Length of withdrawal symptoms from methamphetamine

[worriedmother]

I would like some information on the length of time that is involved on Meth Amphetamine use with drawl. A family member has the symptoms of cronic use of Meth. Acute depression, hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions and paranoia. Are these conditions subject to going away after time? If so what period of time? Are there medications to take?


Thanks for your input and advise

[fishinabottle]

Methamphetamine withdrawal after cronic abuse shouldn´t be done without the aid of antidrepressives as the withrawal is seriously traumatizing without.
SEROXAT helps after my experience, but check this with a doctor please - no more selfmedication!

Sorry to say: Complete recovery (so possible at all) will take not less than six months, probably over a year.

The only working way to get off meth without the harm of the withrawal known to me is by substituting it with 4-MAR (whats illegal sadly) and to lower the doses slowly.

[worriedmother]

Fishinabowl, thank you for your quick response. Your message was very informative. (so possible at all) This confused me a bit. Please explain.


Thanks

[Sitbcknchill]

Depending on the how deep the family member was involved in methamphetamine will determine the amount of time needed to recover...the user is going to have to want to recover or it will never happen...it is a hard drug to conquer because of it's addictive properties and provides some of the worst withdraw effects...from personal experience I have seen the worst side of a lot of drugs, and methamphetamine was one of the worst habits trying to control...

Also, you said that the person was displaying SYMPTOMS of methamphetamine use...have you any other proof that your relative might be using?


I don't advocate the use of one drug to compensate for another but antidepressants are going to be a must along with family support...stopping cold turkey is hard trust me on that one, and it’s even worse when you have no one around to support you, so remember that…

[worriedmother]

sitbcknchill, Thank you for your reply. The family member admitted to meth use. She displayed all the symptoms of use. She is now in a hospital and is on anti depressants but I don't know exactly what. She says that she will never do it again. Does that sound typical? She was so out of it with hallucinations, voices talking to her, I thought she was skitsofrentic. Yes, also suicidal.(probably not spelled right) She has good support from me and family. I am dumb when it comes to drugs and meth. I had to do a lot of reading on the net to get what was going on. Do some have lasting affects from this drug? What do we have to look foreword to in the near future?http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley19.gif

[fishinabottle]

There will be a further antidepressive treatment needed (medication, doctors decision what) for quite some time.

Don´t expect here to never use meth again, chances are that it WILL happen. Don´t make a catastrophe out of this, help her to get out again as soon she WANTS to, thats all you can do.

Do a websearch on "co-addictive behaviour", read and avoid this or better ask an psychologist about this. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! And it cannot be told here in a few words.

/fish

[worriedmother]

Here I am back again. Sitbacknchill, can you tell me what kind of symptoms you experianced while recovering from Meth? I don't know if my daughter is experiancing the normal symptoms of withdrawl. She jerks her voice. Hears voices. Will not keep her cloths on, takes them off and pees on herself and in her cloths. She paces and it is making me very scared and nervous to say the least. Is this normal withdrawl???? What else happens that I haven't listed?


Thanks

[Sitbcknchill]

For the most part it just threw me into deep depression where I wanted suicide as a way out..didn't want to talk to anyone or be around anyone just wanted to end my life....

As for what your daughter is going through it's sounds like she is having a very rough time. Sometimes I would hear voices, muscle spasums (spelling is bad), shaking, but nothing like that...it sounds like there might be more than meets the eye as in something deeper than an addiction. What does she say to you when you ask her why she takes off her clothes and pees on herself??

[worriedmother]

I talk to her on the phone because I am in another state. I tell her that she has to pull herself together and her voice jerks and she leaves the phone. Sometimes she is coherant and sometimes she is terrible. She says that the voices are telling her to do what she does. When she takes a sleeping pill she pretty much calms down. She told me that she took meth and if their is anything else I don't know about it. She is out of it and it is hard to explain. She is on antidepresents but I don't know what. I will try to find out.


She is always saying that the voices tell her she isn't worth a shit and that is why she goes and lays down in the dog shit.


Would it be too much to ask if you are male or female?

[worriedmother]

My daughter is on Depakote, Ablify, Lexapro, benztropine. I looked them up and they are to treat her for depression, bi-polar and can't remember what else.


Do these sound familiar to you?

[daeron]

i dont want to sound like a smartass or anything,but have you thought that the antidepressives are the cause of your daughters behavior?


