advice needed: methadone/sub

Hello All.  Any advice appreciated.
So, after many years of abusing oxy, about 40 or so days ago I started at a methadone clinic.  My dose right now is 110, and honestly, its not enough.  I crave pills all the time.  I had a 200-300 mg. oxycodone/day habit.  I'm already tired of driving to that clinic every day.  It's costing me 105.00/wk.  They wont let you get take homes until you're "stable."  Questions:
1. I really think it would take a dose of like 175 or 200 for me to feel what they say I'm supposed to feel.  I feel achy, and I want pills all the time.  In fact I (stupidly) got some and took 25 mg. percocet, and fortunately  the methadone blocked it so I won't do that again, so i guess its good for that. Anyway, I have been reading every post on here about mthadone for months, so I know all about how everyone feels.  Those of you who know, what do you think about my dose?  I don't want to go up to 200 because I know how awful it will be coming down.  
2. I'm thinking of wacking off 5 mg. a day from here on down to 20 mg. and then switching to suboxone.  Since I've only been on for a bit over a month, do you think that will hurt a lot?  I saw the doctor and told her my plan and she basically told me no.  She said, "you'll fail.  you'll relapse."  Also, my councelor at the clinic said it will take 10 months to come off my dose.  Wtf?  10 months to get off a month and a half use?  that seems ridiculous.
3.  Here's a crazy thought/idea.  I have a handful of oxys.  What if I just ct off the methadone, take the oxy for a week and then when I feel crappy switch to the suboxone?
4.  Has anyone ever experienced body aches and whatnot FROM methadone?  The nurses keep saying its withdrawal, but over 10 years I've withdrawn dozens of times, I never felt the aches I do now, a month later??? Plus, everytime I sleep my hands and arms fall asleep, and Im not even laying on them.  I know it's caused swelling.

OK, so any advice appreciated.  Thanks so much.

[FLaddict]

I have heard of people having aches from Methadone... many times..


I personally... from my experience, would go the oxy route.. then Sub.. because it will take you a while to come off of methadone.. and once you got down to 20mgs of it you have to maintain that for 2 weeks before switching over anyway. The clinic usually won't let you come down faster than 2mgs a week or 5 mgs a month which would take forever. You will have to do the oxy for longer than a week, you will have to do it until there is no trace of methadone in your body.

If you go the oxy route. you will have to wait 24-48 hours after your last oxy before taking your first dose of Sub because it has a long half life you can make yourself sick if you take it too soon.

[worried878]

I have not taken either but after reading on here alot, the oxy route seems quicker and less painful...It would take so long to taper off that dose of methadone and u dont really feel too good right now while u r on it...just be sure you dont go into oxyland and stay there for too long...find out from someone how long it will take to get the methadone out of your system and set that as a date to start WD to get to the sub...i always do better if I have a plan...I think increasing your methadone dose to feel stable is a move in the wrong direction...keep moving forward

[Inaka]

I have been on methadone, heroin, suboxone, oxys, vicodins, all at once and seperate and I am only 24. I will be brutally honest with you, it does not sound like you are yet READY to REALLY quit. By already thinking of switching this to that, and being upset at not getting high, it sounds like you are still on edge of the bathtub: either jump and be dry or waddle around in the dirty waters.  When i decided to stop the opiate abuse, I did it cold turkey regardless of the pain and still neausea and lethargy and nervousness. Never once during the detox did i think of compensating for another opiate. Get far far away from methdone. The stuff takes 6 weeks to get off of, and it ruins your liver, teeth skin and memory. Go cold turkey, knock yourself out with sleepi and benzos and then take suboxine when your opiate receptors are clean.

