KCI The Anti_Meth Site

Alternatives to help with Meth withdrawals?

Meth ahead	Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Here's my story about meth use. I have used meth daily for about 6 years now and I want to stop. Its those damn withdrawals that have prevented me from stopping in the past. The reason I like to smoke meth especially upon waking up is because it gives me energy. I don't smoke it all day, but I like a buzz at least once a day. Is there any alternatives to use or help during the process of quitting that will help with the horrible withdrawals? Café' Latté's have helped a little.
Replies...
Macy stiller 01	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? My boyfriend did a few things. He slept as much as he could the first few days. He also ate lots of protein (apparently this is a good thing). He also used a therapist and he was prescribed an antidepressant. I know he still had symptoms but this all seemed to help. Oh he drank lots of water and Gatorade as well. He said he felt good about doing this. No sure why. I am just glad he now has 14 months clean. Good Luck and stick around. The are many people on the board that can help you better than I.
Paws from hell	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Oh, Wow too early in Denver, I guess I misread the question of your post! But I do stop short of apologizing for offering you a solution to addiction that I call recovery. Again I used Meth, long time man, long time, and I used it for various reasons, including energy cough horse shyt cough. Now after 7mo clean I too suffer from Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome hence the name Paws from Hell. So if an when you find that "alternative". Please Please, Let me know!
imlost inky	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Methahead, years ago when I got off meth, what helped me was LTyrosine 500 mg. It is an amino acid- you can find it at the GNC for $8.99 for 30 tablets. Now I took one in the morning with a glass of orange juice - and another before lunch again with juice. I ate well- drank lots of fluid- and I was younger, much younger. It did help. This past year when I went back to work at the greenhouse, a very physically demanding job especially for an old woman, I ate peanut butter on whole wheat toast for breakfast- I also took my LTyrosine with the orange juice. It did me good until my kidneys started playing up again. Try it- eat a lot of protein and good healthy food. Stay away from the junk - all calories and no nutrition. Drink a lot of water to flush your system. Eat fresh fruits whenever you can instead of candy. It won't just magically make it all better - but for me it did ease a lot of the fatigue. Get yourself into a recovery program. Come on here and post You can beat meth- there is life after meth- and we do recover. It will never be easier than it is today.
Macy stiller 01	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Didn't even think about Peanut Butter T! Good one. What does LTyrosine do? I have heard of it and have not paid attention!
Loraura	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? LTyrosine is a precursor to dopamine. It will give a recovering meth addict the building blocks the body needs to replace the dopamine that is destroyed when high on meth. You can also just eat lots of protein. Same thing!
imlost inky	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Macy, I had to have my peanut butter on wheat toast every morning. Otherwise I'd be noodled by 9 a.m. I don't eat a lot of meat- while not vegetarian, I am pretty close. Peanut butter is my lifesaver.
Loraura	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Oddly enough, I had to give up Peanut Butter -- my keen intellectual food-addicted brain can't eat it in moderation!
imlost inky	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Loraura, even the low fat kind? I don't like it as well but I will eat it - especially now that I have packed on all the weight I had lost while working.
Sfj	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? I'm not trying to argue with the expert, Loraura, but is there any way that anyone could provide real evidence regarding the efficacy of taking dopamine supplements? I've heard from unreliable sources that the best one can expect is about one per cent improvement. Any info on that? Eating fish is also a recommendation that I've heard and that it is better than L-Tyrosine supplements. Any comments on that? I'm not claiming that my sources are fully reliable, so I'd like to read documentation provided by legitimate science before recommending the alternatives. Thanks.
imlost inky	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? SfJ, I only know it did work for me. I did feel better when taking my LTyrosine. My husband liked it as well. For me the improvement was definitely more than 1%. My energy level was pretty good when I took it. I can feel the difference now that I don't. As for fish, since my bout with food poisoning after eating at Captain D's , that is not an option for me.
Loraura	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? All I know, SFJ, is this: Meth addicts destroy dopamine. When they quit, much of the withdrawal and PAWS are due to low dopamine levels. The body can replace dopamine. In order to do so, it must have certain building blocks. Giving the body the required building blocks to make dopamine will allow the body to replace dopamine at it's normal pace. Depriving the body of the building blocks it need to replace dopamine means it will take longer to feel better. Statistics say it takes ~18 months for an abstinent meth user to reach 80% of normal dopamine activity. Slow. Yes. Impossible without the right pre-cursors.
Sfj	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? To imlostinky, How do you know it worked? Placebos work in many cases also? I'm not trying to argue or discount your experience, I'm just trying to get some real evidence based science on this matter. Thanks.
Sfj	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? To Loraura, Doesn't fish, such as salmon or cod contain the "precursors?" or for vegans, Red Beans and Rice?
RIP	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? Hello and welcome, For me I started by drinking bottled water first thing in the A.M. Then off to starbucks for a triple expresso shot (never mind the caffe latte). I also found salmon and tuna in a tin helped. Careful of the all white tuna it has high levels of mercury. If you find the tuna bland try it with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and finely chopped onions. Surround yourself with like minded people I.E. people not using, people in recovery. Focus on learning (educate yourself) on withdrawal symptoms and what tools you can use to combat all of the up and downs you will encounter.
