itching

for the past week or so i have been having little bumps or bites pop up on my legs that itch.. i dont know what could be biting me since i have never had the problem before... i talked to my brother about it and he said i was just jonesing... but im not using very much at all; hardly even weekly and im wondering if its coming from drug use..? meth/opiates/coke

it feels like bites and really itches so now i have scabs on my legs even though im trying not to itch...

im having a hard time with my addictions because im at a point where i have lost hope...

yes meth causes itching bumps that develop into sores and open sores. it doesnt matter if you are frequent user or not.

in short when you are using meth you are putting poisons (nail polish remover, ammonia, hydrochloric acid, lithium found in batteries, phosprous from match sticks, lye , solpheric acid (commonly used is draino or toilet cleanser) in your body these are just the main ingrediants there are others that are laced into it.

the cure for this is to stop using meth all together and permanently

wanted to add since you might not realize when you are smoking and injecting meth you are smoking and injecting draino, toilet cleanser, nail polish remover, battery chemicals you might also not know that when you are snorting coke you are snorting baby powder / talcum powder sugar, milk, coca leaves, cough meds, anphetamines and karosine/ gasoline (thats what cocaine is) and opiates well if you are not getting them from a doctor with a prescription and getting it from street dealers you are injecting powdered/ grinded up latex gloves or ground up poppy plant depending upon the dealer if its the poppy plant they are using the latex extracted from the plant.

reason I am telling you this is usually people who do these drugs know how they are made. I mean people dont just inject their self with draino, toilet cleaner and all that other stuff without knowing they are doing it. there is a reason why they are called street drugs.... because they are made on the street using common easy to get a hold of ingrediants like gasoline, cleaning products, latex gloves, ...

my suggestion is if you are going to do drugs you might want to know what that really means and what exactly you are eating, shooting up, snorting, and so on. its your choice if you want to continue to smoke and inject the likes of draino and gasoline so you might as well know exactly what it is that you are saying you are doing to yourself.

It is mainly withdrawing from cocaine that causes the bug bite thingy, for meth it is usually your mind tricking you and you can even believe you have real bites, you scratch and make it worse. The itching from opiates happen when you are on them, not as withdrawal or long time use, and it rarely feels like bites, more general itchiness.

You can try to moisturise, but if it feels way too bad, treat the itching with anti itch cream. There are different kinds that really help to break the loop, because the more you scratch the more it will itch. Stimulants make things go faster in your body so it dries you out, skin, saliva etc. Plus the mental stress it causes that can even become bug hallucinations.

It is NOT WRONG to treat yourself nicely and try to feel better even if this problem comes from drug use. Treat yourself the best you can and MAKE SURE to really feel proud of any progress you make concerning drug use and general self care.

My uneducated guess this is a problem coming from stimulant drugs. I'm not a drug abuser but I have a love/hate relationship with my Ritalin. I bet you fight with both good and bad with the drugs, cuz there is a reason why people use them. It's hard but not impossible I think, to replace the good from the drug with the good of other activities.

I hope things turn out for the best for you.

forgot to add to my above posts... if you want proof of this just do a search using the words..... images of meth users, images of meth users before and after, what does meth do to the body, ...

you can also contact any drug hotline or NA or your local police department who can explain what drugs do to the human body inside and out, they may even be able to arrange a meeting with a meth user and a visit to your local morgue to see the results of what I have posted above, your local police department can also give you a police tour of their training display that they use to train their officers on what ingredients are used for making street drugs and how to what it looks like and how its made. .....

what you will learn is that meth does cause itchy skin and the feelings of under the skin itching and makes sores and scabs and much worse problems. eventually the poisons you are putting inside your body do horrible things to your insides and outsides.

reason I know all this is because I had a family member who died from using meth and other street drugs and I went on the police tour with a criminal justice college class.

my point if you are going to continue using street drugs you might as well educate yourself in how they are made and what exactly you are doing.

thanks...

i know i shouldn't be doing what i do, it didn't used to cause problems for me in the past but its gotten worse lately and is causing problems for me now i know probably because of how i am feeling...

i do know how they are made... and i do know the effects...

