Performing a Cold Water Extraction (CWE)

[stimulerium]

------ Cold Water Extraction -----

I know most people here already know how to do this, and I'm sure people have linked to instructions before, but I thought I'd post it anyways because some people ask for complete instructions. It could be new to someone here though.

Cold water extraction (CWE) is a method of extracting opiates from pills that contain a painkiller such as acetaminophen (a.k.a paracetamol, Tylenol, or APAP), aspirin, or ibuprofen. The reason doing this is desired is that the bad painkiller is added so the drug in the pill cannot be used recreationally without overdosing on the bad drug in it. For example: A pill contains codeine and APAP in a ratio of 15 mg / 500 mg. If someone wanted to take 180 mg of codeine, they would also have to take 6000 mg of APAP. Taking that much APAP would cause a lot of liver damage. This makes the pill impossible to use recreationally.

Cold water is the solution to this problem. It works by dissolving the opiate drug into water, leaving the other ingredients behind. The other painkiller is left behind because they don't dissolve at the temperature opiates do. This means as long as a pill contains an opiate, you can safely take the dose you want (assuming the dose you want is safe) even if it also contains an anti-abuse painkiller. Cold water extraction is effective, fast, and easy to do.

--- Info ---
* CWE works with codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), and oxycodone (Percoset).
* 4000 mg of APAP causes liver damage. Going higher can cause liver failure or death. That is why it is necessary to remove it.
* The result is a bitter liquid containing the opiate dissolved in water and no or barely any APAP, aspirin, or ibuprofen.
* Some APAP or other bad stuff goes in. It's okay, we just want the majority of it out.
* You should read the whole document before you try to do an extraction.
* Make sure you know what is in the pill you are trying to separate.
* If the pill contains any caffeine, this method won't remove it.
* Ask me if you are confused about anything.

--- Materials Needed ---
Opiate-containing painkiller like codeine w/ APAP (eg. Tylenol 1 / 2 / 3), hydrocodone w/ APAP (eg. Vicodin), oxycodone w/ APAP (eg. Percocet), etc.

Some prior knowledge of the pills you're using. Things like what it contains, how many you need for the desired dose, etc.

Water

Flat surface, razor / credit card, and hard flat-sided object (for crushing the pills).

Liquid measuring cup. In cups or mL's.

Cheesecloth or coffee filters

A freezer (or just refrigerator, but it will take longer)

Plastic bottle with lid or glass jar with lid

Bowl

--- The Procedure ---

1.) Determine the dose you want to take of the opiate and set out the amount of pills needed to achieve that dose. For example: if I want to take 25 mg od hydrocodone, I would set out 5 5/500 Vicodins. On a flat, smooth surface, crush the pills into a very fine powder. I used the plain side of a domino, anything flat and hard will work. Make sure you crush up any chunks of the pill you missed. Take your credit card or razor and push the powder into a pile.

2.) Take about 1/2 a cup (100 mL) of water warm to hot water and pour it into your bottle, jar, or whatever you're using. Make sure the water isn't too hot, if you can hold your finger in it, it's okay. Take your pile of powder and pour it into the container of water somehow. Put a lid on and shake it up until you can't see the pile of powder in the water anymore. This should take around 5 mins.

3.) Take your bottle or jar and pour the liquid into the bowl as soon as you're done shaking. Put the bowl in your freezer (or fridge) and let it get really cold, but not to the point of freezing (~42° F or 6°C). When the temp. is right, or you can see stuff at the bottom of the bowl (about the same amount of powder you put in) you can take it out.

4.) Get a cup and out and put a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter on top. Hold the filter on and slowly pour the liquid through the filter and into the cup. Slow down if liquid gets close to running off the edge of the filter. Squeeze the last of the liquid out of the filter, being careful not to break it.

5 (optional).) Empty the contents of the filter and bowl into the bottle or jar and repeat steps 2 through 4. This will get the last of the opiate out. You will have a cup (200 mL) left if you do.

When you're all done, chug the liquid (it tastes pretty bad) or mix in some sugar or Kool-Aid and drink it. You could also evaporate the water (risks destroying the opiate in it!) (without boiling) and have a pure powder of whatever opiate you used. Pour the powder in some soda or do whatever you want with it.

Thanks for reading. Have fun and be safe.

Any comments, questions, or concerns?

[jesusfish]

Nice FAQ, I'm really surprised we didn't have one already. Rep'd+

[stimulerium]

Thanks, if anyone needs help with this I'll be watching here.

[Myth]

Nice FAQ, I'm really surprised we didn't have one already. Rep'd+

We did, I made it, full with pictures. I think I had Ollie move it for me.