Penel0pe	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? *Quote:* Is there any alternatives to use or help during the process of quitting that will help with the horrible withdrawals? For me, time, abstinence, and recovery have helped me get my life together. Sleep, eat - do the things that people who don't use meth do! I have heard from many an addict around here that EXERCISE helped them immensely during early recovery. I was pretty active for the first few weeks meth free (I was still using pot, though,) and I remember feeling pretty good, but then I managed to fall 10 feet onto my head, and became pretty inactive from that point I think everyone is different and people are going to physically recover at different rates depending on their age, general health, and how long / how much dope they were using. I'll have 3 years clean in January - and I still feel like I've been run over by a Mac Truck... but is that related to my many years of meth use? I don't know... I DO like RIP's idea about the triple espresso. Those are nice.
imlost inky	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? I just know it worked for me. I have tried herbal remedies and natural products off and on most of my adult life. Just because something is touted to work doesn't mean it always did for me. For instance, St. John's wort - promises a lot of good benefits for those suffering from depression, nature's prozac I do believe. Not for me. If anything I felt worse physically when I tried it. Stuffy head feel - just ugh.I didn't like it. Cranberry tablets - said to hold off kidney and bladder infections. Not for me. I am stuck with drinking the actual juice. I am not one to fall for placebo effects. I am not one to read, try, and jump on the bandwagon. So I say LTyrosine tablets did make me feel better. Not speedy. Just mentally alert- cleared my foggy mind- and made a difference in how worn out and tired I was while working at the greenhouse. I had thought it had helped me to lose weight as my first go at the greenhouse I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks. But this second year I lost very little - so I assume it wasn't the LTyrosine that aided me in losing weight as much as the first season , I was jumping up and down off tables carrying hanging baskets 2 & 3 at a time up and down a hill. 2nd season I managed shrubs and perennials houses. Less of a physical work out. Less weight lost. Not LTyrosine as I had thought. Another fact worth mentioning is I do not have a healthy diet in the way of eating what is the recommended daily allowance of protein. I have to keep my protein on the low side for my kidneys and I am just not a big meat eater. I prefer veggies. So that could have played a part in it all as well. My usual daily amount of protein is 2 servings - some days I do 3. Not often. If it wasn't for peanut butter, most days I wouldn't even get 2.
Loraura	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? *Quote:* To Loraura, Doesn't fish, such as salmon or cod contain the "precursors?" or for vegans, Red Beans and Rice? Fish yes. Here are other foods that contain either Ltyrosine or Phenylalanine, which are both amino acids that our bodies can turn into dopamine: Tyrosine is found in soy products, chicken, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. tyrosine is needed to make epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine, all of which work to regulate mood. Deficiencies in tyrosine, therefore, have been associated with depression. Because tyrosine binds unstable molecules (called free radicals) that can potentially cause damage to the cells and tissues, it is considered a mild antioxidant. Thus, tyrosine may be useful for people who have been exposed to harmful chemicals (such as from smoking) and radiation. Tyrosine appears to be a successful addition to conventional treatment for cocaine abuse and withdrawal. It may be used in conjunction with tryptophan and imipramine (an antidepressant). Some individuals using tyrosine have also reported successful withdrawal from caffeine and nicotine. Phenylalanine is one step closer to dopamine. Sources of Phenylalanine: It is contained in most protein rich foods but good sources are found in dairy products, almonds, avocados, lima beans, peanuts and seeds. Also soybean protein, frozen tofu, dried and salted cod, shellfish, lean meat, organ meat, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs, many seeds (watermelon, fenugreek, roasted soybean nuts), and chocolate. Equal artificial sweetener also contains Phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is used in living organisms, including the human body, where it is an essential amino acid. L-phenylalanine can also be converted into L-tyrosine, another one of the twenty protein-forming amino acids. L-tyrosine is converted into L-DOPA, which is further converted into dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine People suffering from Parkinson's disease: is used to treat depression and the D form may also be helpful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and chronic pain in both osteo-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis with mixed results Increases blood levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine - all three required for neurotransmission. Meth withdrawal is very similar to Parkinson's disease. The difference is that a meth addicts brain CAN replace dopamine, given the right precursors, where a Parkinson's disease patient must be given L-DOPA directly.
Meth ahead	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? I've heard people suggest lots of sleep. I sleep every night and have responsibilities to tend to so sleeping is not an option. I have to be able to function with my daily responsibilities while ending this addiction.
Penel0pe	Re: Alternatives for meth withdrawals? *Quote:* I sleep every night and have responsibilities to tend to so sleeping is not an option. I have to be able to function with my daily responsibilities while ending this addiction. Go to bed an hour earlier then. Get some rest when your schedule permits. Sleep heals. Food heals. Meth energy isn't real. It's a lie. If you haven't found this out yet, trust me, that day will come. Sometimes we don't get to have things the way we want them to be. Sometimes we have to do things differently in order to change our lives. You say you are having horrible withdrawals - that's your body and brain screaming "STOP IT!" Sometimes we have to accept things as they really are, and make the changes we need to make in order to improve our lives. If you want things to change, then you will have to change the things you do. If you want to recover from meth, know that it can be done, but you're gonna have to feel some pain to do it. The pain of continued meth use might free up some time for you - keep using long enough, and you won't have a job or responsibilities to be concerned with. I always worked while I was using - until I got arrested and lost my job the last time, or the time 10 years before that when I got drug tested for being wired at work. Or when meth became more important than my own family and I walked out on them. Trust me - I didn't see any of that coming when I was just using "A little" for energy. I had a lot of free time after that. I wasted it on more dope. Years. Decades. You should know that I'm not trying to sound sarcastic, and I apologize that it probably comes across that way. What I am trying to do is be really HONEST with you - if you want to stop using, you will have to do some things differently in order to stay clean. Welcome to the board - I am sure you will find some good suggestions here.