getting off Methadone and I need a plan. What has worked for you????

[yeah0right]

Hi every-one. I wanted to post yesterday but it was the first day of really trying to kick the habit.

I have been on Methadone for about 2 years. I am not at a high dose at all. Just enough to stay hooked. 10 mg a day. I am researching getting off all together. Is quitting cold turkey recommended? I am pretty scared to do that. I have heard all the urban legends. I just need a good plan. I am going to try,  L-tryosine, B6's and mag/zinc together and replace all the vitamins that these horrible pills took from me. I have read that doing this for 1 too 2 weeks before quitting will help ALLOT. Our body is aching when we with drawl. Refilling that well of vitamins and minerals will be a good start. I am also going to start walking (if I can get past the neighbors houses!)

Today is my 2nd day of cutting the dose in half. down to 5 mg. I had alot of night sweats and restless sleep of course. At exactly 24 hrs I took my 5 mg dose.  

I have Xanax to help take the "edge off" for the day time and that is EXTREMELY helpful and I am not trading that in  yet!!!

I have read about suboxone and they seem highly addictive in them-selves. They also seem a little expensive.

Anyone have advice for me about the vitamins or any other plan???

Thank you for taking the time to read this

[BaronMunchausen]

Hi there, yeah0right.

I wrote up an extensive FAQ in the health pages in three parts on getting off methadone. I did got off from a 40 dose down to zero, and suffered only the mildest of symptoms during the detox, with no withdrawals or paws whatsoever when I came off totally.

So it can be done. I also used almost no alternate med's for assistance (if you count benadryl as an alternate drug).

So check it out; it's in three parts, with part one and two posted under avisg's handle and part three under my own. It's called "methadone opiate detox realities" or something equally long winded. :-)

p-mail me or post here if you have any questions.

[yeah0right]

btw, The up side is that I have not felt well enough to smoke. So maybe I can kick that habit for good also.

[yeah0right]

Thank you all so much for your support. Today is day 3 and I am starting to feeling the w/d pretty heavy. I am sad as well. I am making myself wait a full 24 hrs before I allow 5 mgs. It is VERY hard and all I think about. I wish that I were strong enough to let that little bit go but I cant. It is the only time of day that I feel well and I have to maintain a balance for my family. I understand the dangers of mixing and xanax and do not recommend it, mainly because I am not a doctor. However, like soxfan I am doing it to get through the night. This is the most addictive drug ever made. I can not imagine what it would be like being on a very high dose. I have maintained at 10 mgs maybe once a week I would take another so that made it 20 mgs. But NEVER more than that. The main reason is that I have kids and have seen what this drug can do if abused. My cousin is an embarrassment. I do not mean to offend anyone by saying that. If you met her you would agree.  I truly have chronic hip pain but my life will be much better off dealing with the pain than in a  fog and not functioning with my family.  Thank you all so much for listening this is a very hard time. It was hard to make it to the computer. But to stay in touch better.

peace

[worried878]

10 mgs is a low dose...methadone is long acting so the wd may be longer.....but sometimes due to a long half life with no huge peaks and bvalleys..it may be easier since ur dose is low..most taper down slowly from long acting drugs like methadone and sub..i dont know ur past nor how long u have been stable at 10 mgs...but in reality that is not a big dose even tho people here cringe at the thought of meth wd...have seen many ct off of higher doses than that...but ur past does make a diff....if it were me, and i had been on it for any length of time...i would go down to 7.5 and get stable then to 5 then to 2.5...get stable and let it go....or if it were me and i was just plain over it,,i would ct and let it go..see how i felt...and play it by ear....but that is me and u r u...but do let us know how u r doing..the thomas recipe kix..along with a good dose of exercise to get the endorphins rolling...whatever plan u choose..i wish u all the luck in the world...

[Prospero73]

Here's some info about methadone and Xanax:

· Dying from an overdose of benzodiazepines alone
is rare. Risk of overdose increases when benzo-
diazepines are combined with other sedatives, such
as alcohol or barbiturates, or with medications
containing codeine or other opioid drugs. Possible
overdose symptoms include slurred speech,
confusion, severe drowsiness, weakness and
staggering, slow heartbeat, breathing problems
and unconsciousness.

Combined use of benzodiazepines and methadone
is particularly dangerous, and may be fatal.

http://www.camh.net/About_Addiction_Mental_Health/Drug_and_Addiction_Information/benzodiazepines_dyk.pdf

[soxfan0622]

I am doing the same and I well take xanex to help (very low) only at night. start breaking them in half. You will be fine and soon it will be in your past.

[kim715]

My advice to you would be to just jump off.You are down to a low enough dose and if you are already feeling the w/ds,may as well just bite the bullet and get it done with.I jumped off of 25 mgs after unsuccessfully trying to taper twice before.If I can do it ,anyone can.It's rough,but totally doable and absolutely worth it.All the best....Kim

[basslover79]

I would tell u to really not mix methadone with xanax!!  that is very dangerous.
And if u will slowly taper down from  the methadone u will be fine. But remember when u go down just a little it will take your body a day or so to feel the difference and then u  will probably feel bad for a few days while your body adjusts to your new dose. And anothr thing is that I would not try to switch over to suboxone, I have had a horrible time trying to do so myself.  Once u get down to 5 mg. and feel normal try to get 5 mg. pills that way u can start breaking those in half and so on....
   Anyway , good luck and stay strong.
                   chris

[Ella789]

I will bump this back to the top for others to read as I have no experience with Methadone.  Others on here do tho.  Read the posts and the others pages on here too and see what infor you can get from them.  Post often and keep asking questions.
Good luck on your journey!
Ella