[gnarly_1]

hey..well getting off the methadone is a great idea but tapering at 5mg a day
considering you all ready feel like sh#t wouldn't be recommended way to fast
methadone has a 36hr 1/2 life so your not going to be methadone free for
a few days then switching back to your DOC "oxy" might send you where you dont want to go ive just got done with an 8 1/2 mo taper on methadone and
was using a formula a neo/natal nurse that brings babys off heroin uses it
goes like this.....10% every 72hr it was ruff at times but doable might not be
a bad way to go for you, im one day methadone free working my way thew day 2 now I dont feel great but the withdrawals are bearable as far as sub goes
i heard its an SOB just like methadone to quit so trading one demon for a nother dosent seam like a rational thing to do.....my advise...give your body
a chance to get use to your methadone dose...it will eventualy then and
only then start tapering off ....I know it sux to taper slowly I couldent wait
to get off methadone but its a slow prossess  and I always wanted to rush it
and did rush it according to the dr"s  but you will eventually will get free
of it and again thinking of it....it takes a wile to get addicted so it going to
take a wile to get free of it best of luck on whatever you choose..Gnarly    

[mmafan84]

I was on methadone for almost 6 years and not trying to be rude, but i know some hardcore addicts and they got by on 100mg and weren't sick.  I don't see how you would be getting sick and are having cravings all the time if you are on 110.  I would NEVER suggest going up to 200 as you will be in a world of hurt when you want to get off if you ever did at that high of a dose.  But ill agree with the poster above i don't know if you sound so sure that you are ready to quit.  Sounds to me like you still want to use some kind of opiate but thats just my opinion.  I hope you find what works for you and you do get clean because opiates can seriously ruin a lot of lives just from one person abusing them.   I haven't heard too many success stories of people on high doses of methadone detoxing and getting on suboxone, most i know switch back to the methadone because it works better than the suboxone and the suboxone detox is no fun either.  If i had to detox from either methadone, oxi's, or sub i would definitely detox from the oxi's but you are already on methadone so even if you do take oxi's your going to withdrawal from the methadone.  It would take a helleva lot of oxi's for a couple of weeks everyday to keep you from going through the severe withdrawal symptoms from methadone trust me i'm going through methadone detox as we speak.  I hope everything works out for you though.

[Inaka]

You wrote that you are currently in methdone detox. Tapering or complete? So Am I. I am on anti anxiety meds which terrifies me into getting addicted to benzos. And because of my severe heart palpitation my shrink says I should go on a low dose of suboxine. What are you curr doing? I work at a law firm so i have to be composed and not cringing in pain and discomfort. Any advice? I really would ratehr be addicted to H again that methdone as it is easier to get off of IN MY OPINION. Any advice?

[kolo13]

Oh god, this is why I hate methadone. You are in so much deeper now. You talk about feeling "crappy". Do you have any idea how hard it is to come off high doses of methadone? CT from all that oxycodone would have been a breeze compared to the problem you have now.That is a methadone dose for people who were shooting grams of heroin per day.The longer you're on it the harder it's going to be. I don't mean to be a jerk about it. I did the same thing and I've been paying for it for 20 -some years and counting now. I will pray for you, there is a lot of pain in your future whatever route you take.  

[emwave]

You were taking an awful lot of oxy if you were taking 200-300mg every day -- I'd have been knocked out if I was taking that much daily before getting on methadone.  But it seems to me that the 110mg of methadone should be enough for you by now -- or very soon. I really  think your body will adjust to the dose you are at in the near future.  
Women tend to retain water when on even lower doses of methodone, and that can be very uncomfortable.  This will cause muscle aches (I know, I had to take a diuretic to get rid of the excess water).  Does the clinic have a doctor you can speak with -- perhaps he can prescribe a diuretic?  Can you visibly see the swelling, especially around your ankles?  If so, you will be very uncomfortable -- no doubt about it.  They do make natural diuretics, but you really should see a doctor and let him prescribe one.  I was so uncomfortable from the swelling that I thought my skin was going to split.  I also dropped my dose because they had dosed me too high, but the diuretics made a big difference as far as my overall comfort went.
Once you are comfortable, then you can start detoxing.  5mg a day is too fast -- your body needs 2-3 days to adjust to each drop and once you get lower (for me it was at 25mg, for others it seems to be around 40mg -- everyone is different) you will have to taper more slowly.
But get yourself comfortable first.  Address the swelling -- it may be causing you a lot more aggravation than you realize.   Hang in there and please keep us informed.  Best of luck to you.
Oh, If you decide to try an herbal diuretic until you can see a doctor, make sure you get one without caffeine.  And don't even think of Sub now -- it may be for you in the future, but you need to get yourself comfortable before making big decisions like that.  God Bless...