Methadone withdrawels

[rachael0314]

I have been on methadone maintenance through a clinic. I was on 58mg daily and started a DR assisted taper. I am down to 6mg daily. I used to use Heroin for about a year and pain meds. I have been clean off illegal drugs since Nov 2007. However, I am not sure if the methadone withdrawels are in my head ( as the clinic I go to does not support tapers, they would LOVE LOVE people to be on methadone for their entire lives) I plan on walking off the methadone at 6mg with Sunday being my last dose. I can't see paying another 380$ for less then 6mg! I was dropping 5mg weekly to get to the 6mg I am at. I have noticed that I have insomnia! I am sleeping for 90min to 3hrs at a time. When I do lay down, I toss and turn and sweat and cold... I HATE it. I am determined to go off the methadone. can anyone tell me how long the w/d symptoms will potentially last? I know that a relaspse back to heroin is not an option ( I know that I will not go back that route) 2 nights ago, I took a tylenol PM and it didn't help. Last night, I actually slept for 6hrs but I think it was because I hadn't slept well in a few days. Can anyone PLEASE PLEASE recommend anything? Anything inexpensive??? Any ideas would be great. I also notice that my thighs feel tight. I have experienced full blown w/d from the heroin for about 48hrs before I got my next fix and I know that I NEVER want to go through those types of w/d's again.
Any advice would be great!

[bostonbiatchez]

hey hun im a heroin addict n i was on a methadone clinic everyday for 3 yrs straight i would have to go there every day to get my dose of 150 mg i kno dats alot ryt....ne wayz i was takin xanex as well n now methadone clinics kik u off if u r takin benzos as well cuz its a easy way to od so i got kicked off my clinic n the took me from 150 mg to 0 in only ten days so believe me i no the pain u r goin thru i was in the er 5 times in 1 month gettin off it..its gonna get way worst b4 it gets betta im jus bein truthful wit u i threw up every day for 2 months straight once off of it n i felt lyk i was goin to die i have now been off it for 5 months and the pain is all gone i withdrew from it for about 2 and a half months n i kno thats such a long tym n its not easy cuz i was suicidal the whole tym i couldnt do ne thin i thought it would neva get betta but it did suddenly i started feelin so much betta n now that i am off it i think much clearer n am so much happier i actually have feelings now that i never had on the methadone ..i now no that i dont have to get up everyday n rely on a medication that put me thru so much hell i would never ever get bak on it thats how bad i felt the only reason i got on it was becuz i oded and had to get brought bak to life from the heroin ...life is so much better with out methadone  ...jus keep talkin to me i kno the pain of it n i wil try n help u thru it as much as i can ...stay strong please methadone is no way of life!

[HenryS354]

Congrats on wanting to kick that vile S*** out of your body.

Methadone is some wicked stuff as u know and the people that work there are even more wicked.

I was on Methadone for 5 years from an IV Fentanyl addiction.  I was started off at the usualy 30mgs and before I knew it they had my dose up 525mgs daily.  I was truly a living zombie.

Somehow I managed to taper down to 30 and it was pure hell.  But I am now on suboxone 1mg daily and almost off that.  M'done wd's are a real B**** and they can lsat quite a long time. Usually the acute phase of wd is over within 3 months and then yopu could be looking at another 6 months of PAWS

I am currently a medical student and I would NEVER prescribe my patients methadone.

Best of luck to you
Henry

[rachael0314]

Thanks for all the advice. I must be doing rather good, compared to some of the stories that I have read. I have gone down from 58mg to 6mg over the course of a few months. If a little insomnia and agitation are all I end up with.... Then I know I can do this. has anyone out there ever walked off methadone at 6mg or more? Let me know your experience

[landbray]

hi,
my husband was on metahdone for 4 yrs.(about 9 yrs ago).
He left at about 80mg but within 2 days he was in icu for 12 days, then rehab in the hospital.
He said it was almost a full year before he felt better,(shortly after that he relapsed ,on suboxine now) , he was still weak, no energy and lots of body cramps. It was the worse ever. and the money we spent, UGH!!! anyway everyone is different with w/d's. He did start to work out a bit and it helped him with the aches , eventually he got his energy back. His sleep has always been bad. Even now on the suboxine it is.
good luck to you
paaddict

[kim715]

