How Long Does It Take For Your System To Clear Methadone (Page 2)
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if i've been taking 50 mg methadone qd for 3 yrs and wonder how many days will it take to have a clean ua? what about occasional use of xanax klonopin ativan or valium? i read on this site that it only takes 2-4 days to be clean for ativan and klonopin???

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56

Most Drug tests for new jobs only do a simple drug test. They don't test for methadone. Methadone does not show up in a regular test. They have to do a 10 or 12 point test and actually test for methadone. Now if you are working some where and get injured or have some type of accident and they send you to the hospital for a drug test then they will test for methadone.

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55

You need to be down to at least 30mg methadone, or you will get sick still even after skipping three days before your appointment.BTW do NOT let a Dr. say that Suboxone is okay to take first. It will put you in precipitated withdrawals that are very nasty!! Naloxone in them causes this... Subutex or generic name is Bupenorphine should be used for the first week. I did this from 48 mg Methadone waited only two days instead of three without dosing, and only started with the Bupe 8 mg day and got sick... Notice I wasn't far from the three days or the 30 mg but I regretted it for three days of terror and will start subs on day 7 and am still scared. My dr gave me 16mg day but only took half. Same with the suboxone I'm getting 16mg (2 -8mg strips) and only will take half, unless I feel I need more to start out on, but it is depending upon how I will feel. They give way to much and it makes it very hard to taper off at a high rate and are a b**** to get off of, I mean you need to get to a .012 of a SINGLE 8mg strip... Then skip every other day (then 2, then 3) before taking it at that tiny sliver of a level to let the half life catch up and wear off of you before stopping without w/d... Be warned.

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54

FIRST OF ALL, methadone has the LONGEST HALF-LIFE OF ANY DRUG OUT THERE. It literally stays in your bone marrow.
People think that they can wait just a few days, & then go on Suboxone. But PLEASE trust me--it's the Worst Thing You Could Do!!!
Suboxone is composed of two different drugs, the first one is Subutex, and that is an opiate that will not make you high or give you a buzz or really help any pain, it just keeps you from going into withdrawal. The OTHER ingredient is the one you need to be wary of. It is called naloxone which is narcane - the drugs they pump you full of in the hospital if you OD.

THE NALOXONE IN SUBOXONE WILL PULL ALL OF THE METHADONE OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM AND PUT YOU INTO A SEVERE WITHDRAWAL, THE KIND OF WITHDRAWAL DOCTORS WON'T EVEN LET YOU GO INTO. ANYONE that says methadone will be out of your system in 3 or 4 days is completely wrong. You might not pee it out, but it is still there. I ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED THIS FOR MYSELF. detect down from 100 milligrams of methadone, down to 10 milligrams. I took that for two weeks, and then started only drinking half of it for a week, (I was on the liquid, occasionally called METHADOSE) then stopped completely for about four and a half days. Then I took a Suboxone. An hour later, I was curled up underneath the chair in the waiting room at the ER begging them to make it stop. They gave me a catapress & some ativan & let me sleep for about 4 hours, and then they basically told me there was nothing I could do but wait in agony until I was able to take a suboxone, which took 2 days...

Subutex after methadone might be a lil better since it does not contain the naloxone so you would not going to withdraw, but I would still wait as long as you can possibly can until you take the subutex. I would definitely look into that! Also, if you are pregnant woman, do not take suboxone only take subutex because I know naloxone can cause birth defects. Your brain is simply not able to handle the stoppage of the serotonin production so suddenly, that's why people taper slowly off of heavy opiates, and that's why the doctors tell you too.

