Aa
Scared and nervous methadone taper
I' have been going to the methadone clinic for almost three years due to being addicted to Percocet after hurting my back during labor and being prescribed them for four Years. I decided I was going to taper off the methadone and I got down to 30 mg ( my highest does was 40) and then I found out I was pregnant. I was devastated at first bc I knew I could no longer taper.. I had my baby girl six months ago and as soon as she came out I started my taper again.. During my pregnancy they raised my dose to 45 mg due to pregnancy .. Anyway my daughter is six months old and since her birth I have tapered from 45 mg down to 20 mg as of last Thursday I was doing amazing no side effects and then last week when I hit 20 it hit me like nothing ever before.. It's still going on and it's been 8 days... Is this going to go on forever?? I am so scared it's going to be like this for the rest of my taper... I hate this drug so much I need to hear from someone who tapered off and survived!! Feeling like its never going to end...
Ceftriaxone, also known as Rocephin (see my post above) is what my daughter has now been taking for a week. She has been able to detox from alcohol completely with little to no side effects and she completely stopped methadone at 45mg last wednesday with minimal side effects. We are stopping short of calling it a 'miracle cure' because we all know there is no cure, but it has for her and our family been a 'miracle'. I would have never dreamed than an antibiotic could do this, but it has and as seeing is believing, we are believers. She tells me every day how thankful and blessed she is that we found this doctor (not a clinical trial).
Hi well methadone is considered one of if not thee hardest of the opiets to detox off off I came off 150 and tapered for 8 1/2 mo to do it 20 was hard for me also I did find some vitamins that will help it made a big difference get up to walmart and pick up a 3 in one calcium magnesium zinc take 4 with breakfast and 4 with dinner in a couple of days you will start to notice a difference I only wish I had found it sooner keep posting for support the last 20 are the hardest you must go very slow to avoid major discomfort we cannot give taper advise or taper plans on the forum but your clinic should have good advise for you........Gnarly
Methadone being my DOC, I feel for you. I'm also a parent,so relate to your needs there too. Anyway, 20-30mgs is a threshold for many, symptoms start to get more noticeable. Sometimes it is better to make smaller drops and further apart during his phase. It took me a long time to recover from methadone, I'm not gonna pretend it's easy to quit. I will say this though, even pretty much cold turkey at my last dose of 160mgs, the worse of it has been worth it. Just got 3 years and asked my kids again, "was it worth me being absent and sick for so long?" They didn't hesitate, "It's glod to have the real you, dad. You listen better and are actually way more fun." I just wanted to share that, because that made it all indescribably worth the worst of it. Hang in there, be patient, you are doing the right thing, no matter what it takes.
This is fascinating stuff, pillguy. My background is pharmacology (no longer licensed, by choice) and I'm really interested in these findings.
Glutamate, or glutamic acid, is critically important to neuronal transmissions in the brain. The Wikipedia article is a good read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid.
Glutamate, or glutamic acid, is critically important to neuronal transmissions in the brain. The Wikipedia article is a good read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid.
Rocephin: interesting stuff
A new study conducted by a team of Indiana University neuroscientists demonstrates that GLT1, a protein that clears glutamate from the brain, plays a critical role in the craving for cocaine that develops after only several days of cocaine use.
The study, appearing in The Journal of Neuroscience, showed that when rats taking large doses of cocaine are withdrawn from the drug, the production of GLT1 in the nucleus accumbens, a region of the brain implicated in motivation, begins to decrease. But if the rats receive ceftriaxone, an antibiotic used to treat meningitis, GLT1 production increases during the withdrawal period and decreases cocaine craving.
George Rebec, professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, said drug craving depends on the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in motivated behavior. Glutamate is released in response to the cues associated with drug taking, so when addicts are exposed to these cues, their drug craving increases even if they have been away from the drug for some time.
The same behavior can be modeled in rats. When rats, who self-administer cocaine by pressing a lever that delivers the cocaine into their bodies, are withdrawn from the drug for several weeks, their craving returns if they are exposed to the cues that accompanied drug delivery in the past; in this case, a tone and light. But if the rats are treated with ceftriaxone during withdrawal, they no longer seek cocaine when the cues are presented.
Ceftriaxone appears to block craving by reversing the decrease in GLT1 caused by repeated exposure to cocaine. In fact, ceftriaxone increases GLT1, which allows glutamate to be cleared quickly from the brain. The Rebec research group localized this effect to the nucleus accumbens by showing that if GLT1 was blocked in this brain region even after ceftriaxone treatment, the rats would relapse.