i know what you are sayin too, amanda

i just can't help myself right now, im broken, beaten and battered

i would like to be sober and happy, but its not possible... i dont know how people do it, i hate my life, i hate my feelings, i hate my symptoms, i hate going through all of this but i think i just ran out of fight.. i just want to be numb and not experience the bad things, i can be someone different, i dont have to be in control i have found out...
i can let go and life can go on without me, the person that emerges is happier.. seems more confident.. although kind of crazy... but it seems to be ok because im getting along with people and havent gotten hurt, its just painful later because i end up thinking about my behaviors and how its just not me and feeling embarrassed...

but atleast im not in bed crying and cutting myself you know? that has to be better right? going out and socializing... not having anxiety or severe depression... but im not really all the way connected to the world..

couple people keep saying they are going to put me in the hospital though, but i dont see how they can put me in the hospital if i am not a threat to myself or anyone...

Since amandalouise was talking about what the drugs are made of I thought I would mention that even weed that's bought on the streets has added ingredients.Someone I know that sells it was bragging that he sprays it with hair spray,oven cleaner and anything else he can find just to make it heavier,so it weighs more and he can make more money off of it.

I'm sure he's not the only one that does that,unfortunately.So be careful where you get yours.

I'm sorry but I disagree. happiness is possible for anyone and everyone, a persons happiness doesnt depend upon their doing drugs. a persons happiness depends upon ones own will to be happy...

example for some people watching a favorite show gives them enjoyment. thats happiness...if I remember right you have some posts about books you like, articles you have liked and tv shows that you have liked.

heres a great book for you to read.... its called ....The Happiness Trap...by Russ Harris..

its all about how sometimes people try and search for happiness when in fact its not this big elusive emotion or feeling that sticks with ones life forever. its being alive, taking a look around you, engaging in everyday life.... its enjoying the little things in your life, maybe its that shirt you are wearing or that coat you like to wear or that dinner meal you are eating. or that tv show you are watching or that book you are reading or that article you are reading....or just being on the internet.... heres a great example...

obviously it gives happiness and enjoyment to come and post on psych central other wise you would not be a member here on psych central and would not take the time to write a post and then post it. if you didnt like psych central you wouldnt keep coming back.

at least you are not laying in bed cutting yourself up.....um no offense here shooting up / smoking a mixture of gasoline, draino what do you think is happening to your insides.... your cutting up, burning up, eroding with acids your insides. yea you cant see the cutting and stuff but if you really are doing meth and coke you are basically doing the same damage and more to your insides. so my opinion is you are again using cop outs and excuses rather than making the changes that will make your life better. like someone told my sibling you make your own choices by choosing drugs you are choosing not to have a good life you are choosing to have a slow painful death and you are choosing not to be happy. Im sorry you know I like you but no sympathy here on this excuse.

you know what you need to do to make your life better, its now up to you...

your thoughts that no one can hospitalize you ummm yes they can....

many states have recently enacted mental health laws that do allow for the involluntary commitment of someone who is not following their treatment plans in a way that is endangering their mental and physical health. doing drugs is one of those things, dropping off medications is also one if the person is someone who repeatedly drops out of treatment and off their medications where doing so places them in a situation where their mental and physical health declines/ gets worse or impacts their life and the life of others in a negative way.

all anyone has to prove is that you are a drug user and its causing your mental and physical health problems to become worse in a way that affects your life and your abilities to take care of and address your own mental and physical health decisions. if they do this someone else will be awarded guardianship over your mental and physical health decisions and then they place you in a long term mental facility until the court can be assured that you will not use drugs and alcohol again, stay on your medications and treatment plans, stay away from your drug dealers and many other strict requirements set down by a psychiatric review board, that you will have to go before just like if you had committed a crime and going to probation/ parole hearings.

many locations also now have mental health courts which also deal with this kind of thing.

my suggestion is give up the excuses, the drugs and do what you know you have to do to have a life with out the drugs and alcohol. only you can make your life better, treatment providers can be there for you to talk to, give you suggestions but only you make your life better or not, only you make your problems better or not.

Hi ,

I am sorry you are having to go through this , I have heard that chocolate helps and candy bars too. Plus the sugar gives you a rush to take the edge off and after makes you sleepy , it`s worth a try.

