Aa
Well...so methadone withdraw comes in waves?
I'm at a week clean and the "heebeegeebee's" that anxous feeling from early withdraw came back. It Was gone for a day so now. Thought that was it for that phase.
Is this common? How long does this stay physically in your system???
I've withdrawn but from ms contin yrs ago but never methadone.
Is this common? How long does this stay physically in your system???
I've withdrawn but from ms contin yrs ago but never methadone.
This is clearly someone who has never cold turkeyed from methadone. Imagine being in awful physical and mental pain. Like hand on a stove pain and someone told you just 20 more minutes and a million dollars is yours. It wouldn't matter as your pain is so great no pretense of future happiness matters. Only those of us who CT'd done' understand the pain. Me? Was on 110mg methadone for two years and then CT. AWFUL in every way. 3 months, easy, before any natural "good" feelings occurred. Exercise? Hahaha! Yea, right.
1 Comments
I'm on day 13 of methadone withdrawls, I'm 33 and have been on methadone since 2006, so 10 years at 50mg a day for a broken T7 and C1 vertebrae that was a result of a car accident. I have been using Kratom to help and it has made all the difference. A dose of 4 to 10 grams is normal for some but at 1 to 2 grams the rls and most physical withdrawls are eased for about 6 to 8 hours for me. It is legal in Washington but illegal in other states. The last time I tried to quit, my wife had to take me to the ER on day 5 because I was in so much pain, and they put me back on opiates. I tapered this time the same as last at approx 5MG a week. I feel so much healthier and happier since stopping the poison. You do not realize how it affects everything in your life when you are on it. It took me a long time to wake up but when I did, I acted fast as I knew if I didn't I would never stop taking it. The first 7 to 10 days are absolute hell and makes you wish you were dead. But if you are determined, you can make it through it. 30 days befor most physical withdrawls start to ease is what I've been told. I am never taking it again, Mentally I feel like I used to before my accident, I've gained 10lbs in 13 days, I am 6'1 and when I took methadone I weighed as low as 119lbs, I'm at 145 now and my goal is to be at 185 by this time next year. I'm not going lie, withdrawls are an in-bearable pain, but it will pass. It takes time for your body and brain to reset themselves to their preopiate state. But the happiness you feel after the withdrawls are absolutely worth it.
I am 52 years old and have been taking methadone now for about 10 years slowly going down from 80mg, as a substitute originally for morphine then oxycontin; for a pain condition and was so depressed and doped up all i did was sleep and feel numb. I think I have had the good fortune to not have the impulse to increase opiate drug use, I'm not certain why and I don't consider it to mean anything other than good luck. Now smoking is another matter so I have an understanding about that need to increase addiction feels like, My good doctor once referred to me as being habituated to it rather than addicted, a distinction that left me feeling hopeful but I have indeed noticed I have everything in common with any addict trying to survive withdrawal.
Last year in the state I live in people that REALLY need opiates are not able to get them as the pendulum has swung from handing them out like candy to anyone that said ouch it "still hurts".
My original prescribing doctor told me, when I originally questioned the wisdom of long term opiate use, that people can stay on them their whole lives. When I asked how long that life would be she basically said "Pain is a serious problem, and treating pain is the first step towards breaking up the "pain pathways" your body has developed". Well it sounded reasonable but it left me out of pain but in a fog and numb and disinterested in anything for 3 YEARS!
The clinic had personnel changes and I ended up with my current doctor who suggested I try methadone and after being assured and promised I could go back I went ahead and got on the methadone which was an absolute miracle because I could think clearer and be awake and start to participate in my life again.So that was that.
I have had to beg my doctor at times to help me in managing drugs when I have had some emergency, tooth abbess or other pain problem outside of the clinic and she has reluctantly done so.
Opiates are a nightmare for doctors now, its dangerous to there practice and license to practice medicine here, and when they prescribe them it is monitored VERY closely.
I live in constant fear that I loose or that something will happen to my methadone, or that we have some natural disaster when its at the end of my month since i can only get a refill 2 days before the month before as it will not be replaced no matter what. I cant stand it anymore.
Last month I had major dental work done in mexico - every single tooth either got root canals and crowns or was pulled and my doctor prescribed a very stingy amount of pain meds for the ordeal that ensued.
