Proper dose of methadone for an 80mg/day oxy habit?

[uphill7584]

Does anyone know?

[Savas]

Well... it's not that simple. It depends on your height, weight, etc...
People react differently too. They should start you at 30, going up as needed.

They should split dose you at first. It takes a few weeks before the methadone gets it's claws into your system. Until then, you'll get sick before your next dose.

But due to drug control laws, they probably won't. So they'll probably put you up 2, 3 times more than you need. Then, you'll find yourself on to high a dose when you've adjusted.

I had at least that much of a habit, and I was fine on 40ml (I had to do my own split dosing at first, though).

Be aware that methadone is twice as hard to get off of as a regular opiate addiction. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. It's a full antagonist, as opposed to a partial. So if you can find another option, take it!

[beachtowel]

ZERO

[retiredrn]

Are you thinking of switching to methadone for pain control?

[uphill7584]

This would be to stop an opiate habit. I have tried many times to quit and have relapsed over and over. I am confused at what savas wrote though. He mentions increasing the dose over time. I want to quit opiates not start a new drug and take increasing amounts of it.

[FLaddict]

I would highly suggest not taking methodone to get off of oxy.. you are not on that high of a dose to even need methodone.. Methdone is really for hard core heroin and IV oxy users as far as treatment goes.. Most people end up with a bigger monkey on their back than they started with..

You should look into a Sub program long before you take this road..

[beachtowel]

There is only one drug on this planet that I would ever even suggest taking Methadone to relieve the night mare from and that is Heroin......

And then only because of the nightmare of what goes with Heroin buying off the streets the potenial of getting robbed even killed going into bad neighborhoods and what honor is there in selling Heroin.?

Uphill there is new drugs subutex or suboxone specifically made for easing W/ds from opiates pill addictions........
Methadone is very addictive very addictive and dangerous.........please consider that.....

[wait2long]

it would be better to go to suboxone then to methadone, but there are downfalls to both, suboxone is VERY COSTLY about $8.00 per 8mg pill, usually 2-4 pills per day to start, methadone is cheap!!!  about $25.00 for 100 10mg. pills, both are hard to come down from, methadone being worse so i hear, they both have their ups and downs, but methadone in a clinic setting i know nothing of, i had to go to the "UNDESIRABLE" parts of towns (quite scary at times) to obtain first percs, vikes and oxys  and then for the methadone. its not just people who shoot heroin that have to go to the mean streets to obtain illegal prescription meds, actually where i went, they were selling heroin also, so regardless, if you dont have your own legal prescription, because  (unless in a clinic setting) docs dont like to give prescriptions for methadone (around here anyway)...its much easier to get suboxone, then its legal and you dont have to worry about getting robbed (who would want suboxone? LOL),raped,stabbed or murdered for the good stuff...do your research before you make any decisions...peace and love !!!

[beachtowel]

Suboxone may be expensive but used in a inpatient detox setting is super..........5-7 days and your done..........

[oxyhydro]

Bite the bullet. Why trade 1 evil for another. I went cold turkey off a much higher dose than you are taking. just do it! In 3 weeks you will be thanking me. At that time most of the worst w/d's will be over, by 2 months you will feel pretty good. you are just delaying the inevitable.

[grievingwidow]

I used to take 80 mg of Oxycontin a day, for like two years or so, then went to methadone and started out at 10 mg three times a day and that is where I have stayed for 7 years.  I can survive on 10 mg twice a day but it is hard.

[wait2long]

i cant even imagine how much inpatient detox costs for someone who may not have insurance...5-7 days and your done...sounds great....and easy.

[Rayy]

ive been takiin 150 to 300 mgs of OC a day for a few years now ive been eating god knows owmuch pain killers iv ate in the last 5 years im on my  thrd time quitting and its day 4/5 and to be honest with you i used thomas's recipe and it helped i only addded a few things for myself like arthrien fow the aches and pains from wd and epsom salt baths also for the aches and apains so if your lookin too quit quit cold turkey its not that bad

[Rayy]

ive been takiin 150 to 300 mgs of OC a day for a few years now ive been eating god knows owmuch pain killers iv ate in the last 5 years im on my  thrd time quitting and its day 4/5 and to be honest with you i used thomas's recipe and it helped i only addded a few things for myself like arthrien fow the aches and pains from wd and epsom salt baths also for the aches and apains so if your lookin too quit quit cold turkey its not that bad

[retiredrn]

A nurse I knew was given methadone by a dr to detox off Vicodin after she was caught falsifying scripts.  I asked her how it worked and she said, "I'm an addict.  I gobbled them down right away."  She said her ct was the worst--incontinent of stool, extreme dysphoria.  

[Savas]

Sorry, I wasn't clear.
Clinic policy is when they start you on methadone, because of the dangers of being a full antagonist, the start you on a low dose. They then increase that dose over a week until you're *stabilized*. Then you stay at that dose, and depending on how you do, can start a taper.

Here's my truth on it: Methadone when you first start only lasts in your system for about 12-18 hours. (most people).  H & M  aren't quite the same drug, even though they're both opiates. So you do go through some system changes as you switch. You'll suffer minor discomforts for about a week.

NOW, to be stabilized at a low dose, they should split your dose, have you take half morning/half night. After about two weeks of this, the methadone has its claws in your system, and it can last up to 36 hours.
But they won't (probably) do this. Law has set rules and regulations not with the patient's interests in mind, but with controlling the distribution and sale of methadone. To explain this away, they claim that addicts need a high dose of up to, oh, 200 milligrams before stabilized. That way they can justify jacking you up from 40 to 120 in the first two weeks.

If you go on methadone, you'll have to get used to this. You'll be just a statistic to them, a living body they can attach a price tag to and make huge sums of money off of. They'll probably be charging insurance (even if you have none, medicaid covers this part) about $10,000 a month.
So you can see why they make it as difficult as possible to get off of, and set rules and regulations with keeping you on a high dose in mind.

But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And beachtowel, an opiate's an opiate. The withdrawal times might vary, but in the end run, the suffering is the same.

I'll say this, uphill... your best bet is to taper off the oxy if possible, and when you get low enough, do the clonidine detox. Because unless you plan on getting a high paying job so you can save up while on methadone so you can go out of country for treatment, clonidine will STILL be your only detox option (from methadone this time), only it will be MUCH harder.

But methadone clinics are easy and fast to get on. So very easy... and if you feel so stuck and have no time to look into other options...well...

[Dave W.]

I'd suggest staying as far awayfrom Methadone as the other people have
posted also. I have been fighting an 80mg per day Methadone habit and
a huge Oxy habit daily as well. Getting off the Methadone and taking the
Oxy for pain,has just sent me into "Full Blown" withdrawls after only 4
-5 hours fom my last Oxy dose. It's an uphill battle either way. The
Methadone has made the Oxy not potent at all,but tapering or just going
cold turkey has proved to be unbeleivably hard,no matter which drug I
choose to ween off of. I'm very upset with myself for even getting on the
Methadone,but it's been 5 years already,and 'm finally down to 40mg
a day,and can barely function as it is,without at least the Oxy withdrawls
from kicking my butt every few hours.I'm just pleading with you to not
even go there,as I've mentioned,it was one of the biggest,if not biggest
mistakes of my life. Good Luck and hope you make the best choice
for yourself,not your Dr's.