methadone withdrawals&PAWS

[sarach]

Is there any way that I can hold down my full time job and detox off methadone.I have heard about suboxone,but can I take it and manage to work also?Will withdrawals be so bad that I can't work even with the sub.?How long will PAWS last? I feel like i am doomed no matter what I do.I do not get my methadone from a dr.

[sarach]

I have been on methadone for 6 yrs. I have tapered down to 20mg. per day the past mo.

[nogie1717]

Suboxone will help you through withdrawals of Methadone.  Talk to a sub doctor and if you plan to be done, like IBK said, then you will likely be on for a month or so.

I came off of Methadone and can tell you it is hell.  I was given Subutex in treatment, but was taken off of it after 10 days.  I had acute w/d for another 2 weeks or so.  You would have to be a very strong person to w/d and go to work.  You are on a manageable dose of Methadone (recommendation for switching to sub is 30mgs or less) but you will still have to wait 72 hours between your last dose of Meth before taking the Suboxone.

What strength were you on before tapering and what were you on for, if you don't want to share here you can PM me.

[nogie1717]

One more thing, Suboxone won't make you high like Methadone can, but you will feel its effects.  I was tired for the first couple weeks on Suboxone, 8mgs a day.  I was still able to work, however.

[sarach]

I get my methadone off the streets so to say.I was taking 60mg.per day,then tapered my way down to 50,40 ,30 then 20.

[sarach]

If I go to a Dr. is there any way he would let me taper or will he insist I go on Suboxone since I am not prescribed methadone?

[nogie1717]

Have you looked into any Sub doctors in your area?  Google it and you will find the site at the top.

As I alluded to in my earlier post, Methadone w/d's last a long time.  If you have more of a struggle than you can handle, it is likely that you could relapse.

Do you still have contact with your "people" on the streets?  If you are serious about quitting, cutting ties with your suppliers is a must.  From experience, many months down the road they could come up to you with a good deal and you think, "What the heck, just one more time."  One leads to two and soon you are back in it.

[nogie1717]

There are some doctors with compassion that might help you, but it is illegal to detox a patient in a clinic, particularly if they weren't getting the pain meds from the clinic.  They might offer you clonodine and maybe a benzo to help you sleep.

This is a common drug seeking method and many doctors are wary.  But like I said, some doctors will help.  I had a friend who had a doctor detox him off of morphine with methadone, but it is illegal, at least here in South Dakota, but I think it is a federal law.

[wait2long]

yes, nogie your right...doctors are bound by federal law to treat addiction with any type of opiate, unless your a chronic pain patient, then they can say they are treating your pain,
Sara,
your in the same exact boat i was in, i got my methadone from a friend, i was on 20 mgs a day...i went on suboxone, it was a tough transition, but only like 2 or 3 days where i felt bad, by the 4th day i was well, not great, but ok..it is much harder to go from methadone to suboxone because of the half life of methadone, it stays in your system forever it seems...if you are going to do a taper or cold turkey, its not fun and its hard, up to 6 weeks of being quite ill, and then you have the PAWS to contend with...i couldnt do it, if you MUST work, then you should look into suboxone...you would only need 3-4 days off from work and then you would be ok to return, in most cases anyway.
but you do have to be in withdrawals before you even take that first dose of sub...i waited 5 days from my last dose of methadone before i took my first dose of sub, and i was still put into precipitated withdrawals...so this is the only part that is difficult, making sure your sick enough to take that first dose...but it does work...and because your on methadone, you would have to stay on the sub for what i would recommend from my experience at least 6 weeks...but the longer your on it, your chances of success go up...78% success rate for long term maintenance on suboxone.
but this is your decision to make, no one elses.
i have alot of information in my profile on sub...the best is the tip 40 sheet, its a pdf file and long, but worth the read if you are seriously thinking of this as an option...do your research and learn all you can before you make this decision...GL!!!

[sarach]

Thank both of you so much for all the information. I really appreciate it!

[Victim of Surgery]

I used suboxone to get off of hydrocodone. Now I'm trying to get off the suboxone. It definitely helped me get through the w/d from the norcos but, since suboxone is also an opiate, I'm now going through w/d from that. No matter what you do, tapering will make it better. Although, it will take much longer. I went from two .5mg suboxones to one, then a half and then a quarter, which is only .125mg once a day. I did the half for a week and tried to stop, but got w/d. Then I did the quarter for 2 weeks and last Thursday was my last one. I thought it would be easy but it's NOT. I'm nauseous, headache and have those horrible body spasms that keep me from sleeping. I'm on day 4 and I'm still sick.
While I don't know how suboxone works for methodone addiction, I know that suboxone is tricky stuff and you shouldn't do it without a doctor. Just shop for one and be honest. If they treat you like a crimnal, look for another. I'm on my third Pain Mgt doctor but I live in a big city with lots of choices. There IS a doctor out there who will help you.

[orangefyre]

I have been clean of Methadone for over a year now, but the memories of it are so very vivid in my mind. If there is ANY WAY you can take off work for at least a week, that would be beneficial to you.
PAWS however is a different event all together, but keep in mind that everyones body reacts differently to withdrawals. PAWS took about 7 months all together, and then one day I woke up and noticed...I was NOT pushing myself anymore. WOW when did that happen, it kinda snuck past me. I had made it.
I have been lurking around for sometime, and have used this forum as a reminder of the obvious. You guys STILL help me, and you don't even know it...so Thank You, ALL of you for being here for each other.
I'm living proof that it CAN be done!

[sarach]

thanks for the info!

[sarach]

thanks for the info!

[sarach]

I can take a week off if it's absolutely necessary and apparently it will be! Did you work while you were experiencing PAWS?

[orangefyre]

Yes, I did. I planned my w/d down to the hour. I did it over my Christmas vacation from work. I had off from Dec 21st to Jan 3rd. I hadn't taken anything since Dec 19th, so by the 21st the Methadone was all out of my system. I'm not much for sugar coating things because I feel you should be ready for anything and everything that you will go through. PAWS is mild, compared to w/d. You can function through it. You will have to push yourself everyday.
Do you have something in your life that is MOTIVATING? Something to focus all these miserable feelings on? Like, for me, I quit for my Daughter, mostly. I used her love to get me through it. Do you have anything like that?

[sarach]

Unfortunately, I have no children but I do have my mom. I love her very much and I am sure she would be devastated if she found out.  

[orangefyre]

Oh sweetie, your in a tough position then. She doesn't know? So, you are getting all of your support from the forum, ok. That's good, the forum is the BEST. You are in the right place to make it work for you. I don't know if you can email me but, I will try 2 b creative. My email is through comcast, comcast is a dot net server. my user name is passion8lyfe. I dunno if you will be able to see any of that...but I would LOVE to talk to you, that is if you want to. I've been there and done this already maybe I can help you, too. God, I would LOVE to help every1, but thats impossible.

[orangefyre]

passion8lyfe"at"comcast"dot"net

[mylilman]

sorry to but in but i was wondering what is paws that is being talked about i know thats a stupid question but im just checking out all the withdrawels from hydros a person can have any info for me please