ADDICTION

I AM TRYING TO GET OFF METHADONE AND I AM PRESCRIBED 100MG A DAY BUT I TAKE MORE WHEN I AM AT WORK SO I END UP RUNNING OUT EVERY MONTH AND HAVING TO BUY THEM FROM A FRIEND BECAUSE I CAN'T CALL THEM IN TOO EARLY. I AM SO TIRED OF THIS NIGHTMARE EVERY MONTH AND JUST WANT TO GET OFF OF THEM BUT I NEED HELP. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME ANY ANSWERS.

[10356]

tapering down is hard but can be done. Someone will come along that knows more about methadone then I do, What are you taking the methadone for? How long have you been on it? Limbo

[momojoe]

I dont know a whole lot about methadone
My son is taking subox and we are at a steady 4 mgs a day right now.
Hopefully someone can help you out with your question...soon
momojoe

[momojoe]

You are going to need a taper schedule katy..... someone here can guide you as to what to do I am sure....I wish I could help :(
momo

[newmanagment]

katy, in the am message avisg, she is the queen of tapers, she will help ya set a schedule to get off. she is on my friends list, go there n send her a message. or ya can repost in the am, more will be on then. you are in a great forum for love support, n guidance. i dont share your doc, wish i could help more. but con grads on decidining to take back control of your life....

[wait2long]

hello and welcome...my first question is, do you want to get off methadone completely? is this what your after hun?  i was on methadone (illegally) 20-30 mgs a day most of the time, but i could on occasion take up to 100-120mgs...its a near impossible drug to get off.  i would have to recomend suboxone to you, but you have to be down to 20-30mgs a day before anyone would transition you.  do you think you could taper down to that?  my husband just tapered down from 120 mgs a day down to 40-50- mgs a day within 2  weeks, no sickness, some sleepiness...but it can be done if your committed hun...

[wait2long]

tapering from methadone isnt the same as any other kind of taper...if you want to taper all the way off, this could take quite a while to get completely off, the last 40-50 mgs will be the hardest and "could" take up to a year to do painlessly...the slower the better. and i am pretty sure avis isnt familiar with methadone...
methadone is not your average "taper plan"

[newmanagment]

wait, sorry im not into this kinda stuff. just heard avis wuz queen of tapers.. thanx for the info. i will remember it!! oh n now i will tell methadone people to message YOU!! LOL.. for real, ti can take a year to taper of methadone? thats the same thing the give to my friend that is gettin clean off heroin isnt it? i think he said he was goin to the methadone clinic every day...

[wait2long]

oh she is good with tapers...but methadone is kind of a drug in a class by itself...its just horrid...
yes they give it to H addicts, and for some it truly is a life saver, but most stay on it for life because it is so hard to get off...
if someone with 100mgs a day wants to do a taper fully off methadone it can take up to a year...and it is never painlessly.
withdrawals up to 6 weeks, paws for up to 3 years...its awful.
i just came off a 1 year habit with it...couldnt do it, which is why i am on sub.

[newmanagment]

wow , sounds almost like it is as hard to kick as the heroin.. but he goes everyday to the "clinic" n gets it, he is more personable, and more like his old self then he has been in a long time. i havent seen him "nodding" since he got off H and into the clinic.. ? when do they start to take him off of that? is he gonna b on it 4ever, or will they start to taper him off... just a thought for a loved bro

[wait2long]

honestly i am not familiar with a clinic setting...but yes, he will be normal it does provide a time in his life to lead a normal life and forget his addictive behaviors, but someday will come where he wants to get off and its bad man, real bad. i have heard heroin addicts say they would rather cold turkey off heroin 3 times than methadone once...its the worst battle of them all..i think he may have the option to be on it for life, but dont quote me on that. they will taper him if he asks when he is ready, but even going off at 3 mgs is hell.
i bought mine illegally in pill form. which is why i am not familiar with a clinic setting.

