Okey dokey I haven’t posted for a while... so here we go... let me fill you in (if you’re reading this comment, then I’ve just saved it temporarily as I need to go back and remember what I last spoke about!)
Boy! I’ve been gone for ages! Where do I start..
Well I managed to get some street benzos to see me through. I did have one day without any and as expected, suffered terribly with rebound insomnia. This wasn’t helped by my choice of OTC sleeping aids.
When I withdrew off opiates last August, I discovered DXM cough medicine. (Please on your unhacked phones google search the correct medical name. Part of the reason I haven’t posted is, my phone is working so poorly, so typing is incredibly difficult.. so I can’t be bothered to do this myself right now..).
DXM is actually a relative to the drug ketamine. Ketamine and DXM aren’t opioids, but bind to the opioid receptors.
So when you haven’t slept for 2 days because you’ve been kicking, gulping down half a bottle of Robussin’s means your withdrawals stop. Well in my case they did, mainly because I dropped down to 0.1mg buprenorphine and switched to codeine and tapered that down too. If you had a bigger tolerance, you’d need ketamine.
So, during withdrawal, this removes the symptoms which cause insomnia and also makes you a little drowsy too. So, ta-da, a good night’s sleep will follow.
So I’m aware it binds to my opiate receptors, but even though I thoroughly research any substance I consume, I had no idea that DXM.... Yes over the counter DXM.... not ketamine.... would bind so well it would kick the buprenorphine off my receptors and throw me into withdrawal.
Well it did! But it was also the most surreal 18 hours of my life. I’ve never taken a whole bottle in a go, but as I couldn’t sleep. So at 11pm I drunk around half the bottle. Come 12.30am I drunk another 1/4, leaving 1/4 left. And maybe 1am I took the last 1/4.
My friend noticed my restlessness. My legs kept moving, my hands would clench and relsease my duvet.
I was aware I was tossing and turning, but I wasn’t hurting.
Although I had the prerequisite to move, the accompanying dull relentless ache in my calves and thighs was absent.
This is one of my most disliked opiate withdrawal symptoms. It prevents me from sleeping. In the past I have stood up, enabling my muscles to stretch, whilst my head, verging on unconsciousness flopped onto my bed.
I would drift from the most surreal dreams to reality.
‘Why did you get your post sent to B****’s whilst you were in prison?’ I asked my friend.
B**** was his brother’s partner. He didn’t know her when he went prison. He stared at me blankly and asked what the hell I was talking about.
I had the most horrendous diarrhoea, which confirmed
I was in withdrawal. Being constipated, is a side effect of opiate use. As I’m on 14mg of buprenorphine, I ain’t getting diarrhoea, even if I consume a whole chicken raw.
Come 10am I woke up and decided to take my Ritalin.
I take it the most productive way I can, giving my tolerance. Think bioavailabilities. In order to do this I need a plastic medicinal syringe. NO NEEDLE. Just the plastic syringe.
I took some, placed the plastic syringe back in my bra cup, a favourite storing place, but crashed back to sleep.
I awoke around 2pm. It had gone. I couldn’t find it.
I was also aware some of my medication had gone missing. This meant I needed to use it the most effective way possible. Taking it sublingual, would mean 30%-50% of my precious methylphenidate only. My way, ensured 80%-90%. Bar banging up, I couldn’t use it a more efficient way.
So I sent N** shopping with strict instructions to get a replacement. We didn’t need an exchange. A pharmacy would do. A medicinal syringe was ok. Only he forgot.
Upon coming home I made it clear I would not be sharing my subbies without this tool. Taking 14mg sublingual means you get around 7mg of buprenorphine. Taking it my way, means I can take 8mg of buprenorphine and ensure I am still getting 7mgs.
This means when I get my TTO for the pharmacy, I am able to ensure he gets enough medication, so he’s not sick.
The realisation of having to go to Fat Man after work and purchase subbies, hit him. So back he went to the shops to get.
Only they didn’t have in Sutton, so he went Tooting. And they had sold out in Tooting, so he went Westberry’s in Streatham. Returning 2 long hours later.
Thankful I could take my meds and feel them, I took some Ritalin and awoke from my semi conscious state.
I began sorting the washing... when I felt the jumper I was wearing on Friday. It had something in the pocket.
Out came and plastic syringe I believed I had lost.
Realisation that the memory I had of taking my medication was clearly some hallucination.
So there you go. Fucking don’t touch DXM if you’re on opiates.
It’s great for withdrawal, once you’ve jumped. But this shit is fucking strong.
A simple google search will tell you buprenorphine binds tightly to those opiate receptors. Well DXM is stronger and will boot it off.
This could be an amazing tool for withdrawal. Now I’m unsupervised I shall trying to see if it enables me to reduce easier.
That night, although I did not sleep, was not painful. It was weird. The first time I could see the relationship between ketamine and DXM. It was a weird night, filled with incredibly real type dreams.
#Itsnotaboutthedrugs @Gemma_Stalked
