getting off methadone

[concernedhusbandxxx]

my wife has tried for  2 years to get off methadone....the clinic she goes to now are taking her down 5mg a week...shes seems to be going though alot of withdrawals and its only her second week of coming down...she was at 75mg and now at  65mg...can anyone tell us what to do about her withdrawals..

[addiction777]

my top dose was 120 mls and I went down 20mls at a time sometimes and didn't feel a thing so everyone must be different, I only started to notice WD once I got to around 15 mls, I found anytime I noticed WD I asked the doctor to skip going down one week and would seem to level off that following week, maybe try a see if she can go down every other week! I had 6 carries and would spilt my does in half when I got down past 30 to keep it from wearing off before I went to sleep!!

[VICourageous]

Hi..You said she was in a clinic and getting Methadone..Was she on another drug that they used to help her come off of?? You got some great advise from the above posting..We all were on the Methadone..I however got myself down from a Very High dose to 30mgs..I was on this for about 12 years with 2 other meds..I did go c/t and it was not easy...Like they said Slow & Easy..But if she is tired of it she can jump off the Boat at Anytime..Opiates usually will not harm you but a benzo/alcohol should Not be c/t..If she tapers her w/ds should be less Tense and not as Long..Methadone has long legs which means it does take awhile to get out of the body do to it being so synthetic..I would high recommend that she does come on here herself..Tell her not to fear the w/ds..They are so short lived compared to the years we used..We have alot of experienced people on here in many, many areas that can help her step by step to pull through this..OK
Bless..
vickie

[EvolverU]

I couldn't agree more with Jenelle2020. Slow and easy wins the race when it comes to Methadone. If she's experiencing w/d's at that high a dose you might want to ask the clinic to do what's known as a 'peak & trough' to see if your wife is a rapid metabolizer. I was and they split my dose. So, I'd take half in the morning and half at night. It really helped while I was going down. Everyone's different though. It takes more than a week to stabilize on a five milligram dose, usually - (though, they might claim differently. Remember, they don't have to take it!) So, she might ask them to take her down at 3 or even  2 mgs. every couple of weeks.
It might also be psychological - due to anxiety about tapering. I've seen that, too. I don't know if they still do blind detoxes but that might help if this is the case. Either way, she shouldn't be uncomfortable or it won't work. Why not get your wife to come to the site with you? It might reassure her and give her the support she needs. It'll show her that it's possible - something that isn't at all apparent when you're in a clinic! Thanks for reaching out. I wish you both the best. We're here.

[Jenelle2020]

Hello there concernedhusband, unfortunately methadone is one of the hardest drugs to come off of, it stays in your system for a long time and has a long half life. I came off it very slowly and I am fine. Going down 5mgs/week is tough and I can imagine she is having a hard time with it. It may be a good idea to talk to her doctor and ask for some Clonidine, it helps quite a bit with withdrawals. There are other things that make withdrawal a bit easier and they are things from the Thomas recipe which you will find at the right hand bottom side of this page. I am sure that others will weigh in and give you some better information. I withdrew long and slow and did not really suffer any withdrawal that is worth mentioning. I wish the both of you the very best with this, it is definitely not easy. I am open to to private message if you wish. Take care!