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Methadone Withdrawl Symptoms
Hello everyone!!!
My name is Laurie, I live in Canada. My story is quite long so I'll try and keep it short!
I was on Oxycontin 40mg x 2 a day for.....5 yrs. It was working fine. Last summer my doctor would no longer prescribe the Oxy's to me anymore, because of a stupid boyfriend that i was with,(he was taking my meds and selling them and smashing them- i didnt do any of that) So the alternative was Methadone. I was on the methadone for almost a year, ending june 7th/07. All of the side effects I had of course. I was always very thin, well I gained 70 pounds from the methadone, was very nautious all the time (i took roughly 4-5 gravols a day), I was a sweating machine (gross), I often was bloated and my ankles and feet were swollen alot (so i was on a water retention pill), and I was always nodding off. I had no life, no friends basically a slave to this drug and having to go see the doctor every week. At my highest dose I was at 130mg at Christmas time. I think I went down about 5-10mg a week until I just got off of it June 7th. I ended at 7mg, well I was on 3mg for just one day. I was very anxious to get off this drug because it was ruining my life, basically the worst year of my life. So...... my question is: It is june 23 today, I've been off the methadone for....2 weeks and a bit??....
I have had all the withdrawls-insomnia,anxiety,IRRATIBILITY,chills, SORE JOINTS,SORE MUSCLES,ACHING JOINTS,Muscle spasms,nausea and diahrea. I've read that the withdrawls usually subside after 2 weeks, k mine are NOT. I am taking clonidine 0.1mg for withdrawls but the only thing I can't seem to shake is: (remember when u were growing up and we had "growing pains" in our legs??) It feels like I have growing pains again. But more intensified. My thighs,calfs,shins,feet all hurt sooooooooo bad!!! Mostly at nite time, so I started using that Cold rub stuff that smells like mint that makes me sneeze alot!! lol...that no longer works. I've used a whole tub of it in 2 weeks! Can anyone tell me when I will feel better?? or what to use on my legs?? Now, I'm a tall girl, 6'1 to be exact and as u can tell my legs are 3 quarters of my body, this kinda sucks alot!!! Nothing helps them!!! I am going crazy over here in Canada, please someone get back to me and give me some hope as to when this pain will end!!!!!! O and I should also tell u that since being off the methadone june 7th I've been put back on Oxycontin , a lower dose-10mg x 2 a day.
Thank you to those who have suffered through this email question!!! :)
Laurie
My name is Laurie, I live in Canada. My story is quite long so I'll try and keep it short!
I was on Oxycontin 40mg x 2 a day for.....5 yrs. It was working fine. Last summer my doctor would no longer prescribe the Oxy's to me anymore, because of a stupid boyfriend that i was with,(he was taking my meds and selling them and smashing them- i didnt do any of that) So the alternative was Methadone. I was on the methadone for almost a year, ending june 7th/07. All of the side effects I had of course. I was always very thin, well I gained 70 pounds from the methadone, was very nautious all the time (i took roughly 4-5 gravols a day), I was a sweating machine (gross), I often was bloated and my ankles and feet were swollen alot (so i was on a water retention pill), and I was always nodding off. I had no life, no friends basically a slave to this drug and having to go see the doctor every week. At my highest dose I was at 130mg at Christmas time. I think I went down about 5-10mg a week until I just got off of it June 7th. I ended at 7mg, well I was on 3mg for just one day. I was very anxious to get off this drug because it was ruining my life, basically the worst year of my life. So...... my question is: It is june 23 today, I've been off the methadone for....2 weeks and a bit??....
I have had all the withdrawls-insomnia,anxiety,IRRATIBILITY,chills, SORE JOINTS,SORE MUSCLES,ACHING JOINTS,Muscle spasms,nausea and diahrea. I've read that the withdrawls usually subside after 2 weeks, k mine are NOT. I am taking clonidine 0.1mg for withdrawls but the only thing I can't seem to shake is: (remember when u were growing up and we had "growing pains" in our legs??) It feels like I have growing pains again. But more intensified. My thighs,calfs,shins,feet all hurt sooooooooo bad!!! Mostly at nite time, so I started using that Cold rub stuff that smells like mint that makes me sneeze alot!! lol...that no longer works. I've used a whole tub of it in 2 weeks! Can anyone tell me when I will feel better?? or what to use on my legs?? Now, I'm a tall girl, 6'1 to be exact and as u can tell my legs are 3 quarters of my body, this kinda sucks alot!!! Nothing helps them!!! I am going crazy over here in Canada, please someone get back to me and give me some hope as to when this pain will end!!!!!! O and I should also tell u that since being off the methadone june 7th I've been put back on Oxycontin , a lower dose-10mg x 2 a day.