In mexico later when the work was done the dentist gave me a mega steroid along with some other stuff which I cant tell where they stand in the opiate spectrum, but in my fog I missed some methadone then decidedly dropped down to 1,10mg pill 3 times a day from 2,15 mg and one1in other words,from 40 mg to 30 mg its been about a week now where i have gone back to my old schedule and other stuff i take, and i'm not feeling great the past couple of days, but I'm not feeling terrible either. I just called my daughter and she is bringing over gatorade and some salty chips so I can super hydrate myself which I read about today and makes sense and I took one of the mexican post surgery tramadol but its probably like methadone. I really do believe there is a psychological aspect to my method that lets me be in control of it rather then the GD methadone.
My doctor also has prescribed me cyclobenzaprine that originally was given to me because of these weird muscle spasms related to my health issue rather than the drug problem, but it helps for withdrawal and similar to valium, in the family but easy to dose down off of, really easy because I quit taking it twice because i ran out and had to wait to get a refill, then procrastinated picking it up for no reason i can explain. i had a headache that came and went for about 10 days.
The way I have dosed down from methadone n the past has been by what I stole from the exercise guy on T.V. - body confusion - i move around a 1mg liquid lower dose from 1 of my scheduled doses for a couple weeks. Then I drop by another 1.5 jumping back to pill form and move that lower bit around for a couple of weeks and at about a month dropping that 2.5 mg, bumping it back on really bad days then back down the very next day until about 3 weeks later its gone from my routine entirely.
My doctor prescribed tiny amounts of valium to use sparingly when I am dosing down but I discovered that the steroid was the thing that really helped. How about that? has anyone hears of this? I asked my doctor what she thought about that but she didn't want me using it in part because it caused me to be manic but knowing and expecting that and laying low, staying at home. I am considering it.
I have enough to restart then drop over about 12 days that I didn't throw out like I probably should have ,but...Like every one here I am so tired of this ball and chain, I feel desperate. I am 52 and have had my life on hold now for so long.I feel like my method has been successful, I am either a genius or an idiot.
Any thoughts from any one?
Last year in the state I live in people that REALLY need opiates are not able to get them as the pendulum has swung from handing them out like candy to anyone that said ouch it "still hurts".
My original prescribing doctor told me, when I originally questioned the wisdom of long term opiate use, that people can stay on them their whole lives. When I asked how long that life would be she basically said "Pain is a serious problem, and treating pain is the first step towards breaking up the "pain pathways" your body has developed". Well it sounded reasonable but it left me out of pain but in a fog and numb and disinterested in anything for 3 YEARS!
The clinic had personnel changes and I ended up with my current doctor who suggested I try methadone and after being assured and promised I could go back I went ahead and got on the methadone which was an absolute miracle because I could think clearer and be awake and start to participate in my life again.So that was that.
I have had to beg my doctor at times to help me in managing drugs when I have had some emergency, tooth abbess or other pain problem outside of the clinic and she has reluctantly done so.
Opiates are a nightmare for doctors now, its dangerous to there practice and license to practice medicine here, and when they prescribe them it is monitored VERY closely.
I live in constant fear that I loose or that something will happen to my methadone, or that we have some natural disaster when its at the end of my month since i can only get a refill 2 days before the month before as it will not be replaced no matter what. I cant stand it anymore.
Last month I had major dental work done in mexico - every single tooth either got root canals and crowns or was pulled and my doctor prescribed a very stingy amount of pain meds for the ordeal that ensued.
In mexico later when the work was done the dentist gave me a mega steroid along with some other stuff which I cant tell where they stand in the opiate spectrum, but in my fog I missed some methadone then decidedly dropped down to 1,10mg pill 3 times a day from 2,15 mg and one1in other words,from 40 mg to 30 mg its been about a week now where i have gone back to my old schedule and other stuff i take, and i'm not feeling great the past couple of days, but I'm not feeling terrible either. I just called my daughter and she is bringing over gatorade and some salty chips so I can super hydrate myself which I read about today and makes sense and I took one of the mexican post surgery tramadol but its probably like methadone. I really do believe there is a psychological aspect to my method that lets me be in control of it rather then the GD methadone.
