Opiate use & craving sweets - is this normal?

[Broadway2282]

Any one else crave sweets insanely on opiates? I bought Halloween candy early and I'm not sure it is all going to make it to Halloween at this rate. This is getting ridiculous for me and I thought I read there was a link between the two. Just curious as to other people's thoughts on this. And if you all had any tips on how to stop these cravings (besides quitting opiates) I'm all ears! I need some help with this. 

 

[benadryl]

yes, one of the number one side effects if not the number 1, number 2 being itching.

they dont go away thats the sad part, at least in my longterm experience.

 

[Kurt Codean]

That's funny and I never noticed this but the last two times i took a large amount of opiates, which was yesterday and the weekend before, I ate a whole bunch of Ice cream shortly afterwards and then had more later that night. When I eat Ice cream I usually eat it from a mug, and normally I would have one mug. But yesterday I had like 2 plus a few ice cream sandwiches. I also get that itching like everyone else but find that it's manageable with benadryl. 

 

[Guest]

I despise that itching...I'll scratch my ski right off.  Get hives on my face and eck, elbows, wrists and feet.  I guess that is why I am not a opi girl.  Plus the stuff makes me vomit ALWAYS.  

 

[sociopathicbombshell]

Methadone is the worst,  watch a girl start the clinic and a year later be three teeth short of a set and thirty pounds up.

 

[Kurt Codean]

I despise that itching...I'll scratch my ski right off.  Get hives on my face and eck, elbows, wrists and feet.  I guess that is why I am not a opi girl.  Plus the stuff makes me vomit ALWAYS.  

That happens to me too. But the only place where I scratch where I actually start to bleed and leave a sore is on my feet. My left foot in particular.. It's always in the same spot too, like a few centimeters before the toe area begins. It feels so good scratching it but then two days later i notice the blood caked sore. and it hurts too. but even then it still feels itchy. It doesn't seem to bleed though when i'm scratching it at first, but later on i see it. 

 

[Guest]

That is the same spot on your foot, for me it is both of my feet.  Ankles face and elbows.  I wonder if it is because the skin is thinner there....that makes kind of sense.  Sorry you get that too.  

Back to craving sweets,  which was what i meant to comment on first........yes I crave the. If I take an opiate, which is not often, but I eat a lot of crap and then always throw up from nausea.  TRAMADOL made me REALLY hungry. After I come down from it. .i gained fifteen pounds when I was taking it for two years.  The weight actually fell off once i quit.  

 

[Broadway2282]

Thanks for the replies all, good to know I'm not alone. Now I just need to find a way to get off the sweets! 

 

[benadryl]

drink a cup of sugar water. way better healthwise for you then candy or ice cream.

my itching is ankles and elbows, when I was taking subs, holy hell, you wouldnt believe the scars I have near my elbows from scratching.

But when on opi's it feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeels so good its almost a high in itself.

 

[Akup7ich]

I hate fruit but I am slowly trying to eat black berries or raseberrys.  Have thought about dipping them in cool whip though. 

It a ll sucks but my Lexapro is my main culprit of wieght gain over the years. Down to 10 mg a day. Have tried going off but cry like a baby and get seriously down. 

It seems to me a lot of pills enhance the pallet.  Or create munches. That's my biggie. 

 

[Akup7ich]

Ok so I did come across a snack alternative.  It's snap pea crisps by brand called Calbee. Lightly salted. Whole bag is under 500 cal. So 1 serving is 120. Lower sodium than expected. No sweets but these things too me are great. 

Target and Walmart keep them in the produce area by raw veggies on a kios. A lot of soccer mms snatch the lightly salted ones up quick. Aka - skinny work out lady in Lolo limomo something pants. not that it's helping me though. But..

There are other favors too. None that I recommend though. Lightly salted only . 

 

[Smoka90]

I've always had a sweet tooth, way before I started on opiates, so that might affect my opinion on it...

But I haven't noticed them increase my sweet tooth. Might be relevant that I don't really get itching as a side effect either, but maybe because I'm on high doses every day, that might effect it.

B£nzos on the other hand, they make me pig out insanely...

 

[blissopifree 2]

Both benz and opiates can have that effect on me but combine the two and I go crazee munchies man.On top of that give me a couple of blunts and im a fridge emptier (nom nom nom!!).Sometimes if I'm on a mission it's not till the next day I realise I've eaten the house out!.Cheese and starberry jam or jello sandwiches for US members,cheese spread and dry roasted nut sandwiches you name it!!.Some crazee combos indeed also eaten loads of things I normally turn my nose up at but chocolate is a favourite always when im on that combo of three.Just dunno when to stop but always feel a little nauseous the Nxt day a bit (yukky) feeling, you might say,but nothings safe on the binge nights.

