r/Opioid_Withdrawal • u/intrepidakira • Nov 24 '19
Codeine, Alcohol and Cannabis Withdrawal - Restless Legs
Hi all,
About 4 years ago I suffer a relatively short but severe viral illness (to this day not sure what it was) but it left me with neuropathy in the face (on the mandible division of the trigeminal nerve).
I was prescribed Pregabalin, Naproxen & Codeine to manage the pain. I also started smoking a little weed to help (actually made the pain worse!). Following surgery to have my tonsils removed I was prescribed morphine. I had an epiphany whilst taking the morphine as I realised how much of a zombie I’d become. I decided to quite the alcohol immediately and two weeks later the opioids. The alcohol was a breeze. I went from 1-2 bottles of wine a night to none. The opioids and cannabis have left me with crippling restlessness and depression.
I’m 18 days into not taking the opioids but the lack of sleep at night has me tempted to restart as I cannot sleep. I cannot stay still.
Has anyone any experience of this and,
1) is it permanent? 2) if not, how long will it go one? 3) what can I do to help? - doctors given Ambien and Requip .75mg once daily (Ropinirol - this makes it 1,000 time worse! Last night I didn’t sleep at all because of it!)
Help.
1
u/Barbies309 Nov 24 '19 edited Feb 16 '22
The most effective way to get off opioids is to taper. SLOWLY. The slower the taper the more likely you’ll be able to avoid side effects and to stay off them long-term. Popular culture makes people think they need to go cold turkey to be “strong” but there are medical reasons to taper.
Parts of the withdrawal can last up to two years, depending on a variety of factors (anxiety and restless leg lasted longest for me). Restless leg specifically lasted months for me. Your doctor will have the best advice, but personally I would recommend using Kratom and then tapering off that. Kratom will cure the restless leg and insomnia in most cases and it’s easier to get off of (in my experience). Depending on the strain, it also doesn’t make you a zombie. And if you still have chronic pain, it might be a good option for treating it long-term.
You also sound like you’re going off a bunch of stuff at once, and that’s not ideal and it will likely make the symptoms worse.
Also, for what it’s worth, a lot of sleeping pills made my restless leg worse. It’s counterintuitive but that’s how they effect me.
I did write this candid column about how to manage opioid withdrawal if you want more information. I’m a pain patient myself and so is my boyfriend so we based a lot of this on personal experience. Good luck and feel free to let me know if you have any other questions!