Managing withdrawal
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Withdrawal is what your body goes through when you stop or cut back on some substances. Depending on the substance, it can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening. Your clinician can help you treat withdrawal, and your Peer Recovery Specialist can help you find ways to cope with the symptoms.
Managing opioid withdrawal
If you stop using opioids like fentanyl, heroin, pain pills, kratom, or 7-OH, withdrawal usually starts within a few hours or by the next day. You might feel:
- Like you can't stay still
- Body aches
- Anxious
- Sweaty
- Runny nose or teary eyes
- Goosebumps
- Stomach cramps, nausea, or diarrhea
Most of these symptoms go away within a few days. Some, like anxiety, trouble sleeping, and restlessness, can last for weeks.
What helps with opioid withdrawal
Buprenorphine and methadone ease opioid withdrawal quickly. Timing matters with buprenorphine. If you take it before withdrawal starts, like within a few hours of using an opioid such as oxycodone or methadone, it can bring on sudden withdrawal called precipitated withdrawal. This isn't common, and your clinician can help you figure out when it's safe to start.
Once you are stable on one of these, withdrawal symptoms will decline. Until then, your provider might be able to offer you comfort medications. Some examples of comfort medicines that can help symptoms ease faster:
- Without a prescription: acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) for body aches, and loperamide (Imodium) for diarrhea.
- With a prescription: clonidine, a blood pressure medicine that can ease sweating, anxiety, and restlessness, and ondansetron (Zofran) for nausea.
A few things you can try at home:
- A hot bath or shower for body aches
- Chamomile tea (sometimes sold as Sleepytime tea) to help with sleep
- Your favorite music, movie, or book to help take your mind off anxiety
- Reaching out to people who support you, including your Boulder care team
Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can be dangerous
Suddenly stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines (like Xanax, Klonopin, or Ativan) can be life-threatening. No matter how long or how much you've been drinking or taking benzodiazepines, there's no way to predict how serious your withdrawal will be. Talk with us before you cut back so we can help you do it safely.
Common symptoms include shakiness (tremors), anxiety, headaches, nausea, and sweating or flushing.
Get urgent medical help at a hospital if you:
- Pass out
- Have a seizure
- Become confused, or see or feel things that aren't real