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Tapering off methadone- need help
Hello from Ontario... I've been on methadone for almost 2 years, went up to 90mg. The last 6 months I have been decreasing my dose. today I'm at 20 mg (25 last week) (30 the week before). I'm in horrible pain. I can't sleep, my legs ache so bad. I find myself constantly kicking my legs in bed. I feel so frustrated. And in two days I'm supposed to be going down to 15 and then 12 next week before I see my doctor again. I'm starting to think I made a huge mistake by thinking i could decrease my dose so quickly. I dont think we have suboxen here in canada and my bf who is not an addict seems to think I should be getting off methadone sooner. I don't know how to explain to him that I need to take my time and slowly ween off. Does anyone have advice for me on what is a safe weekly decrease from methadone ( preferably with little or no pain) and how I can explain this to my bf without him thinking I'm just lazy.
Benzos are for those addicts who don't abuse them on the clinics unless they are in an inpatient facility and are dispensed. Did you have a benzo problem?Meth clinics really don't help you after you are off methadone and most of them want you to come back on maintenence again. To get the best care after MMT you have to go to a private doc or clinic that specializes in detox and there are more these days. I had a similar experience in the late 80's after MMT as an inpatient. This doc was tough but he was a pioneer. He gave me clonidine patches and pills, attivan and darvon. I slept a lot for 10 days and he weened me off these meds and I left after a month and felt ok. They don't do that anymore but nobody ever treats you that well and keeps you that comfortable inpatient but some private docs and clinics do.
If your dr. is letting you take benzo's, you're probably in the rare sub-group who gets that kind of treatment. But benzo w/d is a whole other nasty thing -- get over this before you have to work on that. Most clinics have a "NO Benzo's" policy -- seems like a few people croaked on the combo. Careful with respiratory depressants!
So, all I can think of is take it slower, and I hope you can get away from meth when you're ready.
Best of luck,
-- KB
So, all I can think of is take it slower, and I hope you can get away from meth when you're ready.
Best of luck,
-- KB
I am praying for u.I am on day 18,cold turkey from 75 mg day methadone. It is tough but will get better.Though i just relapsd and drank a 6 pack,a soboxen and a 100 mg methadone. am worried i just screwed up pretty bad.
The one thing that I really can't stand during withdrawel is the aching legs. It as if I ran a 5 day marathon and its nonstop pain. It gets so frustrating to the point where i just yell and cry and ask the dear lord to help me. And that was from dropping from 25mg to 20mg. I don't even want to think about what it would be like to drop another 5 every week until I hit zero. I have a question: why would our doctors prescribe us sleep aids to help with the tapering. Aren't benzos addictive too?
I have a lot of personal experience coming off methadone, several times. Did your legs hurt or is this a withdrawal thing? It seems like if this is all withdrawlal then it won't get much worse when you are at 0. A lot of people here believe in very slow methadone tapers but in most cases I think it just draws out the misery and now more doctors in addiction think the same way. I don't think 5 mg. per week is too fast but I suggest that you do stay at 20 for a while and see if you adjust to that dose and feel better. If not then you are one of those people that have more problems coming off but don't worry there is still a lot of hope and new things. I detoxed many times 5 mg. per day from high doses and never had many problems until less than 10 mg. but that's me and everyone is different. It still sucked after that and I felt lousy for at least 6 weeks but was never real sick. There are ways to detox for people who have more problems that make sense to me. There are doctors and clinics who can switch you over to sub ( a temporary step down), for about 6 weeks and then after that give you some very helpfull meds like bently, valium and clonidine and others. These meds can make a world of difference after sub or methadone and they worked well for me once. I hope you feel better and hope to hear more from you.
In canada, we will always get carries as long as were clean even when were tapering down. Also, they dont offer suboxone at my clinic, and I've never heard anyone ever talking about it at my clinic. As for travelling overseas, again, as long as you show up clean and show your itinerary via e-mail of your flights then they will accomodate you. But you cannot bring methadone on your carry on for your flight- they will take it away because its a liquid. You have to leave it in your luggage and pray that some ******* who randomly checks your bags does not steal it. To mtgoat911- I don't think coming off meth as fast as you can will work for me. It's too painfull and since I'm an addict, I might cave and try to find something to aleve the pain.
