6 month methadone taper 99-4mg

[Carp525]

It's been almost 4 years since i first steped into the methadone clinic.  I can honestly say it's been the second biggest mistake i've ever made.  Save for all the bull details and politics thats negatively polarized my opinion of MMT. I've been 100% drug free and walkin straight and narrow, resolved any issue that catalyzed my usage and learned some very useful tools along the way. Over the past 6 months i've tapered from 99mg down to 4mg. In all fairness, It was tough and a true test but i was and am hell bent on slippin the shackles. I'm on day 6 since last dose and feel stagnant.  After initial and peek withdrawals pass, whats a rough time estimate to expect until i truley normalize?  I know the brain is highly elastic and the most prominant variable in recovery is time, but opiates and specifilly methadone has changed me in so many neg. ways. Also forgot to mention i'm 25

Thanks,

Carp525

[Jenelle2020]

Hi there, congratulations on your decision to get off methadone. It sounds like you have been diligent in your taper. You are now 6 days in which is wonderful!. As you probably know, methadone takes a lot longer than other opiates to leave the system, so the detox period can be long, although it is different for anyone. I was on methadone for 7 1/2 years for pain relief and I was at 130mgs at the highest. I was afraid of withdrawals and stories I have heard about people trying to come off methadone, it is not easy. I decided to take a long time to taper off, 3 years to be exact and I went right down to 1mg before I stopped completely. The only complaint I had was the loss of sleep which started when I was down to about 20mgs, unfortuneately I am still not sleeping well and it has been nearly 4 months. They say sleep is the last to return. I think you will be just fine, sounds like you are doing well. Just take it day by day and it will get better all the time.  You are still very young and you will bounce back easily. So take care and please keep posting and updating us with how you are doing. If you are having problems of any sort there are many wise people on this forum that will help you out, including myself. I am open to a PM if you are interested. I wish you all the luck in the world and I know you will be just fine. So take care and remember to stick around and keep us updated.

[EvolverU]

Hey there & Welcome, First congrats on your taper & your obvious determination to come off! Way to go, my friend.

The first thing I'd like to tell you is that age is definitely on your side. Yes, the brain is plastic but with each habit, with each year that passes, it becomes less and less so. I'm 48 & kicked Methadone in late Dec. of 2012. I had 20 yrs. on my last clinic. I did Heroin for 30 yrs. I too, tapered, but I'm here to testify that if you're lucky enough to have the sense & grit to do it @ your age, do everything in your power to never look back. (That includes never doing another opiate recreationally because I promise you, you'll end up in the same place!) Methadone, as you know is rough. Later on it's Rough, Rough, Rough. I skated off a clinic early in my eighteenth year & it was a piece of cake. By your age I had kicked Heroin & had 1.5 yrs. clean in another country. I never thought I'd be on MM again.

You've done an excellent taper. The answer to your question is that it differs according to previous habits, length of time in, attitude, general health, diet & exercise, etc. but it's possible that you might feel better anywhere from 1 mos. - 3 mos. or so (this is a rough estimate based on what you've told us) . The acute symptoms will only take between 7 - 20 days to begin to ease. Sleeplessness & low energy tend to be the last symptoms to go & can prove rather daunting for some. I say 'Welcome them' & just push through it. This is the birth of the new you & that's the cost of admission & I can't tell you how worth it is to be able to feel again, think again & like yourself again!

The big question is....how are you going to protect your hard-won gains? (Because, make no mistake, your addiction will still be there, waiting.) As you're probably aware it's not really physical in nature. It's emotional. So, this is something we have to look at if we want to stay clean. What am I going to do differently this time? How am I gonna' make this time stick?

Can you tell us a little bit about what you've got planned in this regards & what you mean when you say you've:

'resolved any issue that catalyzed my usage and learned some very useful tools along the way.'

I know you've been through it & you sound like you dislike Methadone as much as I did, that's why I'm asking you these questions: to make sure that you don't have to wait as long as I did to be free of it once & for all. Please, let us know what you think. Thanks for posting this. All Power, Clarity & Consistency to you! We're here & we're pulling for you.

[gnarly_1]

HI well methadone is a real mofo to kick it ..Recovery is mesure in weeks and months rather then in days for most of us it takes a good 90 days to feel beter but some bounce back sooner your age is defenetly in your favor but im with Evolver now that you dont have the help of methadone keeping the narcotics at bey what will you do to stay clean ? addiction is a life long deasise  it takes hard work and a lot of surendering to overcome it N/A is a good starting point without help you chance for success is narrowed by a large margin I onlt wish you the best but i dident become truely dtug free till I hit the rooms of N/A so take the time to check it out I wish you all the luck in the world and hope to God you recover keep pushing on time is your best friend....Gnarly

[Carp525]

Wow thank you guys so much for all of your support.  It was nice to come back and see this! I'm on day 8, not much has changed.  Lots of fluids, minerals, vitamins and Protandim.  I live in Arizona so spending time outside under the sun helps tremendously.  Also been walking the dogs twice a day keeps the body fluid and spiritually uplifting.  

Now on to the more important stuff.  I couldn't agree more with you guys, the physical issues pale in comparison to the emotional/psychological implications behind any addiction.   I'm thankful to have some truley amazing parents behind me.  They in my opinion have been great, giving me the right combination of support and tough love to get me through.  The big changes started to happened after cycling through endless counselers at the MMT clinic.  I apperently caught the eye of the RIGHT counseler who saw my desire to change.  I was only required to see a counseler once a month but he and i took advantage of the opportunity and met 3 times a week, even though i had the max. of 2 weeks of take homes.  It wasn't 12 step work. Dan is well trained and highly versed in psychology and philosophy.  I felt like he took me under his wing and was a true mentor in every sense of the word.  We explored deep seeded issues and false beliefs that we sifted to the surface.  I was under a bit of pressure through highschool, lots of AP classes and maintaining 4.0 gpa.  I recieved scholarships to college, was pre-med.  The stress and pressure was my undoing.

I gained invaluable knowledge from this horrific experience and i plan on taking every precaution i can possibly think of to never put myself in this position again.  Once in this short life is enough for me.

sry i'm a little scatter brained atm, its hard to put this down as clearly as i wanted.
Thanks again everyone

Carp525