Methdone withdrawal

[piperl]

My doctor put me on a slow detox from methadone which he put me on for chronic neck pain; however, I don't like the power it has over me and the fact that it's one of the hardest drugs to come off of. (Wish I had known that before getting on it.)

Anyway, I used to take Vicodin for 4 y ears for chronic pain but my doctor thought that a long acting drug like Methadone would be better. My goal is to be off of pain medications completely but until then does anyone know if one can use Vicodin to get off of of Methadone faster than 3 months?  

I ask this because even on only 5 mgs (cut in half, taking 2.5 daily) the withdrawal pain is still hard to manage. I'm a writer who needs to go back to work and can't do so if I'm in this kind of pain for three months!  My theory is that if I take a weaker opiate to replace the stronger opiate, then after a month I can get off the weaker opiate (Vicodin) much easier than the stronger opiate (Methadone).

I know that some people use Vicodin for breakthrough pain when getting off of Methadone but why can't they just stop taking Methadone altogether and immediately replace it with Vicodin?  ( I tried getting off of Methddone cold turkey and by the 4th day I was in hell.)

[igottheblues]

you were on 5mg a day of vicodin or methadone?  How long have you been taking the methadone? Sorry about all the questions but I am currently taking methadone to try and get off oxycodone and am just curious about what to expect.  

[krashing_now]

I have been through a traumatic experience  its been bad.. let me start at the beginning I have been an addict for many yrs , heroin then methadone for 15 yrs i got off it by weaning down , it took maybe 6 month's of not really sleeping  my legs hurt all the time.
know Let m try and make this short , I started getting 10 mg meth pills and breaking them in half and taking them each day when i didn't have them I took hydrocodone 2 x per day now I need to stop , I feel weak all the time ( I have hcv) the hep c I have not gotten help with right now too much going on.
anyone have any advise  .. oh and I do have some old suboxone from 2 yrs ago  maybe I should take them  to wean down .. any suggestions will help , sorry if this message is all over the place just a little stressed at the moment.

[catsitter]

I am addicted to methadone-my dealer skipped out on me,should be back Mon.Nov26.I am surviving on 10mg. per day.I am used to taking at least 40mg. per day.I feel your pain.I was so ignorant about methadone when I started using 5 yrs. ago.Now  my every day is dependent on an unreliable dealer.

[blondee68]

Hey, I was put also on Methadone for pain relief, for migraines.  Went to a pain doctor and didn't really like the idea because of the stigma of the drug but he convinced me it would work.  I was taking 10mg three times a day, and decided after he caught me getting stuff from other docs, (lortab), that he cut me off, and I had like 12 pills left, I was terrified from what I had heard.  He wanted me to go on the Suboxozone or whatever it is, but that seemed like trading one addiction for another.  I didn't also want my insurance company to know that I was "addicted", because therapy was part of the deal.  So, he gave me two days to decide (generous man) and I chose to wean myself off, and I started with two pills a day, (for 4 days) then, I cut them in half and did like 15mg a day for a few days, then 10 mg for a few more, and then 5mg, and then 2.5, and then I stopped all together.  I still have like 3 left, but have no intention of taking them EVER AGAIN!  I, like you, would never have taken them if I had known what they would do.  They never even helped my headaches all that well.  I had the feverish feeling bad, shaking one minute, sweating the next, and the big "d".  But, I got better until I totalled my car, and started with the Lortab again, and here I am, stuck again.  I wish you luck with all my heart and if you need to talk, please write or send me a message. K?
Hugs,
Blondee68

[mr.lucky66]

I wouldn't jump on to hydro and have had ideas like that before myself. It's not much methadone at all and maybe he could give you some non opiate meds to help.

[Savas]

I was put on 70 but came down to 50 fairly quickly (they tend to over medicate, the rule of thumb now is to get you on as much as possible so it's impossible to get off).

You do realize that they are both opiates? So they're both the same addiction. honestly, the ONLY reason to get on methadone is because your life is literally falling apart and you need a government sanctioned and paid for drug to keep you off the streets. Otherwise, it serves absolutely NO purpose in helping to detox.

You've only been on a month? Hmm... well, it varies but it usually takes 2-3 months to have it fully in your system. And the withdrawal is pretty much the same regardless of dose. The higher doses are more virulent as far as the withdrawals go...but...

I'm hoping if I cut down to a 1/2 milligram a day, then go two three days in between, it won't be to bad when I stop. But...I'm prepared for the worst.

Keep in mind also that the withdrawals from vicodin and methadone are basically the same. The difference is in length of time. vicodin lasts 3-4 days, methadone about 2 weeks.

[IBKleen]

Yes hun..all that is true. Methadone is a bear to get off of. Even 5 mg is still going to be difficult, but it is doable. I have heard stories of people going cold turkey off of 120 mgs.

I hope you got some help here, as I mentioned Sunday night is notoriously slow. Keep checking back. Take care of yourself.

[piperl]

"One thing----it would be helpful if you stated what doses you began the Meth at and where you are now (dosage wise). "

In answer to your question, after getting off a 4-year dependence off of Vicodin (not "addiction" as I never escalated my dose) I started out at 10 mg of Methadone for a week (I was prescribed 15mg p/day) then went down to 5mg per day though  I

The problem was I was still dealing with chronic pain so Iprobably should have  been taking more as the doctor prescribed. But I didn't want to escalate my dose for fear of getting too addicted; however, it happened anyway as was evidenced when I tried to get off it cold turkey last week.

Amazing, how I could only be on 5 mg a day for a month and still get that addicted.
Someone said methadone was one of the worst drugs because of its very long half life (36 hours) and because it stores itself in your fat cells--whatever that means.

[Savas]

Well.. the problem is if you do that, you'll be eating vicodin in HUGE quantities. Probably 4x as much as you were taking before. Can you afford that/get that much? You'd also be taking it for about 3-6 months. It takes 3-6 months before methadone is fully out of your system.

I gotta warn you, there are things you can take to help but it's probably going to suck.

I was doing the same thing you were doing two years ago. I came off of 45 milligrams. I used what I call the "Irish Cure" (I would NOT suggest this, mind you!)
I drank a 1/2 pint of vodka a day, smoke an occassional joint and took tons of suphenedrine. I basically lay in bed for two weeks in a totally screwed up state, unable to move. By the end of the two weeks I was living off crumbs from the bottom of cereal boxes (to weak to go out to shop).  

I don't know if what I did helped or hurt, but I got through it. It was after that killed me. After four months of being to weak to function I had to give up and go back on methadone before I got evicted from not working.
I'm down to 2.5 now, and am HOPING with planning it will go better this time.

[IBKleen]

Hi and welcome!

I have very little personal experience with Methadone. There are several people who frequent the forum and have experience, but it is Sunday night and very quiet here, as it typically is.

If you could just be patient, they may be in later on this evening, or perhaps in the morning. Keep checking back.

One thing----it would be helpful if you stated what does you began the Meth at and where you are now (dosage wise).

Take care.

[Greatgreebo]

Hold on piper....I let people on the medical side of the forum that you have a question posted here. There are lots of knowlegable people on this site. I'm just a pill popper so I can't be of much help. Don't worry.....the calvary is on it's way.