I've read a few success stories re switching to suboxone and tapering from that ... some people find it easier. I went to a meth clinic to see what the deal was -- one doc had a suboxone ticket -- and I wasn't impressed. I'm not impressed with doing another oxy home c/t., but the health care system in Canada really ****s, esp. when it comes to addictions.
You're wise to slow the taper down; why suffer so much over 5mg? You could find another meth doctor, but most of them just stick people on 'done, 'cause it's easier than anything else. They don't have to do much work -- just standing in a line-up and peeing in a bottle till your 60 years old is cool with them. It's scary, and I hope I don't crack and go near that dump when I c/t ...
PM me if you want to know where what may be the only sub clinic in Ontario can be found. They sound okay, but I have a feeling their clinic is a lot like the meth dump.
But they specialize in suboxone -- Canada's about ten years behind the rest of the world with buprenorphine. I think the money goes into hockey, eh?
You're wise to slow the taper down; why suffer so much over 5mg? You could find another meth doctor, but most of them just stick people on 'done, 'cause it's easier than anything else. They don't have to do much work -- just standing in a line-up and peeing in a bottle till your 60 years old is cool with them. It's scary, and I hope I don't crack and go near that dump when I c/t ...
PM me if you want to know where what may be the only sub clinic in Ontario can be found. They sound okay, but I have a feeling their clinic is a lot like the meth dump.
But they specialize in suboxone -- Canada's about ten years behind the rest of the world with buprenorphine. I think the money goes into hockey, eh?
methadone clinics are a trap, i say go as fast as you can, thats what i did and i have now been clean for 5yrs
as far as going over seas, you can request special take home doses for vacations, however you do not get take homes while you are tapering because so many people relase when they taper off methadone
i remember the days when i could not go out of town without finding a clinic in the state i was visiting
ball and chain
as far as going over seas, you can request special take home doses for vacations, however you do not get take homes while you are tapering because so many people relase when they taper off methadone
i remember the days when i could not go out of town without finding a clinic in the state i was visiting
ball and chain
I go to a methadone clinic. I've always been clean so I only have to go in every three or four weeks. But when I fisrt started, I had to go in twice a week to get tested and take my meth at the pharmecy every day. Now I get weekly carries. But I have good news... I called m doctor today and I managed to convince him to call the pharmecy and tell them to keep me at 20mg instead of dropping me to 15, thank god.... I don't know how I could have coped with another week of agonizing pain. Now, I'm going to taper down the right way- 10% every two weeks.
Relax, I like to dance as well. Doctors do not usually have a clue. Some do, and they do not clue you in. It a big subject matter. But, you need to go at a pace that works. You need to get that clear with your boyfriend. He is sounding selfish and he does not seem to get the struggle. That does not matter in the end if he does not support you, which means if we have to cancel plans while he works unsefishly to help you and support you. Well then he is out of the picture. I know the feeling of wanting to be off for Christmas things like that. The biggest thing you have to get your doctor to modify the plan to make it work. He if does not do it then you need to maybe you should anyway start finding a doctor who will work with with YOU! He needs to have specific expirience. I would be afraid you could have trouble with getting or keeping your methadone while traveling. That got be sticky thing.
I have had some major issues in my life..lost my job, family and fiance in 48 hrs..plus more that I do not want to share at this time...my counseler told me I am being too hard on myself...i need to forgive myself so i can move forward...baby steps tho...gotta be baby steps..jumpin 5 mgs a week is alot...why r u in such a rush..is it rx-d to u or do u go to a clinic to get ur methadone..i do know daily clinic visits are a bumber if u want to travel
sounds like u have a wonderful guy..a great future..just this little nagging habit that followed u from ur past...but u r letting it go..take it slow,,,read the article in the health pages on tapering from methadone..dont be so hard on urself...we can become our own worst enemy
sounds like u have a wonderful guy..a great future..just this little nagging habit that followed u from ur past...but u r letting it go..take it slow,,,read the article in the health pages on tapering from methadone..dont be so hard on urself...we can become our own worst enemy
I'm really surprised how much support there is here. So more to my story: I don't know anyone else who has been on methadone or had an opiate addiction either so it's hard to get honest advice. I was addicted to oxycoton at almost 10 80mg's a day some days(I know crazy eh- I'm 110lbs) ... I was stripping to support my habit for three years until I entered the methadone program. Well I'm glad to report that I've been clean for two years (and not dancing anymore) but I really need to get off this methadone and my bf is really pressuring me. We have alot of vacations coming up in other countries and I was afraid that they were going to take my methadone away so I told my doctor my goal was to be off the meth before we left for tokyo. BIG MISTAKE. My doctor never explained to me that it would be near impossible for me to do this and how much pain I would be in (and I only see him every three-four weeks). Well once agian, I can't sleep, I have Bengay all over my body, have been taking frequent baths and still I'm in unbearable pain. And to think tomorrow I'm dropping another 5mg off of 20 is really frightening. If I can't handle it now, how am I going to handle an even farther drop for the next week, Im not even done gettting over this one. I'm just really angry, isn't it my doctors job to tell me the conciquences, its not like I've been showing up dirty, I've alwasy been a model patient...
