Please Help Me With Methadone Questions & Withdrawl (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I have been on methadone for 9 months... I was up to 80 mg but have managed to get down to 20 mg over the past 5 months or so. I am wanting to get off it all together but I am so scared because I don't want to feel miserable from the wd. Since I have been on it less than a year, will the wd still be horrible? Should I go from the methadone to suboxone to make it any easier or just keep going down on the methadone? How long will the wd's last once I am off everything? I go to the clinic so I am not doing it on my own, it is medically supervised. Can anyone PLEASE help me with some good advice??

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REPORT

(Not all my msgs are approved to publish-?-in one I had told you I only had experience with Suboxone, never Methadone.) I am an alcoholic with treatment resistant depression. I had liberal psychiatrists in the hospitals (2) who advised me I had enough of a co addiction to opioids and to stand on that. Period. At the clinics, I was an opiate addict Suboxone, I thought, was a miracle drug. Alcohol was disgusting (72 days later, still is-hmmm) and I was in a great mood (not so much...) I saw clues: people selling/buying subs, the way we were treated at these clinics, looked at by the pharmacists. So I can't say I didn't know I was doing a "drug." But I wasn't feeling high! I was a whole lot less messed up than usual! I have a lot of friends in "the program." Not a single one of them would get behind me on this sub thing & admittedly it was like pulling teeth getting that script every month. After a false drug panel reading at my last place, I surrendered and began to taper (no thanks from them! I was under dosing quite a bit.)

Now, I knew nothing about Buprenorphine/Naloxone. I tapered cuz I've come off plenty in my day, BEFORE the inpatient opiate detox. You taper. It took me 3 months to take 15 8mg subs. I expected no withdrawals. No. Big. Deal. WRONG! It was/is a very big deal. Around the 3rd day, I had abdominal cramps so badly I went to the ER. Didn't occur to me it was wd. 4 days, aha! I can do physical symptoms. Don't like them, but what started going on in my head was intolerable. I had crippling, lay in the floor & just breathe anxiety attacks. Got drunk so that the hospital would admit me keep me 5 days, give me Vistaril every 6 hrs & never once mention PAWS. When I got home I started looking around on the internet & thank God, I found some other people sharing their experiences. Found some things I could do. I think my case is extreme. Several factors go into this, my age, health & lifestyle being 3 big ones. I don't want to scare anyone. There are many stories on here where people have transitioned almost seamlessly. I hope that's how it is for you! Keep us posted!

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Hi Niele, I did not see the msg. about never being on Methadone but now I understand your story. This is the first forum I have ever been on, I thought I would give it a try. So on top of everything, I suffer from major depression. There was a term you used...I can't think of what it was but some type of depression that you go through as well. After I got off the sub. just like you, the paws for me was unbearable. Everyday, I would ask myself if I was going to feel this way for the rest of my life. And after several months I went back to using. Do you mind emailing me ? I am interested in what you are doing to deal with your depression. I am on several medications. I think I have been on every one out there. I have dealt with the depression long before the opiate addiction. Sometimes I think the opiates zapped any last bit of serotonin I may have had. I isolate way too much, no zest for life, etc. If you don't mind discussing, I will give you my email. Just let me know if you are okay with that. Thanks again!

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Sure, I would be glad to email you. I think what you were referring to is what psychiatrists call "treatment resistant depression."
Let me tell you this: next month, I will be 51(no husband or kids-never stopped to do all that). Then let me say this: I can tell you A LOT about what doesn't work. I came on here looking for answers myself. I had just spent 5 days at an inpatient facility where no one would quite look me in the eye. PAWS never came up-it was just me, being crazy!
I was looking for SCIENCE online & there isn't any about subs! Which was lucky for me kinda, cuz I heard what real people had to say instead.
You probably know more about getting off subs than I do! I'm still in the planning stages of "what now." I'm not really feelin it too much with medical personnel and surely you know who that leaves (AA/NA)...I go waaay back with them & they are the ones still there. I have a hard time with their philosophies & black and white thinking. But, none of them have their ass quite in a sling like I do right now either!
So, short story long, I'll email you a list of what not to do! Sure!