Thank you to those who have suffered through this email question!!! :)
Laurie
BRIT, PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO A NEW POST....YOU WILL GET WAY MORE RESPONSES DUE TO THIS IS AN OLD POST!!!
HI, IM BRITTNI AND I HAVE BEEN DATING A GUY FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DATING I KNEW IN THE PAST HE HAD A DRUG PROBLEM BUT THOUGHT HE HAD STOPPED, UNTIL ONE DAY I WALKED INTO HIS ROOM AND HE WAS SHOOTING UP WITH HIS FRIEND I FREAKED OUT B/C I HAD NEVER BEEN AROUND ANYTHING LIKE THAT SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE BROKE UP AND ABOUT A YEAR LATER HE CALLED ME AND SWORE HE HAD WAS THROUGH WITH ALL THAT AND WOULD I CONSIDER GETTING BACK TOGETHER WITH HIM. WELL I HESTITATED BUT WE GOT BACK TOGETHER AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND HE SEEMED TO BE DOING GOOD. AFTER WE HAD BEEN DATING A WHILE HIS PARENTS WANTED HIM TO MOVE OUT B/C THEY WANTED HIM TO GET OUT ON HIS OWN AND TAKE SOME RESPONSIBLITY. HE ASKED ME DID I WANT TO MOVE IN WITH HIM AND I REALLY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DO. BOTH OF OUR FAMILIES ARE VERY WELL KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY AND I DIDNT KNOW HOW PEOPLE WOULD TALK ABOUT US LIVING TOGETHER. WELL ANY WAY ON WITH MY STORY.... WE MOVED INTO HIS HOUSE THAT HIS DAD BOUGHT US AND I FOUND OUT HE WAS GOING TO A DR THAT PRESCRIBED HIM METHADONE. IT WASNT THAT BIG OF DEAL TO ME THAT HE WAS TAKING IT ESPECAILLY SINCE A DR WAS PRESCRIBED IT TO HIM . WELL HE WAS ON 120 MG A DAY 6 PILLS IN THE MORNING 6 IN THE EVENING. NOW THE DR SENT HIM A LETTER WITH OUT ANY WARNING AND SAYS HE ISNT GOING TO WRITE HIM ANYTHING ELSE. HE WENT TODAY TO GET HIS LAST PRESRIPION AND THE DR DIDNT EVEN WRITE HIM ALL THE PILLS HE ONLY GAVE HIM 2 PILLS A DAY THATS A BIG DROP. HE IS WORRIED SICK. I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE OUT THERE NEW WHAT HE COULD DO OR WHAT WITHDRAWL SYMPTOMS HE WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH SO WE CAN START TO PREPARE !!!! IM WORRIED TO DEATH !!!
Hi Laurie, hey it sounds like you have a really nice boyfriend, it is so important to have a support network right now, huh? I don't know if you are addicted to the Oxycontin or not, the thing is that you will eventually be, I don't think there is anyway to avoid it if you take it on a regular basis, maybe if you don't take it everyday, at least try to not take it unless you really need it, you don't want to go through these horrible restless legs again! I remember when I went through withdrawal the two times that the painful twitching restless legs was probably the worst thing. I was too weak to do anything but lay on the couch, and then I could not rest because of my legs. I think I am probably going to go the Suboxone route myself, I know I cannot do cold turkey, I just can't. Well good luck Laurie - I will be thinking of you.
Love, Cindy
Love, Cindy
Thank you sooooooooo much for getting back to me sooooo quickly!!!! and THank you for putting up with my drawn out questions!!!! ahahha I often think I have ADD!!! lol....
You know I never thought about restless leg syndrome. Now, that you've mentioned it, it does make sense. My boyfriend actually just said that when I am sleeping I sometimes move my feet together....so, that could be part of the problem. But my legs HURT SOOOOOOOO BAD, all the way down to my feet and bones!!!!! UGHHHHH! I've been up since 530am this morning, and only slept for a couple hours prior to that. Now its 121pm and I'm wired!
