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fountainhillsrecovery-blog · 7 years ago

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How to Get Off (and Stay Off) of Heroin

By: Jamie Helm-Neubeck, Detroit, MI, Fountain Hills Recovery

I’m a Heroin Addiction Survivor.

There are steps that you can take to get off (and stay off) of heroin. Where most of us fail is trying to do it “our way”. Or I am willing to do A, B, and C, but D is asking too much! But those of us that have a few 24 hours in recovery have found a method that is working for us when no other way would. It takes perseverance and discomfort, but any one of us is capable of achieving recovery.

The first step to getting off of heroin is detox.

Many of us find this to be the most agonizing part of getting off of heroin. For me, detox was a dreaded step, and most times I failed to make it past the detox ward of the rehab. But once you make the commitment to change your life, you will not allow anything to stand in the way.

There are various ways to detox off of heroin using medications to ease the discomfort. Prescribed detox medications are for anxiety, opiate withdrawal, muscle aches, or aggravation/sleeplessness. Most detox programs ween these medications down over the course of 3-7 days. It is rarely enough though, and patients still suffer from some withdrawal symptoms.

For those that complete detox, the next step is inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation. This is a strong suggestion, giving us the best chance of recovery. Getting off of the drugs is one thing, healing your mind, body, and soul is a complete other. Therapy helps us to overcome the traumas and painful pasts that drove many of us to use.

A different approach to getting off of heroin is MAT, or medicated-assisted treatment. This currently includes methadone, suboxone, and Vivitrol. Vivitrol is a non-narcotic, opiate blocker that most people support. Methadone and suboxone are more often met with stigma due to their narcotic status. When used as prescribed, both can become an opiate-type replacement for heroin. This way we do not go through withdrawal, and we can wean ourselves off in our own time.

Suboxone is newer than methadone, and not a lot of doctors are authorized to prescribe it. The medication and the monthly doctor visit is costly and not covered by many insurances. Like methadone, suboxone is designed to be a gradual detox. The goal with both medications is to be completely weaned off once you are ready. Weaning too quickly can result in relapse. But the pressure emitted from family and society is stressful at best.

In my case, incarceration, followed by a stint in long-term rehab (8 months) began my road to recovery.

Once free to make my own choices, I made sure to stay away from my using friends and associates. I even had to walk away from a 12 year relationship that had produced my youngest son to save myself. I enmeshed myself with positive peers, and joined various online recovery groups. I began to meet like-minded people who wanted recovery as much as I did, most notably my current husband. He had also been addicted to heroin and wanted to achieve the same goals as I.

One by one, I took the baby steps necessary to rebuild my life. I got a job. Began to mend broken relationships. Got custody back of my sons. Got my license back. Went back to school. Bought a car. Meet my soulmate. Paid off my child support. Got off of all probation/parole. Joined a non-profit to fight the heroin epidemic. Became a certified recovery coach and public speaker. Settled into a beautiful home. Got married. And most significantly, I found PEACE. CONTENTMENT. LOVE FOR MYSELF.

It takes more than ridding yourself of the drugs...

You have to be willing to strip back the layers of trauma, pain, and shame to allow healing within your soul. You have to change the people you are sitting next to, and the places you hang out. You may even have to end relationships you hold dear. If you are willing to do these things, then recovery is possible. All that you need beyond that is to ALWAYS do the next right thing. ALWAYS. And you will know a happiness in recovery you never knew possible.

Follow Jamie on Facebook at jamie.helm.186, read more of her stories on our blog here and at http://fountainhillsrecovery.com/rehab-blog

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fountainhillsrecovery-blog · 7 years ago

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Adderall Comedown? 10 Tips to Bounce Back After the Crash

In this guide, we’ll arm you with some practical, actionable tips to ease the Adderall comedown quickly and help you make a full recovery.

