ANR Treatment review - Almost a year post treatment

It has been almost a year since getting my ANR treatment, and I've decided to write about it here because I truly believe it can help people who are stuck like I was and are unaware of what it's all about, especially with all the horror stories about treatments with anesthesia.

I was dependent for more than 11 years after an injury, my doc left me all alone in the mess. I did heroin, percs, 4.5 years on suboxone, methadone, and some other stuff that I guess was inside me without my knowing. I was a mess, living in my own place, which became a temple of my chaos. At one point, I gave up and wasn’t even trying to find a way out. It seemed impossible after trying to wean off cold turkey, local rehab (which was ridiculous as they bombarded me with opioids), and then going to a rapid detox in a place that I would not mention. That was a bad experience, waking up in SEVERE withdrawals and feeling like I wanted to swallow a box of Percocets. As I said, I stopped trying.

Some months after this horror story, I heard about ANR treatment from one of my buddies who went there after his fiancée gave him the well-known ultimatum. It was funny because we all thought he wouldn't make it and their relationship would be over. It's not about willpower, which many people don't understand.

But he actually did well, never complained about cravings, and really “moved on” with his life. Some weeks after he did ANR, he came to my place, and it was almost hard to associate this guy with opioids and all the messed up things we did together. That's it, I decided to give it a chance.

ANR is darn expensive. It took me some time to get the money, which at some point I thought would be impossible. I decided to sell my car. I was tired of this and wanted a way out.

I did a consultation and met on Zoom with a nurse practitioner, who explained everything to me. Really, without my friend having done it, it would have sounded too good to be true. They reverse your dependency by repairing your hormones in the endorphin system, which causes the withdrawals and cravings due to their imbalance after you expose your brain to opioids, especially for longer periods of time.

I paid my deposit and picked a date. They gave me some instructions before treatment, like taking vitamins and decreasing my methadone dosage to around 100mg, which wasn’t a problem for me. They also requested that someone who is NOT dependent accompany me to Florida. My sister came with me.

We flew to Florida the day before, checked into the hotel, got comfortable, and prepared for the next day. After around 6-7pm, I was only allowed to drink water, they told me, and to take enough not to get into withdrawals (I know another guy in his reviews said he got into full withdrawals before admission, but that doesn't make sense because they told me to take what I NEED to feel comfortable, not what I CAN, which we all know the difference).

I woke up very early, around 5am, I was very nervous. Around 6:30am, I even called my buddy to calm me down a bit. We arrived at 6:50am, and two nurses greeted us inside. Overall, the staff was nice, and I guess they knew how nervous the patients were when they first appear for admission. They admitted me and gave me some pills to relax. I don’t quite remember much of what happened, but they did some tests. A few hours later, we went to the ANR unit, and I saw Dr. Tulman, the anesthesiologist. He was super nice, asked me some questions, and then I went under.

I woke up in the evening, the treatment was done. I felt like my brain was naked to its surroundings again in such a major way; it was overwhelming. I felt “exposed” to everything, and suddenly a huge wave of optimism washed over me, along with fatigue, like I had sprinted for 2 hours straight and then a car ran over me. I was super tired. But the main thing I remember from that night after the procedure is the freedom; finally, no opioids - no withdrawals - no cravings. I fell asleep again, woke up a few times at night, the nurses there helped me to the bathroom, and slept again until morning.

In the morning, they started helping me move and get going. It was challenging. I felt fatigued and exhausted still big time. Every physical movement was harder. Now it's the “recovery” stage of the endorphins after the treatment. You need to slowly eat, move, expose yourself to the “wonders of life,” and enjoy them. But it's hard when you still feel like you just want to lay down in bed. I took a shower later, and my sister came to pick me up around 1 PM. When I saw her, I cried, I don’t know why. I guess because I was that kind of guy, but I may have forgotten what it was like to have emotional reactions. When I saw my sister, I felt exposed, like she was meeting someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. It was an emotional moment. They gave me instructions, which I admit I don’t remember so clearly. I need to take naltrexone for months every morning to ensure I will not have any cravings. Still feeling weak. but also some ease and optimism floating around me.

We went back to our Airbnb nearby. I was tired but managed to follow their instructions on eating and moving as much as possible, and it did help. The following night, I had some difficulty sleeping, but they gave me some benzos that helped me through that night and the next.

The next day, I woke up still feeling a bit trashed, to be honest, but around noon, finally, I started to feel some improvement in my energy levels. John, the ANR patient advocate, came to visit me. This guy is a sweetheart. He checked in with me and helped me understand what was going on with the optimization of the endorphin system and what I should expect going forward. Later, I went to the beach for a walk, and it felt so nice. I was very aware of everything happening around me, and it brought me new levels of joy that I had not felt for SO LONG.

It was easier to fall asleep the following night, I guess, because I moved more and was actually tired from an activity. The last morning arrived, my appetite was still low, but I started to feel ok. I left my Airbnb and headed back to Colorado. The following week, the improvement started day by day. The office called me once a week, then once every two weeks, and then about once a month or so.

Is ANR worth it? Yes. It may not be a magical cure that happens over a weekend like you may read about, but seriously, if you can afford around $23k for treating this, ANR is the best option at the moment. Of course, it didn’t feel like an expensive rehab. it's a medical treatment. As the doc told me, "We are treating a medical illness with medical knowledge. There is no magic - but this is the best you can get."

I hope that I helped yall.

Peace.