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Methadone cold turkey!
Hi, my wife has been on methadone for about a year now for her codine addiction and has decided to go cold turkey.
Her dose has always been 27mg but she has just stopped rather than come down in dose first. Things have been fine until now, day 5. I really wish she would go back on it but she refuses too. She is suffering all the usual withdrawl symptoms but she is also hallucinating which is quite frightening along with threatening to take her life (which she has tried about 10 years ago). She refuses to seek any help and I just dont know what I can do for her? Is she peaking right now (or is this just the start?) and does anyone know how long this is expected to last? Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Her dose has always been 27mg but she has just stopped rather than come down in dose first. Things have been fine until now, day 5. I really wish she would go back on it but she refuses too. She is suffering all the usual withdrawl symptoms but she is also hallucinating which is quite frightening along with threatening to take her life (which she has tried about 10 years ago). She refuses to seek any help and I just dont know what I can do for her? Is she peaking right now (or is this just the start?) and does anyone know how long this is expected to last? Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Andy!
I've been waiting to hear how things went yesterday. So glad you wrote!
Uhhhh....did the gp know that your wife was talking suicide? If so, that doctor is contemptible. If not, she needs to be informed now. Going to be in and out on errands, but when I'm home I'll look for your posts. I am as worried for you as I am your wife.
I've been waiting to hear how things went yesterday. So glad you wrote!
Uhhhh....did the gp know that your wife was talking suicide? If so, that doctor is contemptible. If not, she needs to be informed now. Going to be in and out on errands, but when I'm home I'll look for your posts. I am as worried for you as I am your wife.
Ever thought about going to another dr for a second opinion? Follow your gut feeling...u know when something isn't right.
Hi.. Little update...
Things seem to be going ok I guess, well a far cry from how they were the other day, I know this is a good thing but can't help worrying it's too good to be true (just going from what I have read and seen for myself). My wife see's her gp on a regular basis and she is well aware of her history. Our visit yesterday was actually rather not how I expected it to be. Her gp seemed unfazed by anything I was saying, even to the point where I felt I was just being dismissed. Infact she was quite adamant that what my wife was doing was ok and she should carry on as she is. No mention at all of going back on to methadone. I have little faith in our local gp's so maybe I'm just being a little negative, I don't know? Anyway my wife came away happy as she had prescriptions for diazepam along with other things to help with her twitching legs and something to keep her off the toilet. Like I say things do seem ok or as good as I can expect them to be so fingers crossed it stays that way.
Thanks for listening, I know its brief but it does help.
Andy
Things seem to be going ok I guess, well a far cry from how they were the other day, I know this is a good thing but can't help worrying it's too good to be true (just going from what I have read and seen for myself). My wife see's her gp on a regular basis and she is well aware of her history. Our visit yesterday was actually rather not how I expected it to be. Her gp seemed unfazed by anything I was saying, even to the point where I felt I was just being dismissed. Infact she was quite adamant that what my wife was doing was ok and she should carry on as she is. No mention at all of going back on to methadone. I have little faith in our local gp's so maybe I'm just being a little negative, I don't know? Anyway my wife came away happy as she had prescriptions for diazepam along with other things to help with her twitching legs and something to keep her off the toilet. Like I say things do seem ok or as good as I can expect them to be so fingers crossed it stays that way.
Thanks for listening, I know its brief but it does help.
Andy
Hi, Andy---so glad to hear from you! I have been so anxious about you and your wife. I am very thankful that she will see the doctor today. Is there a way that you could speak to the GP privately to give him more info? With the time difference between the US and UK, she may have already had her appointment, but it would be a very good idea to give the GP as much of the backstory as possible. This is not violating her trust in any way, because in her current physical and mental state, you are her advocate. I'm so thankful she has you.
Please write again later and tell us how the doctor visit went. We are here 24/7 to help in any way we can. This forum is a great go-to resource for answers to any questions you may have, no matter how large or small--we also dispense friendship, sympathy, tough love when needed, and a strong sense of community. Talk to later, Andy---I'll be looking for your posts!Margaret
Please write again later and tell us how the doctor visit went. We are here 24/7 to help in any way we can. This forum is a great go-to resource for answers to any questions you may have, no matter how large or small--we also dispense friendship, sympathy, tough love when needed, and a strong sense of community. Talk to later, Andy---I'll be looking for your posts!Margaret
Andy, I understand where your wife is with this, even though I don't have methadone experience. Coming off a very high dose of opiates was enough for me. I'm glad she's better today but she really did quit her methadone at a way too high dose. I've heard of ppl stopping at a 1/4 of what she did and having terrible WD. It's good she is better, but I agree with gnarly. If she wont take the methadone in tapering amounts, she needs to go to the hospital. I believe it gets worse before it finally gets better so you don't want to take any chances with her suicide threats. Maybe her GP can convince her. Best of luck & please keep posting here, we all want to help you.