Years ago my lead guitarist got me to try some coke he scored after a gig , I only did it a few times simply because I liked it too much , I knew I could very easily get hooked and go down a very dark road. I never did coke again.

You made a turn onto a road of light , so please keep going , do it for me , ok , please

Thanks



Take care

Keyplayer

I believe you can quit these drugs but only if you really want to and commit yourself to doing it.

Meanwhile, Benadryl is good for itching and allergies. And it's otc. It might cut down the itching - it worked for me when I was sick with benzo withdrawal. Good luck. I hope you'll decide to quit the drugs.

love the idea and for some it works but in most it reinforces the drug addiction. when most people are in recovery for a drug addiction adding another drug like benedryl that contains the same ingredient that makes meth and other street drugs (dyphenhyromine, pseudoephedrine) isnt good. it will keep the drug addict addicted. kind of like a person doesnt hand a vial of pills to a suicidal person or hand a six pack of alcohol to a recovering alcoholic. now whats done for withdrawal symptoms is medication specifically made that prevents withdrawal symptoms (methodone) and inpatient detox.

my point Im glad it worked for you but thought you might want to know that this can cause meth users to get worse because usually benedryl and sudefed are ingredients for making meth.

Well, I'm not sure about Sudafed but I'm pretty sure that Benadryl does not contain those chemicals, although I'm not certain. What would you advise in case of a fever requiring quick response with only Tylenol in the house? How would you treat a migraine headache? Almost every drug is sold in pill form except the ones for colds or flus that are sold in liquids, mostly under the supervision of a pharmacist, since those otc remedies do contain the chemicals used to make meth, and aren't safe for addicts.

benedryl is a trade name. just like for example Pepsi is a trade name for cola, and nike is a trade name for a sneaker.

my point benedryl is the medication called Diphinhyramine, other names for this medication is under the trade names of Unisom, Sominex, itch relief, and others but they are all the same chemical... Diphenhydramine.

sudafed is the trade name for pseudoephedrine. other trade names for this chemical /medication is comtrex, dristan and others but they all are pseudoephedrine.

both Diphenhydramine and Pseudoephedrine are used here in my city for making meth,

what would I advise if someone has a cold or allergy, itching and so on.... to contact their own treatment providers who can take their drug addictions into consideration when prescribing something that will help but yet not enable their addiction.

how would I treat someone with a migraine sorry Im not someones medical doctor. for a migraine you would need to contact your own treatment providers who will be able to prescribe something for your or their migraines.

there are many great medications that do not contain Diphenhydramine and Pseudoephedrine.

for example loratadine trade name Claritin (not Claritin D, just Claritin with no letters after it) is the allergy medication that I use for my own allergies which does not contain either of those chemicals, for my migraines I use Midrin which does not contain any diphenhydramine nor any Pseudoephedrine

again to find out what a person who is a drug addict should use for their migraines and allergic reactions they will need to contact their own treatment providers.

i still haven't gotten high, my other bro that is on methadone still and my dad both said i got into chiggers which i've never done before or had a problem with before so i think is kind of ludicrous since is still itching and coming up ???

but apparently im going through another switch like i have mentioned in the past besides this time im just losing interest in drugs again for some reason.. kind of hoping that it does not mean that i am about to crash into depression again..

went from craving crack, to heroin (which i never got any heroin just some pills), to ice, to just whatever i could snatch, to now feeling like **** it i dont want any of it besides my weed .. my brain is seriously messing with me

i dunno what to expect next... im a little worried as i've never gone through this so fast

i mean i was a hair away from getting a half a gram of coke yesterday and it fell through and my brain clicked and i was just like you know what? **** it

@ amanda

i used to think that happiness was possible too

i walk around in this semi connected state with a massive part of myself disconected from the world and everyone though, just to wear a smile and laugh and act happy; i feel happy at the time but the way i am im not happy at all.. its just because i've cut myself up inside so much that i dont recognize how i feel, with my memory problems i have problems recalling my emotions and memories and problems until i sit down alone and things start flooding in again but as long as i am pushing myself out like that im just a numb shell of whatever .. i've lost my mind i believe and im worried if i think about it too much i'll have a mental break down again ..

