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Methadone withdrawals
Been on Methadone for over 6 yrs, been on 15-20 mg for the last 2 1/2 years. Today i took the last before i go c/t- 1 10mg pill, and am feeling bad, but i know the worst is yet to come. Ive filled my brain with everything ive read on here, and am curious about one thing....I read the worst days are the 3rd-5th, and ive read the 3rd week is the worst....could someone help with what is more accurate?!?! thank you!!!
I have been on methadone for over 10 years for pain. I started on 80mg and in 2005 decided to go to rehab to get off. If was horrible going cold turkey! I was in detox over 16 days. I had to learn to walk again. I didn't sleep
for 56 days. After 8 months of pain I went to my doctor I got on 40 mg methadone and today I'm down to 10mg. It's been almost three months and I'm in so much pain. I find the withdrawals got worse when I got to 15mg. Now 10mg is horrible! I have lower back pain, abdominal pain, both ovaries always hurt(feels like a horrible tooth ache in my ovaries & I want to rip them out) severe muscle aches in legs all the time and muscle ache from head to my toe and joint pain.. I'm depressed and frustrated. I m sick of this pain. The only relieve I get is from 6 am to 11 am and a little at night after I take a klonopin. When I was on 15mg it would only last until 5 pm and now 10 mg methadone inly lasted from 7 am to 10:30am. I'm prescribed klonopin and that helps with the chest pain and helps me get some sleep at night. Not hard sleep but sleep here and there. I know I sound negative and I am actually asking you how are you feeling? I don't get diarrhea but I have started to get stomach cramps. Not to bad. But it's the horrible muscle pain and ovary pain, back pain, lower abdominal pain, and joint pain that I want to know how long will it last? I know everyone is different and I thought I was pretty tough until methadone withdrawals came into my life. I know that eventually it will get better. If anyone out their has taken methadone for over 5 years I would really appreciate hearing your story. I want a normal
life!
for 56 days. After 8 months of pain I went to my doctor I got on 40 mg methadone and today I'm down to 10mg. It's been almost three months and I'm in so much pain. I find the withdrawals got worse when I got to 15mg. Now 10mg is horrible! I have lower back pain, abdominal pain, both ovaries always hurt(feels like a horrible tooth ache in my ovaries & I want to rip them out) severe muscle aches in legs all the time and muscle ache from head to my toe and joint pain.. I'm depressed and frustrated. I m sick of this pain. The only relieve I get is from 6 am to 11 am and a little at night after I take a klonopin. When I was on 15mg it would only last until 5 pm and now 10 mg methadone inly lasted from 7 am to 10:30am. I'm prescribed klonopin and that helps with the chest pain and helps me get some sleep at night. Not hard sleep but sleep here and there. I know I sound negative and I am actually asking you how are you feeling? I don't get diarrhea but I have started to get stomach cramps. Not to bad. But it's the horrible muscle pain and ovary pain, back pain, lower abdominal pain, and joint pain that I want to know how long will it last? I know everyone is different and I thought I was pretty tough until methadone withdrawals came into my life. I know that eventually it will get better. If anyone out their has taken methadone for over 5 years I would really appreciate hearing your story. I want a normal
life!
Hi Gnarly,
I just read your comment, and I couldn't help making this post. I'm in my 36th day now of wd from oxys and percs, and am still experiencing a lot of the things you menntioned above. I was starting to wonder if I'll ever make it through this, but it seems that there might be some hope, according to your experience. I'm only usually getting about 3-4 hours of sleep each night, and wake up with my thoughts in hyper-drive, so I just can't get back to sleep. That sounds so much like what you went through. There's still a lot of anxiety, but I've been taking a mild rx tranquilizer which helps a lot with that. Also, I keep getting the rls all the time. Occasionally, very occasionally, I have a good day, where I have energy and don't feel like I'm a hundred years old, but those days are also rare. I spend a lot of time just slowly pacing the floor, when I'm not laying down - it's so good when I have one of those good days when I acrually have some energy back. I guess maybe the wd symptoms are pretty much the same for a lot of us, as well as the recovery time. I just wanted to thank you for giving me some hope that there may someday be an end to this misery, even though it may take a while.
Thank you,
Kathy
I just read your comment, and I couldn't help making this post. I'm in my 36th day now of wd from oxys and percs, and am still experiencing a lot of the things you menntioned above. I was starting to wonder if I'll ever make it through this, but it seems that there might be some hope, according to your experience. I'm only usually getting about 3-4 hours of sleep each night, and wake up with my thoughts in hyper-drive, so I just can't get back to sleep. That sounds so much like what you went through. There's still a lot of anxiety, but I've been taking a mild rx tranquilizer which helps a lot with that. Also, I keep getting the rls all the time. Occasionally, very occasionally, I have a good day, where I have energy and don't feel like I'm a hundred years old, but those days are also rare. I spend a lot of time just slowly pacing the floor, when I'm not laying down - it's so good when I have one of those good days when I acrually have some energy back. I guess maybe the wd symptoms are pretty much the same for a lot of us, as well as the recovery time. I just wanted to thank you for giving me some hope that there may someday be an end to this misery, even though it may take a while.
