Best advice for beginning a methadone detox from 60 mg for 15 years?

[dmarie105]

I have been on 60 mg of methadone (maintenance) for about 15 years. To be honest I never considered getting off before, but now I just want to be done with going to the clinic every 4 weeks, paying for it & being under the clinic's control.  I was a heroin addict when I stated but haven't used in all these years. I am only still on the methadone because i am terrified of withdrawal.  What is the best way to start to detox?  How many mg down over how many days?  Is there any natural aides that can be used to help control the withdrawal?  I have no insurance & can not afford to miss work for this, but I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. I turn forty in the fall & really want to be clean by then. Can anyone recommend the best way for me to do this & be successful?

[steveo30]

no,5mg's is to much in a week  especially being on it for 15 years.i would to a very small taper,like 2 mg's a week.you need to taper slowly to avoid as much discomfort as possible.you said you have to work everyday and keep your life going,i hear ya there,most do.you may want to find a decent sleep med for awhile,trazadone works well for me but theres many out there,just be careful if you run across any benzos,they are very addicting.good luck.   steveo

[Holliee]

Good Luck to you!!!!! I to am on methadone and I wish you the best. If I was you I would go to the head nurse at your clinic and speak with her/him. I know that from my clinic you can go down 2mg a day till you get to zero then have some w/d.....GOOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES!!!!!

[handofdoom66]

let me start by saying good luck, i was on 120mg for 5yrs now im down to 2mgs,  i went down so so so slow its been 2 yrs to get to this point,my advise is dont set a date i have set and broke 6 dates ive learned the hard way i would  try and decrease my dose before the date got here and i would always have to go back up on my dose cause i went down too fast. this **** is do able if you can pay your monthly MMP  with no problem thats a big help my girlfriend pays for me (god shes good to me) i quit my job  and removed as much stress as i could from my life.i went down 5mgs a month down to 20mgs then i played it by how my body felt, all in all it wasnt that bad, compared to kicking in la county jail im so determined to do this, you have to listen to your body no matter what anyone says only You   now how much pain you can bear before you run back to the needle. once again my opinion is dont set dates in advance i know its hard not to but your body and mind are to different entities, listen to your body.  GOOD LUCK ITS F-ING DO ABLE  

[dmarie105]

I think that I'll try with 5 mg a week.  Thanks again for your time & advice.  I really appreciate it.

[mr.lucky66]

Yes 5 a week is more than slow enough. For me it never bothered me much at 5 per day until below 10 mg. Many people have done this and faster or cold turkey which I wouldn't recomend. When you get below 15 mg. then you start getting used to feeling the dose run out and halflife becomes less of a factor. You can go faster than you think but then slow down when you get really low. all the best

[dmarie105]

No, I said I started on a 28 day detox, but the clinic talked me into maintainence.  I go back to the clinic a week from thur. & I am going to ask about detox through my clinic, but I am not expecting much help from them. Do you think if I were to go down 5 mg a week I could still work everyday & sleep at night? That is my biggest fear, but I prefer not to do any other medications if I can help it. For almost  20 years, about 1/2 my life I have been on something, 1st heroin & now all these years the methadone. I just want to be off everything. Is 5 mg a week from 60 a good plan? I know that there is no way to this without some discomfort, I just want to be able to keep my life going in the meantime.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT, it is a scary thing to try & figure out on your own.  I am heading out the door, but I will look for your reply tomorrow - Thanks & Have a Great Night!!!

[mr.lucky66]

I didn't try to make it sound so easy to kick methadone, just to give hope. It ain't easy but the attitude you have makes a huge difference. Certian people can feel more symptoms than others  from their frame of mine.

From what you say, I think you can do it but you will feel weak for several months. I was on it for 6 years straight and know several people who were on it for 15 years or more and made it off. I'm not a big sub fan but in your case it might be something to check out. Meds like bentyl imodium and some sleeping meds can also help. I know you said you can't take clonidine but that's not a good drug to be on for long anyway. Let me know about this 28 day detox. Is it outpatient at the clinic?

[dmarie105]

Yep, and he makes it sound so easy, but he also mentioned he was only on (most recently for about 18 months). I have been religiously taking 60 mg of methadone a day for over 15 years, or since I was 24 years old.  To answer you questions, I am 39 years old & not sickly, but definitely on the this thin side.  I smoke too much & do not have the best diet.  I am extremely hyper, have been ever since I stopped doing heroin 15 years ago.  My friends/family insist I am too skinny & do not take care of myself like I should, and they are probably right.
If I were to detox slowly, like 5 mg a week, would I be able to work & sleep & concentrate? Or is that dragging it out? I can not trust advice from my clinic because they do not want me to get off, they have never suggested it or any type of therapy, they just care that I pay bill every month.   That is why I trying to seek advise from people like me - who know what I have been through & what I will go through.
I am not sure other medications are the way to go, because I was only on heroin for about 2 years & the medication I took for that (methadone) I have been on for 15 years.  Just like the dude in the video said, "putting out a fire with gasoline"  The last thing I want is to get stuck on something else.  But he did say that medications are helpful for long term users, which I guess is what I am, right?
I just really want to be clean by the time I am 40 next fall.  Would I have a better shot if I was in better shape?  I do really want to do it, but I am  scared of ever being sick like I was when I was using & tried to stop.  I've been researching for the last 2 weeks & I hear everything from flu like symptoms, to total misery.  Obviously if I was good at handling discomfort, I probably never would have become addicted in the 1st place.  I like the idea of being able to relate to someone who has been there & done it & succeeded.  Does the guy in the video have any others?

[mr.lucky66]

I need to know your age and general health. It can take months to get through it but it's not a horror show like some say. Meds can help but a positive attitude and faith are more important. did you see the video?

[dmarie105]

Thanks for the link - it is always helpful to see someone who has been successful. My concerns are linked mostly to the nightmare stories of I heard from others - none of whom actually got off the methadone. I remember when I was using heroin trying to kick it & spending a week in a hotel room constantly vomiting, suffering between constipation & diarrhea, UNABLE TO SLEEP (even after the withdrawal symptoms improved); unable to eat; feeling so weak that I could hardly stand; after 7 or 8 days of this I crawled on a bus and went back & started using again. Even in the hospitals I remember needing to be on an IV for dehydration & going through all of the same symptoms & then not even being able to take the clonidine the detoxes used because my blood pressure was too low. Then I am told that methadone withdrawal would take these symptoms & multiply their intensity 100 times & that they would last for 9 months to a year. I am also afraid that I won’t be able to continue working, which is the reason I went on the methadone in the 1st place & as a result I have held my job for 17 years now. Are these horror stories or the truth? I would seek out a doctor to assist me, but do not have insurance & my program offers no assistance in getting of the methadone. Actually I started with a 28 day detox which the recommended maintenance after & in all these years no there has ever even suggested I try to get of the methadone.  Thanks for your input - I really appreciate it.

[mr.lucky66]

Yes, I have advise and experience with this plaese check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxsvMUDcj4g  

If this linc doesn't work go to you tube go to punch in "getting off methadone"  Let me know your concerns . all the best