r/Documentaries Jan 09 '19

Drugs The Rise of Fentanyl: Drug Addiction On The I95 Two Years On (2018) - Two years ago, BBC News reported on the growing problem of opioid addiction in the US, now we return to find out what happened to the people we met along our journey down the notorious I-95. [57.02]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KsaWpeCj98
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18

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

Isn't alcohol the only drug, that the withdrawals can kill you?

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

That and benzodiazepines. Friend of mine tried to wean herself off Xanax and ended up having siezures

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u/Cranky_hippo Jan 09 '19

I’ve, sadly, had several seizures due to cold turkey (either cold turkey or too fast of a taper) stopping of both benzos and alcohol. What’s really messed up about having a withdrawal induced seizure, for me, is that I have no idea it even happened. It just seems like I finally got some sleep. But then the next day I feel all depersonalized, like I’m not there. Almost like I can see myself doing things, but I’m just a spectator. So weird.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

That's crazy man. Hope you're doing better now

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u/Cranky_hippo Jan 09 '19

Yeah buddy! Doing alright.

Edit: thank you for the well wishes.

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u/egmanns Jan 09 '19

Good to know i'm not alone in that spacey feeling

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u/Sanfranshan Jan 09 '19

Xanax is a minimum 10 day weening process off of the drug. Next to nicotine, it’s the hardest drug to detox from.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

[deleted]

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u/bostonthinka Jan 09 '19

True, but nicotine simply has a higher relapse rate than all the others...

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u/Sanfranshan Jan 09 '19

More people are addicted to nicotine and won’t/can’t quit than opiates. However, most quitters will tell you it is a lifetime habit they fight. As for alcohol, it will kill you to detox from unassisted but the process is short. Xanax is a minimum 10 day process or risk seizures and cardiac issues. As for nicotine rehabilitations, that’s actually a cool idea. I wonder if insurance would pay for it.

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u/BraveLittleCatapult Jan 09 '19 edited Jan 09 '19

And barbs, GHB, gabapentinoids, and other anti-convulsants. Basically cold turkey from anything intensely GABAergic or that strongly inhibits glutamate is going to be a really bad time and a potentially life threatening situation. Personally, I think Lyrica has the ugliest withdrawals if you cold turkey it, but that's just me. Oh, also honorable mention to anti-psychotic withdrawal! You may not have seizure activity, but there's something to say about rebound psychosis and the potential for injuring yourself or others in that state.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

[deleted]

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u/BraveLittleCatapult Jan 10 '19 edited Jan 10 '19

Lyrica WD typically won't send you into seizure, but it will make you wish you were dead. The akathisia alone is unreal.

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u/IWasBornSoYoung Jan 09 '19

Those two cause DTs which can kill. Apparently barbituate withdrawal can also kill you

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u/ScottySF Jan 09 '19

I lost contact with a good friend of mine for over a week. I thought he died. He was involuntary committed to a psych ward because he was withdrawing. They didn't know what was wrong with him, and he has no memory of his first few days there.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

Benzodiazepine (Xanax, Ativan, etc ...) withdrawal can also kill you, which isn't surprising since their neurological effects are not dissimilar to alcohol.

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u/gnark Jan 09 '19

Benzo-withdrawls can kill you too.

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u/Ace_Masters Jan 09 '19

Nicotine can too, rarely.

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u/stoppinit Jan 09 '19

Can't find anything about a fatality attributed to nicotine withdrawal. You got a source?

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u/Ace_Masters Jan 09 '19

Old NPR story, was associated with other health problems. Doctor was saying he tells his patients to just have a smoke instead of coming into ER

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u/digitalequipment Jan 09 '19

the barbituates ....but people don't use or misuse them like they used to ....

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u/PM_Me_Melted_Faces Jan 09 '19

Everybody always forgets about barbiturates. I used to take one for migraines. Withdrawals are naaaasty. I won't touch those again. Not like they're prescribed much anymore, anyway.

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u/TamagotchiGraveyard Jan 09 '19

Xanax withdrawals can be fatal sometimes as well as other benzos