When will my body adjust and feel normal after methadone?

[snowflake24]

Okay, I will try and explain the best way i can......I began using opiates 7 years ago.....for the past six years it has been every day, and as the disease progressed i started doing the strongest ones of course. Then I decided that I would go to the methadone clinic because I had a problem. I stayed there for 11 months, titrating to 10mgs then quit. Boy it was one horrible week, but it could have been worse. Anyways after a week most of my withdrawals were gone. But ever since i started feeling better, I cannot sleep more than 3-4 hours a night, and im not eating. Ive lost 13lbs in three weeks. But I dont feel any withdrawals? Can anybody please tell me what is going on?? Is this just my body trying to still adjust without the opiates?? Im tired of being exhausted and barely eating. Please if anybody has any advice Id so appreciate it. Thanks

[sharin]

Also as to the weight loss, a lot OD poeple gain weight from methadone, so u may be losing what u gained.  Many get really bad diarrhea for weeks after kicking opiates.  
P,us some people lose weight from stress, and kicking drugs is stressful.
Ull be ok.

[sharin]

Yep, it's just ur body getting used to going with out.
For me it took MONTHS of not being able to sleep, more than a few hours...all nite. The heavy sweating, exhaustion and  crazy crazy rapid pounding heart beat.
What I've found helps a lot during that time is don't consume any caffeine, not even from pop or chocolate.
It's just one more thing to jack ur heart rate up.
Because ubdont Harvey any drugs in ur system to slow that down, ANS ur going thru withdrawal it will help a lot.
Do try and be as active as u can, going for long walks will help u detox and help u relax.
I wouldn't mess with any sleeping aids at all.
Ur an addict.  Just don't mess with anything that can be abused or over used.

Your doing this, your there, your in the thick of it, just keep on doing what ur doing.   Be very careful about ever taking another pain pill, even if it's legit.
Good going!!!!!

[snowflake24]

That sounds like  a really good idea to me....dont worry. It isnt as bad as you think it will be. Just remember to take it day by day. Good luck and keep me posted the lower you get on your dose. God bless

[Jenelle2020]

hey snowflake, just to let you know, I am now at 14mgs......... it will take me that many weeks until I am off unless I start going 1mg/2weeks when I get to 10mgs, I will just play it by ear and see how I am feeling at 10mgs. Thanks for responding.

[snowflake24]

If i can do it, you can do it, too! What have you tapered down to? And are you taking it all the way down to zero? Just curious....the funny thing is that i didnt get the insomnia until my PAWS hit for a week...its been two weeks now of lil sleep....im not going to lie its not a cake walk, but its doable. I just have to keep going, take it day by day....thanks for checking in with me, have a nice day and you can do this. I know you can.

[Jenelle2020]

Hey snowflake, I'm sorry to hear you are not well enough yet, makes me worried for what I am in for, methadone really is a tough one. At least the worst is over for you , I understand that insomnia is really tough to go through, I just hope that pretty soon things will be looking up for you, I wish you the best!

[gnarly_1]

HI Kara....I wish I could tell you methadone usually takes from 1 mo on the fast side to 3 mo on the more hardcore users most people fall somewhere in between there is no way I know of to speed it up you just have to go with it ....attitude is 2/3 of winning the battle so dont give up the fight as for the mental stuff nothing is better the N/A and I highy recamend it your doing great as far as this goes b/4 long you will be threw it........Gnarly

[snowflake24]

Sorry I had one more question....i wasnt expecting these type of withdrawals....are there many more stages, or am i getting close to the end? Or will this be dragged out for another month? Just wondering because I have no clue....just wondering what to expect. But for now ill just keep trucking along...thanks

[snowflake24]

Thank you, I thought maybe something was really wrong with me because ive never experienced withdrawals like this before, i thought i was done....never have i slept and eaten so little from withdrawals before. I thought I knew what to expect, but i was really wrong. I didnt realize how cyclic it is.....but some days are better than others and I cant wait to see what is on the other side, the sober side. Feeling guilty i think is just part of the healing process, at least i have learned something from all of this...thank you for your support and comments....you guys have really helped me get through this. I will keep posting.