[sadinmichigan]

oh boy...I was on methadone a couple years back (thought i was helping myself) yeah right!! Anyway, I didn't take pill form.65 mg liquid. I had to go to a methadone clinic and get my daily dose everyday except sunday! There are alot of wicked drugs out there but Methadone is almost about top dog!! 65 mgs is considered the "maintenance dose". (for drug addicts to not have w/ds) Now i wasn't taking methadone to get off heroin..I did it to get off the PILLS. I tried to get help everywhere else but was told...you need to be inpatient.I have 6 kids and couldn't go in.And the cost was thousands.Then I called the "clinic". Because i was told by a woman i was spending $300/wk to for her pills(when my own rx was gone) to go to the clinic.The thinking behind that was..spend $80 /wk instead of 300 and you won't have w/ds but you'll be off the pills.And yes! I was off the pills(and i didn't get high on methadone) and I was sooo happy until....I wised up and realized I had a way bigger problem and didn't know it. Because they LIE!!! While going to the "clinic" I met many many heroin addicts who told me it was harder to get off methadone than heroin! (why are you taking 100mg plus) That is alot. Anyway,I hated going to this place, and when i learned the truth,i was mad as hell. I tried to wean off and even 1-2 mg every 10-14days sent me into w/ds.I don't know about the pill form. that is literally a tiny drop of liquid. (ok don't mean to be writing a book here) I am so passionate about this subject! I ended up having to move about 45 min away from the 'clinic".and my sheer unwillingness to drive every single day to get it made me decide to just not go one day.That day was Aug 1 2006.I had been using methadone for about a year.I can tell you from only my own dealings that I didn't even have a clue what i was in for. All the heroin users KNEW what they were saying!!! It was the most HORRIBLE thing i have ever been through. I was so sick i couldn't even have killed myself.oh and i wanted to. I couldn't hardly walk. All i could do was stay in the basement and rock back and forth on a bed 23 hrs/day. No sleeping through your misery. my husband had to take a lay off from work for 4 weeks.(i realize not everyone can do that) My kids didn't know what was wrong with me. I only crawled up the stairs to use the bathroom. @ 3 weeks later i was able to come up and still very uncomfortable and i sat outside in the sun every minute (felt good on my bones) and fried. finally i had to get my kids enrolled in a new school ,that took all i had. By week 5-6 i finally started to feel better. SOOO..weaning is not impossible but very difficult.I know others may disagree with me but you can't do it yourself. You need to find a place or someone you trust and is strong, that you have to go physically and get what you need for that day! then wean slowly. it is going to take time. i don't know about suboxone. to me it seems the same. you might take less but thats how powerful IT is!! Can you talk to your dr about this? i am so sorry you have to deal with this. i wish i could lie to you, but that wouldn't help. it is a wicked wicked drug. Unfortunatly there is no easy way with that one! I beg all...do not go on methadone to get off pills!! i will pray for you. pm me if you'd like.

[wait2long]

SUBOXONE cannot be compared to methadone...i got off methadone with suboxone and i chose long term maintenance because my addiction has been long term.  totally different drugs, sub is much easier to get off ...methadone is a full agonist, sub is a partial agonist....

BUT I COULDNT AGREE WITH YOU MORE ABOUT METHADONE...IT SHOULD BE Made unavailable except for terminal patients....

[sadinmichigan]

got back on pills after rotor cuff surgery...going on day 9 today. hey i meant to comment to newmanagment and wait2long. What you said wait2 is sooo very true. All of the heroin addicts told me the same thing and yep..many never get off methadone. i think you even tapered too fast.According to the "clinic". it takes approximately 8 weeks or even more weaning just 5 mg from your dose. Thats 2mg every 14 dys or more and 1 mg is even longer. i can;t even do the math right now. i was lucky to do what i did. once i did it there was no turning back. i had no connections,no access to a car or phone. my husband made sure of it. METHADONE IS HORRID

[wait2long]

you are so lucky to have gotten off it, that must have been so rough for you...i cant imagine what you went through..UGH!!! but congrats man!!! you did it and that is HUGE!

[sadinmichigan]

I am very lucky..It was the worst thing that i have ever been through in my life. I have had 6 kids naturally and i would have rather of had 6 children a day then ever have to do that again, so yes i am truly truly thankful that i accidently did that. i don't know anything about suboxone, they tried to get me to switch when i was on methadone (it had just become available where i was) but it was 150/wk instead of the $80 and i was so jaded by my experience with that drug(methadone) and the "clinic". I'm sorry. i get so worked up about methadone.call it post traumatic stess syndrom (syndrome) LOL seriously though.it is not or shouldn't be an option for anyone with a painkiller addiction. thanks for letting me know the difference between the two.

