Should I be worried?

[KiaKaha]

Well my hubby's had his last dose of methadone (1mg) today and from tomorrow no longer has to pick up from the pharmacy!  He's feeling really horrible. He's been taking benzos in the morning and at night plus non benzo sleeping tablets. Plus the vit B6 and imodium.
He's started drinking alot more alcohol the last few weeks...about half a dozen beers at least a day.. He says "it helps" but I'm worried...is he going to end up an alcoholic after all of this? I have such mixed emotions. On one hand I feel angry cos I'm scared he's going to end up with another addiction and we are so close to freedom from this whole nightmare journey. And on the other hand I know he's going through he!! and is just trying to get through this in one piece.
Am I over reacting, do I need to cut him some slack at least for the next few weeks?... or should I be concerned?

[worried878]

Is he receiving any type of aftercare?  meetings or counseling?

6 beers is not tremendous..but he is a prime place to bcome addicted to alcohol..i have seen alcoholics get addicted to pills in a heart beat...nicotine, alcohol , and narcs, benzos hit ifferent receptors but some r very much in common...nicotine hits more than alchol or narcotics/making it a tough habit to stop...but they all r...and staying on top of things is imperitive to recovery

i recently had some major stress/still do/in my life and i turned to alcool..caught myself bu i can see where i woulda sunk...like a ship with a hole in it...our coping mechanisms have to change..we can not run/escape everytime we feel bad...this part is tough//mehtadone wds r tough as well and last a while/what was his original dose?  what was he taking before the methadone or was it rx-d for pain?....he needs to get thru thismethadone wd//but coming out of it with an alcohol probem is not the goal...kinda like when a 60 mg hydro user switches to methadone or suboxone..another problem is not the goal

is he receiving any type of aftercare?

[KiaKaha]

He's been on the methadone programme for 2 years after an IV morphine habit.
He was injecting upwards of 100mg a day, he started on 65mg of methadone and has been tapering off since the beginning of this year under the care of the 'Community Alcohol & Drug Services' in our city. He's had alot of psychotherapy which seems to have been helpful.  He's also a heavy smoker and wants to try and stop that once he's over the methadone withdrawal.  Some nights he drinks a couple of bottles of wine and others it's 6+ beers.  I'm not a drinker so that seems HUGE in my mind.
I'm hoping that the 'CADS' people have an aftercare programme ...i'll call them tomorrow and ask. I am worried.

[emilyanne]

Hi...I have never taken methadone, but my close friend just got off of it last Monday...she, too, was down to 1mg...it seems like a small dose, but she said yesterday that it was the first day in a week that she felt better. From what I've heard, methadone is harder than other opiates to get off of, even at the lowest dose. Tell him to hang in there, because she was up to 150mg at one point, and I will ask her today if she has any suggestions. She DID say that she felt like alot of it was psychological, but I'm NOT minimizing his discomfort...it's just that w/d can mess with your head and if you work yourself up, like we ALL do in withdrawal, it can make the detox much more uncomfortable. I'm sorry I can't help more, but I will ask her today and try to post back to you. Please try to discourage your husband from using alcohol. It might make him feel better temporarily, but if he is going to put anything into his body to ease the w/d, it should be under a doctors care. Are the benzos prescribed?

[KiaKaha]

Thanks for your reply!
Yes the benzos are prescribed by his doctor but only for a maximum of 2 weeks to avoid addiction to them as well. far out...it's such a business!!! He hasn't had any benzos today. He's worried about it too. So he's going to try and use them every second day for the next week.
It's very reassuring to hear that your friend is feeling better after only a week. The physical w/d's he's having at the moment are, extreme lethargy, sweating, stomach pain, diarrhoea, watery eyes and nose and lots of secretions in his throat, no appetite, he's extremely restless and the insomnia is worse than ever. AND...he's still trying to work cause he doesn't want them to know!
Even I'm feeling anxious about it all...and I'm just watching!!!

[robertfle1]

My father was on methedone for thirty years, I had seen him quit once. It was scary, but with help of allergy pills believe it or not, he managed to get off. Your husband is going to feel like he cant stand being in his own skin. Just be prepared. As far as the alcohol, I would try to discourage it. An addict will substitute one for another. Especially if he has alcholisim in his family history chances are he could become addicted to that.

Best luck and prayers, Robert

[mr.lucky66]

I did this with methadone several times and now have been free of methadone and all dope for 5 years. 1 mg. is nothing and as far am I'm concerned anything lower than 5 mg. does next to nothing and really in my experience is a waste of time and these low dose tapers can draw out the misery. The drinking is problematic. I did this a few times when I was desperate detoxing from methadone and it makes it worse. The booze upsets the already weak stomach and the rebound from booze causes anxiety and higher blood pressure. I understand the benzos for a few weeks but the booze is working against him and could spell disaster. It also impairs judgement and it's easier to go back to hard drugs after some drinks. all the best