Thanks for the response, its quite overwhelming. I've convinced her to go and see her gp today but she is still adamant that she will not go back on it. Since yesterday she has calmed down quite a bit although I'm not expecting that to last. There has been no more rage or silly talk of suicide (thank god), which I believe was contributed from her stopping her antidepressants but I have managed to get her to take again. It's not the first time I've heard her talk like this and it's always been when she has stopped taking the antidepressants, and when I posted yesterday I was unaware that she had stoped them along with methadone. She smokes weed which is helping I guess and she has been trying to sedate herself on anything from nightnurse to valium just to try and sleep it off. Her main complaint at the moment is her legs twitching which hopefully her gp should be able to give her something for, I just hope when we are there she can be persuaded to go back on it but I've not got a good feeling about that :(
Thank you to everyone who has replied it's good to know people are there and we're not alone, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it and all the good you lot are doing. Will try and keep you uptaded, thanks again... Andy
Thank you to everyone who has replied it's good to know people are there and we're not alone, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it and all the good you lot are doing. Will try and keep you uptaded, thanks again... Andy
HI well I agree with the above posters 27mg is way to high to to jump from your talking about 2 to 3 weeks of acute withdrawal as for the psychosis you need to get her to an er thats not a normal reaction suicide is a real possibility from both the strong withdrawals as well as the psychosis so take her to the E/R this is nothing to mess with we have had members jump from this level and its neverb prity but your wife need professional help and NOW dont waitt till het threats of suscide come true keep us posted they will probably admit her to a phyic ward but it where she needs to be right now im all about home detox but this one has gone terably bad good luck and God bless.......Gnarly
Hi, there---so glad you wrote to us. This is an emergency situation! You cannot watch her 24/7; if she is suicidal, she can find a way to die while you're making a sandwich, that quick! Coming off cold from 27mg is very dangerous; she MUST taper off. Even the strongest, most motivated person in the world will go through hell coming off a dose like that. If she will not reason with you and says even one more time that she wants to die, she needs to go to hospital. Even if you have some methadone left to give her, it'll take awhile to kick in; meanwhile she'll be beside herself and you will be, too. Please keep us informed about how she---and you---are doing. We care.
Hi! She stopped at WAY too HIGH a dose. She will definitely not feel well!
She needs to go back on and taper slowly by small amounts until she's at a more doable stopping point. The hallucinations alone should make her want to do this.
Please tell her she MUST taper to a lower dose! Tell her not to be stubborn. If she goes to the ER they'll admit her to the psych ward and you don't want that...
Please post back to us...
She needs to go back on and taper slowly by small amounts until she's at a more doable stopping point. The hallucinations alone should make her want to do this.
Please tell her she MUST taper to a lower dose! Tell her not to be stubborn. If she goes to the ER they'll admit her to the psych ward and you don't want that...
Please post back to us...
I swear that calcium, magnesium, zinc vitamins help.....i've been taken 6 a day and I really think they are helping...I was on 90 mg for 7 yrs tapered dwn to 20 and i took 2 days of 10 mgs and said screw this...my family doctor just got his dea thing so he can prescribe suboxone....i didnt want to do that but i have a child i have to take care of and i relized real quick that i was not going to do well.......
Sorry forgot to address the suicide threat. Defintely very frightening especially if she already tried before. Does she have any methadone to dose with or does she have to go to a clinic? Please try to convince her to dose again.even lower and to taper. This is just the first day and it won't get any better for quite awhile
Sending prayers
Debbie
Sending prayers
Debbie
Thank you at the beach :) I knew someone with experience about methadone would be here soon :)
I'm sorry your wife is going thru this and you also. I have no experience with methadone but someone with some experience in this particular withdrawal will come along soon and help you out. If she is threatening to kill herself, I personally would get her to help asap. She is not thinking rationally right now.
Hello tapering would have definitely been the way to go.cold turkey from methadine is very rough. Methadones half life causes the delay of the withdrawals from 3-5 days affter the last dose. So its right on time. She is going to be sick for quite a few weeks usually at the very least. Halucinations,hhmmm. Not so good.
Immodium.hot baths with epsom salys.important to stay hydrated,apple juice,gatorage,water. Magnesium tabs for rls. Protein shakes.
If the hallucinations continue I would take her to the hospital. That just happened with someone last week and they put her in the psych ward for a week.maybe best if she starts back on a lower dose and tapers
God bless
Debbie
Immodium.hot baths with epsom salys.important to stay hydrated,apple juice,gatorage,water. Magnesium tabs for rls. Protein shakes.
If the hallucinations continue I would take her to the hospital. That just happened with someone last week and they put her in the psych ward for a week.maybe best if she starts back on a lower dose and tapers
God bless
Debbie
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