[snowflake24]

Yes, I have gone through withdrawals several times in the past, off morphine, oxycotton.....I thought after a week i was done....but im still sneezing, a lil bit of watery eyes, and just not sleeping or eating......my back hurts and i kinda ache and feel weak still and its been three weeks....I wasnt sure if I was still in withdrawal or if something was really wrong with me...you are so right that methadone is very cyclic....never experienced these kinds of withdrawals before. I thought I knew what to expect but this methadone withdrawal has different stages that you go through...well im blabbing so thanks gnarly for the great encouragement. Its nice to know that im not going crazy or anything...LOL

[gnarly_1]

HI Kara...first off your doing great....with that said I dont think anyone realizes just how methadone effects you untill you stop taking it....then you realize all the effects and side effects it has on you you will go threw stages of recovery both physical
I/E eating and then the emotional ones as I have said b/4 it is very cyclic you just have to adapt your getting along fine there will be discomforts doing this but dont forget the prize you will be free of the liquid handcuffs keep posting for support we all want to see you get well..........Gnarly  

[atthebeach]

hi kara,
keep moving forward hun. time will be your healer. force yourself to eat small amounts every hr or so you need to be nourished. yogurts,soups,crackers,pudding. are you exercising? thats helps alot.
try sleepy time tea,valerian root, otc natural sleep aids,alteril or sleep by nature made. sleep will return, please try to continue to be patient.
stay plugged into your church, keep yourself busy,find a new hobby or rekindle an old one. you are doing awesome. so proud of you.
be blessed,
debbie

[snowflake24]

Yeah, its not that hard physically now,,, just the lack of sleep and not eating.....and im trying to adjust to this sober life without pills.....dont get me wrong i agree with you...after methadone i will NEVER touch another pill again.....its just been soo long since i have been opiate free....the adjustment is hard.....does that make sense? Its hard mentally, not soo much physically.....but im sure I will eventually be able to sleep, eat normally, ect. Thanks for your comments....

[metadontkillme]

I'm in my fifth week of kikcking 90 mgs of methadone. You did the right thing by tapering I have learned a lot from this site. I'm not sleeping well still, not to be a pessimist, I have take hot Epsom salt baths every night, I got a huge thing if powdered muscle milk, taking melatonin at night, nothing works for me. I guess you just have to decide to stick it out and realize that you are clean and on the way to making yourself a better person.
    I do know after the wds I have been through I will never touch another opiate. I try and use these bad times, lets me know that anything worth doing isn't easy. I know I sound like a hard ***, but after kicking heroin and oxys many times over it never made me know I was done.....after the methadone, yeah I'm done. Stay strong and find someplace or someone you can vent to, fir me its this site. ;)

[ImDONENoMore]

Are you continuing on with some form of aftercare?  That kind of care will help you deal with the overwhelming emotions you're having right now.  It will help.

[snowflake24]

Thank you soo much for your advice.....ive also been slightly depressed, and do take antidepressants, which helps.....my emotions feel raw and i have a lot of guilt for the decisions i have made while using. I guess my body is trying to figuire out who I am without the opiates anymore. Its like the bandaide has been lifted and now i have to deal with my mess ups. Its hard, but i have no desire to do the pills,,,i just feel very overwhelmed with life. Im sure it will get better though.....its only up from here. And the sleep deprivation is a killer, it kinda puts a damper on the whole thing.

[weaver71]

Insomnia is one of the top detox symptoms. I didn't sleep more than 1 or two hours for about 3 weeks. I started getting better each day. I was getting up to 6 hours a night after 30 days. What you are experiencing is normal and will pass. I started to hallucinate, so rotated melatonin one night, Tylenol PM 3 nights later, then I took lunesta 3 nights later. I seemed to build an instant tolerance to any sleep aid, and I wanted my natural rhythm of sleep to return, so I used them sparingly. A bath as hot as you can stand it with Epsom salts, just before bed, helps with the aches,  and relaxes muscles to make falling asleep a little easier. I would soak, lay down and count from 100 backwards over and over. I found myself skipping numbers and losing track, that's when I knew I was drifting off and would suddenly awaken.

A protein shake like ensure, spiru-tein, or muscle milk will go down a sip at a time, and contains the amino acids needed to help heal brain chemistry. Make sure to hydrate. I found that Emergen-C packets helped water go down easier, and has vitamin C, B's, electrolytes and vitamins for energy and retaining water. You're getting close to a major mile stone. Hang in there, it'll start getting better real soon.