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?

[hellc@mst]

dont sound like hes tapering to me.Sounds like hes wasted.I hav recently stopped mdone myself and lack of sleep was and still is a major prob.So if hes falling asleep standing up(nodding)hes gotta be smashed.I never got confused disorientated or fisheyed either.Neway i dropped 5mgs pw til i hit 50mgs then reduced 2.5mgs pw til 22.5mgs then i went to dtox to finish.
take care.
regards J

[sassypnksox]

he says it's from lack of sleep...some days are good, some are bad, and some are terrible.

[NewLeaf]

Sorry about the blank post. Sounds like my son in law on methadone who must have relapsed because we found syringes, etc in the room. I would be wary and if you can find out for sure if he is still taking his methadone dose daily.

[sassypnksox]

he takes a transport bus every morning and his family (who i'm extremely close with) takes him on the weekends.  he can stay awake for some time...but falls asleep so easy...is there a way i can test him?  i know they do ut's, but they don't show soma's which was one of his d.o.c.

[NewLeaf]

ssypnksox
What are soma's?  And if ANYONE out there knows if it is typical to come back form methadone dosing and go back to bed totally crashed is normal would be very helpful to both ssypnksox
and me because that is the pattern my daughter & her husban have every day. Thanks

[sassypnksox]

they are muscle relaxants  i believe.  he usually gets sleepy about an hour or two after he gets home

[wait2long]

it sounds to me that your husband is spending his days/nights working at getting as high and wasted as he can...he isnt tapering...sorry to say...my husband takes methadone 40-50 mgs daily, he works full time (hard physical labor) he has herniated discs in back and neck, 1 knee already operated on, time for other knee to be fixed too, he has scar tissue build up between his ribs...we have 3 children that he spends alot of time with after work, helps me around the house, mows the lawn.  etc...you  get my drift....he does the same thing at night when he finally  sits down to relax, he just zonks out sitting up, but i think that is from actual physically being beat, along with the combination of the methadone, but that is at the end of the day...not all day long, i sincerely think your husband is not tapering and is on a extremely high dose.  there have been times that my husband pulls his back out so the doctor tells him to take a couple of extra methdone, he will do that for about a week70-80 mgs (very high dose), but when his back is better and its time for him to go back to his regular dose, he is cranky, irritable, short tempered, no motivation or ambition from taking less methadone...that usually last for a week or so before his body adjusts to the lower dose again... if your husband was tapering...i would expect to see irritability, crankyness, short tempered, withdrawn, no motivation or ambition to do anything, just plain unhappy and miserable...i know everyone reacts to their meds differently...but what i get from your explanation, is a man who is taking what he can to continue to feel buzzed... if there is anything i can do let me know, or just to have someone to talk to....i will help with what i can...support is what you need....peace and love

[LettinGo]

Tapering is probably slow enough so he is having WD's.

[LettinGo]

Sorry, I meant tapering is probably NOT slow enough.... sorry

[sassypnksox]

so is that what might be causing his behavior?

[hellc@mst]

not likely.spontaneous sleepiness isnt a wd symptom.I dont mean 2 be cynical but i was on mdone for 13 years(i was 18 when i started) and i only eva exhibited behaviour like yr fiance when i was smashed.Incidently im sure Soma is an hypnotic like halcion,nitrazepam or midazolam.Soma mite hav a synergistic or potentiating effect when mixed with mdone producing the symptoms u describe.

[sassypnksox]

should i call his meth clinic and get him testedfor like everything?

[LettinGo]

do you know for a fact that sleepiness is not a sympton methadone use? I know it is hard to sleep during useage, tapering and WD or am I completely wrong? Thanks

[hellc@mst]

i dont know.Thats probably a good idea but im not comfortable advising you to tattle on your fiance.Dont they test him regularly neway.I think u said he has been on mdone 4 3 years.Does he still pik up daily or does he get wkly/monthly take homes.If hes on daily s after 3 years there is sumthing amiss me thinks.They normally keep people who dont play ball on a short leash.

[LettinGo]

The clinic probably won't divludge ant information regarding your boyfriend because of privacy issues but you could easiny tell them you suspect him of using soma, etc.

[sassypnksox]

he's at a new clinic now which sucks and he used to have take homes...but not in a while. and the reason for his dismissal from the old place is still sketchy

[wait2long]

his excessive sleepiness is because his dose is so high , he would be irritable,cranky and moody if he was tapering...hes not tapering, hes wasted

[hellc@mst]

in the SOWS list of opiate wd symptoms(this is the measure docs use to gauge wd severity)sleepiness is not mentioned.Insomnia is.That and personal experience suggests to me that this aint a product of wd.Having said that nothing is impossible just highly unlikely

[wait2long]

it sounds to me that they are all on extremely high dose and loving every minute of it, high doses of methadone do make you sleepy...zombie-like especially if mixed with soma's....i dont think they are doing their part by asking for dose to be lowered to where it should be...although i am not familiar with methadone clinic policies or procedures except they like to get your dose real high...

[sassypnksox]

it sucks cause he really looked good for like a week,but now it's getting worse.  i keep telling him i won't go through it again...but i love him...we have two kids and he truly is a wonderful person.  and i am around him all day...it's just so hard to think anymore

[sassypnksox]

i know he's been tapering cause i talked to his councelor often and wouldgo to some sessions

[LettinGo]

Does the clinic he goes to also have counseling? If so, ask if he would be willing to include you in it, that way you could then ask questions directly to staff at the clinic.

[sassypnksox]

yes, but only once a month as opposed to weekly

[wait2long]

is his counselor in charge of his methadone dose?   how would his counselor know what his dose is??