methadone // oxycontin

[SekzyKyla]

Okay, So to sum this up quickly I was on oxycontin (up to 200-400mg a day) for 3 years, and I went on methadone. My Babys dad was also doin this with me...anyways he got clean and wanted me off the methadone, so I stopped it Cold turky, but was too ***** to go thru that ****, and started using pills again ( I even got him back into and he was like 6 weeks clean....*sigh*) anyways, I DONT WANT TO go thru the hell I KNOW im facing. I DONT want to go back on methadone, I dont want that garbage clonidine, nozinan or whatever else doctors think helps you. I've tried everythign Ive saw on these forums, like Vitimans, Melitonin, Ativan, Valium....bla bla bla

I dont want to be sick, but I want off this ****...Help Please?

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

Unfortunately, everything we do has consequences. A person tolerant to opiates will go through withdrawal as the tolerance comes down.  The symptoms can be minimized by tapering the medication slowly, although many people cannot do that kind of taper, as they cannot control their use to that extent.

You mentioned that you 'got him back into it' speaking of your BF and narcotics--  you don't have that power either.  If you didn't hold him down and inject things into his body against his will, you did not 'get him back into it'-- he did that himself.  We are all responsible for our own drug use.  You cannot make him use, any more than he can make you stop using.  Don't let someone use you as an excuse for his own problems.

There are meds that blunt withdrawal a bit, but it is still a miserable experience.  But as I have said many times, the hard part isn't withdrawal; the hard part is staying clean for years after the withdrawal is over.  If you don't take steps larger than being concerned about withdrawal, for example getting very involved in a recovery program, you will go through withdrawal over and over again.

[gtngprtyold]

Hi...I am new to this community...I would really appreciate any help/insight as I honestly pursue release from 10+years of Opiate Dependence/Addiction...Most recently, 8 yrs on Methadone...My previous experience regarding escape from the dependence: 2001 Spent just under 4 full weeks in an acute withdrawl syndrom detoxing from a High Dose Oxycontin Addiction in a PA Rehab. The worst of it was the damn Neuro symptoms..specifically involving My Left (occasionally also my right) Leg/Foot. When ever...and I really mean When ever I tried to be quiet and attempt sleep, not only was there absolutely NO sense of Drowsiness during this entire 4 wk period, but I would invariably experience an 'electric/tickle like sensation running down my left leg (like following the hamstring)...enter my foot and build in intensity till it kind of 'exploded or blossomed' in the sole....forcing me to KICK that leg, which would allow the unbearable and impossible to ignore sensation to 'discharge' so to speak. The time frame from first feeling it in the thigh to the kick and discharge would last about 5-8 seconds....after the 'Discharge' (and temporary relief) there would be perhaps up to 30 seconds of so before it would start over again....ALL Night....Every Night for 26 Nights...During the days, the rehab kept me busy for about 16 hrs....during which time, rather than experience this 'Kicking' I enjoyed the rest of the withdrawl syndrom....Severe swings from extreme Core Coldness, to Menapause like Heat flashes w/ sweating....Anxiety, Extreme Emotional liability (not anger)...Total Wakefullness....but Never really anything like the others in the facility....no Nausea....no running nose....no flu like symptoms....just weird Neuro like sensations....Never Drowsiness....and then Every night .... the Kicking...
Remained in a 'sub-acute' withdrawl syndrom from April through November 2001...with the same symptoms as the first Month or so...but keyed down....no actual kicking at night....but still, to a much lesser degree, electrical/coldwater like sensations in my limbs....especially the left side...and the lower limbs more that the upper...and during the days....still the fluctuations from Cold to Hot...and the rest, but much more tolerable and diminished. In November 2001, was placed on Methadone by a Pain Management MD (I have a diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis). From then, until Now, I have been basically taking 20mg every 12 hrs.  Abslolutely No chassing, no experiencing and no looking for a 'High'.....basically, this dose just keep away a repeat, if not Worse (I have been warned that as bad as the Oxy withdrawl was, the withdrawl from Methadone will be far worse)...of what I experienced in 2001.  I have tried multiple times through the years to taper down....go gold turkey....and each time could only tolerate it for up to 48 hrs....experiencing the same as in 2001. I really. really am desperate to get free once and for all. I have researched a bit and seems I have perhaps 3 choices. 1) Rapid/ Ultra Rapid Detox (under anestesia while Narcan flushes the Methadone from my body)....followed by an implant of Naltraxone (to help the Fat bound Methadone molecules clear my Liver and ultimately my body)...followed by a year of oral Maltraxone, to seal the result.    2) try to switch to Suboxone to mediate the Methadone withdrawl....then titrate off the Suboxone....(however, I understand that there is a severe danger of getting stuck in a Suboxone dependency...which is then only marginally less difficult to get free from than Methadone.  3) the last suggestion I recieved is a bit dangerous. Switch to a short acting opiate, like hydorcodone (vicodan)....enough to cover the Methadone withdrawl.....stay on that for at least a Month, if not 2 Months....then, titrate down and eventually go cold turkey....the withdrawl should then be a picnic compared to Methadone withdrawl, both in duration and severity.    Please, I would appreciate any insight....I am as serious as can be....just stuck...stuck tight....wenber

