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Methadone withdrawal (low dose 3-mgs)
Hello! i've been on methadone for 12 years .On tues.feb,17, 2003 i took my last 3mg dose(liquid).prior to that date i have been having trouble sleeping for about two weeks. i have been reducing my dose over the last 16 months from 80 mgs daily.I am not afraid of the withdrawl but do not truly know what to except.the program i was on was about keeping people addicted not helping you get mentally or physically well.i.e(money).Can
anyone give me some additional information. Thanks alot.
anyone give me some additional information. Thanks alot.
One person I know got off of Methadone by returning to Heroin for several weeks, and then doing a different detox approach.
Thanks for the words of encouragement Sharon. I went back up to 7mg after the third day- somehow I have to find a way to do this a still function (kids, job, husband). I will try to even out for a day or two and go back down. I think what I miss most is sleeping until the alarm goes off. This early waking thing is for the birds, although it does give me some quiet time in the morning for thinking and praying.
Does anyone know how long it takes for the meth to stabilize after a dose is adjusted? I read one of the docs comments that said there is little physiological benifit to a dose of 5 mg of under. My body seems to be confirming that.
Well I made my choice and will stick to it, no matter how long it takes.
How's it going with you Sharon?
Has anyone out there tried Valerian and/or Skullcap to help with the withdrawl symptoms? The Tylenol PM helps me get to sleep but it would be so nice to not be up with the dawn everyday! I remember reading there was an Asian doctor several years back doing work on a natural elixir that would help with opiate withdrawls- anyone out there familiar with that guy (I can't remember his name)?
Does anyone know how long it takes for the meth to stabilize after a dose is adjusted? I read one of the docs comments that said there is little physiological benifit to a dose of 5 mg of under. My body seems to be confirming that.
Well I made my choice and will stick to it, no matter how long it takes.
How's it going with you Sharon?
Has anyone out there tried Valerian and/or Skullcap to help with the withdrawl symptoms? The Tylenol PM helps me get to sleep but it would be so nice to not be up with the dawn everyday! I remember reading there was an Asian doctor several years back doing work on a natural elixir that would help with opiate withdrawls- anyone out there familiar with that guy (I can't remember his name)?
Somebody help me, I missed my dose today and my muscles feel like they are expanding and contracting and it hurts like hell. I have missed a dose before with no problem, Why am I gettins sick so fast, I have chills, sweats, painful muscle spasms. What can I do to feel better till the clinic opens at 6?
Almost There:
Your story sounds so familiar, very much like my own. But you sound like you have the motivation to see this through. I wish and hope that all goes smoothly for you, you know as well as I do that it is a long, difficult and painful struggle, but the road to recovery is not that far away!!!
Anjl:
Take a long, hot & relaxing bath. (hot tub if you have one) Always helps me when I feel that way. For some reason, some days are worse than others. Many things in our bodies can trigger these symptoms, hormones,lack of sleep, vitamins, water, stress, I could go on & on... It will get better.
Sharon
Your story sounds so familiar, very much like my own. But you sound like you have the motivation to see this through. I wish and hope that all goes smoothly for you, you know as well as I do that it is a long, difficult and painful struggle, but the road to recovery is not that far away!!!
Anjl:
Take a long, hot & relaxing bath. (hot tub if you have one) Always helps me when I feel that way. For some reason, some days are worse than others. Many things in our bodies can trigger these symptoms, hormones,lack of sleep, vitamins, water, stress, I could go on & on... It will get better.
Sharon
I was feeling so isolated this morning and decided to try and find some advice on helping my body in reaching my ultimate goal of being Methadone free by May 13th (my 41'st) birthday. I am glad I found this site!
Like everyone else here an opiate (herion for me) addicition led me to methadone treatment many years ago. For the past 12 years I have been herion free. My life as an adult is full, I am very successful in my job, my children are growing up to be well adjusted adults (despite the challenges our family faced with two addicted parents), my marraige is still intact (24 years- he has been detoxing as well and asserts he is fine)- not too many people know that I am a Methadone Maintenance patient and have been for 12 years.
In September some law somewhere must have changed(does anyone know?), because I began hearing that Methadone clinics in my area would begin testing for pot. Until the testing was initiated in February I was a model patient, or at least considered so. I have used pot to relax and help me sleep, while enduring a slow detox (5mg a month, starting at 55 mg last year)- let me interject here that although I had signed a detox form in May of 2002 to have my dose reduced my clinic they had only reduced my dose 10mg over the past 12 months! (bastards really do want to keep you hooked, no doubt about it!)So I began detoxing myself (easier once dosage changed for liquid to pills).
I have been holding for the past 3 weeks at 10 mg and two days ago began taking only 5.