[wait2long]

you are so right...what dose were you on when you went off?  you went cold turkey right?

[sadinmichigan]

I was on @67mg.liquid form. and I just refused to drive to that clinic any more because we had moved pretty far.(i'm pretty stubborn)anyway once i decided that day not to go i really had no choice. i couldn't have helped myself or killed myself if i wanted. and i did! my husband was able to take a leave from his job for 4 weeks because i couldn't take care of my kids in any way.I didn't know what i was going to be in for but once i did it there simply was no turning back. i can't say knowing what i went through if i could ever do it again.

[wait2long]

WOW!!!  thats a high dose to jump off hun....you must have gone through complete hell, my dose was pretty regular, 20-30 mgs of methadone, i bought the pills illegally because i guess luckily we have no clinics around here , thought i was doing myself a favor, even knew about the bad stuff, nut NEVER knew how hard it was to get off, no one ever tells you that!!  what a nightmare, the longest i ever made it was 11 days, just couldnt take it anymore. i do not know how you did it man, ONE TOUGH COOKIE!!!  LOL!
was 67 ml your highest dose or did you get to taper some before the CT?  

[sadinmichigan]

i went down from 70mgs to the..it was either 67 or 65. that is whats pissin me off about these pills. I really can't take credit for the methadone horror,i think god knew that was the only way for me to get off that ****. but pills don't even compare and they are everywhere and legal and easy to get and justify.And your right. they DON"T tell you the truth.They literally gave me a booklet with smiley faces on it and how great it would all be.UNREAL!!

[Penelope14]

             Theirs a few different avenues you can take with a methadone detox, one of course is the most common & thats a slow taper where you basically give your body time to adjust to the decreased amounts, or if you have medical insurance or are financially stable you can go on suboxone, the reason I say this is because sub can be very expensive & you may have to stay on this longer then just the average opiate user, as methadone has its half life. Also what about going to a methadone clinic to get off methadone?  Im no methadone advocate, in fact I hate the drug, but the mere fact that you are taking it upon yourself to go up on your dose when you feel the need makes me uncertain about your chances of recovery on your own? This is a hard drug to detox from, I know as I was at 90mgs in June of 07 & I am now at 3mgs & feeling some light withdrawals & sleepless nights, this is not the type of drug to rush, I have decided if I dont feel better by monday I may have to slower down, thats how it goes with methadone, you gotta listen to your body & mind & take it one step at a time. Good Luck Penelope

[wait2long]

you have come a long way penelope...you must be a tough cookie!
how long has it taken you to get from 90 mgs to 3 mgs?  
nevermind, i see you posted the date,  sorry.
wow, 10 months...thats great though that you have been committed and determined to do it...thats what it takes,total commitment and total determination...congrats to you!!!! i tried CT, lasted 11 days, that was all i could take, UGH!
i wonder if i had that choice to taper if i could have done it?  i dont know...i bought mine illegally and one day the source said to me, you better find another option and quick because they were going to stop selling them to me, a family member of theirs needed them, so i didnt really have that opportunity when it came down to the wire...but i dont regret suboxone one bit!!!

[lucyred68]

methadone is probably the worst drug on the market.  when you know why it was invented, you can understand why.  hitlers scientists invented it so the soldiers that were wounded in battle could continue to fight.  i went off in may of 07.  i tapered off from 30 mgs in two weeks.  it was litteraly H E double hockey sticks.  it took 31 days to get out of my system, and i am still recovering from the damage done to my body.  i got no sleep for 3 weeks, then only about 4 hours a night for another month.  i still can't sleep well.  the runs, stomach pain, leg cramps, chills, sweating........... i truly wished i could die.  my dr, who had prescribed them to me, said he had never had a patient be successful before i did it.  clean now since i quit in may.  still take a norco now and then for the original back pain that started the whole thing.  you deffinatly need to get medical help to taper off, and i wouldn't reccomend that you taper as fast as i did.  it really stresses your body.  i had my hubby hold the meds for me cause i would have taken it just to escape from the wd's.