So I took your advice and read the Thomas recipe, and went out, (well actually my bf ran out and got me some L-Tyrosine 400mg and Vitamin B6) so I took 2 of the Lt's and 1 B6 already, and then i'll take 2 Lt's later on. I dont have to follow the detox part, bic I'm already at 15 days without being on the methadone.
As for the Oxy's , they are the only pain medication that has EVER worked for me. and I've tried them all, and herbal remedies as well. Maybe in a sense I am addicted, because i do get energy from them.....but, its not like I take my whole script thats supposed to last me a month and use it in a couple days. I dont know, I was thinking that if I could just get over these horrible damn methadone withdrawls then I'd see about taking something else for my chronic pain.
O ya I have Endometriosis, stage 4. I had surgery 5 yrs ago, they took as much out as they could. Promised me a year without pain, but instead I had pain 6 months later. And then I was put on this drug called Lupron (which totally ruined my memory, and gave me continious joint pain, and nausea) which was supposed to stop the growth of the endo, well i was on that for 6 months.....it did nothing.
But whats wierd about my endo is that I had my appendix out 5 yrs ago in the summer and then ever since then I've had period pain everyday....LIKE REALLY BAD PAIN, I have pain and problems with voiding and with bms. I've always had a really painful period, and I was very late...17 yrs old. But aftert my appendix, thats when the endo stuff started.
Thanks for all your advice and time Cindy......! :)
Love, Laurie
You know I never thought about restless leg syndrome. Now, that you've mentioned it, it does make sense. My boyfriend actually just said that when I am sleeping I sometimes move my feet together....so, that could be part of the problem. But my legs HURT SOOOOOOOO BAD, all the way down to my feet and bones!!!!! UGHHHHH! I've been up since 530am this morning, and only slept for a couple hours prior to that. Now its 121pm and I'm wired!
So I took your advice and read the Thomas recipe, and went out, (well actually my bf ran out and got me some L-Tyrosine 400mg and Vitamin B6) so I took 2 of the Lt's and 1 B6 already, and then i'll take 2 Lt's later on. I dont have to follow the detox part, bic I'm already at 15 days without being on the methadone.
As for the Oxy's , they are the only pain medication that has EVER worked for me. and I've tried them all, and herbal remedies as well. Maybe in a sense I am addicted, because i do get energy from them.....but, its not like I take my whole script thats supposed to last me a month and use it in a couple days. I dont know, I was thinking that if I could just get over these horrible damn methadone withdrawls then I'd see about taking something else for my chronic pain.
O ya I have Endometriosis, stage 4. I had surgery 5 yrs ago, they took as much out as they could. Promised me a year without pain, but instead I had pain 6 months later. And then I was put on this drug called Lupron (which totally ruined my memory, and gave me continious joint pain, and nausea) which was supposed to stop the growth of the endo, well i was on that for 6 months.....it did nothing.
But whats wierd about my endo is that I had my appendix out 5 yrs ago in the summer and then ever since then I've had period pain everyday....LIKE REALLY BAD PAIN, I have pain and problems with voiding and with bms. I've always had a really painful period, and I was very late...17 yrs old. But aftert my appendix, thats when the endo stuff started.
Thanks for all your advice and time Cindy......! :)
Love, Laurie
Hi Laurie, so glad you are joining us. These people here are great and even have me on the verge of making the BIG DECISION of getting off my meds, I feel closer than I have ever been in the last 20 years. I cannot tell you how long you will have the withdrawal symptoms since I have never been off my methadone for even one day, I have heard some people mention 30 days I believe until they get to a point they will come and go. But I can tell you that the sneezing is not from the ointment you were speaking of, that is a part of the withdrawal package, just like yawning is. I hate to hear that you are back on Oxycontin, because you are still going to be addicted, just to a different drug, maybe you will be able to keep your dose where it is right now. I am surprised that you are having withdrawal symptoms to this degree since you are on Oxycontin, but they always say what hell it is to come of methadone, maybe that is why. Keep checking here throughout the day and there will be others here with much more valuable information than I have. Oh, about your legs, the restless legs syndrome, check out the Thomas Recipe posted about halfway down, it will have some info for you there.
Good Luck.
Love, Cindy
Good Luck.
Love, Cindy
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