First day of Methadone Intake in the morning, SCARED and curious

[EmeraldEyesNJ]

Hi everyone.. I am honestly hoping that someone would read this and reply. So here goes, I am going to begin Methadone Detox/Treatment tomorrow morning for intake. I was told this is a counseling session, bloodwork, etc. i have no idea what to expect, so if anyone who has been though this before could help me easy my fears I would appreciate it more than you could know. Are they going to begin me on treatment tomorrow? Or am I going to have to wait until who knows and go into withdrawl and stuff...

[Tallullah73]

Wow, its just tragic to hear about others' suffering.  I am so fortunate that I have never experienced any of these negative effects of methadone.  I had a clinic, a counsellor and a doctor who is an addiction specialist, and community methadone dispenser, combined with a supportive family & partner and I have only found methadone to have benefitted me by allowing me to set up a foundation from which to continue to build on my sobriety.

I had also been through the wringer with drugs and medication and I credit my recovery to the methadone.  I couldnt have done it without it.  As we are all unique, it is impotant to remember that different programs work for different people, and as so many people on this site seem to wish that they had been prevented from taking the methadone, I on the other hand, wish that I had been introduced to it much earlier, rather than go on the wild goose chase in search of being clean that I had to go through.

Whichever route one chooses, I think its important to stay focused on the one goal, which we all share, of eventually being clean from drugs.

Godspeed xx

[quadracersteve]

    I totally agree w/ gnarly_1, and everyone else that says "don't do it". I'm in the middle of the worst detox w/drawals I've EVER been in and it's all from methadone. I kicked a 3 gram a day habit of heroin and it was NOTHING like this. I only joined because a "friend" said that methadone will help you " not think of getting high". That's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, he never told me about the detox, because he NEVER could do it. Kept going back to H. Unlike Gnarly_1 who went through 8 1/2 months of hell(and that was just the detox part of it), I'm going on 1 1/2yrs of hell (detox only. I've been there for almost 5 years now,( nice, huh?), with another year to go, at least, and believe me, I'm not bragging.
    Unless you've been trying to kick a habit for a long time and can't, don't go this route. There are too many things out there to help you (nutrition is HUGE), and you'll find a lot of it on this site, plus people who genuinely care and want to help you. You're not gonna find that at a "clinic". Plus there are NON-ADDICTIVE meds that will help tremendously with the w/drawals.
   With methadone, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, you just can't see how far away it is. It could be 8 1/2 months, or 2 1/2 yrs, or you could become a "lifer", who makes it down to a certain point, but can't make it any lower, so they raise their dose and stay for "life". I know a lot. Most peple can't even believe I would even try detoxing again, and the clinic won't help you with that UNLESS you run out of $, then they just drop your dose FAST. That's all the help you'll get, and unless you get lucky, most of the councilors are useless. I use to bring in info I found on the intenet that they never heard about. Nothing like counciling your councilors. It's a joke.
    If you have a job, fake a flu and get good friends and family around you for a couple weeks, explain your situation, and let them be your "slaves" until you kick this. If you need some persuasion, google methadone detox w/drawal symptoms, and hand them the PAGES of side-dffects, and give them a copy. That should do it.
   Unless you're going to lose your job, family, house, etc, DON'T go this route. I so wish I didn't. Even if you do hop on the done, once you get down to the low levels, the w/drawals are almost as bad a going CT, just a LOT LONGER. It'll take you the same amount of time going from, say, 80mg to 20mg as it will for you to go from 20mg to 0mg. The lower the dose, the harder the w/drawals.
    People always try to compare heroin w/drawals to a REAL BAD case of the flu. Well methadone is that, x's 10, and instead of 2 weeks of hell, depending on your dose of meth, you get anywhere from 1 to 2 yrs of w/drawal symptoms. Plus, methadone gets into your liver, kidneys, pancreas, fat cells, and bone marrow, so it takes forever to get it out of your system, nevermind the massively long half-life. Worst of all, you don't even know what you're dose will need to be, and they'll keep pumping that crap into you, and most clinics don't even care how high you go, and the ones I've gone to don't help w/ any sort of payment plan. The first place was, pay in full by Friday or we detox you 5mg a DAY. This one I'm at now takes cash ONLY, $15.00 a day or NO dose. They don't detox you, they just stop "serving you", CT.
    This is my opinion only, but this stuff shouldn't even be legal. Everyone would be better off kicking CT, whatever their opiate of choice was/is. I don't care if your habit was 3 grams of h a day of 5 or 6 80mg oxy's. Two or even three weeks seems like a long time to detox, but when I add all the time up I've spent in clinics,( 9 years total), my entire life has been put on pause. I actually wish I could be back in bed, curled up in a ball, going through w/drawals from heroin instead of this journey. I'll be up @ 2;30am, on this site, just to make a 24hr day not feel like 1 month. Oh, good luck finding a dr. once on this. My PCP dropped me once he heard I was on methadone, and I can't find a dr. that will take me, nevermind a dr. with methadone exp.
    THINK LONG AND HARD!

[Tallullah73]

Thinking of you...be proud of yourself for doing something pro-active.

Lots of love xxx

[badshadow]

Like you or someone said, there is alot of controversy around Methadone.  I've heard some people say it "saved their life," but they will never get off, because getting off Methadone can be really hard.

My Brother tried Methadone and for him it was a total nightmare.  He couldn't get stablilized on a dose, was always "nodding off," plus you have to be there at the crack of dawn more or less to get your dose every day.

After trying it for a few months, he went into a Detox Program that took him off it in a week.  His withdrawals were so bad he used to feel like jumping out of a window.  It took him a year to get over the withdrawals.

I agree with the others that to approach this with extreme caution, or you can find yourself going from the Frying Pan into the Fire.

[pillfree21]

This is one of those things that you can only learn through experience, but I hope and pray for your sake that you really read and consider the comments of the people on this thread.  I had a Lortab habit of 8-10 pills daily (off and on for 4 years or so) and I ran into a point where I wanted off but just could not face the music.  After consulting with a Dr., I decided to try the methadone route and was lucky to refuse being overdosed and stayed around 20 mg at the most, for over 1.5 years.  Although at first it appeared to be a saviour and in many respects it was for me, it allowed the immediate ability to function and regain some sense of direction in my life.  But very deftly (just like the pills) it became a crutch and a replacement for the pill addiction.

I am on Day 8 of methadone withdrawal and I tell you that is a complete ride through h----, I am not trying to scare, but I just fell compelled as part of my healing process to try and help those that are coming after me.  I know you can not truly feel what we are saying, because I had to see for myself, but I really wish I would have logged onto this site and did some sense thinking before just running into the arms of methadone.

With all that said and in consideration that you are already in, my advice would be to truly use it as method to get clean which means realizing that you are still going to have to pay the piper in the end and the longer it runs, the higher the price.  I wish you the best, I do not even know you, but I just felt compelled to let it out.  Good Luck and God Bless You.  Stay on the site, this is fantasic resource.

Pillfree in GA

[IBKleen]

Good Morning!

I was so hoping after talking with gnarly that you would reconsider. You are so young and just starting your career...life. I very much want to see you get clean and healthy. I just wish you would have done more research and listened to the members who have been there. My fear is that you think this is the only way and you are jumping into this because you are afraid of the physical withdrawal process and you were told this is the answer.

Well, I am rambling and you are already gone. I wish you the best and hope you use the program to help your recovery, meaning I hope you get counseling and utilize any other care that is offered to you.

Please let us know how you are later.