i've some how managed to change everything, with my memory problems it wasn't too hard i think... because its hard to remember who i was last week anyway, i was even talking to someone about it last night; told them i have lost a couple lives so to speak meaning that i've died either like emotionally or spiritually or whatever and born in a different way and just now im a crazy mother ****er that doesnt really give a **** this time and he was like, yeah no ****, because i am unrecognizable compared to who i was last year or even the beginning of the year - but the truth is i do care, its just that i have so many layers stacked on layers anymore if that makes sense

i dont know how one just loses their anxiety or social phobias, or their mental illness just changes, i didnt know that it worked like that

so everyone around me see's me as i am on the outside, i put on a brilliant show, as far as they can tell i have no worries, i am happy, all i wanna do is have fun and get high, but it couldnt be further from the case

but it is semi true at the same time, which confuses the hell out of me which is what makes it such a brilliant show because i become truly other people

when im messin around, tryin to play with others and make other people have a good time, im in a state that is happy and not caring or connected to any of the things that is wrong with me

later ill come back to myself and realize just how far away from myself i was and feel embarrassed and shocked that i can behave like that when i have so much on my mind that bothers me when i was behaving like someone completely different than me

its a push and pull, and its really what has caused me to just let go because i've fought it for a long time and it seems to just cause problems but at the same time its just different problems by giving up

but yet here i am again, feeling like i dont want to get high, not really interested in getting any drugs, and hoping that maybe i can stay away

i just dont want to fall into the trap, get depressed, stuck in bed, end up with more scars, sent to the hospital, i hate the hospital

i like the way things were going because its fun smiling even if i was acting like a fool

i just want to be happy, i have never known happiness, so the broken happiness of drug addicts and such is the only i know

i dont use needles and i wont, its a rule i have; i have enough problems...

my mind has kind of lost track... dont know what i wanted to say now...

im sick you know? not just with drugs but this mental illness stuff...
it started before i started drugs, when i was a kid and parents were screaming and fighting each other half to death...

You are correct, it is not the antihistamines that are used to make meth, so Benadryl is not involved at all. However there is a type of interaction which can make you more restless if you take Benadryl while on meth. This does not hold true for taking Benadryl after meth left the system, then the interaction should not happen. Benadryl does not keep you addicted to any drug. It has no chemical relation to any known street drug. Like you say, it is Sudafed that is involved. If there is a chance taking a milder type of antihistamine say Vistaril, it is often recommended, but oddly in America it is only Benadryl that is OTC, and it is basically a sledgehammer approach to everything where other meds are better. If someone says Benadryl causes drug addiction I would go "Nuhuh" and shake my head.

you said...i dont know how one just loses their anxiety or social phobias, or their mental illness just changes, i didnt know that it worked like that...

my answer.... you dont just lose them, they are not like say a book or a shirt or money that can get lost. they are normal human being feelings. every human being has their own anxiety levels and what they fear greatly. my own is a fear of heights (acrophobia) my point it you dont lose your emotions you learn how to overcome/ control them. when ever I have to fly in an airplane I use positive self talk, breathing and meditation (relaxation techniques) you can learn these things through all kinds of ways reading, taking classes, talking about your problems in therapy... or teach yourself to talk nicely to your self and teach yourself to take deep breaths....

heres something to think about usually doing drugs is what causes things like anxiety... just read your past and present posts and you will see what I mean...non drug users dont go around craving street drugs. but frequent drug users do have intrusive thoughts of where their next fix is going to be coming from, what kind of drug they want this time and so forth... its common symptoms for frequent drug users to be going through what you posted here where I am these symptoms add up to being drug addicted not a dissociative disorder.

like you have posted in the past about what your treatment providers have told you.....if your problem was because of DID and not the drugs and alcohol, things would get better not worse when you are sober and not using drugs. and I agree from a personal point of view, just my being in the room with others who were doing drugs made me worse not better, by the way.....(its one of those key factors that drugs and alcohol have to be ruled out)

since your problems get worse when sober and not doing drugs and alcohol then its called an addiction problem not a dissociative problem. in a past post you stated your treatment providers explained this to you and that they cant help you if you keep going back to the drugs and alcohol and you dont do what they want you to do. they offered to help get you a specialist, help get you on SSI, they want you to go into the hospital again.

only you can make your life better and be happy, no one can do that for you.

my suggestion is get rid of the cop outs, get rid of the excuses and make the choices that you know will give you the kind of life that you want... if you want to stay stuck in drugs and alcohol then do nothing, if you want things to get better well you know what you need to do. its in your hands, no one elses.