During an Adderall comedown, you're probably:

sleep deprived

physically exhausted but mentally hyperactive

malnourished and dehydrated

You wish you could defrag your brain (sleep), but your brain doesn’t have an off switch. Adrenaline is still coursing through your veins. Maybe you have a headache and haven’t eaten for hours.

For some, the Adderall comedown may be intolerable enough to warrant investigating OTC Adderall alternatives. An increasingly popular prescription alternative to Adderall is Modafinil.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, we’re going to clarify the difference between an Adderall comedown vs withdrawal.

The Adderall Comedown

What’s the difference between the Adderall crash and withdrawal?

The comedown phase is the period of time after the effects of the drug have worn off or are beginning to wear off.

Instant release (IR) Adderall lasts about 6 hours in terms of subjective effects, though it lingers in your system for longer. (The half-life of Adderall is 10-12 hours, so the amphetamine comedown occurs before the drug is actually out of your system).

Six hours after dosing, you may notice a dip in energy level. At this stage, I tend to experience irritability, moodiness, and difficulty concentrating.

If you're trying to sleep after crashing from using stimulants during the day, you might experience insomnia, despite feeling worn out. Also known as “tired and wired.”

I’m sensitive to amphetamines and would sometimes feel like a shell of a human being at the end of the day after using Adderall.

These are the symptoms that characterize the Adderall comedown.

Adderall Withdrawal

Adderall withdrawal refers more to the cluster of symptoms that develop from abrupt cessation after chronic Adderall use. During this period, your brain and body are adapting to the absence of the stimulant, and your catecholamines are depleted.

Some psychopharmacologists might argue that an Adderall comedown is technically just amphetamine withdrawal. I beg to differ. Withdrawal from amphetamines is better characterized by depression, anergy, anhedonia, and brain fog. An Adderall comedown is more acute, and involves symptoms like insomnia and irritability.

What Are the Symptoms of Crashing from Amphetamines?

The symptoms of Adderall (amphetamine) withdrawal are caused by the global depletion of catecholamines. Catecholamines are neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.

The half-life of Adderall is 10-12 hours. During an Adderall crash, a significant amount of amphetamine will still be in your system. So the crash isn’t so much about the absence of, and a craving for, amphetamine. It’s about feeling “tired and wired.” A state of excessive stimulation, and needing to recharge your batteries (sleep, eat, drink, relax).

In addition to the 10 tips below, I also recommend supplementing L-tyrosine at the end of the day.

L-tyrosine is a non-essential dietary amino acid that’s converted to L-DOPA, which is converted to dopamine. L-tyrosine isn’t really strong enough to produce any effects you might experience from Adderall, but it will help regenerate dopamine reserves. Dopamine is stored in vesicles in the cytoplasm of dopaminergic neurons. These dopamine reserves are depleted from Adderall use.

The most cost-effective way to obtain L-tyrosine is from PowderCity.

Adderall Comedown Recovery

Here's what you can do to feel 100% again after an Adderall crash:

#1 If you’re currently working, stop or take a break

Following this advice may not be possible if you're on the job. If that's the case, don't fret and skip to tip #2.

Adderall is a pretty powerful psychostimulant. It can make it easy to lose track of time and spend an excessive amount of time on a project.

During an amphetamine crash, this enthusiasm fades, but you might still be tempted to keep working. Resist the temptation to be productive during an amphetamine crash, and let your brain rest.

#2 Create a relaxing environment

Create an ambiance of relaxation in your immediate environment (e.g. living room)

Light some candles or burn some non-carcinogenic incense (if you’re into that kind of thing)

Turn the lights down and play some soothing tunes

Take an NSAID (like aspirin) to relieve an amphetamine-related headache

Put life stressors on hold

Stay cool (stimulants can overheat your body), but keep your hands and feet warm. Stimulants may cause your blood vessels to temporarily constrict, making your hands and feet feel cold.

