methadone taper

[sassypnksox]

my fiance and i have been together 3 years now.  he is a recovering addict from about 100 or so pills a day(before we met), and has been on methadone for a little over 3 years now.  it's been really tough, becuase i really was kinda prude about addictions, having only done some stupid **** back in highschool.  needless to say i have learned a whole lot in our time together.  unfortunatly he has an EXTREMELY addictive personality (and i don't say that lightly), and has relapsed on me 3, possible 4 times.  for the most part i have learned signs and symptoms of relapsing.  i have stuck by him, even though i am pretty much dead inside from what has gone on.  our relationship has suffered tremendously and it will take me years to trust him again.  we also have two children together.  he is tapering off methadone and is at around 70mg (i believe he was at around 200 or so at his highest).  i really don't get a lot of answers out of people or searches, and i would like to know the "norms" when someone is tapering.  he pretty much falls asleep standing up, doing dishes, acts slightly disoriented, and sometimes his eyes look fisheyed(not focused).  is this normal...what stuff can i expect, and should i be worried?

[sassypnksox]

he said something (vague and short of course) about jackin it back up because they took him or rather he had them take him off the k-pins (which he asked for in the first place b/c i think he just doesn't know how else to handle any difficulties other than turn to pills).  i try to help him through things with alternative ways of dealing and learning to change your mind set...but i guess once your mind is set?  he even got a prescription for zoloft (which i admit i went on for 2 months to get me out of a really bad hole b/c nothing else was working).  but he took it for like one or two days and said it didn't work.  he always wants that quick fix...but life isn't made to be that way...everything takes work.

[wait2long]

did he say why he went back up to 90?

[sassypnksox]

he said his dose is back up to 90 and i believe that it may be why....but i never get the whole story from him and we both need to learn to deal with each others lesser qualities...like my inability to trust him and think the worst...i hope alanon will help

[Calzy]

Savas~ Thats a good point about the prescription. I have rx for xanax and the clinic allows me to have it and show no dirty ua. I also have a rx for soma that i never picked up and i am going to ask at the clinic if I could have the soma on the list of accepted meds as well. sassy you said the clinic showed no soma in your b/f last ua, so if he had a rx for that they would not say either way about it.

[Savas]

Well, you can get sleepy on methadone if you're on too much. But over two years down from 200?

First, if he's tapering, he's getting clean urine tests into his clinic SOMEhow. Or, he has a legitimate alternate prescription they're allowing (doesn't mean it's GOOD for him).

I was on 70 and until I got down to 25 (over six months) I was falling asleep in the middle of the day.

Also, if he's tapering, he can be having trouble sleeping at night. Although you usually don't have that problem until you get down lower.

Tapering is stressful on the body too. But if he's on a monthly schedule, he should have at least two weeks of feeling normal.
If he is using other drugs, it's most likely a benzodiazipan. People on MMTP tend to play around with that kind of thing, or alcohol.

[Calzy]

wait2long~I did'nt mean to say "negative" comments, I just meant any comments in general about a person until i knew for sure. I saw on TV last night how a person can write whatever they want about another person and blasted all over the internet and ruin that other person's life or make it difficult for a long time. Thanks for warning me about methadone and I want off that stuff but I'm not sure how i will handle my lortab addiction without some kind of help. sassy~ I would take soma when i ran out of pain killers and i would be a zombie on them with all the symptoms you mentioned before. I would take that when i just did'nt want to feel anything. I think the visit to the clinic with b/f would be great if he is really wanting to clean up and he can add you to review his medical records at anytime.   I allow my ex-wife to know how much i am taking & my UA's. I have 4 children & would never want to lose custody. I hope your b/f has a good relationship with both of your children.