looking for some advice

[susieblue502]

i have a young daughter going thru some pretty rough times right now. she is coming off methadone and this is day number 10. things are starting to get a little rocky for both she and i and i need some advice on things to look for and how to help her get thru this.

thank you to any one that may be able to set some insite on this for me.

[uvlvrebel]

I know opiate addiction in the form of lortabs.. the wd's are tough.. I think when people do offer advice on what to expect/ what to help, they'll want to know the mg. dose she was on + how long she was taking it... 10 days is great... i'm on day 28 and it's getting better each day.  days 10-20-something were tough.  energy and motivation were the biggies for me.. there's a post that details herbal supplements that help replenish your body with nutrients.  that may benefit her... it's nice to see a mom helping her daughter through this.  _rebel

[MissBecca24]

I will just mention some things that helped me get off a different medicine.

Hot baths ! they will help her to relax and help the hurting feelings that her whole body will have!

Lots of vitamins! these will put everything back in her body that she has lost!

Sleepy time tea before bed! I swear by it! get it at any food store! I add a dash of sugar and use 3 of the tea bags! that mixed with a warm bath can really help!

Sorry that I cant help more! but someone else will come along soon! Hang in there and send her love ! she is doing amazing getting to day 10!

Becca

[Zurich42]

Hey there -
Welcome to the forum.  I'm glad to see you post.  It's a little slow here tonight - thus, you'll have less responses than on a 'regular' day.
As for withdrawals - I went through Vicodin withdrawal 21 days ago.  My symptoms were horrendous, to include:  Agitation, edginess, bathroom trips, exhaustion, depression, thirst, headaches, and body aches.  I used the 'Thomas Recipe' (without the Xanex because I didn't want to trade 1 addiction for another).  Perhaps you can type:  Thomas Recipe in the SearchMedHelp field at the top right of your screen and click 'go'.  The good thing is that the Thomas Recipe has excellent vitamin suggestions, etc., which helped me a lot.  
Continue to post - I'm sure a few forum meth users will reply.

[IBKleen]

Hello and Welcome.

Because of the holidays it is very slow on the site for the next few days. There are members here who can give you some insight, so please be patient. If you don't receive a response, re-post.

I am sorry I could not help. Keep checking back.

[carr]

meth is the worst of opiates to come off of....think about a hospital....seriously...

carrie

[CATUF]

I would suggest the following books:
*End Your Addiction Now, by Charles Gant
Seven Weeks to Sobriety, by Joan Larsen
The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross
*Staying Clean and Sober, by Miller & Miller
Staying Sober, by Gorski & Miller

A great piece about PAWS from Staying Sober is available on-line at :
http://www.tlctx.com/ar_pages/paw_part1.htm  - It is very helpful

12 Step Meetings (NA or AA) can be very helpful (some would say a MUST), They won't do much good, however, unless they are attended with GREAT frequency.  The suggestion is 90 meetings in 90 days and from my experience most who make it into sustained Recovery follow that suggestion.  

This 90-in-90 is far more than just a random suggestion.  A recent article in Time noted: "One important discovery: evidence is building to support the 90-day rehabilitation model, which was stumbled upon by AA (new members are advised to attend a meeting a day for the first 90 days) and is the duration of a typical stint in a drug-treatment program. It turns out that this is just about how long it takes for the brain to reset itself and shake off the immediate influence of a drug. Researchers at Yale University have documented what they call the sleeper effect--a gradual re-engaging of proper decision making and analytical functions in the brain's prefrontal cortex--after an addict has abstained for at least 90 days.  See http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640436-1,00.html

All of the above can be of significant help, but I honestly feel that the very best bet from anyone with a serious addiction problem is LONG-TERM REHAB, with a big emphasis on LONG-TERM.  I tried the 28-Day model first.  As a matter of fact, 3 years ago today I was on my 4th day of that rehab.  However, 28 days was nowhere near long enough for me - I relapsed almost immediately (after 36 hours).  

I was back in rehap about 4.5 months later, but that time there was no expectation that I'd be home in a month.  I ended up staying there 122 days and it was absolutely worth it - I'm still clean and have been doing well for some time.  Today marks Day-930 of being 100% clean and sober.  I don't just have my life back, I now have a better and richer life than I would have ever though possible ever before.

Typically long-term rehab involves an initial 28-30 days at "primary," followed by however long is needed at an "after care" facility.

Before I went to the 1st rehab I was positive that there was no way I could afford to take the time out of my busy life to spend even 28 days away.  By the time I went to the 2nd my addiction had pretty much destroyed everything I was worried might be harmed by everything involved in rehab, so . . . .  

I think it's best to treat addiction as a deadly disease that will destroy and kill if it's not completely arrested.  That's exactly what it is and that's exactly what it does if it's met with half measures.

I will pray for you and your daughter.

CATUF

[TipsyWillis]

Again- vitamins and minerals and Lots of Water! Gotta keep her hydrated for sure. That is a big problem usually. Keep the fluids coming. For sleep dep try a supplement called Melatonin, it is a sleep aid and works like a charm. You can get it at any store with a vitamin section. 1 tablet usually does the trick. St. Johns Wort is a supplement that works as a mood stablizer to help keep up a good/better mood. Also sometimes Omega 3s in fish oil works as a mood stablizer and keeps you healthy (1000-2000mg daily). All other vitamins- A multi, vitamin C, B's for energy and whatever else you might already use. Hope this helps combined with the info above. Hot baths, comforting music. If she has restless leg syndrom (RLS) like most everyone that has withdrawals from opiate or other stuff, potassium really works. You can get it in the vitamin section as well, bananas work too. Good luck and make sure she lets you know how she is feeling at all times. There is nothing like having mom help you out.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Your daughter is lucky to have you. As I understand Methadone w/ds.
That they last about 2+weeks. People above mentioned the Thomas recipe. I have it posted in my profile/journals. Lots of helpful advice there. You might want to stay in touch here. As others said the board is not as active due to the holidays. I still think that a lot of us will be checking in from time to time. At day #10 she is almost through it. Keep encouraging her. It is physically exhausting. The next few days will be rough. Gatorade helps restore fluids and electrolytes.
I want to stress the importance of vitamins, minerals and supplements. As an addict, her body has been depleted, and detox strips even more. Stay in touch. If you haven't, look around here. There is tons of info that will help you understand the problems addicts have. A good many of us here started out with legitimate reasons to use. The very nature of these drugs is to affect body & brain. Before you know it 2, is 3 is 4x /day.
Is she the one deciding to do this? If not, it will not do a lot of good.  The hardest part is afterwards fighting the mental cravings.

[uvlvrebel]

your post brought tears to my eyes... "and this to shall pass"... I know insomnia can be very difficult for the recovering addict.  I have read some posts regarding methadone withdrawal from the archives.  if you're gonna be awake anyway you might want to check them out... reading these old posts were the only thing that kept me sane during my first days of w/d.  I was very tense/angry/irritable/angry again/filled with dispair/ anxiety driven/ thought a void would swallo me/ hoped a void would swallow me.  maybe you could read these old methadone posts to her... let her know that other people have SUCCESSFULLY withdrawn from her DOC.

[susieblue502]

thank you for the time you have taken during this holiday to let me know that there may be some light at the end of her tunnel soon.
i will keep watching and reading  as tonight may be a very long night. she is being very difficult, filled with lots of anger and anxiety. all i can do right now is hold her and tell her i love her and that she will be ok.
thanks again to eveyone that has helped so far.

susieblue.