Lucy

[good_grl]

It absolutely can be done, detoxing off methadone. I am a good girl from a good family up in Washington, who got addicted to oxycontin (a combination of car accidents and a genetic predisposition to addictive tendencies, which apparently skipped a generation, as neither of my parents have ever had problems with substance abuse). At the peak of my addiction I was snorting around ten 80 mg. pills a day. (I was selling them so I pretty much got free pills, but made no money) Tolerance is a *****, you do need to keep upping your dose to get the same effects. Anyhow, at first my family doctor prescribed me a month's worth of methadone at a time. That did NOT work- I did not have enough self control at that time to take no more than I really needed. So I tried the methadone clinic. They started me at 300 mg. a day- which is a lot, especially considering I weigh about 115 pounds. To make a long story short I was able to detox off of methadone in a clinic setting from 300 mg. a day to not needing it, in approx a year and a half. Don't get me wrong. Knowing what I know now about how painful it is to detox off of methadone as compared to any other drug, I would never recommend getting on methadone to anyone, but for the people who are already on it, you absolutely have the ability to take charge of your life again and not have to rely on something the rest of your life. I am the biggest baby when it comes to pain of any kind, especially withdraws! If I can do it I know ANYONE can. I have been methadone free for over two years.

[Corabeth]

I have been addicted to pain killers for about 7 yrs. Over the past 3 yrs I have been on methadone which was better than the morphine patches because I was able to stick to an amount where i didnt run out and could function every day. Throught out the past 2 years I have tried to quit several times. I have been to rehab, tried quitting cold turkey and tried to taper but didnt taper the right way. I remembered advice I had gotten from here from a guy that tapering will work will methadone if done very  very very slowly. So about 2 months ago I attemted it and have been doing farely well. I was before the 2 months stuck at 1 - 10 mg pill a day and just couldnt get passed that. So every 2 weeks I basically take a tiny chip off. Im now down to about 5 mgs. So my advice is if you truly want to quit, it is possible. It takes awhile, so you have to be patient. Tappering so far has worked for me, but you HAVE TO WANT TO QUIT!  Good luck to those out there, You can do it!

[IBKleen]

Corabeth,

This post is old and a lot of these members are no longer here.

Please start your own post by going to to the top of the page and hitting the "post a question" button.

Hope to see you.

[maximus2010]

just to let you know about me I was put on methadone after a car accident and a battle with any drugs i could get. Been on meth for 6 years after i got my addiction under control started weening myself down out of a 80mg dose. I was only drinking in the end 20ml of it so bringing yourself down is totally  possible if you want it bad enough then i dropped again to 10ml then finally to 5 ml and right now i'm on day five with nothing the stuff is great to help with things like, quality of life and the money you blow out the window its a challenge but well worth it good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jajuan]

my mom has been doing herion for about a year and pain killers for many many years, she went to a metadone place and went from 30mg ito 100mg in a week she called and wants to gety off evrything i took her to the hosptial and they kept her for about a week and reffered her back to the methadone place and topday she took 30 mg and they told her it would take her a least ninety days to detox. shes readsy to stop she hasonly been taking methadone for about two weeks should she just stop know and will it beas hard since she only been taking it for two weeks. thank you for any help.

[gnarly_1]

HI welcome to the forum.....this is a tuff one.....on one hand its great she has only been on it 2 weeks it hasent really got a hold of her yet   30mg is high to jump from and the withdrawals will be ruff.....im more consired about here self medicating the dope sick she is going to get with heroin....methadone puts your addiction on hold to give you a chance to put your life back together with aftercare like N/A or A/A the clinics have a conslor on staff to work with you use the time your on methadone to build up your foundation so you can stand on your own 2 feet once you come off of it  my question is you mom ready to be narcotic free or will she go back to using heroin as soon as shes off the methadone...im normally one to say get off it b/4 it gets its hooks in you but in the case of heroin addiction and how dangerous it is methadone may be a better option.....think this one out carefully I wish you all the luck in the world with this.....Gnarly