My doctor also has prescribed me cyclobenzaprine that originally was given to me because of these weird muscle spasms related to my health issue rather than the drug problem, but it helps for withdrawal and similar to valium, in the family but easy to dose down off of, really easy because I quit taking it twice because i ran out and had to wait to get a refill, then procrastinated picking it up for no reason i can explain. i had a headache that came and went for about 10 days.
The way I have dosed down from methadone n the past has been by what I stole from the exercise guy on T.V. - body confusion - i move around a 1mg liquid lower dose from 1 of my scheduled doses for a couple weeks. Then I drop by another 1.5 jumping back to pill form and move that lower bit around for a couple of weeks and at about a month dropping that 2.5 mg, bumping it back on really bad days then back down the very next day until about 3 weeks later its gone from my routine entirely.
My doctor prescribed tiny amounts of valium to use sparingly when I am dosing down but I discovered that the steroid was the thing that really helped. How about that? has anyone hears of this? I asked my doctor what she thought about that but she didn't want me using it in part because it caused me to be manic but knowing and expecting that and laying low, staying at home. I am considering it.
I have enough to restart then drop over about 12 days that I didn't throw out like I probably should have ,but...Like every one here I am so tired of this ball and chain, I feel desperate. I am 52 and have had my life on hold now for so long.I feel like my method has been successful, I am either a genius or an idiot.
Any thoughts from any one?
I did NOT read all of the posts but I got the read there is misinformation about Methadone and it is building upon itself to the point I am laughing, though Methadone is very serious as is addiction. Methadone does not store in fat or bones, for example. Methadone is messy as far as administration goes, Methadone Dose adjustments up or down are seen by or metabolized in shorter half life's than after the increase or decrease has stabilized the Half life returns to 36 hours or so.
This is one of the main reasons for the up and down effects being so extreme. Another is everyones metabolic rates are different and change from day to day, like if you start getting into shape things change. As well when you sleep for extended periods of time your your body goes into waste removal mode. If your lucky to sleep then your going into more withdrawals than if you sleep much less. Though more tired but less withdrawal. Also twice daily dosing result in less Methadone prescribed than when given every day, if you are getting Methadone from a clinic, causing you to take more than you really ever needed since they will not do split dosing. But Drug diversion concerns dictate this disservice to patients. My point is slow down people things are getting passed along as mis inofrmation based of myths. Methadone does not rot your teeth, however drugs can cause dry mouth which indirectly leads to increased decay for many.
Sincerely Buprenex
This is one of the main reasons for the up and down effects being so extreme. Another is everyones metabolic rates are different and change from day to day, like if you start getting into shape things change. As well when you sleep for extended periods of time your your body goes into waste removal mode. If your lucky to sleep then your going into more withdrawals than if you sleep much less. Though more tired but less withdrawal. Also twice daily dosing result in less Methadone prescribed than when given every day, if you are getting Methadone from a clinic, causing you to take more than you really ever needed since they will not do split dosing. But Drug diversion concerns dictate this disservice to patients. My point is slow down people things are getting passed along as mis inofrmation based of myths. Methadone does not rot your teeth, however drugs can cause dry mouth which indirectly leads to increased decay for many.
Sincerely Buprenex
Day 56 clean of Methadone. I feel like I'm almost back completely. To all who are going thru the w/d ... know that each day is a bit better than the last. it took almost 45 days for all the symptoms to go but they do subside and you can beat it. Stay strong and if you can get yourself any type of support system of family, friends, or a group like this to help. Although I didn't conrtribute to this forum much, I want to say thank you to all of you as in knowing that I wasn't the only one facing this, reading your posts, you helped me tremendously. I am Bud72581's son. I was on 200mg dose daily for more than 6 months, and on methadone for the last 14 months. It's so good to be free of that stuff. Stay strong, and be committed - you will get better! If I can do it - so can you!!
Bud's Son
Bud's Son
Welcome bud,
Your son is lucky to have your support and your assistance in finding resources to deal with his addiction.
I Wish him nothing but success.
Has he joined the site? It does help to chat with people experiencing the same withdraw and depression and working through it all.
TaKE CaRE
Your son is lucky to have your support and your assistance in finding resources to deal with his addiction.
I Wish him nothing but success.
