Thursday, August 7, 2008

You can't help a heroin addict

I've come to the conclusion that you can't really help someone addicted to heroin. They must first want to help themselves...and rarely will they do that...However, if if you can get them to take seboxone for 3 months continuously they will begin to see things differently. The key is continuously-everyday for 3 months. The seboxone will give the brain time to heal...and eventually they will start to feel good about themselves...During this time period they will say ....hey I'm good...I'm not an addict anymore...and I don't need to take the seboxone anymore...Whatever you do don't let them stop...Their brain will tell them they don't need it...so they can use again...it's the wierdest thing but I think the brain knows what it's doing...Remember to tell them that this happens all the time and that its a "Brain Trick"...It happened several times to my daughter...I just told her not to fall for that-don't be tricked by your own brain. She continued taking the seboxone and later told me she thinks I was right. She said she's sure her brain was trying to make her stop using the seboxone. She's been clean from using heroin for 5 months now. I'm very happy with her progress...using the seboxone. Not so happy about the other drugs she occasionally uses such as [mushrooms, aderal, or weed] But I'll take what I can get at this point.

The prozac is causing her to think of suicide. She has an appointment with her psychiatrist to see if the dose needs to be increased or decreased. Since she started taking the prozac she doesn't know what's going on inside her head. She says she can't control those thoughts...They just appear out of no where...and for no reason. She said it was just strange...and she feels strange.

8 comments:

sKILLz said...

First off let me say that my heart goes out to you. I just came across your blog and this is the 1st post that I am reading and responding to.
Any addiction is hard to treat and yes the person does sometimes need some kind of will to want to stop for it to work good.
However sometimes when pushed into things that works as well.
Example if someone has to go to jail and kick that right there might be an eye opener and make the person want to quit.
I hope everything is going good and I will try to read more and perhaps link you on my blog as well.
Stay Up!

Unknown said...

i'm really happy that the suboxone seems to be working for her.

Anonymous said...

I have been following your post and my heart goes out to you. At the same time I am filled with fear for your daughter. I have twins aged 13. My boy is very difficult. He doesnt follow rules, doesnt bother about school and it worries me. His paternal uncle has been addicted to heroin for 12 years. I have read that addiction personality is addictive. What signs did your daughter display at early teen. Im posting from Kenya Africa. Heroin addiction is a growing problem here. In patient long time care has worked wonders for people I know. If you can afford it send her out of the country. South Africa has a well known treatment center. Dont listen to people who say such treatment will alienate her from the family. Its better to have a child who refuses to relate to you, than one who you can never relate to because they are dead.

Anonymous said...

I was an opiate addict for aout three years. I was on suboxone for a year and a half. Unfortunately, suboxone is also an opiate, so she will have to withdraw from that also. Suboxone has also been proven to increase alcohol consumption. When my new dotor switched me to subutex my craving for alcohol vanished and I was able to slowly decrease my dose to nothing within 6 months. Also, Prozac and all of the anti-depressants cause suicide ideation. She shouldn't be taking them. Read Dr. Peter Breggin's book "Medication Madness" for more information on these types of drugs. Good luck with everything.

Anonymous said...

I am currently a heroin addict,in the past using subutex got me off of heroin,then I slowly reduced the subutex and got right off of that.
Unfortunately I have just finished a 5 year prison sentence,which due to my depression and mental health conditions I started to use inside again and was released with a habit 6 weeks ago,when I went to my local drug abuse centre for help the DR I saw there insisted on putting me on methadone despite me telling him subutex was what worked for me,now I am using on top of the methadone(something I would have never done on subutex)and now because im on 70ml a day of methadone he won't change me over to subutex until I reduce to 30ml,which as im still using on top of 70ml is almost an impossible task,if he had listened to me in that subutex worked for me before instead of insisting I go onto methadone I would not be in this mess now. Good Luck to you,I hope it all works out for the best
Paul

Anonymous said...

Prozac is an awful drug. I am not against anti-depressants, but this one is especially nasty (not to mention, has a very high suicide rate). It too, will cause withdrawal if stopped. Please ask your psychiatrist to change it to something else!!! My husband just withdrew from Prozac and it was horrible!!!

Anonymous said...

my son is shooting heroin after 8 months of sober living and still being on suboxone. now that he is out of soberliving guess the pull of the drug was too strong coupled with too much freedcom and money. kicked him out and sent him back to sober living but instead he is living in car for 48 hours. i am scared.dont know what else to do

Anonymous said...

I know that you are in pain and so is your daughter. I am 13 yrs sober in AA and my boyfriend had 11 yrs clean and sober
until his younger brother was in his last facility due to his alcoholism. We had spent the previous 3 yrs trying to save
his brother- living with us, taking him to meetings everyday, paying for sober houses and he ended up in a ratty motel having
lost his family, job (6 figures) $750K home, the works. When it was clear that his brother was dying, my boyfriend went back
out to his true love: HEROIN. He had injected when he started and was on it for over a decade, spent 3 months in jail and
came out willing to do anything to get and stay clean- and he did- meetings, sponsor, the Steps, service work (AA instead of
NA, bc NA was pretty shabby here back then.) For the last 28 months, he has been in and out of treatment- he's in his second inpatient at the rock bottom place in town and has been to 4 outpatient programs, which included 3 separate times on Suboxone (and yes, hell to withdraw from) also in that time and hasn't gotten more than 42 days clean. We are about to lose the business that we started and was an unimaginable success (an auto repair shop.) I found a lot of relief and fellowship in Nar-Anon but have been lazy about it bc I go to AA everyday and group therapy once a week but your title "YOU CAN'T HELP A HEROIN ADDICT" caught my eye bc the addict has to want it- it is not will power, it is want power. Powerless over
Heroin- the addict and everyone else. "if you want what we have (sobriety) you have to do what we do... AA prologue. Want it and take action- the only action that has to be perfect everyday is to not pick up. AA: the same person will use/drink again.
We have to change and when we ask "What do I have to change?" the stock answer is everything- people, places, things, actions, reactions, negative behavior and the Steps are the only guide I know of to make those profound changes. I HATE THE DISEASE OF ADDICTION. As we all know, it kills. It keeps me up at night. I am powerless over his addiction or my sister's
about whom I can write even more but I can't cry anymore today. Wishing you peace and serenity in the face of the most
powerful addiction I know. It is Dante's Hell right here. Julie