Getting Sick During PAWS/Withdrawal

Mostly just looking for reassurance and some input from someone who’s been there.

I’m on day 27 cold turkey from a 30 to 40 g per day habit. There’s been ups and downs, but I’m absolutely through the worst of it. I know I have a ways to go to feel “good “but I see tiny incremental improvements each day.

My young children brought strep throat into the house a few days ago, which I got. Last night, I spiked a fever of about 101 , and it was as if I was back in full-blown acute withdrawal when I went to bed. The uncomfortable body feeling, the tossing and turning, the anxiety, it all hit me. I barely slept at all.

My guess is that since my dopamine system is still pretty fucked from fairly heavy usage, when I got sick, my body is not making a lot of feel good chemicals and so it hit twice as hard.

Anyone else experience getting hit by a sickness during your withdrawal or recovery and feeling like you were catapulted back into the acutes? Did you bounce back quick?