While an earlier paper of Rebec's group showed the effects of ceftriaxone on cocaine craving, the new paper was the first to localize the effects of ceftriaxone to the nucleus accumbens and was the first to show that ceftriaxone works after long withdrawal periods.
"The idea is that increasing GLT1 will prevent relapse. If we block GLT1, the ceftriaxone should not work," Rebec said. "We now have good evidence that ceftriaxone is acting on GLT1 and that the nucleus accumbens is the critical site."
Rebec said prior work on Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, alerted him and his team to the way ceftriaxone acts on the expression of GLT1, a protein that removes glutamate from the brain. Glutamate removal is a problem in Huntington's disease, and Rebec's team found that ceftriaxone increases GLT1 and improves neurological signs of the disease in mouse models.
It now is important to determine why cocaine decreases GLT1 and to see whether other drugs of abuse have the same effect. Rebec and colleagues have shown that ceftriaxone also can decrease the craving for alcohol in rats selectively bred to prefer alcohol.
Drug cues are one factor that can trigger relapse. Future work also will examine whether ceftriaxone can block drug craving induced by stress or by re-exposure to the drug. If so, it would mean that GLT1 could become an important target in the search for treatments to prevent drug relapse. Now, Rebec said, there are a number of factors to study. "We don't yet know how long the effects of ceftriaxone last. Does an addict have to be on it for a month or will it lose its effectiveness? We don't yet know what will happen."
In the cocaine study, the rats self-administer cocaine for six hours a day for up to 11 days. Their behavior is much like that of a human addict.
"You might think that because they're in there, they just take more, but they don't just take more," Rebec said. "Like human addicts, they take the drug more and more rapidly and they want to get to it more and more quickly."
Withdrawal serves as an incubation period during which craving increases if it is activated by cues or other factors. "Something changes in the brain during that time to trigger the craving or make it more likely that you want the drug," Rebec said. "That's what ceftriaxone seems to be interfering with."
Ceftriaxone is now in clinical trials on people with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which has many mechanisms in common with other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's.
Rebec, Chancellor's Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, is the director of the Program in Neuroscience and of the Preclinical Pharmacology Laboratory. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences resides in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
Co-authors of "The Role of the Major Glutamate Transporter GLT1 in Nucleus Accumbens Core Versus Shell in Cue-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior" are Kathryn D. Fischer and Alexander C.W. Houston. Fischer received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from IU and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Houston, a former undergraduate in the Rebec lab, is now a graduate student at MIT.
The research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Indiana University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
K. D. Fischer, A. C. W. Houston, G. V. Rebec. Role of the Major Glutamate Transporter GLT1 in Nucleus Accumbens Core Versus Shell in Cue-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior. Journal of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (22): 9319 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3278-12.2013
A new study conducted by a team of Indiana University neuroscientists demonstrates that GLT1, a protein that clears glutamate from the brain, plays a critical role in the craving for cocaine that develops after only several days of cocaine use.
The study, appearing in The Journal of Neuroscience, showed that when rats taking large doses of cocaine are withdrawn from the drug, the production of GLT1 in the nucleus accumbens, a region of the brain implicated in motivation, begins to decrease. But if the rats receive ceftriaxone, an antibiotic used to treat meningitis, GLT1 production increases during the withdrawal period and decreases cocaine craving.
George Rebec, professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, said drug craving depends on the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in motivated behavior. Glutamate is released in response to the cues associated with drug taking, so when addicts are exposed to these cues, their drug craving increases even if they have been away from the drug for some time.
The same behavior can be modeled in rats. When rats, who self-administer cocaine by pressing a lever that delivers the cocaine into their bodies, are withdrawn from the drug for several weeks, their craving returns if they are exposed to the cues that accompanied drug delivery in the past; in this case, a tone and light. But if the rats are treated with ceftriaxone during withdrawal, they no longer seek cocaine when the cues are presented.
Ceftriaxone appears to block craving by reversing the decrease in GLT1 caused by repeated exposure to cocaine. In fact, ceftriaxone increases GLT1, which allows glutamate to be cleared quickly from the brain. The Rebec research group localized this effect to the nucleus accumbens by showing that if GLT1 was blocked in this brain region even after ceftriaxone treatment, the rats would relapse.