I have not been discharged or kicked out of my clinic- it was amusing to find out that 90% of the long term successful clients tested positive for THC when the first set of results rolled in a month ago! I have the option of returning to the clinic next Friday to pay my $110 and get another weeks fix, but I think that last Friday was it. I think I am done, I am tired of being treated like a criminal (although technically my pot use qualifies me as one), I am tired of urinating in front of strangers in bottles and I am very tired to talking to counselors who have no souls!
The worst part of this detox process is that I feel as though I an unable to experience joy anymore- I noticed that feeling at 10mg and now it is even more pronounced. The physical symptoms for me are archy legs, feeling anxious (reading everyone's posts actually made me accutely aware of my symptoms)and early waking (a Bendril before bed helps me to sleep). They are not quite as bad as I had anticipated, but I fear the last 5 mg drop a lot.
I wonder if anyone can tell me if depression is a symptom of withdrawl or an indicator of why I began sticking needles in my arms so many years ago?
Can any of the professionals out there suggest a way of finding psychiatric support from a doctor specializing in addiction? Over the years I have developed a deep seated mistrust for doctors of any type, as most addicts do. After watching the doctors physically tense up, close off their minds and hearts at the moment I confide what my history really is- I have given up any hope of having a regular doc for check ups and the like. But wonder if psychiatric treatment is something to consider.
To everyone else- especially you Sharon=- thanks so much for sharing your hopes and experiences via this forum. It is good to know I am not the only one suffering through the withdrawl of this "miracle treatment" that I was sold so many years (and trips to the clinic). I will continue to post as my future unfolds. If there are any couples out there that have done this together I'd love to hear about your oddessy.
Peace to all
Like everyone else here an opiate (herion for me) addicition led me to methadone treatment many years ago. For the past 12 years I have been herion free. My life as an adult is full, I am very successful in my job, my children are growing up to be well adjusted adults (despite the challenges our family faced with two addicted parents), my marraige is still intact (24 years- he has been detoxing as well and asserts he is fine)- not too many people know that I am a Methadone Maintenance patient and have been for 12 years.
In September some law somewhere must have changed(does anyone know?), because I began hearing that Methadone clinics in my area would begin testing for pot. Until the testing was initiated in February I was a model patient, or at least considered so. I have used pot to relax and help me sleep, while enduring a slow detox (5mg a month, starting at 55 mg last year)- let me interject here that although I had signed a detox form in May of 2002 to have my dose reduced my clinic they had only reduced my dose 10mg over the past 12 months! (bastards really do want to keep you hooked, no doubt about it!)So I began detoxing myself (easier once dosage changed for liquid to pills).
I have been holding for the past 3 weeks at 10 mg and two days ago began taking only 5.
I have not been discharged or kicked out of my clinic- it was amusing to find out that 90% of the long term successful clients tested positive for THC when the first set of results rolled in a month ago! I have the option of returning to the clinic next Friday to pay my $110 and get another weeks fix, but I think that last Friday was it. I think I am done, I am tired of being treated like a criminal (although technically my pot use qualifies me as one), I am tired of urinating in front of strangers in bottles and I am very tired to talking to counselors who have no souls!
The worst part of this detox process is that I feel as though I an unable to experience joy anymore- I noticed that feeling at 10mg and now it is even more pronounced. The physical symptoms for me are archy legs, feeling anxious (reading everyone's posts actually made me accutely aware of my symptoms)and early waking (a Bendril before bed helps me to sleep). They are not quite as bad as I had anticipated, but I fear the last 5 mg drop a lot.
I wonder if anyone can tell me if depression is a symptom of withdrawl or an indicator of why I began sticking needles in my arms so many years ago?
Can any of the professionals out there suggest a way of finding psychiatric support from a doctor specializing in addiction? Over the years I have developed a deep seated mistrust for doctors of any type, as most addicts do. After watching the doctors physically tense up, close off their minds and hearts at the moment I confide what my history really is- I have given up any hope of having a regular doc for check ups and the like. But wonder if psychiatric treatment is something to consider.
To everyone else- especially you Sharon=- thanks so much for sharing your hopes and experiences via this forum. It is good to know I am not the only one suffering through the withdrawl of this "miracle treatment" that I was sold so many years (and trips to the clinic). I will continue to post as my future unfolds. If there are any couples out there that have done this together I'd love to hear about your oddessy.
Peace to all
The wd I went through was when I was taking about 25 of the 10mg methadones a day. That was my 1st "encounter" with withdrawl and I really thought I was going to die. After that my family Dr. tapered me off at the rate of 1 pill per day less dropped every week. That worked to the point I went completly off of them. Wish I could say I was med free but as I have posted here somewhere, I am a mess again. Working on getting advise on tapering myself off OC and such. Hope this is answering what you asked. I'm probably not the best person to get advice from at this point but I will try to help however I can. Thanks,
-Sandus-
-Sandus-
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