my girlfriend is on methadone and i hate it

[dyne57]

i've been with my girlfriend for over a year now only to find out she has been addicted to opiates.  when we first starting dating i liked her a lot.  i started to notice that she would nod off on short car rides and every time we tried watching a movie.  i tried to ask what was wrong, i thought for sure she was high but she convinced me that she had problems with her white blood cell count and that was the cause of her tiredness.  i starting telling her she was full of it and she got defensive so i just tried to accept it.  well for about nine months im pretty sure she was just maintaining her addiction with mehtadone pain killers and other pain pills....what ever.  then about two months before she got on a methadone program she starting shooting a ton of heroin.  i didnt notice much difference when she starting shooting but that finally lead her to get on methadone maintance.  she has been on the program for about three months and is stable at 90mg.  the problem is she will go to bed around ten and get up at 830 to get her meth and throughout the day she needs like three more hours of naps or she will get spacey.  its like as soon as she comes home from doing something she lays on the couch and sometimes she will literally fall asleep in 1 minute.  we went to the gym the other day and when we got home we ate and she passed out shortly after.  i dont know if any one works out but usually after a workout it can be difficult to sleep within like two hours minimum.  you know, your body gets all fired up and stuff and has to wind down for a couple hours.  well not her, she was asleep not even 40 minutes later.  at church ive watched her struggle to get a piece of gum out of the pack and into her mouth because she kept nodding off.  she passes out sitting upright all the time, with her chin in her chest.  she'll say "lets watch a movie" and 90% of the time she's out in the first 15 minutes.  she kinda acts the way she always acted but is is doing more positive and consistent things with her life.  enough that i dont think she is using.   at times she seems perfectly normal and thats when i get so happy but it doesnt last long.  i feel like im always judging her but i just get so let down when i make a comment or say something funny only to find out she's not listening.  she's not real adamant about meetings but she goes to some, not 90 in 90 thats for sure.  i hate methadone.  reading about all the damage it does and the depressing side effects why would some one want to go on for years tapering and dealing with withdrawl.  why not just get it over with and hit the 90 in 90 or whatever it takes.  i am a recovering addict also march 28 06....not opiates.  i shot herion often i just would always rather shot some crack when money was tight.  i am trying so hard to support her but i dont think i can take it much longer.  i feel like i am getting 50% of her.  and its like she giving some effort but not the same effort as someone who is scared to death of using again and will do what ever it takes to be sober.  i tell her if she had been going to meetings everyday maybe she would be ready to start tappering,  its been three months and im trying not to encourage her to tapper but i definitly want her to.  is the methadone causing her to need 13-14 hours of sleep a day?

[gnarly_1]

hi welcome to the forum...wow ive so been there and done this with
your girlfriends symptoms ...I spent 6 1/2 yrs on methadone for pain
management and would also nod off in the middle of something ,often
something I realy wanted to do....my wife got so concirned that she wanted me to see a dr about it thinking I had some sort of sleep disorder. I was at 150mg and it happened often but over the last 8 1/2 mo ive tapered off and got 7 days clean today...first off ,if its working properly you dont dose off I think her dose like mine is/was to high
most people do fine on maintenance at around 40 or 50 mg so see if
she would be willing to taper down some..that should help out alot
second ...I would strongly recommend tapering compleatly  off
life is so much better without the fog methadone puts you under
be supportive to her it is a real SOB to get off of...but the longer she is on it the worst it will be so incorage her to do it soon...
also tell her about this forum it was huge support for me and theres at least 4 people I know and am trying to help get off methadone
right now so she would be in good company with no one judging her also there is lots of people that have made the journey back to help out those that are trying...when i first started coming here all i did was read ..but it was really therapeutic to just do that ..it took a good 3 weeks b/4 i got up and actually posted somthing and im so grateful to all the wonderful people in here that helped me get threw this and I still come here for support so try to get her on here it will help with her recovery ..all I can say to you is hang in there there is hope she can get clean its just going to take the will and some time but you will get your girlfreind back .....best of luck Gnarly            

[Lisa034]

Oh my god.  I think you took this story out of my brain.  That was exactly how I acted when I was on 110mgs of methadone.  I slept all the dang time.  I could not sit still for more than two mins or I was nodding off.  Its not a full sleep though.  Its like I am asleep but I can hear eveything around me.  Its not full REM sleep.  I dont know it might not make sense to somebody that has not gone thru it.  She is on way to high of a dose if she is sleeping this much. When I first started methadone I was on 110mgs and slept all the time.  I have been comming off methadone for about the last month or so.  I have noticed that as I lower my dose I sleep less and less. Gnarly is right I think to mantain she will prob only need to be at 40 or 50mgs.  I am now on 40mgs and I only sleep at night. I know for a fact my dose was toooo high because I have not felt any wd at all going from 110mg to 40mg. And I have come down prettty fast. (3-5wks) If she does not have chronic pain she needs to start tappering.  I think she just needs to use the methadone as a bridge going from using to in recovery and not using.  Please ask her to start weening off the done.  Everybody is different, the best method is 10% every 72hrs.  Some people think that is too fast and they only do like 1-5mgs every two wks or so.  However she does it, she just needs to start.  Try to get her on this site.  We will help her without judgement.  We can support her in a way that you may not be able to because we know exactly what she is going thru.  You are a good man and she is very lucky to have you, I hope you stand by her.  Keep posting and asking questions we are here for you both.
Good Luck
Sending our love and prayers your way
Lisa
Jacksonville,FL

[kiylen]

I completely agree with gnarly and Lisa034.  She is on way too high of a dose.  She is exactly how I was when I kept going up and up.  She's replacing the herion addiction with the methadone addiction and trying to get high off of it.  It's not meant to get you high, it's just meant to keep you from having withdrawals from herion or whatever drug.  As long as you are not having withdrawals, you are at a stable dose.  You're not supposed to feel high or sleep all of the time.  I know, I've been there.  I feel for you and her because it's not easy.  We all will be here for both of you and not to judge or tell you what to do but try and give advice because we have ALL been there.  I will pray for you guys and please keep us posted.