i went ct off a 240mg a day habit in 2004, i have also tapered slowly
there is really just no easy way off methadone, even if you swiched to suboxone eventually you would have to stop that, and their basically the same detox
just stick to your taper, you can do this, i honestly thought i was going to die my last methadone detox, i ended up in icu, it was horrlble but i am glad i went ct because now i am too scared to get back on methadone, returning to methadone became a habit for me, thats why i went through so many methadone detoxes, ok its bedtime
i sound retarded, promise i will have better words of encouragement tommorow, hang in there, take the time you need to get well, find an na meeting
there is really just no easy way off methadone, even if you swiched to suboxone eventually you would have to stop that, and their basically the same detox
just stick to your taper, you can do this, i honestly thought i was going to die my last methadone detox, i ended up in icu, it was horrlble but i am glad i went ct because now i am too scared to get back on methadone, returning to methadone became a habit for me, thats why i went through so many methadone detoxes, ok its bedtime
i sound retarded, promise i will have better words of encouragement tommorow, hang in there, take the time you need to get well, find an na meeting
glad someone else posted to help u...not many here with methadone experience...both sub and methadone have to be slowly tapered if u have been on either for a long time..no picnic..those r drugs that stick around and dont wanna let go as quickly as short acting narcotics...but thing is u need to know what to expect and put ur balls in ur court..so the plan u make will be successful,,no narcotic is easy to quit if used long enuf...but determination and educating urself on what to expect can help u immensely
Your methadone dose is low in the scheme of things....i have seen people on 300 mgs a day..ur dose is very do-able...make ur plan..keep posting..lots of support here
Your methadone dose is low in the scheme of things....i have seen people on 300 mgs a day..ur dose is very do-able...make ur plan..keep posting..lots of support here
IT NEEDS TO BE SLOW, YOUR NOT ALONE. DO NOT LET PRESSURE PUSH YOU TOO FAST OR YOU WILL RELAPSE TO GET YOURSLEF OUT OF WITHDRAWL PAINS. AIM FOR MANAGABLE WITHDRWALS AS YOU YOU GEY TO LOWER DOSES THE % IS GREATER. SLOW DOWN A LOT TOWARDS THE END. KEEP SEEKING INFO ON TAPERING AND THINGS TO AID W/D OTHER MES ETC. CLONIDINE ETC. LEVEL OFF FOR PERIODS OF TIME. WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, IT A LEARNING PROCESS AS WELL AS ANYTHING ELSE.
not many answering cos not alot here with that experience..my son worked at a meth clinic and i have taken it for pain..no addiction to it tho...it is a drug u slowly taper//best with the help of ur dr
how much and how long were u on it? makes a difference on wd severity...long half life like sub so u wont feel the worst of it til 72 hrs as a rule..but many have come here and did this/wd from methadone....it is a narcotic just like nost here have dealt with....just longer acting...go to the health pages..a member wrote down several article about his experience and it was a good portayal of what to expect..plus all of the articles pertaining to narcotics will help u..read and learn...might be slow tonight///but tons of support here...methadone sounds big and ugly ..in reality it is just a long acting narcoic;;;u r welcome to pm me..but do read the health pages
how much and how long were u on it? makes a difference on wd severity...long half life like sub so u wont feel the worst of it til 72 hrs as a rule..but many have come here and did this/wd from methadone....it is a narcotic just like nost here have dealt with....just longer acting...go to the health pages..a member wrote down several article about his experience and it was a good portayal of what to expect..plus all of the articles pertaining to narcotics will help u..read and learn...might be slow tonight///but tons of support here...methadone sounds big and ugly ..in reality it is just a long acting narcoic;;;u r welcome to pm me..but do read the health pages
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