Hi there,
Thanks for your post the the OutLife community forums. I'm Justin, a member of the support team.
I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling like this. Comedowns are the absolute pits! It really can feel like you're losing your mind or it's never going to stop, which is why I'd first like to offer some reassurance. In the vast majority of cases, comedowns aren't serious and people feel much better pretty quickly. These feelings will stop, and you'll be more like your old self again, especially once you've had a decent sleep.
You might have had a different experience this time for any number of reasons: the pills you took may have contained a lot more speed, or other substitutes for speed / MDMA than you're used to. Drugs can also affect us differently the more we do them, and as we age. Whatever the cause of your current feelings, I'll try below to set out what you can do to try and make the next few hours as bearable as possible.
Get comfortable - many people find it comforting to get under a blanket or curl up on the sofa when a comedown is at its worst. The warmth and security of being wrapped up can help you feel more relaxed, and keep you nice and toasty.
Distract yourself - Do you have a go-to comfort TV show? Mine is Star Trek Voyager. If so, grab that box set, fire up Netflix, and off you go. If you're not a TV person, try reading, or gaming, or whatever you think can keep your brain occupied whilst the your brain chemistry re-balances itself.
Eat something - Amphetamines like MDMA and speed suppress the appetite. Your current feelings are partially due to denying your body food for an extended period of time, and at the same time, staying up for longer than usual and doing exercise! The thought of food may be horrendously unappealing right now, but even eating a small amount will help your body recover. If you can't stomach the thoughts of solid food, try sipping some soup.
Don't take more! - It can be tempting to do more drugs in order to make yourself feel better, but this is a terrible idea. The relief will be very short-lived, and the eventual comedown will be even worse than it was before. We'd also recommend you don't drink alcohol or take any other drugs in order to numb yourself as you're coming down.
Sleep - This is a biggie. You're sleep deprived and it's undoubtedly an enormous part of the way you feel right now. Unfortunately, the wakefulness of amphetamines often extends into the comedown stage where people feel awful, so you can't sleep. Try and rest at the earliest opportunity. Some people argue that you should stay up all day and wait to sleep at the normal time, but we'd say you're best off resting as soon as you can.
Grab a friend - You're probably not in the mood for conversation, and are probably feeling very anxious, but having a friend there to watch TV with, and maybe give you a long hug, can be invaluable. They can also provide you with words of comfort and make sure that you're adhering to the above advice.
That's the basics of how you should be taking care of yourself right now. I'm also going to link to some other websites below that contain extra reading for you:
- Friday Monday is a site provided by Terrence Higgins Trust and London Friend. It provides some really solid advice on dealing with a comedown, though the site is primarily focused on chemsex and a broader array of drugs like mephedrone and crystal meth, the same wisdom applies
www.fridaymonday.org.uk/morning-after/comedowns/- We know you've heard this one before, but drugs can be unpredictable, and if you're ever concerned about something you're taking, want to know how to be safe, or just need someone to talk to there are lots of places that will listen to you:
Switchboard is an LGBTQ-run charity that will discuss any of your concerns on a huge range of topics whether that be your sexuality or drugs or anything else. Call them on 0300 330 0630
from 10am - 10pm.
LGBT Foundation also offers a support line. Call them on 0345 3 30 30 30, Monday to Friday between 10am and 6pm.
Frank offers a drug information and advice hotline where you can ask drug-related questions. You can reach them on 0300 1236600, 24/7.
- If you are planning to take drugs again, then we'd urge you to buy a drug-testing kit online. These not only allow you to identify what's in the drugs you're taking, but how pure it is, allowing for more accurate dosing and making sure you don't take something even more dangerous than the drugs you thought you bought. Some stores online sell them for under a tenner (check out
www.eztestkits.com/en/ for instance).
I hope that some of the above helps and that you start feeling better soon! If you have any questions then feel free to post again.
All the best,
Justin
