Say you're not a doctor, and someone in their third or fourth day of cold turkey heroin withdrawal begs you for help.

If the person isn't a doctor, though, where would he/she get any prescription drug to help?

I can't imagine what I would do in that situation, aside from googling and maybe calling a pharmacist, if I didn't want to call a doctor. And the usual sit-by-the-bed vigil, with blankets or water or a warm cloth or whatever I thought would ease the suffering just a little bit.

Amy, I did it myself, and what I chiefly remember from 30 plus years ago was precisely that: holding on to him, and talking - a low soothing voice, despite wanting to scream and sob and smash things.

I'm not looking for a heroin substitute; I want something that might be readily available in a medicine cabinet to ease some of the worst symptoms. And these days, it seems as if the class of anti-spasmodic drugs out there to control epileptic seizures are very widely prescribed for other things. Hell, I have two full bottles of Neurontin in my own medicine cabinet, for the MS pain control.

Just wondered if there were any other drugs out there. Also, what about traditional pain killers? Would something like percocet be useful for a junkie deep into withdrawal? At least to calm them?

Also, what about traditional pain killers? Would something like percocet be useful for a junkie deep into withdrawal? At least to calm them?

Well, it is an opiate, so I'd think it could help. Given that my withdrawal problems were *from* percocet and not heroin, I can't be sure, but that's my best guess. Let me get some coffee in me and I'll google.

Well, it is an opiate, so I'd think it could help.

Yes, this. I just don't know if, personally, I'd be afraid to give it to him since the opiate is what he's withdrawing from.

Any other stuff...I don't know. Maybe an anti-nausea? It's hard for me to know what's going to be in someone's medicine cabinet, because at my house my mom had all kinds of weird stuff for the lupus. Not anything anti-spasmodic, though.

Teppy! You have music! I resent the file you couldn't convert, and the last one from that show is en route. Also I sent you a set list in email.

Opiates, anti-spasmodics...

Making notes. I'm not in a huge rush for this, since I don't need the info quite yet, but upcoming. And considering the speed at which R&RNF is moving, I may need it sooner than I think.

Okay, from perusing some web sites, other opiates (percocet, vicodin) can ameliorate withdrawal, BUT, like AmyLiz said, it's risky b/c it's an opiate.

Less risky, but still helpful, is anything with codeine, or the drug Darvon (propoxyphene).

And, oddly, a blood pressure drug, clonidine, has been used effectively in withdrawal cases since 1978-ish, though I don't know if your character(s) would know that. Its potential side effects are (obviously) hypotension and its accompanying symptoms (dizziness, cold extremities), as well as sedation.

And I will go check my e-mail right now....

Oh, PERFECT!

(smooching Teppy like a mad thing)

I just know how to wade through the tangle of Google results, and then interpret them, is all.

I figured out the problem with the bad file last night -- it, for some reason was only 7.6 K in size. The new one? Is 62.9 MB, which is more like the others. I'm sure this one will work just fine.

Yay!

Nic just sent me an interesting linkg about a a new withdrwal wonder drug. Not useful for me in terms of the book, I don't think, but fascinating stuff and maybe useful if there are more in this series.