Has he joined the site? It does help to chat with people experiencing the same withdraw and depression and working through it all.
TaKE CaRE
Hi all, such a great site for support. I found this site this morning while doing my searching for answers.
I am not a detoxee but the father of one that was on methadone for a year and had to c/t off 200 mgs a day. Today is day 30 for him and I'm so very proud of him that he's done this and wants to be totally clean.
His story of opiods stated 2-1/2 years ago from a skiing accident, broken ribs, doc put him on vicoden and kept increasing norco, and so on to oxy's. He wanted off those and started a methadone treatment about a year ago and due to how much opiods he was taking they kept uping his dose. Got him up to 200 mg he even got to 250 but he told them he didn't want to take that much.
Anyway, over the last 3 months Oct - Dec he started a massive abuse of Xanax, along with the methadone. Lost jobs, girl friend, just a massive dive. December was really bad for him and he now knows how much Xanax he was taking as he keeps finding empty bottles in his belongings. So far about 6 that had 30 2 mg bars, not counting the ones he got (3 more) between Xmas and New Years.
I picked him up and brought him home the week before Xmas and those 2 weeks were a disaster. His mother and I talked to him constantly about the abuse and offered to try and get him help. We can't afford a rehab so options are rather limited in his case. His option was go to a rehab but he was no longer going to be allowed to stay in our home. Finally on Dec 31st the window opened, he asked for help and wanted to get clean. We drove all over town going from one place to the next and couldn't get him any help from anywhere. Not allowed home I put him in a motel room for the night and gave him some money to go on. Not that we are big religious buffs but our whole family prayed that night that he be safe. Well as life would have it -- he got arrested for trying to pass a prescription for another bottle of Xanax. God works in mysterious ways. He spent 18 days in jail and had to cold turkey both the Xanax and Methadone. Thank god he didn't have violent w/d from the methadone. He did have a few seizures while in jail but nothing like I've read from other blogs. Today, he's a totally diferent person, we are getting our son back. He is still battling with some w/d sysptoms, high anxiety, clammyness, lethargy, and some shakes. Although his body is still detoxing the methadone, he's finally getting sleep in 3-4 hour increments through the night. Everyday is a little bit better, He keeps telling me today was 30 minutes longer that yesterday before the anxiety, and shakesiness begins to settle in. Slow but steady progress. it's so very hard to watch someone you love so much go through this but the daily progress helps so much.
I shared this site with him and he really liked what he was reading from you all. Although not exactly what he wanted to hear about how long he may be dealing with w/d's but the positiveness and hope that this will all end and he can have his life back. I know as time passes and his condition improves he will share his experiences with the community. Thank you for listening! Good luck to all and keep the faith!
I am not a detoxee but the father of one that was on methadone for a year and had to c/t off 200 mgs a day. Today is day 30 for him and I'm so very proud of him that he's done this and wants to be totally clean.
His story of opiods stated 2-1/2 years ago from a skiing accident, broken ribs, doc put him on vicoden and kept increasing norco, and so on to oxy's. He wanted off those and started a methadone treatment about a year ago and due to how much opiods he was taking they kept uping his dose. Got him up to 200 mg he even got to 250 but he told them he didn't want to take that much.
Anyway, over the last 3 months Oct - Dec he started a massive abuse of Xanax, along with the methadone. Lost jobs, girl friend, just a massive dive. December was really bad for him and he now knows how much Xanax he was taking as he keeps finding empty bottles in his belongings. So far about 6 that had 30 2 mg bars, not counting the ones he got (3 more) between Xmas and New Years.
