How can I withdraw from Methadone ?

[Saul]

I was sniffing heroin for 7 monhts and tried for 3 months to quit. I went to a detox doctor and got clonidine,some muscle relaxers and shots of buprenorphine. He said it did not come in a pill so I had to do the shots. I got the stuff and took it home but I was too terrified to take the shots.My fiance offered to inject me and I let her give me one of the 3 shots because I was so sick from the withdrawl. I went into a panic and have not been able to face another one. This is hard to explain but I have not had any medical work done in years that requires a needle. I guess it's a phobia. So I have these 2 shots left from January. I was able to get methadone under the table from my heroin supplier and have been on it for 2 weeks now and want to get off it really fast. It has helped me with the heroin which I had been on a small maintenance dose for a month. Since supply and cash were no problem maybe I should have just stayed on the heroin. Why don't they use morphine or just less and less heroin to detox from the heroin? I am having a hard time getting off this stuff. The cravings are really bad. Is there a way to stop them? This is the only reason I kept relapsing from the heroin. Will Naltrexone stop cravings? I wouldn't take that pellet from the doctor because if it doesn't stop the craving I'm afraid I might use and od. He didn't have an answer for this and said maybe I shouldn't get it afterall. I appreciate your help.

[lisa650]

Hi there, i hope you keep us posted as you keep on lowering your  dose.  I also have been on methadone before long term and 21 day detox. So r u going down 1 mgm a week?

[kalin]

I was a herion addict for over six years and a drug addict since I was 14. I tried many times to quit on my own, through countless rehab clinics, etc. Then two years ago I was desperate to stop and started in a metadone maintance program (wanted a metahdone detox program but wasn't available where I was living) Looking back I had been using drugs for so long that a 30-45 day detox program probably wouldn't have worked for me. I started on 40 mgs then eventually made my way all the way up to 100mgs. Well I was tired of being on drugs and yes methadone is still a drug. Its has many costs just as heroin,oxy,morphine etc. do. So I started tappering off going down 10 mgs every two weeks. I was on wafers so it was either 10 or 5 mg every two weeks. I decided to be brave and do 10mgs, and much to my suprise I felt ok. Now when i say ok I mean no heavy withdraw. Everything was going well till i got to about 30 mgs. So when i talked with my clinic they said i should consider staying on methadone at 30 mgs, like it was an impossible task to get off this sh*t, well obviously this isn't what i wanted and as much as i do believe they care for addicts and are aware of how to treat us but I also know Metahdone is BIG bussiness I paid $250 a month and know people who paid as much as $20 a day.So againist their advise I asked to be put on liquid methadone and went down 1mg every two days and have been doing well. I will say I have less energy towards the end of the day and can't sleep for 10 hours like I used to, I usually can't sleep past 6 am which is usually when I take my dose so that tells me it lasts less than 24 hours. I am on 12 mgs and am very happy I made the choice to stop.

[susanlea]

I just reread every posted comment on this thread. What a reality check, I posted a question a month  ago tomorrow. Guess what he's still getting methadone every 2 weeks from His Dr. only he's upped the dose. Still no program, clinics, sponsers, just his usual bottle of pills, there's no control over how much he takes, amazing a private physician can do this, just keeping him addicted. If he doesn't have to go to the streets, and it only cost him $5 a script, why quit!  love you guys, Susanlea

[susanlea]

It's Easter Sunday. I have noticed on the forum, several people are alone today. This is the first Easter, my children and I have been alone. He chose his addiction over us. It's been a month since he's been gone, I hope he's doing well on the methadone although he  takes as much as he wants. All the oxy's and methadone have made him angry and mean, all he wants is to be left alone, he wants no help or love.  We went to church today, it's been over 15 years since I've been, and I prayed and I prayed, and then someone said a prayer for those with addictions,and I felt so much peace. I finally realized I'm not alone, and It's time I took care of my children and myself and stop obsessing about him and his addiction.  May everyone out there have at least one day of peace....Love Susanlea

[siliconboy]

shttp://www.asktom-naturally.com/naturally/brain.html

Thanks for the kind words. You might want to check out the deal above. You are more than welcome to send whatever to whomever - I am humbled. My life is an open book - my mom has always said that I never met a stranger and I wasn't raised around secret keepers in spite of the alcohol and drugs. We are all the same here on the planet where all things are allowed. Some of us are a bit deeper emotionally or intellectually for genetic and environmental reasons but basically we all come to this gig alone, do what we can and leave it alone (by ourselves). I want to share a bit of love while I'm here. Capricorn and all that don't ya' know. I dragged my oldest son out of house almost two years ago and took him to rehab. It was along time in coming but his Mom - God love her - was his major enabler as she was mine when we were still married, and I didn't hold a chance in hell until she felt helpless. I had seen it when I came down from Portland and stayed with them for Christmas - 98. I told her when I left "when it got bad enough to call me". She called me in tears May 5th. I was on the plane the next day. It took me 10 days to track him down. His mother had put him in a rehab in Stockton where he met a 25 year old female in group that was a fellow crackhead and "doing" outpatient. Long story short - she had just inherited 2 million dollars, had a small mansion in a gated community and a brand new black Acura. Let's see now - he's 18 they are both physically geogeous into the same **** bla, bla, bla - what decision was there to be made here? Stay in rehab or jump and run. When I finally had the lawyers tell the hospital that if they didn't at least tell me this girls parents phone number they were looking at an ugly court battle we found him. He looked like he was almost dead. He told me that he had been parking on railroad tracks in the middle of the night he was so depressed. He stayed in rehab, went to a recommended halfway house for 6 months afterward and is now working and attending college. He is my shining light. I moved down here shortly after that because mom needs help with junior. She is far to sweet to deal with these knucklheads alone. This one has two daddy's to contend with. Me and his step dad whom I am very close too as well. This is another chapter that hopefully will shed some light on my concern for anyone going through addiction / recovery.
love and light Brighty
David

[Brighty]

Thank you for your candor.... I think it helps for us to know that there are real live people behind the monikers and first impressions are not to be held onto here. Everyone is the way they are for a reason. And most of us do have some deep hurts.
I am partaicularly grateful for your story because of my daughter's addiction. I want to understand and also know the mechanisms at work in the brain.

I would like to cut and paste your 2 complete posts above to my e-mail and send to a young man who is now on heroin... he began to e-mail me after coming to this board once or twice. I know he does not come here anymore....too much stuff to read through... so this may be something for him to read... that's all... it's a long process and good input with hope attached is not wasted in the long run. OK ??

Love, Brighty