Methadone - Help me help my brother....

[tomidag]

Okay well I will try to be as brief as possible, but I am in a tough spot here. My older brother, who also happens to live 1,000  miles away has been hooked on methadone for about 4-5 years now that I know of. Before that it was a combination of painkillers and eventually heroin. He's let his addictions bust him down to nearly nothing. The methadone really is just a crutch since he lost his 60k a year job (due to drugs), a few years ago, and 10 bucks a day is way easier to get. He has used since then, and if I had to guess given the chance he would use. His addiction of methadone is a matter of availability, more than a treatment. He was dropping his dosage (the clinic he goes to really has no interest in treating anyone, but I got added to his account to monitor his dosage awhile back). He's in every way shape and form an addict. He's been in jail from just not caring about going to court for minor things, I am pretty sure he has a warrant out for him now in our home state (im 5 states away). He has stole from me, stole from my other family members, including my mom whom he lives with. The tricky part is my mom is retired now, and moving where I am.

Here is a brief run down, and please feel free to ask any info. I am not looking to hide anything here.
He was on 100 mg of the liquid methadone last I checked, and he hovers between 85 and the max, which is over 100 I believe. He HAS started to detox before, and from what I was told he was down well under 50 for awhile, and for whatever reason he shot back up. He has shot up his methadone, and for all intents and purposes we should assume he is actively abusing xanax (he had a girl he was with who had them, and went through a few months where he was abusing them, not sure if he still is, but maybe a concern for detox purposes).

I have spoke with him about going to a treatment center, but without insurance I would be paying 10k + out of pocket for anything worthwhile, and if I KNEW it would work, I would pay it in a heartbeat, but given the relapse rate of addicts, it seems like it maybe better to do it this way. I live on the beach, very isolated on a touristy island, and I work from home around 16 hours a day. I could literally hole up here with him through the process (as well as have another family member come over to keep watch while im sleeping). I am very well aware of how ugly it will be. The things he will see, how he will look, feel, and all that. I have not found anything on here relevant except home detoxing for percocets and the likes, and I would guess this is a touch different. He is willing to cooperate and start the detox process with methadone while he's up there. We do have a clinic about 30 minutes away, but from what I can gather the clinic he goes to now is a huge part of him not getting better. He meets other junkies there, and from what I can see methadone really has not helped him at all, since he has abused it.

What do I do? I am willing to spend as much time, energy, money, etc. on this. Is there a thread that would be a bit more helpful? I AM expecting the worse, believe me, I just want to know if it's safe to do this from home. What's a reasonable dose for him to work down to before heading here? I have an empty room, with literally nothing in it, that overlooks the water, and I am willing to buy whatever I need to buy to outfit it for him. I have also considered bringing in a private nurse if needed to come check on him every 4 hours or whatever is needed, to monitor his health, make sure he stays hydrated etc. .

[Sweetnsimple]

Sweetie, I have been there..... four times! My sister was using heroin for 6 years and once she started the meth treatment it was horrible. It seemed like her dosage went up and down quite often. She had even started taking percocets. This was not helping her at all, I mean clearly. I brought her into my home, she had the proper medical attention (I am a nurse and my fiance is a M.D. who specializes in detoxification). I took this as a sign. Everything fell into place but it wasn't pretty. She stayed with us for 3 1/2 weeks and it really looked good. We went to a family function in Georgia and she decided she would stay with my dad. I couldn't make her do anything, so we left without her. 2 days later my step-mom called crying and said my sister attacked her because she wouldn't give her money. To make a long story short I had to get my legal team involved because the clinic couldn't explain to me why, even though I was listed as the person to keep track of her dosage, it kept being raised. This was the last straw and I told her she needed to really think about her life now that she had nowhere to go. She fought hard and she even got her kids back. The only answer is they have to want it for themselves. All the love and support in the world isn't going to make it any better. They just have to want to get clean.

[mr.lucky66]

Like other have said, unless he really wants it, it could be a waste. I was a hard core junkie who spent years on methadone and what did it for me was realizing I was getting older and middle aged. The 2 most important question I would like to know are how long he's been on it and what's his age. There are some news detoxes out there that seem to have success with methadone addiction that are out patient and not nearly as expensive. All the best

[Tallullah73]

Sorry, I automatically thought you were a sister...sorry about that.

