methadone withdrwal

[panan]

Has anyone detoxed off of methadone with the medication Suboxone, and how did it go?

[cmvisions]

Back in 2007 I was on Methadone for over 14 years thru a clinic in Maryland.  It took me a year to detox down from 45 mg to nothing, going very slowly.  But even at that rate when I got to the last 2 mgs., and I felt great physically mind you, the psychological effects were almost unbearable.  Believe me when I say that Methadone not only effects you physically.  The mental tweak is there too.  I was so mentally out-of-my-head I could not function.  So I started Suboxone thru a psychiatrist.  It helped at first.  But I was under medicated I think.  Damn insurance would only pay for one 8 mg pill a day.  Anyway the Suboxone was great at getting my mental state back, and with helping any physical symptoms too.  But please be aware that unless you fix the problem that started your journey into self-medicating with painkillers, of any sort, it will still be there when you have stopped being medicated via Methadone or Suboxone.  That little demon, or monkey, will be whispering in your ear that it's okay to chip a little bit.  Aftercare, meetings, meditation, whatever is better than mental cold turkey.  

Chipping leads to full blown use again.  We have to look at the whole problem, not just the self-medication we tend to do.  Good luck.

[Gobig]

Should be great - I had to be in withdrawal for 48 hours only (only!) and then felt great by the time I left the Dr.'s office.

[JoeJoe808]

I am switching from Methadone to Suboxone this Friday. Actually, the route I am taking is for six-days they are putting me on oxy contin, and on day seven, for 24-hours I am to take nothing to get everything out of me. After that, then, on Day eight, I will be put on Subutex. This program only puts you on Subutex for six-weeks, and the entire time, you are basically tapering off.

I know I could have just waited seven-days and gone through hell, but from what I have heard, the success of doing that with Methadone is very small.

The good thing is, if you are ready for it, Subutex/Suboxone is short-term. Plus, the withdrawals, from everything I have read and heard, are much more tame compared to Methadone or other opiates.

[Penelope14]

Do understand, that you also must detox and taper off this drug, theirs no easy nor simple way around drug addiction, it,s gonna take work, like feomoon, I have been tapering from methadone, only for a lot longer, Im gonna be on 3mgs tomarow & I have worked hard to achieve this goal, & trust me when I say, I,ve thought about the drug subxone, but its not for me, as I want my life to be about me, not about having to take anything but a simple vitamin everyday, I,ve had my share of drugs, now its time for me to live life without drugs, & I cant say its not for you, as I dont know your history with drugs or your lifestyle, who knows, maybe it is something for you to look into, but if your like I was, and you want off methadone, you must come to terms with your addiction, you must really want it, & you should have all personal aspects in your life together, financial also, as when you get on a really low dose or when your off, the chance for relapse is very high, its like a fight for your life back, so make sure you have the right tools in place prior to tapering off methadone, as its one heck of a battle.   Penelope

[feohmoon]

Welcome to the forum!  This is a great place for support and compassion.

My fiance and I are on day#3 wd from methadone.  We were at 110mg.Aug.'07, we tapered down to 45 going 5 mg.weekly, then went 2mg.daily from there for almost a month,,,,Friday we did not dose, we are coming off 7mg. ct.  We are all too aware this b*tch often doesn't rear her head until day 4 or 5...but we can do this.  

Please keep in mind the sub is something that will require an additional detox later.  You could just do it now. There is some info in my journal that can help regardless of the route you take.

Best of luck
peace & love
steven & murphy

[toxictome]

I have no experience w/ this ...but i wanted to say welcome....

others should be along soon who can answer this for you!

[allaboutmary]

Wait2long went from methadone to suboxone.  You could send her a personal message. She is really helpful and knows her stuff.  All I know is that if it is done properly it should go well . You have to be in withdrawal from the methadone wich could take 3 or 4 days because of the half life.