While an earlier paper of Rebec's group showed the effects of ceftriaxone on cocaine craving, the new paper was the first to localize the effects of ceftriaxone to the nucleus accumbens and was the first to show that ceftriaxone works after long withdrawal periods.
"The idea is that increasing GLT1 will prevent relapse. If we block GLT1, the ceftriaxone should not work," Rebec said. "We now have good evidence that ceftriaxone is acting on GLT1 and that the nucleus accumbens is the critical site."
Rebec said prior work on Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, alerted him and his team to the way ceftriaxone acts on the expression of GLT1, a protein that removes glutamate from the brain. Glutamate removal is a problem in Huntington's disease, and Rebec's team found that ceftriaxone increases GLT1 and improves neurological signs of the disease in mouse models.
It now is important to determine why cocaine decreases GLT1 and to see whether other drugs of abuse have the same effect. Rebec and colleagues have shown that ceftriaxone also can decrease the craving for alcohol in rats selectively bred to prefer alcohol.
Drug cues are one factor that can trigger relapse. Future work also will examine whether ceftriaxone can block drug craving induced by stress or by re-exposure to the drug. If so, it would mean that GLT1 could become an important target in the search for treatments to prevent drug relapse. Now, Rebec said, there are a number of factors to study. "We don't yet know how long the effects of ceftriaxone last. Does an addict have to be on it for a month or will it lose its effectiveness? We don't yet know what will happen."
In the cocaine study, the rats self-administer cocaine for six hours a day for up to 11 days. Their behavior is much like that of a human addict.
"You might think that because they're in there, they just take more, but they don't just take more," Rebec said. "Like human addicts, they take the drug more and more rapidly and they want to get to it more and more quickly."
Withdrawal serves as an incubation period during which craving increases if it is activated by cues or other factors. "Something changes in the brain during that time to trigger the craving or make it more likely that you want the drug," Rebec said. "That's what ceftriaxone seems to be interfering with."
Ceftriaxone is now in clinical trials on people with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which has many mechanisms in common with other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's.
Rebec, Chancellor's Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, is the director of the Program in Neuroscience and of the Preclinical Pharmacology Laboratory. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences resides in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
Co-authors of "The Role of the Major Glutamate Transporter GLT1 in Nucleus Accumbens Core Versus Shell in Cue-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior" are Kathryn D. Fischer and Alexander C.W. Houston. Fischer received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from IU and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Houston, a former undergraduate in the Rebec lab, is now a graduate student at MIT.
The research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Indiana University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
K. D. Fischer, A. C. W. Houston, G. V. Rebec. Role of the Major Glutamate Transporter GLT1 in Nucleus Accumbens Core Versus Shell in Cue-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior. Journal of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (22): 9319 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3278-12.2013
hello and welcome .congrats on your taper.
at 20 mgs of methadone is when the taper gets tough.
stay at that dose until your body adjusts before you drop again.
what symptoms are the most bothersome?
stay hydrated, move around as much as possible.
take magnesium supplements.
drink protein shakes.
hot Epsom salt baths.
stay away from caffeine and sugar.
keep moving forward you are doing great.
give it some more time.
once you get to 5mgs stop dosing.
at 20 mgs of methadone is when the taper gets tough.
stay at that dose until your body adjusts before you drop again.
what symptoms are the most bothersome?
stay hydrated, move around as much as possible.
take magnesium supplements.
drink protein shakes.
hot Epsom salt baths.
stay away from caffeine and sugar.
keep moving forward you are doing great.
give it some more time.
once you get to 5mgs stop dosing.
my daughter is an alcoholic who also is on methadone at 45 mg. She is in the process of withdrawing from both. She was drinking upward of 1.5 liters of alcohol per day. We found a doctor who is giving her rocephin infusions and she has been alcohol and methadone free now for 5 days with VERY minimal withdrawal symptoms. It's like a miracle. I don't know why this was something she had never heard of, but this doctor has been able to detox patients from herion using this very established and safe antiobiotic. I know there is no miracle 'cure' but this is about the closest I've seen to one yet.
Welcome to medhelp. There's a lot of wonderful people here who will be along shortly to help with methadone detox info. I don't have any experience with that drug. Mots one of the few I never did.
Every detox is different. So I can't help much there. I am proud you've taken the first step in recovery.
Again, welcome to our family. Glad you came and posted
Every detox is different. So I can't help much there. I am proud you've taken the first step in recovery.
Again, welcome to our family. Glad you came and posted
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