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I so did not say Mexican gangs are running Nashville! Republicans are running Nashville! An important detail was edited for content.

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From what I've been told from counsellors and other patients and my own experience most people can make rather drastic drops in Mg's then most seem to hit a wall at a list dose. Anywhere from 5mg to 30 depending on a few things like length of use, dose amount body and brain chemistry. So for me I need to keep myself around positive people a good doctor and some sort of spiritual group or program. Church, na, this site, just something. I personally would love to talk to someone who was on methadone for over a few years and has got off and is still clean. To get advice and just get that confidence that I know someone else has done it. Hope the best for you and just writing these few messages has been therapeutic so thanks

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Hey there, I was on methadone for eight years started on 240 milligrams and after 4 years got down to a hundred and forty and then the next two years I got detoxed off in 21 days off of 70 milligrams. I was 28 years old and when I finally was off of the methadone. I had withdrawals for 6 months but if you do it the way that I'll tell you how to do it you will be absolutely fine. So the first thing you want to do if you don't want to go through withdrawal and you have 20 milligrams left, you want to take the next, then go down two milligrams every week and you don't have to give it 2 milligrams in one day. do one milligram on Monday and one mg Friday. you got the next 10 weeks. if you start to get sick at all then you can stop here and just hold your dose of what you are taking. you wouldn't go back up a couple milligrams. if you have the key to being successful getting off methadone is to do it the right way. I know you might not like that it will take me another 10 weeks to get off of it. But I think a little over two months is worth it to take the time to taper really slowly will give you a successful chance of little withdraw...You can take Quality Inn 4 anxiety. it's creepy crawlies sleep and withdrawal you possibly didn't even start when you start to feel aqui as you progress through your paper most doctors are happy because it's a very good medication for withdrawal and to get patients off opiates and it works wonders. I was 11 and 10 for 10 years and thought I would never find anything that works and funny but it does have some nasty side effects. if you have any more questions or problems feel free to ask. I'm here to help and happy to do so!

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Great for you Staycee! Some people withdrawing from methadone have picked up this thread. I hope ya'll can help each other through this!

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Hey Gsk,
I've bee communicating with Staycee for some time now, and this is not her "first rodeo." She's detoxed from Suboxone before, which is a very similar process. I am currently coming up on 90 days, and I have detoxed from almost EVERYHING myself from methadone. And it was easier.
So, perhaps, she is very afraid, or very cautious. It is only recently that people withdrawing on methadone have picked up her thread. Unfortunately, all the valid scientific information is not always readily available (CENSOR!)

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I have been taking Methadone off and on for the past 2 years, various doses and up to 10 days off at a time with little to no withdrawals. So 5 days ago I decided it was enough! I have wasted to much $ and time with this. So I'm on day 5 and again the w/d's are virtually unnoticed except for my hands shake a little and my heart rate is elevated slightly. I haven't taken anything, but I'm drinking tons of water and every time a craving pops up i ask myself to i want the drugs or do I want to live. I don't know what's around the corner but I'm not going to worry about it. Please try to remember this will all be over soon enough, and try to not fill your head up with all the "what if's" or thinking about all the gloom and doom, just deal with what's in front of you right now, everything else can wait.

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Hi there no expert! Thank you for your encouraging post and keep up the good work! Sounds like you have your head in the right place! I have not had cravings yet because I am still on 15 mg but I know they will come. Like you said...we want to live, not die. I just keep playing that tape in my head about how opiates have ruined the last 9 years of my life. Like you said, we have to deal with what's in front of us right now. The rest can wait...

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Staycee, your welcome! I hope you don't think I'm bragging because I'm not at all, I have had a 8 year battle with addiction and was clean for 4 years before I got back into taking pills. I know the pain and anxiety of running out and having withdrawal kick my ass. But I saw soooooo many negative posts about methadone that I was literally terrified to quit. I had taken as much as 70mg in a day and as little as 2.5mg and never felt any difference so i jumped off and figured I would take it one day at a time. I know i may not be out of the woods yet but at day 5 already I feel pretty good and I'm trying to just stay positive.