[LarryNorco]

Doc is right about the "hard part"-extended sobriety/recovery.  I know what cold turkey is like when getting off of opiates.  My last and most recent withdrawals were much easier as I had more resolve and discipline to taper use down over several weeks to zero.  I definately benefited simultaneously from a healthy diet, vitamins, exercise, hot baths, etc.  I didn't use these methods before and I knew I never wanted to live through the withdrawal hell again.  It was not a "totally comfortable" experience, but a walk in the park compared to previous experiences.  Now, I am struggling to maintain sobriety and walk out my recovery.  We all (here) have learned to integrate drugs into the fabric of our existence.  They are coping mechanisms.  When we remove the crutch, we need to learn to feel and deal with our emotions.  All the while our bodies are still healing from the chemical abuse thay have become accustomed to.  Recovery is taking back your life and learning to live a fufilling life without your addiction.  Sobriety is simply not using, but does not necessarily mean you are looking for and using the tools that you need to fully recover your life-sometimes it's just "white knuckling" and that almost never yields lasting results.  No matter what, its likely that you are going to experience discomfort.  You have to set a plan in motion, and stick to it.  It takes your body anywhere from several weeks to months to re-regulate its own chemistry.  The sooner you start recovery, the sooner you will experience a life free from chemical dependence.  And I know that a life free from chemical dependence is not automatically a bowl of cherries.  In fact, in the beginning it seems alot harder because you don't have your crutch to help you cope.  But you will adapt and in the long run you will be one step closer to being a complete and whole person.  Its soooo much harder to live life to the fullest if we partner with a chemical addiction.  I have three young children of my own, and I know I probably don't have to tell you, but its not entirely about you anymore.  The longer that you allow your addiction to control you, the more you rob from your childs future.  That's not said to lay any kind of guilt trip on you, but to just confirm what I am sure you already know.  Most people can't recover on their own.  They lack the tools and perspective to climb out of the fog.  That's where you need support.  There are numberous options that can fit your schedule if you are willing to seek out help. I wish you and your family the best and pray for your full and lasting recovery.
Larry

p.s. Send me a message if you want me to forward you a handout on opiate/methadone withdrawal

[worried878]

I do think you have to have a game plan that extends beyond the withdrawal period..if you do not then I agree..you will do this withdrawal process over and over again..in actuality we are often afraid of the easy part, as painful as it may seem, the withdrawal part is the easy part..staying clean long term is the hard part

[handofdoom66]

you say the withdrawal isnt the hardest part you try kicking a methadone habit, you first have to walk before you run we cant think past the pain were in......other wise great advise.