I didn't mean to derail - unfortunately it's something we have to face as patients - having to advocate for ourselves and ask for help from loved ones. So I thought the tip pragmatic despite it being something that shouldn't be necessary. Gods know it's a complicated issue to try to fix.

And I realized something: having a severe allergic reaction (for me when my tongue swells up) seems to make the withdrawal worse for a day or two after. I have no idea why, but I can see a pattern between significant reactions and the magnification of the withdrawal symptoms. So maybe there is some sort of immune system involvement. Or maybe it's common sense that a big shock to the system makes an already difficult situation worse. So make sure you avoid stuff you're allergic to, if you can.