Expert: Jacqui - 5/5/2008

Question
I have been addicted to opiates off and on for 6 years. i am on week 2 today of cold turkey and still having cramps and Diarea. Is this normal? when will i feel better. I was on 8-10 10 mg percosets a day

Answer
Hey John,

People can have different responses from opiate withdrawal and it does not seem overly unusual that you are into week two and still having symptoms.  One thing to consider is that many of the prescribed opiates for pain management are slow release or long acting, meaning that there is potential for the withdrawal effects to last longer.  

It seems that you are doing really well and I can't see it getting any worse.  Opiate withdrawal is unfortunately one of those things that you need to tolerate, and it will be over - it is just a matter of hanging out (sorry for the pun) until it finishes.  

It is really important that you make sure that you keep your fluids and food intake up at the moment as diarrhoea can cause dehydration.  There are some fluid replacement products that you can buy from a pharmacy, which are made for travellers who get stomach ailments from food, that will keep your electrolyte and fluid levels up.  You may not feel overly hungry, but it is important to keep your vitamin intake up - vegetable soup is a miracle!  As far as the cramps go, warm baths can help.  

The other thing to consider is that withdrawal can be psychologically challening.  For example you might be thinking "bloody hell! baths and fluids - what a load of bull!"  The only instant fix for opiate withdrawal is more opiates and if you are keen to not do this, you just need to ride it out.  Drawing on the support of family and friends at this point (only ones that won't judge you!) is great.

Once you get to the three week mark things should settle.  However, the one thing that tends to carry over for some time is difficulty sleeping.  The quickest fix for this is sleeping tablets, but they are also addictive, so if you must use them, use them only occasionally.  There are lots of good sleep tips that can help you get your sleep patterns back to normal - a quick internet search on "sleep hygeine" will probably help with this.  

I hope that this is helpful.  Hang in there and whatever you do, do it safely!!

Jacqui