[Tallullah73]

I wondered if you knew that your brother could detox off methadone slowly and therefore avoid heavy withdrawals, it would just take longer.  He could reduce his dose until he is on a low enough dose to detox from methadone using subutex and then detox off that in a week or two.

I used subutex to quit heroin.  I did it without going to treatment.  My mother was a huge support to me during this time.

Good luck.  You are an amazing sister.  He is lucky to have you.

[christos24]

ive been on methadone treatment for almost 2 years, before that i was on suboxone for 9 mths.. and i know what your bro is going through..he desperately needs help he just cant ask or look for it himself, hes stuck in what alot of ppl like to call "methadonia" its a daily process of dosing staying high, nodding off and on, then sleep and do it over and over again. Its a terrible ritual that unfortunately soo many ppl on the methadone treatment will get sucked into...and there is no doubt in my mind that he is using xanax with his methadone cuz theyre the secret key to truly getting the most out of both of them and getting high. taken together it resembles a high strong enough to resemble shooting up H instead of only lasting 6 hrs with the methadone it last for well over 12 hours, and ill be the first to admit I got into that mess myself, at the clinic your stuck around with all other junkies everyday most of the time trying to make money by selling whatever they can to get as high as possible. and its not just his clinic its every clinic, im in milwaukee, wi right now, was originally started at a rockford,il clinic and its all the same, its a large gathering of junkies taking, mixing drugs and trying to make money anyway possible..its a very very sad scene to watch and its nationwide..i do agree for severe opiate addictions methadone can be a life saver if the treatment is done and followed properly, but many dont do that so it gives a mixed review..you really seem like an amazing brother basically willing to do anything for your bro to get him welll and beat this addiction, which is slowly but surely killing him....It truly makes me feel great inside knowing that truly caring people like you exist out there still..basically he needs to come out to you he needs to get away from the clinic he goes to cuz of all his connections hes made and the drugs hes surrounded around, a new clinic will do quite a bit in helping him out...plus i think him either living with you or near you would be best, being able to keep an eye on what hes up to or if hes getting high will be huge for his success at properly going through treatment..what he really needs is to move to you, start at a clinic near by try and find a way to take him or someone in your family be with him when he goes have him dose then leave, so he doesnt hang around like most of the patients do, have him slowly taper down his dose to between 20-30mgs, and the biggest help you can do for that aspect of it is to not pressure him or make it go fast, he needs to feel comfortable and feel that his tapering schedule is right for him, it could be 5mgs each week, 10mgs each week, or only 3 mgs a week, it all depends on what he truly feels is right for him..then once hes down to that dose he needs to start suboxone treatment which is much less addictive, will keep away any amount of wds, last even longer 2days, hell see an addiction specialist/therapist, which is a huge aspect of truly recovering, an d they can prescribe it to him, so then you can give him his daily dose and make sure its being taken correctly. Suboxone wont get you as high as methadone and no where near heroin, oxycontin, etc , it will make him feel well, motivated, a positive buzz feeling and he can solely regain his life again..i honestly think this is the greatest thin he can do for his life, it will be hard for him to realize and come around to the idea of going thru with this, thats normal, but you are doing such a caring thing, he needs to know the severity of what hes doing and how much damage and hurt hes causing on his family and himself..if you have any questions about anything at all or need anything message anytime, seriously this is for your bros life, elt me know, and once again i cant commendably tell how great of a thing you are doing for your brothers life, you truly love him no matter what, and thats an amazing thing, and getting down to the core of his problems your help and commitment you have towards his recovery may save his life ...Christos

[natalie252]

i have been addicted for the last four years if i could go back in time i would stop myself from taking the first one noone can help your brother unless he wants to quit he will want them for the rest of his life sobber or not when he goes through detox it feels like he wants to rip his skin off his boddy because its craling he first thinks he can do this then he gets emotional then he says screw it and i ant quit cold turkey i will do a little a day then he does a little more then he is back were he started. he can only quit when he wants to and when he does it feels like he is dieing and nobody cares. but he doesnt know how lucky he is to have someone like you to help him threw the roughest time of his life. god bless you. it is absolute torture to go through that get some sleeping pills and let him sleep for the majority of the time and then he will wake up about the fifth day and be tired of laying in bed then take him out to do something and remind him what life is about then just keep with it he will think about it everyday for the rest of his life but once he gets over it he will have to be strong and just deal with it only the strong will survive

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

Talk to your County Board of Health concerning indigent services........and do it sooner rather than later - - methadone and benzo's are a train wreck looking for a place to happen......trust me here - college educated, national honor and etc............it got me!  I woke after 18 hours on a ventilator with lots of white coats wondering how on earth I sufferred no brain dmage and survived...................

