Other drugs

Using other drugs can cause problems: be very careful about what you take during and after a detox. It is easy to stay in a ‘I’ve got to have something to sort me out’ frame of mind, which is the sort of thinking you’ll have to change if you want to get off and stay off opiates.

The problems of the benzodiazepine class of drugs (often called benzos, tranquillisers or tranx), such as valium and temazepam, are often underrated byopiate users. If used in doses that are too high, or for too long, they can easily get out of hand.

Benzodiazepine dependence can develop within a couple of weeks. The withdrawal symptoms that people can suffer from when they stop include panic attacks, anxiety and fear of going out of the house.

There are a number of drugs that people don’t always realise are opiates such as Temgesic, DF118 or other brands of prescribed medicines and over-the-counter preparations (e.g. cough mixtures such as codeine linctus). These are all best avoided if you are trying to stay clean.

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