methadone withdrawal

[hambrick]

I am on methadone for chronic pain. My neurologist, dr. Virginia Pact, MD has sold her practice and she really knows very little about how to withdraw someone from methadone anyway. I use to be on 15 mg daily and I took myself down very slowly from that dose to about 7 1/2 daily about a year ago. I was afraid to go all the way down in case my pain became severe again. I got the withdrawal information from the local methadone clinic at that time. (My doctor thought I should just stop taking the dose...very bad idea.)
I am now attempting to get completely off methadone but have no idea how to titrate down without experiencing severe symptoms. Since this dose is so low, what I am doing is shaving (pills are very tiny) about what I think is 1mg from my daily dose. I started this on Thursday and as of this writing I have diarrhea, headache, back pain has increased with muscle pain and general malaise. My plan was to go down by 1mg daily until I was finished, but I am not certain this is a good idea. I am employed full time and do not want to miss work as a result of this so it is important to keep my symptoms to a minimum. What would you suggest? I hope to hear form you very soon. Thank you very much.

***@****

[wait2long]

you have posted to a very old thread, these posts are from 2001 hun, try to repost your question. that is a very rapid taper...from what i have read and heard you are only supposed to taper like 1mg a month...and also methadone withdrawals are THE WORST i think, methadone stays in your system for sooo long that the withdrawals can last for over a month, i even read somewhere of someone still suffering on their 56th day, but it also depends on your dose and 60 mg is a little high, i was only on 20 mg and still suffered for about 5 days then started suboxone which does work, do some research on suboxone (for short term use) it does help with withdrawals and cravings and you have had no methadone since aug., 2  then you could start suboxone right now...or you can tough it out, you are almost there.... have you tried to double your dose of immodium? also how about tums, i lived on them,   you are almost there though, you have been clean now for 22 days, that is quite an accomplishment, you should be proud...i bet you will start to feel better within 7 days or so.  your doing so good, therapy would help, but i know what its like having WD's and no ambition or care,  just hang in there it will pass and you will see the other side  soon and you will be proud and happy that you stuck with it,   22 days clean for you, THATS GREAT!!!!  post to a new thread though youwill get more help with a new post.  take care and get some vitamins also , if you are anemic, maybe taking iron will help you with not only anemia but also your bowels (iron always constipates me)  LOL!  keep posting!  

[tootough]

This is too tough.  Or am I?  Off of methadone since 8-02-07 and suffering.  I thought coming down from 60 to 20 to 10 to 5 to 2.5 mg would be manageable.  Still losing weight rapidly, immodium doesn't seem to be doing anything, although maybe I just can't imagine it any worse.  Heroin withdrawal has nothing on this, in my experience.  The thing is, I had almost 4 years clean and serene(or something?) and went back to it for a couple of years.  This time i'm in a different life of my own creation, something more sustainable than the old city and heartbreak.  So I'm motivated, but I just need to know the suffering will wane.  Every time I think it might have gotten ever so slightly better, I eat a cracker and run to the bathroom to dry heave and the rest.  The only solace I have is my bathtub.  Even that is the enemy when I can't decide if I'm freezing or about to have a heat stroke.  No insurance, I left my doctor in the old town and now can't get my script if I wanted to, unless I go back and start this whole mess again?  I've always been weaker than most, kept in detox longer than the average and come out looking like death.  I'm super fair, and even my eyebrows are light blond.  I think the anemia and loss of vitamin health take such a toll, but the thought of putting a vitamin in my stomach, just the thought, makes me want to puke.  Enough poor me, just sitting home alone in a new town getting through this.  Looked up a meeting, but I just can't.  Anything to take that won't affect my weak stomach?  Bless you all for trying, this isn't easy.  

[skipper]

zdevil:
welcome to this forum, there is always room for one more addict, so come in out of the cold! try posting closer to the top of the forum as it's real easy to be unseen down in the basement here!

i've been using drugs on and off since i was 14. i'm 50 as of last sring. i had 17 years of being clean from drugs until spring of 1997 when an old neck injury from 1970 put me in severe pain. 2 surgerys later i take 40 mg of oxy-c 3 times a day. i'm not 100% pain free, but i can do anything i really want to.

getting off methadone is a real *****, no 2 ways about it. the last 5 mg. are the most difficult. did you investigate getting a new pain doc? 80 mg of oxy-c twice a day is about mid-point in the range of intractable pain control.

please keep posting. you will find many individuals that are or
have been where your at. this forum has been a real life saver for me since my last surgery in may of this year. i too was a "spook" lurking for a real long time. the difference between lurking and actively posting is tremendious! so.. i certainly
hope to be hearing from you!

keep an angel on your shoulder!!
kip

[ZDevil]

Well, I've been a silent lurker for so long on this list but thought I would come forward this afternoon for some reason.   I didn't realize I had such a big problem until my meds were switched around.  I have been on misc. Narcotics for 5 years.  I have such a tolerance now doctors will not exceed a certain dosage and will not titrate upward anymore.  So my last doc decided the best thing was to throw me on Methadone from Oxycontin.  I was on 80MG oxy but he started me on 30mg Methadone, then upped it to 60, then 90.  It does make the withdrawls go away but I find that Methadone does absolutely NOTHING for pain.  So, I decide, OK, thats it, if I'm taking medication that does nothing for the pain, I'm getting off.  I have never met a medication that I couldn't taper off without some pain and suffering but methadone is a new evil.  I dropped from 90mg to 20mg in 2 1/2 weeks.  I let that dose ride for a week and then tried to drop to 10mg, but after the first day of this I was a wreck.  It seems that the lowest I can go is 15mg (1 full tab morning and 1/2 tab night) without going into seriously deep withdrawls.  With the advice of the gurus on the list, I have a shopping list for tonight to get the L-Tyrosine, and other stuff to see if maybe I can get over the hump.  I will keep you updated.  Things that work for most usually have a reversed effect on me, we shall see.

I must say, you guys are a great source of information and support.  I have read some of the bashing comments in the past but they in no way would ever post that if they had every gone through what we have gone through.  Some of your posts have been the only thing thats kept me strong over the years when I thought I had nothing left or was going crazy!  Peace to all of you.

J

[?passive_aggressive!]

....listen i`m not that god with english so i want bug u much,
i`ve strted takin` tramadol year a go?
.....750mg(15 pills)every two days iz my "must take"....
....without them i feel week,i`m shakin` all tha time,when i think of stopin` i feel like cr.p!
My town iz too small,so if i ask for help,i`ll be banished out!!!
.....can anyone,anyone tell me the "less pain" way to get off,
cause i`m not in control of my life any more,and i can`t stop
cold turkey!

I understand that methadon iz heroin get off,so i dont think that name of a medicine change much?

please anyone anything!!!

?P_A!

[skipper]

GO TO HOSPITAL WITH PERSCRIPTION BOTTLE AT ONCE. TRY TO EXPLAIN
WHAT PROBLEM IS! GET GOING NOW, THIS IS VERY SERIOUS MATTER!

SKIPPER