[IBKleen]

Morning,

I applaud you for all you are willing to do but I have to say that you are in over your head.

You are looking to essentially lock him up in the house and monitor his every move to get him clean. Then what? How do you suppose he will stay clean? That is the hardest part.

He is a hard core addict and from the sounds of it, he has been for a long time. He NEEDS hard core treatment and you are simply are not trained to give it to him.

He needs in patient treatment, and long term at that. Like I said, getting clean is not enough. He needs to learn to STAY clean and deal with the demons that brought him to drugs in the first place. He is going to need intensive counseling and occupational therapy to get him back into the work place. These are just a few that I mention.

If he is willing to do something to help himself, you can look into treatment centers in your area. Because of his situation, you may be able to get him into treatment as an indigent case. Most treatment centers take those cases. From there he should go into a half-way house where he is monitored and taught job skills so he can re-enter the work place.

Again, I applaud your intentions and your dedication. Your love shines and I pray it works out for you and your brother.

I hope you continue to post and share his progress. Best of luck to you both.

[scaredmom330]

check out the thomas recipe and amino acid protocol, those will help, stock up on gatoraide and vitamin water, bananas for rls, also hot baths. he is gonna feel like he has the flu from hell for about a week or so but every day it gets better from then on. good luck, you are a wonder sibling for wanting to help him, just remember he will say things he doesnt mean during this time. read other threads and keep posting. good luck

[tomidag]

I should add that I am very aware of the behavior of an addict, and I realize they have absolutely no loyalty while going through wd's, and I'm more than okay with all this, and will be taking the proper precautions as far as moving my firearms to a friends house, and pretty much stripping the place out for the duration of his detox.

My point in posting here was more geared towards the actually detox itself, medically, physically, mentally, etc. I want to understand and try to get as clear of a picture as I can of what type of side effects he is likely to feel (stomache pains, runs, constipated? etc. body aches, tremors), as well as find out any potentially sever or fatal medical issues that could pop out of nowhere. Is it possible he will go into a seizure? things like that. As well as the obvious, how long will it last until he's feeling relatively normal again, and what foods, supplements, meds, etc. will help comfort him as much as possible during this. From what I know so far (before coming here), this is likely to be the worse he's felt short of being dope sick off heroin when he was locked up for a weekend. I just want to know the particulars of the actually detox process, and symptoms he will be feeling during it.

I'm very capable of handling this assuming it's not medically safe, and he can slip into a coma or something. If it's just him going through pain, and generally being nasty to me, I'm okay with that, and I mean it. It's not me trying to be tough, I'm more than thick skinned enough to handle it, he's done much worse while messed up .. and I'm still here trying to help him right?

[tomidag]

Thank you for the insight, but I am already aware of all this. We have dealt with his issue for awhile, and we are well aware of what he is capable of doing.stealing. Doing this would be under the premise that he would literally be watched 24/7, my house is a small , 2 br, and its on stilts at the beach, so the only way out is one door, that's right by my desk, and either way I am not just taking this upon myself trying to be all white knight. He is at rock bottom, and he knows it. He's lucky to be alive, and not locked up at this point, and his addiction right now is the only thing keeping him from being an otherwise smart, productive member of society. Either way yeah he wants it, and though he is not destitute now, by the time he would be coming down here my mom will have already moved out of her house, and moved down here, so he has no real place to go. He's ready to finally get clean, but as it stand right now he's never going to do it by himself, and he knows that.

[Ella789]

Unless he has hit rock bottom, I would not have him in my home.  He would have to be destitute and hungry with no one to help him.   He will have to want to be clean on his own, and want it more than he ever wanted anything in his life.  He can not get clean for you, his mom or anyone else.  He will have to verbaly need to say he wants to be clean for hisself.   Then he will have to be monitered 24-7 as you will need to watch him.  You should not trust him untill he is clean and stays that way.  Lock up all valuables, guard your home, and do what you can to save him.  But it will have to be his choice.  Please read all you can abt. detoxing from methadone,  call a clinic or have him see a Dr. to help as they can prescribe meds that will help with the Detox.

Wish I knew more to tell you, hopeful that others will come and post soon.
Ella