I picked him up and brought him home the week before Xmas and those 2 weeks were a disaster. His mother and I talked to him constantly about the abuse and offered to try and get him help. We can't afford a rehab so options are rather limited in his case. His option was go to a rehab but he was no longer going to be allowed to stay in our home. Finally on Dec 31st the window opened, he asked for help and wanted to get clean. We drove all over town going from one place to the next and couldn't get him any help from anywhere. Not allowed home I put him in a motel room for the night and gave him some money to go on. Not that we are big religious buffs but our whole family prayed that night that he be safe. Well as life would have it -- he got arrested for trying to pass a prescription for another bottle of Xanax. God works in mysterious ways. He spent 18 days in jail and had to cold turkey both the Xanax and Methadone. Thank god he didn't have violent w/d from the methadone. He did have a few seizures while in jail but nothing like I've read from other blogs. Today, he's a totally diferent person, we are getting our son back. He is still battling with some w/d sysptoms, high anxiety, clammyness, lethargy, and some shakes. Although his body is still detoxing the methadone, he's finally getting sleep in 3-4 hour increments through the night. Everyday is a little bit better, He keeps telling me today was 30 minutes longer that yesterday before the anxiety, and shakesiness begins to settle in. Slow but steady progress. it's so very hard to watch someone you love so much go through this but the daily progress helps so much.
I shared this site with him and he really liked what he was reading from you all. Although not exactly what he wanted to hear about how long he may be dealing with w/d's but the positiveness and hope that this will all end and he can have his life back. I know as time passes and his condition improves he will share his experiences with the community. Thank you for listening! Good luck to all and keep the faith!
You've turned a corner and are looking down a different avenue. If you worked physically, it makes since that you felt a little bad in the evening, exercise forces the lingering methadone out. You woke up feeling good, no that's freedom. Your brain is healing so fast, you must be pretty healthy. At first you count seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, then it returns back to one day at a time. You're doing amazing, keep that guard up and keep fighting for freedom. Have you thought about aftercare? What's your plan if you do have another bad day or week?
Today was better then the last. Worked hard all day and felt lil bad in the evening but slept a couple hrs and woke up feeling better. Ya my body feels like hell but its hard to not love the feeling of succeess and watching your efforts actually pay off. I'm actually Starting to feel like me again. The real me! I Feel like my happiness has been atrificially produced for a long time. Now I can see all of those things that made me so happy b4 I started narcotics. My happines was based on if I did or didn't have methadone. Not anymore!
2 weeks today! I can count in weeks now! lol.
Thx everyone for your post! It really helps me clarify my thoughts and stay focused.
2 weeks today! I can count in weeks now! lol.
Thx everyone for your post! It really helps me clarify my thoughts and stay focused.
That's the spirit, you will never have to go through those 13 days ever again. That in itself is a blessing!!! You're getting closer by the minute, that's awesome. It WILL get better, don't let go of that truth. Hope you have a great day.
I am doing well. I don't have any urge to use. Just getting a lil run down from having to work 5 days a week while detoxing. And then to have the symptoms almost disappear by morning and reappear aft strenuous work is quite discouraging. 30-60 days is a long time but I kinda been thinking in terms of "it took 2-3 yrs of using to get to the day I quit and there is no overnight fix" I'm gonna ride it out no mater what. Thx for the support. Day 13 today. Still a long way to go but I don't have to do those 13 days ever again. That in its self is a blessing!!!
Don't fear a long detox, but fear what will happen if you don't. What is 30-60 days out of a long happy life? If you can exercise then that's a great idea. Saunas helped me a lot too. My favorite exercise was and is swimming. Continue to remind yourself of why you wanted to quit in the first place. Try to stay in the moment. Moments become days, days become weeks, weeks become months, one second at a time. You are doing great so far, all this will be behind you and you will feel joyous and free. Glad you're still with us.
Hi I was just looking around and came back to this one. For the first month for me it was HIGH anxiety with no sleep As I wrote above this it could of been benzo and coming c/t from 30 mg methedone from 16 yr opiates. The stages were strange. For about the last 2 months (NOW 5 months clean) I had the worst weak weak can not walk from one end to the other. All I could do is take baby steps to clean my house or carry in the wood ect. I gained alot of weight and then realized I was eating alot of sugar and simple carbs. I changed my life style back to eating right for my age, weight, and height. Within 3 days I am feeling very very good. Mind and body seem to have come around . It sounds like you are exercising and working that will help. I just started that up again after 3 months. Good Luck God Bless KEEP ON TRUCKIN it gets better and better I love life....
vvicidaho
vvicidaho
My worse symptoms now are digestion problems, lack of energy (lethargic) and aft a hard day at work I get that edgy feeling that I got in the first few days. thx for the info everyone and ya I work a pretty strenuous job. So I've noticed that I wake up with very little symptoms and by the end of my work day I'm feeling like I did about 7 days b4 that if that makes since. Today is day 12 for me. I hear a lot of ppl still struggling 30-60 days in and that strikes a tiny bit of fear. I'm strong mentally now. I might try execive exercise to purge it from my body quicker while I got the strength.
