Drug detox/fasting

Summerleahd

ok. I wasn't sure where to post this. But someone very close to me was addicted to painkillers, then got clean with the suboxone program. He now wants to be completely off suboxone and be free of drugs completely. He is on day 8 and he's pretty miserable. He says the withdrawl from subs are worse then pills. So I was wondering if anyone knew if some kind of fast would help or speed up the process? Like maybe a juice fast? Or some vitamins he could take. I tried getting him to do a little exercise thinking it might help but he says he has no energy. Please no negative remarks.

Nikkiairforcewife

I wish I could help. I'll say a prayer for him.

voluptas63

Probably not much you can do for that without putting drugs back into his system.

Make sure he's eating good foods, proteins/iron rich foods etc. That should help with the low energy. But unfortunately, it's probably just going to take time. There's a reason why people don't stop drugs just because they have nothing better to do. It is quite the process that your body has to go through to withdraw.

Good luck.

vim_n_vigor

Is your friend working with his doctor on this one? This looks like a pretty dangerous drug to try the withdrawal on his own. Best of luck.

Suboxone can cause drug dependence. This means that withdrawal symptoms may occur if you stop using this medication too quickly. Withdrawal symptoms may also occur at the start of treatment due to dependence on another drug. Suboxone is not for occasional ("as needed") use. Do not stop taking Suboxone without first talking to your doctor. Your doctor may want to gradually reduce the dose to avoid or minimize withdrawal symptoms.

Lleldiranne

Exercise will give him energy. It will also help purge toxins from his body. He can start small (just walking, for example) and build up. Plus, exercise triggers endorphin release, which makes one feel good without drugs (natural high/ "runner's high").

Ultimately, though, it is going to just take time. Wishing him luck!

Corby86

Yeah a fast/detox would speed up the process...problem is it doesn't just speed it up but it makes it more severe so the choice is. . .EXTREME AGONY (for a week) or SOME AGONY (for 3 weeks)?

I would recommend that if your friend wanted to do a fast / detox he does it under the supervision of a qualified person (naturopath or doctor).

Supplements (in order of most useful to less useful in my opinion):
#1 = milk thistle (this is an excellent liver tonic for detox) ... the liver is the organ responsible for clearing 99% of drugs out of our system
#2 = chamomile or lemon balm teas (look for a relaxation tea) this will be gentle enough so as to not interfere with the drugs but will provide him with some calm
#3 = Vitamin C supplements
#4 = Vitamin B complex

He needs to take it really easy, be kind to himself & his body, get plenty of water and ensure enough rest. . .it is difficult but not impossible. . .

Day 8 = NEARLY THERE!!

Try to be really supportive and remind him that soon all withdrawals will stop completely and he will feel like a new person.

thirtyandthriving

It is a slow process and shouldn't really be done cold turkey. Is his counselors/doctors in the loop on this?? Below is from someone that has gotten off suboxone successfully.

"I have gotten off of suboxone successfully, albeit through many programs and done after one year on 75 mg of Methadone. The trick is to be comfortable at the lowest dose possible and then extend the time between doses, (and don't get tempted if you feel a little discomfort. Xanax helps enormously). Then, start cutting (dont break) the tablets into ever decreasing pieces while still extending the dose intervals by 2 hour increments. When you reach about 1 mg, take 2 last 1/2 mg doses 12 hours apart. The next day you will walk away feeling excellent. Stay away from trigger locations and people you used to hang with while doing dope. Find some friends or something to occupy your time for at least 6 months if not a year and you wont have any problems and will have lost a great deal of the urges to get high. It's a long process my friend. I went through it. But Suboxone is far better than Methadone which I was on for a year, and like you, I didn't particularly like being thrown in with the general population of addicts at the Methadone clinic every day. But never loose sight of the fact that you and I are addicts. We were born with a type A personality, and addiction to any substance comes easy for us. In closing, It's up to you if you want to be an addict for the rest of your life (and the longer you are, your chances of killing the monkey deminishes rapidly), or you want a normal life and to become a productive member of society and live out the only life you will ever have on this beutiful earth with the ability to stop and smell the flowers and the trees. It's a religious experience once you achieve it and you'll realize just what you have been missing. All the bad, guilty feelings go away, you can think straight, you can hold a job and experience the american dream. So try my method, and may God be with you."

Summerleahd

He is not under doctor supervision, the doctor wanted to keep him on it and had him on a crazy high dosage. He then went to a detox place and they still wanted to keep him on it. He wants nothing more to do with it, so he already weaned himself down to 1mg a day, started skipping days, and took his last one 8 days ago. I'm trying to be as supportive as possible, and was just trying to think of ways to help.he's been trying to come clean off pills for over four years now.And its not about the high for him anymore, he couldn't deal with the discomfort

fiberartist219

I agree that some medical care would be a good idea.

Also, some light exercise. I wouldn't suggest anything heavy at this time, but just a light walk or stretch here or there will get his blood flowing and move things around enough.

Ask him to keep eating well, and unfortunately, things are just going to suck for awhile, but it will all be worth it.

KittyMul

I used to work in a rehab clinic and I absolutely would not recommend any sort of fast. Now is not the time to be putting any additional stress on his body.

Like other posters have said, he should be doing this under medical supervision. Suboxone withdrawals are very nasty and the doctors I worked with would never recommend that anyone go cold turkey. It can be very dangerous to do so (seizures, heart attack) - your friend should see his prescribing doctor ASAP.

Vitamin supplements and herbal calming remedies could help him a little bit. But really, a cup of chamomile tea vs long term opiate withdrawals - it's not going to be making a huge difference. At least get him to talk to a pharmacist, they might be able to give him something to help him get through it. He might be reluctant to put anything else 'unnatural' in his body but it's really not worth the risks to try and do it alone.

Good luck to him, it's not by any means easy!

Summerleahd

Thank you everyone who responded.

His prescribing doctor is a nut, when he went to tell him he didn't want to take it anymore, he said that he should stay on it, but if he really wanted to stop then to just wean down and he would be fine. Didn't explain anything about the withdrawal symptoms.

Corby86

Strongly recommend in that case (if the prescribing GP is a nut) he seeks alternative advice from a holistic medicine practitioner such as a herbalist or naturopath.

I have seen people come clean off methadone, barbituates, methamphetamine etc. within a few days with the correct treatment - wont mention it on here as that certainly needs to be done by a professional. . .but it is by no means impossble.