Has anyone quit methadone w/o a rehab?

[janae212]

I currently go to a methadone clinic and I very much want to quit, but I don't have the resources to go to a rehab. I wanted to know if anyone out there has successfully quit using ?

[kim715]

I have. I was on it for almost 2 years and went cold turkey off of 25mgs ,been clean for 597 days thanks to the help of all the wonderful people here.It is not at all easy but it is very do able and so worth it...All the best...Kim

[Lisa034]

There are a lot of us on here using methadone. A lot of us are also in your situation and trying to get off.  You will get a lot of suggestions. I am tapering off my methadone. I was at 110mgs for the last six mths and started tapering about 1 mth ago and now at 50mgs and have not felt any withdrawls yet. There is one person on here that I listen to and that is gnarley I think the name is. Gnarley just went thru a 81/2 month taper from methadone and I think Sunday was her last day at the clinic. I am sure as soon as she sees your post she will give you some advice. Listen to her she knows what she is talking about. We will all be here for you. Keep posting and keep us updated as to what is going on, Good luck

Lisa
Jacksonville,FL

[gnarly_1]

hi and welcome.....well ive been down your road ive spent the last 6 1/2 yrs
on methadone for pain management about a yr ago it quit working for that purpose so i figured I need to get off it so over 8 1/2 mo ive been tapering
I started at 150mg and took my last dose sunday oct 18 so im only 1 1/2 days
clean but clean i am...as for doing it, the clinic told me it would be a yr and 1/2
to get off and i wasn't about to stay on that long...so at 60 mg took things
into my own hands and started weening off myself from my takehomes
the formula i used was given to me by a neo/natal nurse that brings babys off heroin...it goes like this 10% every 72hr I figured if it was safe for babys it would be safe for me....now its not perfict...a baby cant tell you how it feels
but your body will and somtimes you just have to stay at a certain dose for a week or 2 ....took my body 6 friggin weeks to get use to 20mg but only 2 weeks to go from 20mg to 10mg just depends let your body be the final judge
but for the most part the 72hr thing works at the end  (last 10 mg) you go 1 mg a week and expect to feel the drops had withdrawals for 4 days every
time i droped from 10mg but they are manageable ...to annyone trying this
expect it to be a bit ruff from time to time but in the end ...even near the end
it is so worth it....there is a "fog" that is lifted off you that i cant explain but
when you get down around 10mg you start to feel it leaving your body
and it is a wonderful feeling to feel again ....best of luck Gnarly.....OOO BTW
Lisa ..im a guy lol    

[Inaka]

I have been abusing methdone even before I was injecting H. So for the last 5 yrs. Then i started going to m'done clinic to stop the H, and got up to 90mgs. But I was still using H. So 10 days ago I decided to quit all opiates and start clean. It is possible to go cold turkey. Its not that bad it just last long...like 6 weeks of slight illness. But the first week is less severe than H and I was doing both H and m'done. There are receipes on this site for quitting cold turkey, my journal entry has one that takes you further than the first week. good luckies.

[Lisa034]

funny sorry I just found that out.  I knew that I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention!!!!!!  I love yall

Lisa
Jacksonville,FL

[kiylen]

I left you a note on your profile and said I would look at your post also.  Listen to Lisa and Gnarly.  Gnarly just finished tapering and Lisa and I are trying to get done with this stuff too.  If you don't mind me asking (we are all pretty open on here), what made you go to the clinic, how long have you been there and how high is your dose?  Those things are going to make a difference in your experience coming off of the methadone.  No matter what though, you can do it.  We have all been here for each other and will be here for you.  

[whitie]

I have.

going to rehab was not an option for me either, I would have lost my job(which might be a smart thing anyhow...............)  unfortunately had to work too, it was quite the experience !!!!!!

the first few weeks or so I was pouring sweat, along with all the other nightmares. I told my co workers I had the flu and must have gotten food poisoning.

long term addicts, especially replacement addicts(done and sub) must accept the fact that its a long term process, the wd's drag on long, and it takes very serious fortitude and determination. then one must learn to deal with the secondary long term wd's

you can go to the betty ford clinic, if you dont have the same resolve, your going to relapse when you get out of the clinic, anyhow.

[Patrice]

Hi Janae..I am also on methadone maintenance, and I am happy where I am but that doesn't mean that I can't help you with your question because I have many friends who tapered off of methadone successfully and are still drug free.. First off many people will tell you that you should just stop at whatever dose you are on and everything will be ok.. That is true for a lot of people, but is it right for everyone?? No.. In my experience every friend I had that is now clean tapered off of methadone very slowly.. I don't know what MG you are on or how long you have been on.. My husband is tapering off, and he was at 140mg and went down to 35mg, well he got really bad WD's so he went back up to 45mg. and is doing great..He was tapering 5mg every 2 weeks, but now he is going to do 2mg every 3 weeks..There is no wrong way to do it as long as you feel ok..A lot of people say it is substituting one drug for another, well, I don't care because I would rather be on MMT the rest of my life than to stick a needle in my arm again..Anyway, you have to do what is right for you...What I have seen people who go CT is after the He** of WD's the PAWS come in. Post acute withdrawls..Some people never get PAWS, for some it lasts a few weeks to a few months..For me PAWS NEVER went away..For all of the  years I was free from opiates I was depressed, I was self destructive mean, and just hated everyone, in fact when I look back at the posts I wrote in 2001-2003 I cringe and think  "Was that really me" Now I know why people hated me here..I hated me and it rubbed off on everyone..Part of that was PAWS.. Well I finally got on the right dose of methadone and I haven't used anything since July 2002... I am on 160mg and I walked away from NA..I am not downing NA because it has helped tens of thousands of people..It just harmed me more than it helped..NA just isn't for me I don't believe in total abstinance because I need medication for several things and by NA's rules I am not "In recovery" Outside of that I am in recovery...You have to decide for yourself what is best, but if you just walk away and feel horrible month after month,. please talk to your doctor because you may need to use suboxone or you may just need to taper slowly..If you slowly taper, I promise, it isn't the horrible WD people say it is.. My ex was on methadone 20+ years and he did it 2mg at a time. He said he didn't sleep for a few weeks and he caught a cold for the first time in his adult life, but his clean date is Jan 1, 1997..He hasn't touched an opiate since...Like I said, you have to do what is best for you..If you can take the CT go for it, but if it is too much to handle, please don't let anyone tell you "It will go away" My friend Charlie G committed suicide in Feb 2008 because the people in NA told him "If you pick up even methadone" you won't be a winner" Well at his funeral some idiot got up and said "Charlie died clean" Charlie died because he listened to people who wernt doctors and he wanted to be loved so much he listened and that got him death, he stuck a 44 mag in his mouth and pulled the trigger..If he would have listened to his body, he would be here today..For some of us the pain never leaves..I am not saying that is you, I am just telling you that a very small amount of us can't do it alone w/o medication.....

Take Care
Patrice