Detox

I’m detoxing. Withdrawals and all. Most of the time I’ve heard that term used, it’s been for people who are serious addicts, often of street drugs or narcotics. Mine is not the same.

About 6 weeks ago, my doctor put me on a drug called Vyvanse. It is most often used to treat ADHD, but is also a central nervous system stimulant used to keep me awake. It makes my resting heartrate around 90 (normally 65 or so), so I was able to give a pint of blood in under 4 minutes! I kinda like it, as I can stay awake pretty well most days. A nice treat. But at the same time, several of my docs have mentioned that I am way too tired for a regular lupus patient. Thus, the search continues.

I went to see a new doctor to do a sleep study. He mentioned that I’d have to go off Vyvanse and Provigil (which I take as-needed in addition to the Vyvanse) for “a while” to let them clear my system. He hemmed and hawed and made it sound like it would be forever, but I only have to go off the for 2 weeks. He is doing two tests, and the other one requires that I don’t take Zoloft for two weeks. Again, he made it sound like it would be months, but I figure you can do anything for two weeks. That’s where I’m at now. One week in, one week to go.

For a few days, I was fine, then I started feeling pretty funny. I feel like I have electrical voltage going through my entire body. It continued to get worse, and today I called my prescribing doc to see what was going on. He’s one of my favorite docs, but he has my least favorite MA. I talked to her after trying to schedule an appointment and she said she’d call me back. A few hours later, she said she had talked to the doc and he said it was just from going off the drugs and I should take ½ dose every other day for 4 days, then stop, to wean myself off. But I am supposed to take zero during this two weeks for my sleep study. This is when the call dropped and I never heard back. I’m going to stay off it and just work through it until next Wednesday and go back on it first thing Thursday morning.

The odd thing is that I started noticing other detoxing symptoms earlier. Between going off stimulants and mood regulators, there’s a lot going on! (Plus add PMS into the mix! Especially since I don’t usually PMS much due to the Zoloft I take.

I have been super needy lately. Which mostly just affects my sister, on whom most of my need lands. Normally we talk once, maybe twice, a day, but this week, I’ve been calling her 4-7 times, easy. She’s been great about it, but I’m sure it’s driving both of us a little nuts.

I also totally have the munchies. I can’t stop eating! Pizza is the only thing that sounds good, but I also ate an entire container of rainbow chip frosting, too. I’m not so much hungry as craving food. Could be lack of drugs, could be PMS, could be emotional fatigue from the rest of life.

Fortunately, I’m not feeling the withdrawal symptoms that actual addicts have. I’m not craving a next hit or the need to get high or buzzed or whatever.

So I’m watching the House episode (I LOVE House) from season one called “Detox.” I wanted to see what House did while he was detoxing from Vicodin (much more severe than me, but I thought it would be interesting) and the patient they are treating is a young man, and they think he has lupus. Just another interesting factoid in this journey.

My new goal, medically, is to become an episode of House. Wish me luck!