I will disagree with above statements that antidepressives can help to ease withdrawal.People react different to antidepressives(ill write AD fromnowon),and the doctors prescribe them too easily.Ive met a few people whose lives have been almost ruined cos of ADs.Some can even have adverce effects,and induce depression instead of curing it.The fact thatyour daughteris reacting in such a way,is leading me to a conclusion that she may be better of without ADs.


Im currently trying to get of meth for the last time,and there is only one cure-perserverance.there is no shortcut,only pain&craving.But im confident it will pass.


Also 4-mar,or 4-max,or whaterver the slang is (4methylaminorex) isnt a smart drug or a cureit is a strong stimulantvery much like meth,and it willNOT help withwithdrawal.and swim knows this for a fact.


my adivce is,although it comes from a recovering meth junkie,that she stops using ADs,and to find something to keep her preoccupied,to start working out(strangely this helps),find a healthy eating regime....and as sitbcknchill stated relapses are bound to happen(i relapsed after almost a year) but the point is that you dont judge her,and to be there for her.it is much easier when you dont have to go through this alone.














sigh..why is it always easier to tell someone else what to do,then to do it yourself...

[Sitbcknchill]

Male....


I also stated earlier that I really don't think one drug should be used to compensate for another...I will admit that I still use drugs just not meth....When I quit I stopped cold turkey and it was one of the hardest things I have done in my life...and I'm not saying that I will never do it again...the thing that helped me quit was that one night I found myself in my front yard after about a 10 day spree with a gun to my best friends head about ready to blow his head off...there is alot more to the story but it doesn't matter....I lost my job, friends, family....I am slowly trying to regain my lost friends and family....I found another job for now and actually I feel 10 times better now that it is out of my life...and I am also glad that my suicide attempt did not work and I woke up the next day....my point of view changed after that night....


It is alot easier to tell someone what to do than to do it yourself....

But if the person wants to quit they will at all costs....but something has to click inside them wanting to do it or it will never happen...

I just hope your daughter doesn't get addicted to all of those pills that she is on which could be a good reason she is acting how she is.....


She really needs someone around to help her....Edited by: sitbcknchill

[worriedmother]

Sitbacknchill, my daughter has her boyfriend who has never done drugs, not even booz, he was not aware that she was doing them. She was very suicidal and he was scared to death that she would do harm to him as he slept. That is why he took her to the hospital for treatment and they put her on the drugs. I really don't know what to do about this whole situation. She is terrible on them and terrible without them. I don't think she is suicidal right now. She had terrible fits of anger before the drugs that is why they put her on bi polar drugs. I have never seen anything like this but then I am a dumb mother I guess and my daughter is not a very young person. I will see what happens in the next few weeks. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley11.gifI am having a hard time seeing her like this. She says she will never do them again. May I ask how many years or days, months you used meth? I am trying to get a feel for what she may have done.


God Bless you and thanks for all the info. I will be off line now for three weeks as I will be traveling.

[worriedmother]

I forgot to finish about her boyfriend. He is completely supportive and does every thing he can for her. It is a sad situation.


http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gifhttp://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/smileys/smiley19.gif

[Sitbcknchill]

Keep me updated on your daughters progress as I am very interested on her well being through this whole ordeal....some people do not make it out...as for my use I really can't say when I started as I have used a variety of drugs all through the years...but I will tell you this...it doesn't take very long to develope a serious addiction to methamphetamine and it is different from person to person....I hope to see you around in a few weeks...until then just keep doing what your doing and give your daughter as much support as you can and make sure you keep in contact with her on a regular basis....do not make her feel that she is alone in the world....


And you are not a dumb mother, just a mother that is trying to understand and help her daughter in her situation...don't look down on yourself because of this....Edited by: sitbcknchill

[Unsolved]

From what I've heard Meth is one of the hardest if not the hardest drugs to beat. A lot of users are never able to kick the habit. A friend of mine who went through recovery admits he thinks about it everyday because the high was so intense. The comedowns and withdrawls are suppose to be just awful though. I wish you and your family member all the best of luck. Just be suportive and pray.Edited by: Unsolved

[Dvussmile]

For any of you that have recovered from Meth....

Even after you've stayed clean for a few months did you still experience any signs of withdrawl. Please give insight to the things you dealt with the first year?

[veRGe]

Don't...touch...meth...again.

[Matt The Funk]

SWIM hasn't recovered from a meth addiction...infact SWIM hasn't really dabbled too much with it besides 1 month where he did it quite frequently(almost everyday, multiple times in the day). Meth seems to effect him slightly different than his friends(who don't have as many mental health issues as him). But even though the last time he touched meth was 7 months ago, he has dreams and cravings for it a lot. He only does meth a few times a year though. So he can imagine you might still have cravings after being clean for a while. And by you I don't litteraly mean you, I mean it's just possible.

