How low do people think I should wean before going off Methadone completely ?

[debsgotcurves]

I've been on methadone for 5 and a half years. I was as high as 550mg daily. Not a misprint or typo, 550mg.  Six months ago I starting weaning down. Quickly at first, now more slowly. I am now at 140mg and plan to drop 20 mg a week. Not sure how it will go. I am already experiencing w/d's. Mostly stomach cramps and itchy, but  am DONE!!!  I am determined to be off in a few weeks.  If I am already starting withdrawl, when should I stop weaning and just quit?  I know no one can give medical advice, just looking for some experienced answers. Thanks.  
(Tired of being DEBSGOTCURVES)
wanna go back to
DEBS HOT!

[1sorryperson]

bump!!!

bbl

[weaver71]

I tried to jump at many dosages over the years. I ended up using subs for 20 days to get past the acute withdrawal. I wouldn't suggest that plan for methadone. Knowing what I know now, I'd taper real slow to nothing, without subs. I had a good 3 months of fairly intense WD and felt good in about 6 months. Had I tapered down, The symptoms would likely not be as bad. Duration is the killer, it takes so long for it to leave your system it takes a while for natural brain chemistry to kick in. I know you are anxious to be done, but the euthdrawal seems to linger at any dose one quits. I think the taper reduces the severity. I support you either way. I chose to do it the hard way, and it worked, but barely. No matter how you get clean, I'm cheering for you.

[VICourageous]

Your Welcome Deb..I am so glad that you will have the time at home to detox..There is so so so much you can do to help yourself..Yes just hang in with us. I already had 3 months in before I joined but this site is a big Blessing for me..You will get to know people who really care..Shoot I go to both AA/NA and this site shows so much Love & Support more then anywhere else.I even got #s from some of my Buds I call on a regular basis for extra support..Reach out and they will zoom in..Also we get a little silly on here in our own Journals or Status. Over on the right you will see what is going on in the recent activity..Plus this site has alot more communities and information you can study. It has been a life savor for me..Stay with us and jump on the band wagon..we all are in this together.
vickie

[debsgotcurves]

Awesome!  Thanks for the input. The one advantage I guess I have is I don't have to go anywhere. The kids are on summer break, and I don't work bc of disabilities. So I am taking the next few weeks to keep weaning down my dose. I really am so glad to find this site as I have no family (other than my kids). But no grownups to help me. I know the support is invaluable. Thanks for yours it means so much!!  I will keep posting.
Debs

[digger1976]

i went from meth to subutex about 3 month ago but i had spent a couple of years on the go go juice and hated every minute of it. i was only on 80ml to start with so nothing in comparison to yourself, managed a slow reduction to 40 and jumped to subs which is about a 5 day tussle which wasnt fun but managable. im 9 days into my wd from subs now its hard but if you want it enough you can do it.
dont know if its the same for you but methodone just made me depressed, just real low.
anything is possible it just takes patience is all. best thing is to open and honest and seek good quality profesional help.
all the luck in the world on your journey...

[VICourageous]

Good Morning and Welcome..We have alot of us on here that came off the Methadone. I too was on the other opiates in the 90s but I made the choice to go up the latter to the Methadone. This was about a 12 year ride..Got my self down to 30 but was running short and stated to add the adderral with it and snorting it too! Not Good! Took a benzo at night to come down. I stared to go up & up again..SO I did get back down to 30mg and went c/t from all 3 meds at once. I will tell you that the dones were a whole other animal to detox from. I do know a lot of people on here did do a slow taper but they still experienced the same stages of w/ds but not as intense..It also has alot to do with age because when you are younger you can bonce back better..Just stay with us and we will help you step by step..Try to get down as low as you can..OK You are working with the Dr and that is really good.. You can PM me anytime. This way we can talk private. Just hang on and take it as it comes..It will get better Physically but you might have some Mental Yo-Yo times.I am days away from 9 months and I am no spring chic either..You will be just fine..Glad that you want your life back too!
Bless

[ColleenToQuit]

You currently pay $400/month for methadone treatment?!  The Suboxone doctor I went to only charged me $270/month, and it's not as difficult to get off of as methadone or so I've heard from those who have tried to detox from methadone and couldn't then switched to Suboxone.  If you shop around for Suboxone doctors there are some out there that charge a lot less.  I used to go to one that only charged $150/month but quit going there because I didn't like how she wanted to keep me on it long-term.

Also, if you start Suboxone and limit your time on it to just a month or so, your withdrawals will still be less than that of methadone withdrawal since methadone is a full opiate agonist whereas Suboxone is a partial opiate agonist which leads to lesser withdrawal symptoms.  Plus there are certain medications that are pretty cheap and generic that you can take to combat the withdrawal, and that includes the methadone withdrawal if you are concrete on sticking with it.  Just try to exercise even if you feel like crap to boost your natural endorphins, and take lots of vitamin B12 for energy.  

And if you decide to go cold turkey you should look up the Thomas Recipe, although I would ignore the recommendation of taking Imodium to combat the diarrhea some people get while going through withdrawal as this is the body's natural reaction to withdrawal for a reason.  Plus Imodium is an opiate derivative that can't cross the blood brain barrier, so you don't get the euphoric effect of an opiate, but I still wouldn't risk taking an opiate derivative for opiate withdrawal.

[debsgotcurves]

I have studied the idea of sub, but its even more expensive than methadone. I am now a single mom on disability and really close to eviction already. Plus, all I keep reading is how hard it is to get off that! There are literally thousands of posts here about it. I've had 16 surgeries. That's how I got so immune to pain pills. I went for "help" to get off the opiates and they got me addicted or immune to  methadone.  I don't want any more drugs. I just want OFF THE ROLLER COASTER! I am not anxious about it, I just kind of want to get to it, and get through the wd's and be finished.  Thanks Colleen for your answer, was wondering if anyone was going to comment.

[debsgotcurves]

yes I have. He suggests going down only 10mg per week, but it was just too slow. Much of this is mental, and I am just sooooo done with all of it. I have come down from 550 which no one said wold be possible. I know I can do it. I have complete faith. I can't afford the $400 a month any longer anyway. It has to end.  Thanks

[ColleenToQuit]

I have never been on methadone, but I've heard the withdrawals are really painful.  Some people switch to Suboxone to continue their recovery because the withdrawals of Suboxone are supposed to be a lot less intense.  If I were you I would look into this form of treatment and see if it could be right for you.  Plus on the upside, you don't have to continually go to the methadone clinic daily.  With Suboxone you start out by going weekly for about 4 weeks to adjust to the dosage, and then you start going monthly.  

I understand you want to be done, but putting a time limit on yourself will just make you anxious, and if you can't complete your goal within the timeframe you've given yourself you may end up feeling like a failure and lose confidence in your ability to get off opiates.  This happened to me when I was trying to get off opiates myself.  I felt hopeless for a while, and then I finally gained my confidence back and was patient with myself.

Good luck, and hang in there.  I know you can do it! --Colleen