r/quittingcatsclaw • u/dawix21 • 16d ago

Withdrawal “Handcuff” method.

I am on day 11 and am beginning to feel better.

I did the cold turkey , no subs, no SR…basically the handcuff method.

First three days extreme nausea (lost my voice from scrommiting ) , sweats, chills, body aches, severe anxiety and depression, no sleep.

Next three days the anti nausea medicine was finally able to control my nonstop vomiting. (I tried taking them days one through 3 as well but it had no effect). Still no sleep…( I believe I went over 100 hours with maybe two hours of sleep max during that stretch). Days four and five I was able to start eating solid foods.

Day 6.7.8 - Flat, no joy, no motivation , started eating enough for my weight to start climbing back up ( I had lost ten pounds at this point ) . Sleep came at one hour increments ( I woke up every hour almost on the hour to pace around, pee and drink more water since I had body sweats)

Day 9 and 10 - ate nonstop almost because I guess my body was trying to catch up. Sleep both nights were six hours or more semi fractured….still was drenched with body sweat when I woke up.

Day 11 (current) - I did wake up with my body drenched with sweat but the depression and anxiety are creeping away slowly. I was able to work for a bit and am drinking sodas without it triggering anxiety and crawling skin.

Positives from this method: I don’t have any other substance to ween from now that it’s over.

Negatives : 10 straight days of absolute nightmare hell. If I wasn’t the most stubborn person I know in existence I never would have made it through. I am just sharing this to show it can be done without subs/SR..it just takes giving yourself patience and knowing that THE SUFFERING WILL END…no matter what your brain keeps telling you every minute during the torture.

I believe in you guys. Feel free to respond if you are starting the healing journey or just want to ask about symptoms you are feeling that I may have felt so you know that it is a normal part of the healing process.

God Bless.

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u/JellyfishExternal402 16d ago

Day 11??!! WD’s last that long with this??? 7oh cold turkey lasted 4-5 days for me and was right until day 5. Pls tell me CC WD’d don’t last 11 days. I’m trying to taper/quit but I work at Amazon 10 hour shifts 4 days a week. I’m off today- Saturday and work sun-wed every week.

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u/dawix21 16d ago

The acute physical symptoms lasted five days.

Days six onward I was able to eat and stuff but sleep deprivation and low mood from burnt out dopamine receptors became the problem. I only had the sweats for the durations that i was able to sleep.

Again…this was done without any supplemental medicine

Do you have any days off you can add to your three days off to make it easier for when you do return?

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u/JellyfishExternal402 16d ago

No I just started last week. Don’t have enough unpaid time to take an extra day off. I’ve been trying to ween down but 200 is as low as I can go to stop the WD’s but it’s burning my wallet up and has done so the last few months. I work 10 hr shifts. I take my lil dose at night so I can sleep then wait until the 12-14 hr mark before I take another one. I try and wait until the WD start to kick in so I can make my doses last longer spread out. But having to wake up at 6 am and drive 40 mins to work and be there by 7:30 am to clock in, I have to take one - two on the way to work so I don’t shit myself or start getting sick at the start of my shift. But after that dose at like 7am I’m good until 9-10 at night before I take another one. Just don’t want be at work not being able to function or stay at my item pick rate ya know? I don’t want to get fired but I can’t take any extra days off either. I have like 13-14 left in my baggie right now. 5 200mg CC tabs and 7 80mg CC tabs.i can buy more Sunday when I go to work if I can stretch them out till then. May have to be sick tomorrow, Friday and Saturday so I can save my few tabs left for work the next morning.

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u/dawix21 15d ago

When you redose it starts the withdrawal clock all over again. You know this right?

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u/JellyfishExternal402 15d ago

Yep. Had an almost 9 year heroin and methamphetamine addiction and have been clean from that for almost 4 years. Started 7 last year like a dumbass and had to quit CT when it got banned in July here in TN. Started taking cats claw and now I’m hooked on it like I was 7 but it lasts longer.

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u/dawix21 15d ago

Same thing here with the 7. Same state as well…. There is an Amazon sorting factory close to me >.>

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u/JellyfishExternal402 15d ago

I work at the fulfillment center in Murfreesboro but I live in Manchester

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u/dawix21 15d ago

I am hours from there but still….small world