that sounds good. you are great people. are you still searching for things to help with the cramping or is it better now?
to my mind clonidin is a good medication for cramping. i have been on that myself and i liked it... but where i am from you can only get it when you stay in hospital... but may be it is different in the usa.
carbamazepine is also a good medication. i think for sleeping doxepin or trimipramine will help. they also have an antidepressant effect.
if these will not help there is a medication called promethazin. it also helps with feeling sick... i think the best medication for sleeping is may be haloperidol. which some people hate and some people like.
but never ever accept benzos, because those are very addictive. i know several people who were addicted to benzos.

but i am no doctor. you should talk to your doctor... but do not accept benzos, okay?


gods bless you and your son. take care.
chris

Whoaa there smeagolives you are talking about some pretty serious anti-pyschotic there my friend....With the exception of the clonodine and promethazine that is...
carbamazepine or Tegretol is mainly used as an anti-seizure drug..
Doxepine or Siniquan is a tricylic(Sp?) anti depressent..And then you mention Haleperidol or HALDOL ..Haldol's MAIN and usual use is to treat
schizophrenia.They also give it on occassion to calm someone down who is mid-psychotic episode or with Ativan IM for someone who is bipolar and in the midst of a major manic episode...It is by NO means just a "sleeping pill"..I am not trying to be ugly but you have to be very careful about what drugs you suggest someone to take on here.Several of these have some major side effects and in some people can be deadly..We are not doctors here..We can give our experiences and some of the things that helped us but thats about it..Its also something else to tell someone that this OTC drug or that one helped me...Maybe I am wrong for this to have sent up a "red" flag for me..But its a scary thought to think that someone suffering here in withdrawals would see something such as this list of meds to "help" with withdrawals..Happen to see home doxepin or haldol in their granny's medicine cabinet and decide to self medicate...Heck pretty much everyone here KNOWS how the desperation for relief during withdrawals feel..
Like I said maybe I am in the wrong here..If I am I apologize..I just couldnt live with myself if something happened to someone on here due to taking some of the meds listed here thinking to get some much needed relief and me not have said something..I think though it was more the medications listed that got to me more than anything..I just feel we need to be careful playing "cyber MD"...And as I said before If I have offended anyone it wasnt my intention AT ALL...I think its great that there are a group of people willing to help other people they dont know get through what can be one of the most trying times of their lives....


Billy+dad,
I am glad he is coming through this as well as he is...I am also glad that he seems to have such a good support system in you..Just remember that he has a disease and he would have never went the methadone route in the first place if he didnt think he needed some help staying clean..Getting through the withdrawals and actually getting clean is only a tiny part of the whole deal..Staying clean is LOTS harder..My fingers are crossed that he will come through and out of this with flying colors..It was awesome that he was able to get out and about today without using..Hopefully each day will be better than the last.There is light at the end of the tunnel..Even when the tunnel is long..Anyways I just wanted you to know that I was rooting for you and your son..My prayers are with the both of you as you deal with this..For you just be there to support him,let him cry on your shoulders,rub his legs for him when they cramp or just run a hot bath for him..As even something as simple as running a bath for yourself seems like a massive task..Him getting out walking is great for him..Exercise helps produce endorphins..Though I wouldnt reccomend him doing a full cardio work out right now...With each day will come strength and purpose..

Good luck and God Bless....
Bdean

i re-read the post and i red billy already went to town. so i think is is much better may be there is no need for any of those medications :).(:eek: but actually i do not know if it is a good idea to mlet him go to town alone. i just know myself and know whta i would have done in this situation.... but it seems that billy is very different for me).

______

but nevertheless, talking about medication: i do not want to play the doctor here. sorry if that came across wrong. of course you do have to talk with your doctor and just not take any drug just because i said so.

but i know that all of this drugs are used for heroin withdrawal.
when i was in the hospital for heroin withdrawal i was on clonidin and trimipramine.
later on i was on doxepin as an antidepressant but also to help me sleeping. it is used off-label as a "sleeping pill" all the time. actually it is a lot less harmful than a sleeping pill, because it does not get one addicted. my psychiatrist refused to give me sleeping pills, but he gave me doxepin.

i was not any longer in withdrwal then, but i know doxepin is used very often for heroin withdrawal in germany and the german package insert even says it is for easing symptoms of withdrawal.

as for the other medications: i have not been on them, but i know other people who have.

of course you have to go ask your doctor if those are safe for you.

but one the other hand: i know there are a lot of things available which are much worse (including heroin). so i thought it was wrong not to say that there are medications that might help.
and bdean, you are absolutly right. one has to ask a doctor, who will for sure prescribe something that will help.