I cant make things better for you, neither can posting online, nor your parents nor your treatment providers... only you can make things better for you.

I sort of oddly understand a little bit. I have different ways of being that even affects small things like how I like a darn cup of coffee. Parts of me can't even eat meat. I understand that it is scary not knowing where you will end up. If the new you or what to call it, is not interested in drugs I can understand it being frightening. You must wonder how badly you will suffer with the new stuff and if there are ways to ease the mental pain in that state. Unfortunately when I myself lost interest in self soothing of any kind, it has never really been a good thing. More like an aching void. But it hasn't stayed with me, there has been something after that as well.

I don't know why I even say this because I'm just me and I don't know what it is being you. But wishing you well.

for those that want an actual list of what is in meth here you go...

What is Meth, Meth Labs & How Users Make Methamphetamine - Meth Project

if you google the word pseudoephedrine you will find that this is one of the main ingrediants of allergy medication sudafed and others.

anyone who wants to know the actual ingredients in meth can contact their local police department who will explain how if a drug dealer can not get to the sudafed (pseudoephedrine) they use dyphenhyramine (benedryl) instead for making the meth. some drug dealers actually like using the benedryl because it Treatment providers are more readily willing to prescibe benedryl

in march 2006 president bush enacted a law moving Sudafed and other antihistamines and cold medications that contained meth ingredient pseudoephedrine (which includes some varieties of benedryl) to behind the pharmacy counter due to they are meth ingredients.

Why some cold medicines have moved behind the counter

the benedryl types that are still on the over the counter shelves either they dont contain the ingredients for making meth or the makers have removed those ingredients so that they can keep their products on the over the counter shelving.

thanks jimi

i understand deeply

im not telling them everything about my drug use right now, since i started again i got tired of hearing the same stuff over and over and everyone blaming it on the surface

i guess thats part of why i got worse and dropped boundaries and started using harder drugs even

soon i'll talk to them about the truth though, i just dont feel like it right now because feel like im going to hear the same speech... but its like no one cares why i get high or that i get high for a reason, everyone just thinks that getting high is the problem and that im not getting high because of problems...

i might have holes in my brain or something by now..
so i know there are problems with getting high, its just that i've got problems even without being high or the addictions...

i know my addictions and having dual diagnosis complicates it but i can't help it.. its really hard and i just try to cope the best way i can to survive in a dark world

im trying to stay away from heroin which i end up using something else so that i dont use heroin because heroin will numb it all and make me fall into a place where i can just be... i am an occasional user on all the hard drugs and i want to keep it that way but im worried about it...
dont want to become physically dependent...

im afraid if i talk to the clinic about the drugs they will get mad and stop seeing me or something.. or it will make my treatment even worse...

rarely do your posts surprise me but this one did. you stay away from heroin but you do meth. maybe you dont know this but heroin is the same thing as meth, its just been "refined" which means the impurities and bad stuff has been removed from it. it is usually the drug of choice when a drug user reaches the point where they can not help doing drugs kind of thing. the craving is so strong that the drug addict cant over come the urges and compulsions to use drugs. since you havent reached this point where you do heroin that tells me you can control your self you can still choose to do drugs or not.

you see in the drug world there is a certain progression, kind of like a person who starts out using tylenol (acetaminophen) long term for pain eventually the body builds up whats called tolerance where Tylenol no longer works and they need prescription strength pain relievers in a small dosage and then as the tolerance and dependency builds up they need more and more stronger until they cant help but need to keep going stronger and stronger.

my point is heroin is the step in the progression where drug addicts can no longer help it that they need the drugs. usually when someone is doing meth they are also doing heroin if they believe they can not stop doing drugs. heroin is just refined meth. its more pure.