[stimulerium]

Why did you move it? Is it still on the forum?

[Myth]

It's in the moderator forum at the moment, I'll have Ollie move it back.

[S7@1T3D]

Hey Stim Nice work mate.

[Anonymous D]

I always wondered how to do that. Thanks.

[Cop]

Kind of confused since I'm not too into drugs, but I just got 30 Percosets from a friend so I want to do this. They are 5/325 so lets figure this out.

• crush pills (two or three?)
• put powder into warm/hot water and shake
• pour into bowl and put into freezer for X amount of minutes
• strain through coffee filter
• chug strained water

Did I get that right?

Also, after it's all done, how long can it sit before I have to drink it?

[Cop]

I really want to do this tonight so could somebody confirm my steps? Also, since I've never done it, should I stick with two or can I do three?

[dnbmember]

Taking 3 5/325 perocets is less than 1,000 mg APAP. You shouldn't be exceeding over 4,000 mg a day, I personally keep it under 3,000. This is less APAP than taking 3 extra strength tylenol, and you see people taking far more than that a day for simple headaches. There's no need to perform a CWE on such a little amount. Just pop 3.

[beagle]

have a few tylox caps and I would like to try this since they contain 500mg of APAP (the bad stuff, right) anyway I dont want to screw this up. So I guess that I am looking for some reasurance here. Thanks, The Beagle.

[stimulerium]

Hi beagle, welcome to DnB!

So your Tylox pills contain 5 mg of oxycodone right? It should say on the bottle.

I wouldn't take more than three without doing a CWE. If you were wondering if a CWE works on your pills then, yes it does. Is there any part you don't understand or were you just checking if your pills work?

[Myth]

I've done it hundreds of times in the past, it works

[spunkter]

can you do this with darvocet???

[Myth]

Yep.

[spunkter]

I used 8 100/650 darvs and it tasted horrible and I hardly felt it LOL I'll stick to oc's or methadone!!!

[xtodx]

i dont think i did it right...
i didnt get that much powder in the filter at all.
how long approx. is the freezer time?
why do you put it in a bowl, instead of leaving it in the original container?

i did start feeling the effects faster than through usual pill ingestion though....

help???

[Myth]

Read my thread, it might help more.

http://www.drugsandbooze.com/showthread.php?t=20705

[satlelitejive]

I have been doing a simular sort of recipe (if you will) but I use a filter made from a funnel and a cotton plug and my extract seems to come out clearer and more potent...If you want me to describe just ask!

[stimulerium]

i dont think i did it right...
i didnt get that much powder in the filter at all.
how long approx. is the freezer time?
why do you put it in a bowl, instead of leaving it in the original container?

i did start feeling the effects faster than through usual pill ingestion though....

help???

If you don't have enough powder in the filter you probably didn't chill it enough to separate the APAP.
Freezer time could be like 10 - 15 mins, it could depend on the freezer. You can usually scrape some off the bottom when the time is right. Try freezing it longer next time.

Oh and about the bowl at the end, you could just use the original container but I don't just because the APAP sticks to the side a little. It doesn't really matter.

It's also normal to feel the effects faster because it absorbs into your bloodstream faster than just taking the pill. Same effect as parachuting.

I have been doing a simular sort of recipe (if you will) but I use a filter made from a funnel and a cotton plug and my extract seems to come out clearer and more potent...If you want me to describe just ask!

So you put a cottonball at the bottom of a funnel and filtered with that? I guess I'll try it next time I do one and see how it works. Thanks!

[Kal-El]

Hi, I am going to attempt this for the first time because I am getting paranoid about doing damage to my liver. I have a couple questions if someone could help me out. I usually only do two 5/500 vicodin at a time. Is this amount still fine using the extraction. Also, how much more potent is the feeling by doing the extraction, because I am not a big fan of it hitting me really hard all at once? Thanks for any help you can give.

A kind of related question. I usualy only do two 5/500 vike or percs at the most 2 times a week. I just take them. I mix with alcohol occasionally but usually not. I do drink on the weekends like your typical college student would. How worried should I be about damaging my liver with this routine?

[GabUnion]

Hey Stimulerium,
Thanks for the advice. I ACTUALLY got around to LOOKn UP this form of extraction UP on the web for the first time only a FEW months ago. I JUST registered on this forum so I could Re-Check the procedure and post a response.

Let me TELL y'ALL, THIS particular method REALLY DOES work. Of course, EVERY person's Body is different and NO TWO people react to the same Drugs the EXACT same way. But for the MOST part, DOn this (a CWE) works a HELL of aLOT Better than Just popping the Damn pill Lol..