If you do it slowly, your brain will re-learn to produce it on its own. The best way to stuff is to go down in milligrams until you start to feel sick and then go up 5 and stay there until you're comfortable. Then start going down again until you feel sick again and go up 5 again, and stay and keep doing that until you're down to nothing. You will probably stay somewhere between 3 and 10 milligrams for quite a while, and then stop, but the problem is is that your brain will feel like it NEEDS a pill, or it won't work, even if you just take a sugar pill.
It truly is a sort of mind f*** at that point, but if you have the will and the determination, you will succeed. A girlfriend of mine (friends since we were eleven-24 years now--it started at 19, she got addicted to crack & then heroin really bad for years, went to rehab for over a year got off everything & then ended up on vicodin, taking 11 pills at a time 4 or 5 times a day, & I got her on suboxone to get her off the pills because buying them is just simply too expensive) was on suboxone and knew she did not need it anymore, but still had that paranoia that she would get sick if she didn't take anything, so she would take teeny tiny pieces of a 2 milligram strip, just to ease her anxiety. But then she got pregnant with her daughter and was able to stop completely. So maybe a big change in life so having a child, or moving to a new house, would help you stop completely at the end.

Also, if you look online, there are recipes for the withdrawal symptoms. They have prescription and over-the-counter recipes, they combat the symptoms of restless bodies, where you can't stop moving, sleep aid because you won't be able to sleep, medicine to combat runny noses and that feeling of your blood running cold, bad headaches, diarrhea, all of the withdrawal symptoms have over the counter remedies that will help you during your detox. Some remedies would be better if you could get the prescription strength variety, but there are over the counter options as well. They are usually called oxycontin withdrawal recipes, but they will work for any opiate.

PS: I used the Google Talk Text in order to write this out, so if it is a little bad grammatically, that is why. Also, I am in college to be a drug counselor because I was addicted to just about every drug imaginable except for methamphetamine. I figured that will only way to make a positive out of that negative time in my life is to help other people.. When I needed to talk to a counselor when I was in the clinic, I was happy that my counselor was an ex addict who started her sobriety in 2000. Mine started in 2010 for the last time, I started in the methadone clinics in 06, but I've been in the same one now, my 6th, in August of 2010. I will have 5 years clean on my birthday in August. I'm very proud of that, and refused to start practicing as a counselor until I am off methadone completely-which I'm starting my detox from 65 milligrams, (my lowest ever amount out of my 6 clinics, and will hopefully be ready to switch off of methadone by the end of this year). So what I'm telling you I'm not getting out of a book, I'm getting it from first hand experience going back and forth and back and forth from using and being clean.

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53

I've been in five Methadone clinics. The most recent the longest. In August (2015-this year) will be my 4 year anniversary. I planned on being there for 18 months. I HAVE kicked, by reducing my dose little by little, then surviving on ONE 10mg methadone oil every OTHER day, then switched to Ultram (before they decided to make tramadol a narcotic, which, btw, I find pathetic and hilarious all at the same time!) Unfortunately for me, some stressful life situations, along with some sad losses of friends and family members that all seemed to happen at once, I started taking updates again, but this time, I'm sticking with it & NOT going back once I dose out of here. I'm in school to make my negatives in life a little positive: I'm going to be a drug counselor. MY CURRENT counselor is in recovery-she had 15 years in Jan. The head counselor there will have 12 years in June. I personally felt better talking to someone who KNEW what I'd been through them someone who THINKS they know because they learned it in a book. Jmho. ANYWAYS, is I were to put MY 2 cents in, I'd stay AWAY from the met clinic, & find a suboxone dr, or (if you're pregnant) a subutex doctor. I worked in a pharmacy, & sub's DO WORK. The problem is, you have to WANT TO STOP. At the clinic, you've got incentive and motivation. When it's just a script, it's all up to you, so do yourself a favor, and SEE a therapist, be HONEST, and it'll be SOO much easier!! If you have any questions I'll answer ANY & EVERY question 100% honestly--no bs dance around. Hope I can help! I'm in school to counsel at a drug rehab.

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52

I was on methadone 7 yrs and took 4 1/2 weeks to be undetectable. It saturate your fat.cells and muscle.