#3 Make sure you’ve had something substantial to eat

Adderall has powerful appetite suppressing effects, especially if you haven’t developed tolerance to the effects of the drug. It’s easy to forget to eat while under the influence of amphetamines. And when the drug wears off you’re left irritable and hypoglycemic (with low blood sugar).

Eat something that contains protein, even if you don’t feel hungry. It is important to maintain normal blood sugar. Eating can mitigate some of the negative effects of acute Adderall withdrawal. It goes without saying that the combination of hypoglycemia and Adderall withdrawal can really shock your body.

#4 Use Vitamin C and cranberry juice to purge your system

First, eliminate residual amphetamine from your system so you can get a good night’s sleep.

There are a couple ideas about how to promote amphetamine clearance after daytime stimulant use. If you're a chemist, you’ll know that amphetamine has a basic amine group. By acidifying the urine, we can protonate this amine group so that a greater fraction of the amphetamine molecules become positively charged. This charged fraction will be more water soluble and more easily cleared by the kidneys.

Cranberry juice and vitamin C may help acidify the urine and promote Adderall clearance. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that crosses the blood brain barrier and helps protect the brain from oxidative stress related to amphetamine use. Read more about how I use vitamin C with Adderall here.

The most cost-effective source of vitamin C is from PowderCity.

#5 Ease the comedown with natural anxiolytics

The following natural anxiolytics can help safely take the edge off.

Sleepy time tea ingredients like valerian and chamomile can help facilitate a relaxed state of mind.

MelatoninNeurohormone/chronobiotic that binds to MT1 and MT2 receptors in the brain to promote sleep and regulate circadian rhythym. Naturally secreted during nighttime. Melatonin also protects against some of the neurotoxic effects of Adderall.

MagnesiumMagnesium will reduce neuronal hyper-excitability by transiently blocking glutamate receptors in the brain.

L-TheanineL-Theanine is a naturally occurring analog of the amino acids glutamate and glutamine. Abundant in green tea and may help relieve anxiety, insomnia and promote relaxation. It is commonly used in conjunction with caffeine and other stimulants because it reduces the edginess that is sometimes associated with psychostimulant use.

GlycineThere’s some evidence that glycine improves sleep quality.

5-HTP5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan is the precursor to serotonin; serotonin may counterbalance some of the excessive dopaminergic effects of Adderall.

LavenderLavender is a natural anxiolytic with some promising double-blind, placebo-controlled trials supporting its use.

Melatonin can be especially helpful during acute Adderall withdrawal or during comedown.

Melatonin has been shown to reduce circulating adrenaline and noradrenaline. If you’re interested in doing some research on this phenomenon, take a look at this paper: Influence of exogenous melatonin on catecholamine levels.

Some may want to resort to prescription hypnotics like benzodiazepines. This is not a good long-term solution for many reasons.

Benzodiazepines are associated with worrisome side effects, like cognitive impairment. However, the use of benzodiazepines are not directly contraindicated by amphetamine use.

#6 Take a bath (it works!)

(This tip does not apply if you're overheating or have taken a large dose of amphetamine. It’s actually best to stay cool while you’re under the influence of Adderall).

Adderall causes peripheral vasoconstriction. Blood vessels in your extremities (arms and legs) become constricted. This peripheral vasoconstriction will make your extremities feel cold and increase your blood pressure and make the amphetamine crash even more unpleasant.

Taking a bath will help alleviate peripheral vasoconstriction since blood vessels tend to relax and dilate when the environment is warm to regulate body temperature. A warm bath will lower your blood pressure and can help alleviate Adderall comedown-induced headaches and Reynaud’s syndrome (poor circulation in the hands and feet).

One Finnish study suggests that frequent sauna bathing may have a protective effect against dementia. But an important confounding factor is that sauna usage in Finland is a highly social activity, and socialization itself has a protective effect against dementia.

Read Complete Article Here: http://www.brainprotips.com/adderall-comedown/

Related Article: How Do You Control Your ADHD When You're Pregnant?

#comedown #adderal xr #stimulant #headaches

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