The ONLY part I was Initially confused on was the actual COOLING part of the procedure. I've learned through PERSONAL experience and experimenting that taking LONGER to Chill the dissolved pills (by putting them InTo a refrigerator) InSide the Jar/GLASS proved to be MUCH more effective than just TRYn to freeze it for 10 min.

The IDEA here is NOT to freeze the substance but to merely COOL it down BEFORE it reaches 32 degrees F. Oh, and CRUSHING the pills and placing the crushed pile InTo the LukeWarm water is ALSO a better way of dissolving the drugs.

In MY case, I recently acquired a NEW Prescription of Lortab/Vicodin tablets with 10mg Hydrocodone/ 500mg APAP. When I FIRST started taking them, I would have to POP like up to 6-7 pills JUST to get the relief I need. And NOT to say that using a CWE didn't 'PLEASE' and make me FEEL better because it Did. AND plus it HITS you harder and Quicker when taking them by TURNING it InTo a liquid solution and DRINKING it (with a Chaser of Soda in MY case).

What's MORE though, Taking ONLY the opiate ItSelf InTo my body withOUT the Acetiminophen (APAP) didn't give me any NASTY, undesirable Side Effects...

[Mr.Snifflez86]

well i normally sniff oxycontin and shit but i've been trying not to do it as much as i used to. So i decided to just swallow percocet and tylenol, i wanna try CWE with Tylenol1's and am just wondering if i got the whole process down.....first off i wanna use about 20 tabs, so i'd just crush them to a fine powder, put them into a glass then pour in enough water to cover them fully then continue sturring for as long as it takes for the mixture to clear, then put it into the freezer for about a half hour or until the point when its about to freeze. I should see the mush hit the bottom at this point then i take it out of the freezer and pour that into a seperate cup that has a concaved filter set up in it and then squeeze out the remains on the filter (without ripping it) and drink up the liquid i collect?? i think i pretty much got it down pact but any other help i can really use.....i'll let you all know how it goes when i try it in the next few days after i purchase 100 tabs at tha Pharmacy

[Falc]

You Canadian's and your OTC Codeine.

I really don't think it is worth the effort for codeine.

[Mr.Snifflez86]

thinking of different ways to extract codeine had my mind goin like crazy lol and i haven't read this anywhere or anything but i was wondering if anybody had tried this or perhaps thought about it.

startin of wit luke warm water in a glass maybe about 100ml or so and crushing about 20-30 Tylenol w/ codeine tabs and placing them into a coffee filter and then tying the top shut wit a elastic or something. Then placing that tied coffee filter wit the crushed tabs into the water and let it sit in there just like a tea bag, using a spoon or something to push the filter against the walls of the glass to squeee out the codiene without the guck of the pill and then continue doing it for like 25 mins or so then take it out give it one final squeeze for good measure put it in the freezer and wait till the access guck drops to the bottom then filter it once more into a seperate glass to be sure your getting as much codeine purity as possible.....

but yet again this is just an idea i've been thinking about and if you'd like to try it go right ahead and get back to me with your thoughts or comments on what you think of my idea...

Note: I have not tried this or read about it...so try at your own risk and hopefully some good will come out i guess lol anyways happy extractions everyone~~~!!!

[Myth]

Squeezing allows the bad shit to get through easier. Sure it might yield more solution, but there'll be more of the nasty shit you're trying to get rid of.

If you're extracting 100+mg at a time, it's not going to make much of a difference if you filter it twice, or anything else really, because that's a dose that only an addict would take. (don't reply saying that you take that much and you're not addicted, because you are, you just don't realize it.)

[gkannon77]

Hey guys, it looks like I got to the party alittle bit late, but I was hoping one of you responsible veterans could assist a newb, who is trying to be careful, regarding the amount of APAP ingested.

My first CWE extraction consisted of (7) 5/500 Hydrocodones. I double "dress shirt" filtered and double coffee filtered, and came up with, what i thought was, less than i should have of the APAP tylenol sludge. After scraping it off the shirt, refiltering it, and scraping it again I formed it into a ball about the circumference of a nickel. Is that all the APAP that I should expect to remove from the opiate solution? And are there any pics of the APAP after extraction I can compare to mine (I understand it would have to be the same type and number of pills, but it would be helpful to see). Thanks in advance....

PS I really respect what this site and its members are doing; keep up the positive wealth of knowledge!

[OneMoreTimeBabe]

------ Cold Water Extraction -----

I know most people here already know how to do this, and I'm sure people have linked to instructions before, but I thought I'd post it anyways because some people ask for complete instructions. It could be new to someone here though.