usually when a person reaches the "cant help it" stage they have no control over what drugs they will and wont do. so I am very surprised you say you cant help it but yet you have the control to not do heroin which actually shows you can help it.. just something to do some reality testing about which may help you to get out of the drug scene. when you have these negative thoughts of I cant stop doing it, look for areas and statements where it counters that by showing you that you have more control then you may think.

if i get the money, i can't help it thats my problem... but being im financially impaired and have no choice but to help it im put in a position where my mind goes places or goes to past times where i used to recreate the scenes so that i can perfect my .. interactions.. with people ... and drugs.. if that makes sense.. to increase the high.. or how to get more for less... or what i should of done different...

i dont see how you say that meth is just refined heroin though... since its an upper and heroin is a downer... and heroin being made from opium and meth from chemical reactions into amphetamines...

i am at a point where last time i took 25mg percocet and didnt feel anything besides getting annoyed because i didnt feel anything... thats why i want the heroin obviously... but dont want it because i do like it so much and dont want myself to get trapped like my brothers did... i havent used meth in 2 weeks or so i think or any opiates in longer than that

i dunno why my opiate tolerance doesnt go down

sorry about my posts, it is difficult because i do feel so disconnected and void of everything that should be human... just very very empty and null..

i had appointment today with case manager and had to fill out treatment plans, one of which popped up turned out to be a substance abuse treatment plan and i didnt really want to fill it out today but i went ahead and did it

she said that i seem to be doing really well and look very good and that i am doing constructive things keeping myself busy, which i am staying busy and keeping myself distracted from the mental illness and the worries and anxiety/ptsd... she said a lot of things that i agree with but she doesnt realize that the things that work for me are things that she wouldnt agree with at the moment but i couldn't tell her exactly what i am doing right now... at the end i did tell her that i drank a 22oz beer and smoked a blunt over the weekend, which she told me about having control and asked if i got intoxicated but i told her i didnt get intoxicated from the beer but i did get high, its just that im trying to get through this year and then if nothing solid happens for me ima just let all the bull **** out and probably get kicked out of my dads house or end up dead because ima tell them whats goin on inside my head about not being able to control the thoughts for one and how bad its gotten because i have given up and that i have not really been lieing just haven't been telling everything

its just funny, a group of people say im doing great, another group says i need to go to the hospital, i feel like i've lost my mind and dont know what to do besides get high because nothing else is working for me; i feel better when im high but everyone else has a problem with it

im overwhelmed at the moment and cant think straight and have to go again, dad is always in a rush, will be back later... have to take care of business...

sorry again... im trying to do the best i can

Im surprised you dont know about "speed balling" in the drug world mixing two drugs ingredients together in a refining process is called speed balling. one tempers the other but gives the drug user the edge they need because their body is beyond being able to control the cravings, cant stop using and need their fix.

for the meth/heroin speed ball which is very dangerous but popular with the levels of drug usage you are posting about the drug dealers basically take the ingredients for meth, take out the impurities and add the other drugs ingredients (which in drug world language is called cutting in.)

there are many different popular varieties of speed balling using the drugs that you are posting about so I thought you knew about speed balling, ice (refined/ crystalized meth) and other drug world terms. not sure but I thought I read a post or two where you used these terms. most people around here where I am that are meth users know about meth/heroin speed balling.

It's pretty scary to read that you are doing some heavy duty drugs ES and don't even really know that much about them.

Also scary to read anything at all about heroin with the epidemic that's happening and all the people that are dying from it.

I hope you're honest with your treatment providers and seek help while you still can.These drugs are seriously not anything you want to mess with.If you're able to do without them when you don't have money then that tells me you're not addicted to them...yet.Once you are addicted you will resort to whatever you need to in order to get them,stealing from people,breaking in places,sucking d*ck ,whatever it takes,which will also lead you to prison and stuck in a vicious cycle of being locked up,getting out,going back to using,getting locked up,going back to using and then before you know it you will be in your 40's and 50's doing the same thing.

Is that what you want?I've seen it happen so many times,have also watched so many young people your age dying from it.Get help while you have the resources to.