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51

I'm in your same situation& just wondering how long it took you to be able to start suboxone?I was hoping to avoid a y long detox, but it seems like it'll take a lot longer to clear my system than they say huh?

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50

Thats too many benzo's, you think you felt anxiety before, coming off of that will cause you to not only feel more anxious but paranoia will set in, and that will last for a couple years before u feel normal, come down slowly, I just seen your post and wrote you because I know how it feels and wanted to help. Try Remeron(Mirtazapine) for
anxiety.

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49

Ive been on benzo's 30 yrs and methadone 30 yrs.it takes some people less then others but can stay in system as long as 10 days .you didnt state how many Benzos a day.or how many you took. If you want come back on and post excacly when an how many.that plays a factor in how long it may stay in system

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48

Dont be a sissy a little withdrawal pain aint gonna kill you. I have kicked both heroin and methadone COLD turkey several times it aint no fun but it can be done.

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47

You will pass the drug test if you have 7 days clean off of the methadone you will pass.

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46

You can take your methadone before you ever start feeling withdrawals you are thinking of when a person goes off of methadone to buprenophine.

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45

I was on 65 mg's of methadone for a year. I stopped taking it on April 1st 2015. Been off of it for 8 days now, some days are worse then others. I'm hanging in their. YOU ALL CAN TOO!

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44

How long should I wait to start taking Methadone if I have been taking 240mg of Oxycontin daily and want to get off of it. do I wait until I cant take the w/drawal effect anymore then take my first Methadone Pill ??? Can I take it 1 day after the last time I took a oxycontin? I don't want to take a Methadone Pill and get real sick because there is still a large amount of Oxycontin in my system... Please Advise

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43

Buy some clean substitute urine. most Head Shops have them. I used one called U-R-IN-LUCK. it came with a heating pad and a spare bottle. it worked perfectly. You can do this. they are not watching THAT closely. put the urine in a really small balloon with some kind of valve on it so it wont spill. Neccessity is the mother of invention. if you are truly desperate to get or keep your job you WILL beat them. I always did. NEVER once gave a dirty UA in my life

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42

Tari is EXACTLY right. Methadone half life works exactly as she said it would. I get Methadone prescribed and am at my Dr right now. I just asked him and she's exactly right!!

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41

I'm was prescribed 60 ml a day of methadone went to suboxone doctor he said I had to come back in 3days before he can prescribe it will I start withdraw and will I get sick if I take the suboxone after 3days of no methadone

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40

Takes up to 15 days for any benzos. taken on a daily basis.

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39

It will damage ur liver if u r taking that much a day for an extended time. That is really alot of Xanax n a moderate amnt of valiums but it modt definitely damage ur liver. Do ur best to ween urself off

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38

Did u every try and get off suboxone, it is hell. It is worse than coming off a gram a day h addiction. I would never go on subs again. Talk to the people that have beem in rehab a few stints. Most of them have taken subs before and will never again. Methadone is the same way, big pharm wants u hooked on there drugs, so they make them worse to get off of than heroin. Also it can stay in u for up to 30 days. Take some morphine or oc's if u have to, but limit the dose and taper done to hydro's. U will still feel sick, but not that bad. Do not take anything for 2 weeks after the hydro's and u wont have worry about a ua, just tough it out it's 10 times better than sub's or methadone.

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37

Nick, i also was in a methadone treatment center for 5 yrs. I was on 100mg and started detoxing 3mg each week. At 30mg do to no insurance and financial issues, I had to stop cold turkey. It was a horrible experience. My husband was at 60mg and was able to dose down to 3mg before leaving the program. Allow yourself to be able to rest and be alone to get thru the hard parts. Calcium magnesium helps with the bones aching and alternating tylenol and ibuprofen. Benadrhyl will help with the runny nose. Try to find a doctor that can start you on a good anti-depressant and make the transformation to Suboxine. I choose not to do the suboxine but just to be done all together. I have been clean for 1yr Oct 3, but it is a difficult process, have faith and good luck to you.

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