So to answer your question Broadway yes sweets and esp chocolate are what I crave as ive seen me spending £10 + at the convenience store on a mad one!!.And that's only on  chocolate or chocolate biscuits  the other things are in the kitchen cupboards!!??...

Peace

Bliss. ...

Ps that's on top of my m/done no much wonder I keep my dentist on many a holiday!!!!!

 

[Twinkiefry:-D]

It has something to do with 0piates delaying insulin response, and creating a 'hypoglycemic state'. Most everyone I know, including myself crave sugary foods after taking 0piates (some say the cravings are worse when coming off them, or in slight w/d)

 

[aintnouse]

I despise soda and all the evil that it causes but today I had Two small bags of M&M's and a Dr. Pepper.  I totally get the sweet tooth on Opis and Adherall.....My buddy that gives me AdhErall drinks soda like I drink water....he is also a total candy junkie....I can usually keep it in check but dammit sometimes I cant.....Oh well...I quit a lot of other things so one soda a week and some candy on occasion won't hurt me!    

 

[Ophelia]

Join the club, Broadway. :0) Yes, there is a direct correlation between metabolizing opiates and craving sweets. I've been doing the poppy seed/pod thing right at 5 years, and have gained 35 lbs. since. I'm not too happy about that part! I'm a daily user but keep my levels super low (the equivalency of 2 Tabs per day, or thereabouts), so I don't get the itchies and I never actually "get high", but I do still battle a moderate (to severe) sweet tooth. It's really awful. I can devour 8 Blow Pops in one sitting- no kidding. [enter shame-faced emoji here] So, be careful. I would recommend that you don't keep large amounts of candy in the house. I can make a few recommendations, based on my experience:

1.) Get a large bottle of honey and a variety of herbal teas; such as green tea, chamomile, peppermint, ginger, lavender, rooibis, etc.
2.) Drink several cups of green tea throughout the day w/ a mild amount of honey- not too much. Just enough to change its bitterness to subtly sweet. This way, you'll be keeping your sugar levels balanced, mitigating the chances of your body entering a hypoglycemic state, thereby reducing your overall sugar cravings while reaping the benefits of the antioxidants + natural healthy levels of caffeine found in the green tea. (Green tea from morning to 6:00 p.m.; all of the others from 6:00 p.m. to bedtime.) The antioxidants repair cell damage + kill off carcinogenic/cancer-forming cells. (There's a reason Asians have excellent skin and look years younger than they are ;0) 
3.) Set a cutoff point for eating anything, like 10:00 p.m. or so and stick to it.
4.) Brush your teeth when you have significant cravings that you can't reduce by the aforementioned things. I saw a study once that showed a reduction in general cravings after brushing the teeth, because the bacteria found in the mouth can actually produce some of those cravings. 
5.) Drink more water! Sometimes we crave things because we're dehydrated, and when we are dehydrated, opiates intensify our cravings for sweets as a direct result of that dehydration. So, keep a small bottled water with you throughout the day, and add a splash of lemon (I prefer lime) juice. The lemon/lime's acidity doubles as a bit of a potentiator (as does taking 1/2 a Benadryl in the morning and 1/2 in the evening) +  lemon juice is a natural anti-parasitic. So, win-win all the way around.

Hope these pointers help! I wish I could say that I live by these things daily; but some days, I throw in the towel and cram a whole box of my beloved Swedish Fish down my pie hole at a frightening rate. But hey, progress- not perfection, eh?  

 

[trinity]

IV midazolam/hynoval must influence blood sugars as this happens off this med as well.

 

[aarons]

I crave sugar for sure when on opies, an ice cold coke is my go to binge. When on the product water just doesn't cut it, an I cold coke is just amazing. lol.

 

[2earls]

I crave sugar for sure when on opies, an ice cold coke is my go to binge. When on the product water just doesn't cut it, an I cold coke is just amazing. lol.

Yep, I am drinking a cherry coke right now. Not obsessed with chips, fries, or a lot of other unhealthy stuff, but I am addicted to my sodas. I count it as one of my vices, but I am pretty sure the cokes came before the opies. That probably just made it worse.