I always agree with weaver. Like it was said it does take a while from the evil drug methedone. When I went cold trukey from a 12 yr methedone I also was on the benzos and snorting adderal with the methe. I would go to meetings and hear about the roller coster ride. I read some where we do have a thing called post withdrw symtoms. ???? I do know that the transmitter in the brain take awhile to fire up again depending I beliveve on age, how long, and how much. I went threw some difficult stages. Now into 5 months I still have the wave of weakness. Like I said in other post I do believfe in the liguid vit/min. I take the cals,D and mag for sleep.I will not take any drugs that affect the pleasure part of the brain not even a beer Dam, because I do not want to start my addiction all over again I have tried every drug off abd on and walked away until the opiate issue since I was 14 now 56. If I would of known all the info I know now I might not of ever went there. I do go to meetings almost every day. It is hard for all of us we want to be will NOW but the rewards of comming in day by day min by min.
KEEP ON TRUCKIN IT DOES GET BETTER Just keep clean and clear headed all the rest will follow God Bless us ALL for taking the first step.
vvicidaho
KEEP ON TRUCKIN IT DOES GET BETTER Just keep clean and clear headed all the rest will follow God Bless us ALL for taking the first step.
vvicidaho
hi everyone today not feeling to great. every day it seems to be comeing on more often cotton mouth either the methadone or blood pressure meds. chills,nausea,pressure in my stomach, like someone is sitting on you, feel shakey but not actully shakeing it usally last 10 min. and leaves but its been comeing on more often. i shoveled snow today. i dont know if that kick off anything, many one have any idea ?
Yeah exercise definitely brings methadone out of hiding. I started jogging 1/2 mile after about 60 days and would have to lay down for an hour to recover from 4 minutes of cardio. After a week of working out, I built up my endurance. The worst of the withdrawals hit me at about day 7, but I was using twice as much or more than you where. I agree about how important aftercare is. People can get clean at home, but have to learn to stay clean in the world. 12 step meetings kept me sane through the rough parts. Keep moving forward and try to stay positive, you will feel so much better without the need of methadone.
The methadone seems to take forever to get out of your system!! The half life for methadone is amazingly loooong! The half life can be up to 60 hrs...60 hrs for half of what's in your system to come out...another 60 hrs for half of what's left...another 60...and so forth. But I will say that I've read that the 60 hrs is for opioid intolerant patients. I'd say we all pass intolerant a long time ago. Lol. I'm off methadone 26 days and still am having some of the withdrawal symptoms...leg pain, chills, sneezing...like unreal amounts of sneezing...sweating, and anxiety/depression. Someone once told me, methadone doesn't just leave your body like other meds...."it seeps like sludge"....and I believe every word of it. I do feel better than I did, so progress is being made...slowly. You might also research PAWS if you haven't already. It's some good info. You're doing great btw....it does get better...a little each day...or sometimes you have a day that sets you back a little..but it can be done! Stay strong and keep doing what you're doing. You're getting closer every minute.
Yes! Unfortunately methadone stores itself in your fat cells so exercise. Releases it. But that's a good thing because your getting rid of it. I've been off of it for a month today and I'm still not 100% but I know in a year or less or however long it will take to be my old self again, it will be so much more worth it! Congrats on your week and don't give up! I know that days 4 through 8 were the worst for me but you can do it. The people here are just magnificent and I know I wouldn't be here without them! Even of you need some encouragement or anything someone will be here to help you through it. I also can't stress enough how important aftercare is, to keep your mind body and spirit, clean and happy! Your doing great!
Might be cause I worked pretty hard today. Maybe physical exertion releases something. Idk. I didn't really expect it. I know in my heart since last thursday(day1) I was done for good but it sure ***** riding it out.
Was on about 50-100 a day for a year or more. Always depended on finances and availability but slowed to 40m l/day and kicked at 40m l. Been "sick" many times in couple yrs this is first time in about 2-2.5 yrs I've gone more then 4 days without anything.
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