Thank you,
Kathy
HI Jewlz...welcome to the forum...well we spoke in the messenger this afternoon and im glad you filled me in on some of the details...I wish we could taper you off slowly but from what you said thats not an option...so here we go head first into this thing at the dose your jumping from your going to be in for about 2 weeks of he!! methadone detox sorta builds up slowly progressively getting worst b/4 it gets better...the long 1/2 life keeps the acute withdrawals at bay for the first few days but when it comes on it hits like a freight train...unlike pain pills the physical withdrawals will last well into 2 weeks at a dose like yours...it not much better at lower doses ether my withdrawals lasted 2 weeks also
you will still feel sick coming out of the physical part of the detox the next part is the mental/emotional...first is the energy crash it can be debilitating then theirs the racing thoughts life starts to come at you at 100miles an hour and in tec/na/color it takes some getting use to....sleep becomes a distant memory the first month is the hardest it slowly gets better from there but it is a painfully slow process by the 60day mark I was ready to give up on ever feeling better....try not to get discouraged you will heal...it was around 90 days when I finely started to feel like there was going to be and end to it...I still had a ways to go but sleep was retuning anxiety was still there but no longer busting out of my chest and it seamed each week there after I was making progress...today I got 260 days clean from it....it has been a long road but one worth traveling...today life is a beautiful place once again...with aftercare I am finely comfortable in my recovery im no longer waiting for something to go away or wishing I was farther along ...there is life after methadone and it is so so worth getting off it in the end...hang in there ILL be in touch both here and threw the messenger good luck and God bless.....Gnarly
you will still feel sick coming out of the physical part of the detox the next part is the mental/emotional...first is the energy crash it can be debilitating then theirs the racing thoughts life starts to come at you at 100miles an hour and in tec/na/color it takes some getting use to....sleep becomes a distant memory the first month is the hardest it slowly gets better from there but it is a painfully slow process by the 60day mark I was ready to give up on ever feeling better....try not to get discouraged you will heal...it was around 90 days when I finely started to feel like there was going to be and end to it...I still had a ways to go but sleep was retuning anxiety was still there but no longer busting out of my chest and it seamed each week there after I was making progress...today I got 260 days clean from it....it has been a long road but one worth traveling...today life is a beautiful place once again...with aftercare I am finely comfortable in my recovery im no longer waiting for something to go away or wishing I was farther along ...there is life after methadone and it is so so worth getting off it in the end...hang in there ILL be in touch both here and threw the messenger good luck and God bless.....Gnarly
Methadone is a wonder drug for some, but I have lost people I love from taking this drug in even small doses. I know it has to be carefully monitored and even then it can be dangerous. PLEASE do not increase or decrease this drug without close supervision. Two weeks ago my sisters room mate took 2/10 ml a night for 3 nights and died. He had taken it before and thought the dose was correct for him. My own sister took someone elses Methadone last March and died in her sleep at 46 years old. Please make sure you and your doctor know what you are taking and when
No preaching, just concerend.
No preaching, just concerend.
Yes, Gnarly is the guy for the taper plan. but I personally jumped at 60mg's, and it wasn't the nightmare you think it would be. I was on 90mg for 3 years, the plan was to get down to 30 for a few days and move over to suboxone. I didn't do it correctly, waited 24 hours between doses ( 48 is more acceptable ) and went through the worst precipated withdrawals of my life. From what i remember, the withdrawals lasted about a month, with the following months just being a little tired and not much else to it. Meth withdrawals suck, but if your prepared mentally, you can get through it just fine.
The most important things are to remain hydrated and eat as well as you can. That will help you better than anything else. You can taper for 6 months or a year or whatever the "pro" did, but just get it over with and you will be suprised that if you stay busy, eat right, drink plenty, and exercise, the rest will come and go. It will be a long road, but you can do it. I personally think if you're trying to get off meds to not relly on meds to get you through, but that's my personal opionion and lots have done it that way and it worked for them.
The most important things are to remain hydrated and eat as well as you can. That will help you better than anything else. You can taper for 6 months or a year or whatever the "pro" did, but just get it over with and you will be suprised that if you stay busy, eat right, drink plenty, and exercise, the rest will come and go. It will be a long road, but you can do it. I personally think if you're trying to get off meds to not relly on meds to get you through, but that's my personal opionion and lots have done it that way and it worked for them.
Hi. Also I am on methadone and almost ready to jump off at 2mg.Tramahater is right on with the time frame.Even at 2mg. that stuff hangs on a long time,more the energy levels and sleep mostly.Good luck to you.Maybe you could drop more before jumping,to make it easier for you??? Good luck to no matter what. karl
Gnarly knows best about methadone, but from my experience, I can tell you that 3 to 5 days will definitely NOT be the worst of the WDs. Methadone withdrawals can last for weeks, and with it's long half-life it may take around 3 days for it to even get started good. That's the bad news, obviously. Good news is that you did a taper, and that may help you some. Other good news is that you are getting all the info you can on the subject, so you will be well prepared. The thomas recipe is good. Try to follow it as much as you can.
Hang around. Gnarly will be on later!!! : ) And good luck to you!!!
Hang around. Gnarly will be on later!!! : ) And good luck to you!!!
Thanks for answering my journal comment, and I know someone with more experience will be here soon to give you more accurate info than I could do! This is the BEST place to come to for help, I've found.
Hi vicki thx for your response....ive actually been traveling around this site trying to gain all of the knowledge I can & have read a few things from him! I think he may be the one that suggested the Thomas Detox Recipe...not sure, but ill take what I can get! I am alone in this and am scared to let the people down around me that I love & love me! This seems likea great support site! Tank you!
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