[neversummer]

Thats one of the many reasons for relapse. Even after completely clean, for months and even years after you will have cravings and dreams about the drug. Even finding yourself wanting to do it again despite the effects.

[JaWill88]

meth is most likely not physically addicting, but swim used to f with it but only a few times a year and swim still thinks about it. swiy will probably have cravings but no physical withdrawal. unlike those bastard opioids. swim also did have a little binge for a while as well. it seems to be that way with a lot of people, just using it a few times over a long period of time.

[dogzz]

It depends on how heavily and for how long swiy used, on top of that...each person is different. Swim was a heavy user for a lot of years, the first year was hell. Just as swim began to feel as though he was past it, BAM!! The cravings would swallow him up. Through the second year swim has finally began to feel "normal" Depression and lack of enthusiasm for just about anything were prevalent, some anti-d's were prescribed and seem to have that under control now. It took a long time, and a lot of detemination to become meth free, but it's worth it. It does get better......swiy just has to give it time and not cave in to those cravings......it only gets harder to quit the longer swiy uses.

[politicallyincorrect]

SWIM has been clear from a heavy 2 year meth addiction for over 18 months and still feel they are 'recovering' from their abuse of the drug. It can take a long time to recover physically and emotionally and the intense cravings can still be pretty strong 18 months down the track.

I think what are typically considered as WD symptoms are over within a week of last using meth but it takes the body and mind a long time to regain it's sense of 'normality'. The first 12 months can be a rollercoaster emotionally (depression, massive anxiety) and physically (ringing in ears, insomnia) but things are becomming much more balanced nowdays.

[blackirish]

minor physical withdrawal symptoms can last as long as two years.

[EducatedUser408]

What helped SWIM with withdrawal symptoms is smoking weed......I don't know how everyone's opinion is on that.........But it's natural and a he!! of a lot safer than Meth

[humdroid]

I would like some information on the length of time that is involved on Meth Amphetamine use with drawl. A family member has the symptoms of cronic use of Meth. Acute depression, hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions and paranoia. Are these conditions subject to going away after time? If so what period of time? Are there medications to take?


Thanks for your input and advise
swimmy can't speak for base's madder uncle Meth.
After the last dose of base swimmy find the psychotic symptoms go mainly straightaway after a kip and meal. (residual delusional material may linger a few days)
Moods last weeks.
supplements to replenish what the fast stuff took are invaluable.

humdroid added 1 Minutes and 36 Seconds later...

ps feeling picked on, may linger a bit longer than the convinced delusions of persecution.
Swimmy thinks this is the paranoia severity improving and downscaling to anxiety.

[Dickon]

I had a dream in which I said the following

Semolina is not a pudding but a formula used to calculate numerical approximations to square-roots, and a wondering number in the complex-plain (neither real nor imaginary) whispered to me in pigeon-Mandarin-Chinese the following which I had to ask my wife to translate : what follows may or may not be a correct translation of what was whispered to me. Before I give the translation I ask anyone deluded enough to think this story real to cease and desist. NOW. Stop and depart. If you read further the words will dissolve into the ramblings of a panting mad-man. Legal indemnification: The author of this post ("Author") enters into an agreement with the reader ("Reader")..... [enough. Ed.]

"The following is not true...

I have never taken meth, but I've injected a lot of amphetamine, and taken dexedrine pills for months on end. And meth is just amphetamines big brother so there might be a parallel. I was never able to quit without opiates, and I found that opiates would take away all the listlessness, depression, delusions, cravings for use etc. It just occured to me (and I know this is probably the dumbest idea you've ever heard. So please don't rep-slate me for putting something so absurd out there) that I don't crave amphetamines, so despite years of use I think I cured myself. However the method I used, obviously not consciously, was to go via an opiate addiction. I only mention this because if coming off meth is as terrible as some are saying, isn't a cold-turkey a small price to pay? It's a short term thing, and opiates are the safest drug for long term use that I know of, if uncut, and administered in a safe way. The problem of course is you might just turn one addiction into two, but my own experience was that on opiates I didn't like to use amphetamines much if at all.

It just seems that if meth abuse is driving people to such dangerous craziness, a calming dose of opiates might be a good counter-measure. Strong medicine yes, but only for a strong disease."

D