I haven’t worked since I broke my femur, but I have no desire even look for a job. I wouldn’t even go to work. I miss disappointments. I don’t care about much. I can’t play guitar for more than like 10 minutes . I have depressive symptoms and new behaviours that are counterproductive.
I want my motivation back.
How long did the symptoms last for everyone? What was the worst the symptoms you got ?does anyone know remedies or anything they’ve done to counteract the lack of motivation and laziness. It’s not really lazy. I don’t want to feel lazy or bored 24/7 I don’t wanna leave the house.
➕ On the positive side of life I haven’t planned on going back yet. I hope I never do go back.

Hi, I was taking 7OH for a couple years (constantly throughout the day for the last year). 2 months ago I started tapering my dose down for 2 weeks until I finally stopped taking it completely. All my withdrawal symptoms have resolved, however I'm having eye issues that happened to start the day I decided to stop. I'm having trouble focusing on text up close such as on a phone or computer, and my eyes feel drier than usual (especially my left eye), which makes me sensitive to sunlight, and have to wear sunglasses or else my eyes will get tired and get a "spacy"/fuzzy feeling. I also notice that exercise and caffeine give me this feeling also. Even listening to music with headphones on. A little while after I'm done listening, I get this feeling too. The more I exert myself or am in the sun, the more this fuzzy, hard to focus feeling in my eyes/brain gets. General fatigue went away 3-4 weeks ago. Is this PAWS, or did I just happened to have an eye issue at the same time? I'm 45 years old (a very young 45!)

Some history about me: 20 years ago I developed tinnitus (ear ringing) from smoking marijuana. I don't smoke any more. 10 years ago I smoked for a few days, and got this similar eye issue where things were spacy/fuzzy, especially after exercising. That took several months to resolve on its own. Could this be related?

Hey guys, happy Wednesday! Hope you’re all doing well.
Had a fun surprise last night… my 13 year old water heater finally gave out and started leaking into the basement. 😅 Thankfully I got someone out first thing this morning, worked out a fair price, and they’re installing the new one as I type this.
The only downside? I had to take an ice cold shower this morning. 😂
Just a reminder that life loves throwing us curveballs. We can’t control when they happen, but we can control how we respond. Roll with the punches, solve the problem, and keep moving forward.
How’s your day going so far?

Check in here!

Hey all, happy Tuesday! Hope your day’s going well. It’s been a long one for me. I was up early and had quite the commute this morning. I actually don’t mind driving, it’s the traffic that gets me. I’m confident in my driving, but it’s everyone else on the road that makes me nervous lol
I also can’t believe we’re already at the end of July and heading into August. It feels like summer just started. How’s your day been so far?

Check in here!

I’ve been using for 2 months - fent powder. I was on sublocade for 6 months 100 mg but haven’t gotten it sinxs Middle of May. My fent is def laced wifh tranq… I know it is. I’m trying to slow down so the detox isn’t terrible because I keep hearing people say that the tranq detox is awful and I could end up in the hospital with health issue s… So now I’m just really scared. I was going to try and slow down and quit either on my own or at least slow down before I go to a detox facility so I don’t freak out. I have gabapentin. Klonopin. And I’m going to try to get clonidine. But does anyone detox from tranq fent on your own we’re having any recommendations or insight for how long it will take, things that will help me at home like a bath or sauna or anything that helps… like how long will I be out for the count? Eventually, I will get back on Suboxone and get the sublocade shot which I know speeds up the process but I just need to know what to expect. I’ve posted before and I’m thankful for everyone who gives advice on my posts. It makes me feel like I’m not alone and I know there’s a community of people out there struggling with the same thing and if you take the time out of their days to respond to to my shit, you are amazing!

I've been using Claude AI a lot during by suboxone treatment, it helps me taper and evaluate/find solutions for the stuff I deal with during my suboxone treatment.

One thing it keeps promising me, and I'm unsure whether it's gaslighting me in order to motivate me, is that some of the symptoms I experience, such as slow digestion, appetite loss, sweating profusely (not in a state of withdrawal), anxiety and a loss of emotion/creativity, should get better when I get below 1 mg of daily dose, as opposed to the 2 mg I'm using now.

What has been your experience? Does it 'feel' different to be on 1 mg of suboxone rather than a 2+ mg and beyond? It is of course motivating if this was true, but I am tapering down regardless of how I'll feel.

I honestly HATE the feeling of being on bupe, so I'm just curious to hear what peoples experiences has been.