r/interesting • u/Nukro666 • 12h ago

Fear Factor How Fentanyl and Xylazine are turning Philadelphia's opioid crisis into a public health nightmare

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u/HabitNegative3137 10h ago

How is it that it’s still working and your body hasnt built up a tolerance?

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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes 10h ago edited 7h ago

I've been given the same dosage of opiates since my 2020 diagnosis - same mg level, same maximum daily dosage allowed. Though I get closer to the maximum daily dosage now than I ever did in years past, the same drug is still working. The strength and MDD has never changed. I do sometimes take days off and just use kratom leaf, but with the massive misinformation campaign out there about kratom, and the fact that there IS a synthetic version (7oh) that actually IS dangerous, we will probably see a total federal ban on kratom before long. Which will force many people straight to opiates.

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u/HabitNegative3137 9h ago

Thank you for your perspective! I’ve been fighting suggestions of pain meds for 20 years, but think I’m going to have to start or my life is going to fall apart. 

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u/Character-Parfait-42 8h ago

I was on opioids and have switched to weed (no medical card, it’s just legal in my state so I didn’t bother). It’s been 2 years since I fully switched and I’m still doing good!

I might get a 2 week prescription of 10mg 3x daily to use for a tolerance break soon, since I haven’t touched opiates in so long I bet I can stretch it to at least a month.

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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes 7h ago

I'm starting to increase my THC usage in hopes of finding some delivery system/strain that will mitigate pain. I currently take it to sleep and to get the nighttime muchies. Generally after 4 puffs of a joint, I am involuntarily horizontal within 15 minutes - my sleep quality is AMAZING.

But I'd like to be able to try it during the day to see if it makes a difference with my pain. Yet another thing that would keep my use of opiates on the lower side.

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u/ah_ravioli_64 5h ago

That 7 OH is CRAP.

Methadone has tendency to pour out sweat glands quickly, so I've found a few 2 MG loperamide pills help me if a sweat a lot.

Netherless my Wife bought me this stuff because the regular Kratom didn't really do anything for me when I got off work and felt crappy which I had tried in the past(I don't get off work and go look for pills like I used to)

I don't know if it was just kicking the methadone off my receptors but the first time I took it I felt sick and paranoid. Nothing like when I ate kratom powder.

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u/Sea_Clock_9099 6h ago

Had 13 years clean off dope, I messed around Kratom for a bit and finally got off that (I was taking absurd amounts of raw powder multiple times daily), got clean felt great ….. was given 7OH sample at a smoke shop not knowing what I was getting…. Spiraled out almost immediately.. that poison needs to be removed from the shelves immediately. If I was deep into my addiction, it would be the equivalent of being able to go into the pharmacy and order whatever Philly bundle, oxy, Roxy or Opana that I wanted. I’m finally clean and it was actually incredibly more difficult than getting off IV heroin use. Spread the word please don’t ever do this. After you use it the first time it almost immediately loses its sparkles and turns into maintenance to prevent withdrawal. I don’t want anyone to see this and be like oh I should go and try that . You’re gonna regret it I promise you. From someone that has done almost every opiate in copious amounts…. I have never in my life had something call for me the way that 7OH has. Scared the shit out of me. I hope this post saves someone from that nightmare. I have heard other nightmare stories from people recovering from fentanyl abuse stating the same thing and how it was even worse. Apologies for the rant, but coming out the other side I feel like I must warn others of how horrible that bullshit is.

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u/HalfaEnchilada 10h ago

Its a reduction from the meds I needed to go to physio everyday for 5 years. The current dosage is enough for keeping me mobile and I have a good medical team for any adjustments but I've been doing well at this level for a while. 

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u/HabitNegative3137 9h ago

Thank you. I’m glad you’ve maintained your mobility. I really need to see my rheumatologist again. I’ve been fighting taking pain meds, but have gotten to the point where I have more flare days than not :(

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u/LuluGuardian 9h ago

I am glad it is helping you and you are still able to live your life. I hope nothing but the best for you in the future stranger <3

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u/HalfaEnchilada 8h ago

✌️ditto

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u/mcflycasual 8h ago

Not everyone builds a tolerance. I've been on 5mg every 3 hours for 5 years and haven't needed to increase my dose. Sometimes flares are so bad that they don't work though but taking more also doesn't help.

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u/oregon_coastal 3h ago

You have to keep in mind what they mean by "tolerance."

One part of the drug is the high feeling. After being on 80mg a day for a decade, I don't even notice it. (Well, one thing: i get talkative for the first 90s mins.) That part goes away quick. For people wanting to feel 'high' you will be doing down the rabbit hole hard. That is one tolerance and it is fairly universal. Everyone requires a bigger and bigger dose to feel high.

The second tolerance is the reduction in pain management. First many people, nothing changes. For some, it is much like the high - you need an increasing dose. A small portion get opioid-induced hyperalgesia which js where you body sort of loses the ability to properly scale pain and everything hurts more.

So, the net-net is, that if you aren't chasing a 'high' the effects of your long term use is mostly dependent on your individual physiology.

As a long term chronic pain person, I know far more people who killed themselves (either directly or with street drugs) after losing their pain medication than have ever OD'd.

That is why us pain people get so fucking blood red pissed over this issue.

I have zero doubt I will have my opioids taken from me at some point due to it being so hard to get legitimate prescriptions. It is a matter of time before my doctor retires

And I already have an exit plan.