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Hi noexpert....Of course I know you are not bragging!! That is extremely brave of you to just decide to stop like that! Just like you, I have heard so many horror stories about Methadone so I had no idea what to expect. I know what it is like to wd from other opiates and for me Suboxone was the absolute worst! But then again, it is suppose to be used on a short term basis and doctors had me on and off it for 2 years!! Go figure! I don't want to jinx things but I think being on day 5, you are pretty much in the clear as far as any physical sickness. How have you been feeling mentally and emotionally??

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Hi Niele!! Your post to Gsk was right on! I wasn't on here looking for sympathy but rather other peoples expeirences (and nightmares) with Methadone. You know what I mean... So how are you feeling??

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Yeah I detox ed off of perks/vicoden and that was hell so i was thinking I was headed for some major crap!
Mentally I feel a little foggy, and forgetful. I am more irritable than normal but otherwise ok.
Emotional I am happy, I feel good right now. I walked my daughter's to school, and then took a 1/2 mile walk to make me sweat and stay busy. Thanks for asking! !!

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Good job on the taper, Staycee, I'm sure you'll make it. Just stay in the game!
I think I can safely say I'm done, for the most part. The reason I say that is because I pretty much feel like I did when I started. You know, at the psych ward lol. Which is a bazillion times better than on subs or PAWS! But, so real. And my shoes have shoestrings!
I kinda wanted to drink today, that's another sign it's gone.
But you know PAWS: no rules, no boundaries.
I bet you there is a cure for these drugs, but that might promote abuse....

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I would definitely try and go down slowly but sooner than later I've been at a methadone clinic for 16 years was clean from doing anything else for 11 of those years and lost insurance coverage and was tossed out the withdrawal was far more sever then any oxytocin I started using it again because I couldn't deal with the withdrawal I returned to the clinic 2 years ago and not using nothing but methadone again but the longer your on it the harder and more dangerous it gets know one told me that if I knew what I know now I would have tried 7 day detox first I know people who experienced withdrawal as log as 7 months methadone get deep in all mussels and hangs in them for along time I haven't been able to go away on any family vacation or another state if family get sick because I'm married to the clinic that is self owned and only care about the $$ I live no where near any other clinics around 3 hrs away I wouldn't recommend this to anyone not even my worst enemy.

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Crazy side effects; day 4 at 60 today not touching withdrawal symptoms yet but here is the problem: I'm the same as any other dedicated junkie. I strive to do the most of the best; but we didn't start that way n sometimes its not even all our fault; can hardly concentrate. About 45 min or lil longer I start feeling really bad anxiety, then fear, anger, then depression. I have taken every pain med known to man including this red cherry syrup, and I have never felt these symptoms. Do clinics ever mess with the done? I take a lot of opioids but what kinda respectable person wouldn't have a good idea about how much of certain meds they need. I should never feel worse than when I was on the road to go dose till it starts to wear off a lil. I was on my way home (45 min drive) when this stuff started comin' on, well ya know what? Confession - I had 2 go get my fix. I was careful about dosing. I was perfect for 4 hrs when the anxiety and other odd symptoms started coming on. Help a guy who's just trying to do the right thing for once.

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I WOULD SAY YES. I'M NOT A DOCTOR BUT I KNOW JUST ABOUT AS MUCH AS THEY DO ON CERTAIN DRUGS INCLUDING METHADONE.

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Kitty... Methadone metabolizes in to morphine if it helps.

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Hi Lagale, thank you so much for taking the time out and sending some encouraging words! That was very sweet and I think we can all use as much support as we can get, right? Lol. I feel the worst for people such as yourself who are truly in pain and actually need the medication. It must be difficult. And these doctors are a joke...drug dealers with MDs. I am so fed up with the methadone gig, just as I am sure you are. I hate the fact I have gained 25 lbs on it and feel so fat. Not sure if you gained any weight but I know a lot of people who have. I am now on 13 mg and will go down to 11mg on Wednesday. If I can do it, anybody can...I had heard so many horror stories about the withdraw. I was super nervous to even try it. Thank goodness I have felt okay but no doubt the key is to go down slow.

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