I jumped off at 25 mg.The first 3 weeks were really bad,I couldn't function.I mostly just sat around and cried.Of course I would get on here for hours and that kept me going.The fourth week was hard but I was able to get around and do things.I was just really sore and really tired.Week 6 was the turning point for me.I still struggled with energy and sleep but everything else was pretty much getting back to normal.I have about 5 1/2 months now and physically things are good.I'm very happy that I made the decision to stop taking the methadone.Best of luck to you.Pm me anytime.I'm here to help...Peace...Kim

[nvison462]

Its been 60 dayz off methadone. I feel 10 years younger. I have been on methadone for 7yrs i would dose up to 100mg a day. Just this last year i got my dose consistantly down to 25mg. My heart go's out to all of you, i know the withdrawl hell, never in my life have i been so useless. My last dose was 5mg June 20th 08, by the 22nd i was going through it, full blown withdrawl. 5 day into it someone offered to drop me some methadone, but i was so sick of being at the mercy of this sometimes hard to come by drug i turn them down and proceeded to go through the withdrawl cold turkey. I mean cold turkey! I remember being so sick i couldnt cook,clean,comunicate with no one. I felt like i didnt want to be alive, and thats when i would remind myself; im doing this so i can have a chance to be alive again. I was very strapped for money so i had to detox with bare essencials; lots of water, try to eat what you can, and a strong dose of multi-vitamins every day, and mellotonenin to help to sleep. 16 days later i was in alot better shape, but as soon as the body feels better the brain starts slowly recovering, i spent alot of time being depressed like theres no end to this suffering. But there is! Please take my word for it you can be alive again. Its been only 60 dayz for me and i say this with all my heart; theres no going back im never takin methadone again. I feel so good right now its hard fo me to belive i went through all that S*** but i did and so can you. The withdrawl from methadone can make you feel so bad you dont want to be alive, but REMEMBER! Your doing this so you can have the chance to be alive again. I prey that you be strong in your weakist hour for every hour that passes you will become so strong. Please take care.          

[Penelope14]

Congrats to you for tapering off methadone, it's not easy, I know, as I myself have gotton off methadone, I tapered off of 90mgs of methadone, which took almost one year, I titrated 2 mgs per week & felt fine till I reached 4mgs, this was when It got a bit tough, when I got to zero mgs was when it got worse, but after about 6 weeks most of the symtoms got better. I can relate to your complaint about not sleeping, this is a common problem that most people who get off methadone go thru, again, this will get better. It sounds like your doing very well & I wish you continued success!!!  Penelope

[worried878]

I have no experience with methadone addiction but want to wish u luck and support....at ur dose u could switch to sub but then u can gett addicted to that as well...if ur goal is to be drug free for life then tapering as u r doing is a great way to go and know that u will have wds for a while as methadone is a long acting opiate with a long half life...but so is suboxone...some say wds from sub are easier/some say it is not....a quick taper using sub is usually safe and people dont become addicted and u can work and stuff while u detox....but i am not one that agrees with sub unless it is a last resort...and also for people who need it for a long long time due to relapsing...but there isa a price to pay with everything...stay strong and be safe..keep posting

also valerian root helps me sleep/many like melatonin....may be a good idea to talk to ur doctor about something short term for sleep and anxiety that is ok with the methadone as sleep is important to keep us strong and win this battle

[Kova]

make sure you are getting proper nutrition!  is your appetite affected?  it is important that you get EXTRA protein to help your brain repair itself.  also SAMe helps with depression, as well as the omega3s.  i've also read that red meat causes an inflammatory response in the body and is best to avoid for a few weeks.   also,opiates mess with your adrenal glands, hence the restlessness, so you can buy a product usually at any health food store called Adrenal  Support or something similar.  and drink water water water!  not a surprise that benadryl(same ingrediant as tylenol PM) doesn't put you out.  i have used prescription sleeping pills and they do really help if you can get some, but of course they are addictive as well.  still, whatever gets you through the night...it's alright.  be patient.  methadone withdrawal lasts longer than any of the other opiates.  give it time.  i am sending loving support!

[bbq33]

For 4 years I was on 30mg Methadone a day for my back pain. It finally quit working. It is only suppose to stay in your body for about 4 or 5 days. I tapered off 10mg per week and had only very slight side effects. A little nausia and insomnia. Felt a little tired. A little diarrea (diarrhea). Nothing to worry about. It was pretty easy. After 5 days I was fine. I took some safe herbs. 1,200mg Valerian (or Valerian Root) three times a day. It calms things down. 3mg Melatonin long acting 20 minutes before bed. I'm not sure if these herbs helped but they can't hurt.
Congrads on making the decision to get off the stuff. (no more constipation). I feel like I am normal again!
bbq33