Cold water extraction (CWE) is a method of extracting opiates from pills that contain a painkiller such as acetaminophen (a.k.a paracetamol, Tylenol, or APAP), aspirin, or ibuprofen. The reason doing this is desired is that the bad painkiller is added so the drug in the pill cannot be used recreationally without overdosing on the bad drug in it. For example: A pill contains codeine and APAP in a ratio of 15 mg / 500 mg. If someone wanted to take 180 mg of codeine, they would also have to take 6000 mg of APAP. Taking that much APAP would cause a lot of liver damage. This makes the pill impossible to use recreationally.

Cold water is the solution to this problem. It works by dissolving the opiate drug into water, leaving the other ingredients behind. The other painkiller is left behind because they don't dissolve at the temperature opiates do. This means as long as a pill contains an opiate, you can safely take the dose you want (assuming the dose you want is safe) even if it also contains an anti-abuse painkiller. Cold water extraction is effective, fast, and easy to do.

--- Info ---
* CWE works with codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), and oxycodone (Percoset).
* 4000 mg of APAP causes liver damage. Going higher can cause liver failure or death. That is why it is necessary to remove it.
* The result is a bitter liquid containing the opiate dissolved in water and no or barely any APAP, aspirin, or ibuprofen.
* Some APAP or other bad stuff goes in. It's okay, we just want the majority of it out.
* You should read the whole document before you try to do an extraction.
* Make sure you know what is in the pill you are trying to separate.
* If the pill contains any caffeine, this method won't remove it.
* Ask me if you are confused about anything.

--- Materials Needed ---
Opiate-containing painkiller like codeine w/ APAP (eg. Tylenol 1 / 2 / 3), hydrocodone w/ APAP (eg. Vicodin), oxycodone w/ APAP (eg. Percocet), etc.

Some prior knowledge of the pills you're using. Things like what it contains, how many you need for the desired dose, etc.

Water

Flat surface, razor / credit card, and hard flat-sided object (for crushing the pills).

Liquid measuring cup. In cups or mL's.

Cheesecloth or coffee filters

A freezer (or just refrigerator, but it will take longer)

Plastic bottle with lid or glass jar with lid

Bowl

--- The Procedure ---

1.) Determine the dose you want to take of the opiate and set out the amount of pills needed to achieve that dose. For example: if I want to take 25 mg od hydrocodone, I would set out 5 5/500 Vicodins. On a flat, smooth surface, crush the pills into a very fine powder. I used the plain side of a domino, anything flat and hard will work. Make sure you crush up any chunks of the pill you missed. Take your credit card or razor and push the powder into a pile.

2.) Take about 1/2 a cup (100 mL) of water warm to hot water and pour it into your bottle, jar, or whatever you're using. Make sure the water isn't too hot, if you can hold your finger in it, it's okay. Take your pile of powder and pour it into the container of water somehow. Put a lid on and shake it up until you can't see the pile of powder in the water anymore. This should take around 5 mins.

3.) Take your bottle or jar and pour the liquid into the bowl as soon as you're done shaking. Put the bowl in your freezer (or fridge) and let it get really cold, but not to the point of freezing (~42° F or 6°C). When the temp. is right, or you can see stuff at the bottom of the bowl (about the same amount of powder you put in) you can take it out.

4.) Get a cup and out and put a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter on top. Hold the filter on and slowly pour the liquid through the filter and into the cup. Slow down if liquid gets close to running off the edge of the filter. Squeeze the last of the liquid out of the filter, being careful not to break it.

5 (optional).) Empty the contents of the filter and bowl into the bottle or jar and repeat steps 2 through 4. This will get the last of the opiate out. You will have a cup (200 mL) left if you do.

When you're all done, chug the liquid (it tastes pretty bad) or mix in some sugar or Kool-Aid and drink it. You could also evaporate the water (risks destroying the opiate in it!) (without boiling) and have a pure powder of whatever opiate you used. Pour the powder in some soda or do whatever you want with it.

Thanks for reading. Have fun and be safe.

Any comments, questions, or concerns?

Can you bump the end result?

[steves]

Rather than crunching up the vicodin pills to make them more dissolvable in water, here is a much easier way: put them into a blender (the "magic bullet" type works best), and let it rip! some of the pieces on the bottom will not get pulverized, so the easiest way to take care of that is to pick the blender up while it's running and shake it up and down a bit to get the larger chunks to contact the metal blade of the blender. You'll need to leave the lid on for a minute or so to allow the "dust" to settle. Presto! Follow the rest of the instructions as necessary!