How Long Do You Have To Take Methadone To Get Withdrawals
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Hello everyone who is one methadone and wants to get off.

I was on methadone for 6 years....I wanted to get off so I went to a rehab and did a 30 day suboxone detox getting down to 1 mg for the last 3 days. After 2 days off suboxone I started to get sick once again and decided to get back on methadone. That lasted for about a year before I had finally had enough. I did research and did a 16 day detox from 108 mg to 0 with minor side effects compared to the hell I know methadone withdrawal can be. This is what I did and it worked for me. I can't believe drs aren't talking of the benefits of DXM.

Every day before dosing I took 100 mg of Dxm, and drank a few cups of grapefruit juice, the juice increases the effects of the methadone because it inhibits the enzyme that metabolites it in the liver, thus stronger effects because of the longer and more amount of drug in the blood.

The dxm is proven to reduce the body's tolerance by inhibiting the nmda receptor that tells the brain it needs more...I did this refining every day before dosing and even missed the last 2 days of treatment. I also partook in the tiniest amount of marijuana, but don't think that was the key. The key was the dxm, it can reduce the tolerance. Everyone is different but if you are thinking of doing a methadone detox start everyday a few hrs before dosing with 50 to 100 mg of dxm, basically cough syrup...look it up, then take your methadone and you'll see the effects will be increased and the withdrawal will be so much less. The grapefruit juice also helps, but not on its own. It only potentiates the effects rather then decreasing the body's tolerance. All I know is after basically 7 yrs of over 100 mg a day I had minimal withdrawal after a 16 day detox and was ok after a month of lethargy. No cold sweats, puking or the hell I had experienced before.

I would rather kick opiates cold turkey any time over methadone, it's so much worse, you'd have to be willing to be a lifer to get on it, or go down small amounts over 6 months or more to have success. I can't believe no one talks about dxm, it saved me so much pain. Please look into it, even if you are going to do a 21 day detox. Start the first day with it and it will be so so much easier. I really hope this helps at least one person.

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What is DMX that one of the posters talks about to use when overcoming Methadone addictions?

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Please explain to me what DMX is and how it interacts with opiates? Where can it be purchased? Is it for withdrawal? Also does the Grapefruit juice lower a person's tolerance from all opiates?

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You said you did 108mg to 0 and used DMX. I am lost, 108 mg of what?: The Suxoxone or the methadone? And what is DMX? Please fill me in as I am on Suboxone and I would rather take that than go through withdrawals from any opiates for real!

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Hi, my name is terry, I read what you were saying.. And please listen to me!! When taking Xanax of any type of benzo diazapiens.. Never consume any grapefruit of any kind, it can kill you!! Please research...terry

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Try some gabapentin for the withdrawals and go to your local smoke shop and buy kratom capsules. Take 4 to 6 every 4 hours as needed. I promise you will feel so much better.

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Hi Jon,
I just re-read our entire conversation. I was not doing well at all! The difference in myself is night and day. Today, went to the beach and surfed a bit, yesterday was okay, getting well feels so good. I do have some pain- but I can deal with it. Am still using 5 mg. per day. If I need to stay at 5 mg for a while, I am good with that decision. My LIFE is coming back- fast. Thank you for your support! I needed it
at that time. Are you good? Charlotte Also, after reading your first post again, I am adding grapefruit juice. The marijuana tincture is quite helpful! I wish I
would have known more about how to use this herb properly years ago. :)

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HI Jon,
I looked up the meditation you recommended and am trying the same one. Hope it helps. For me it is far more physical than mental- although mentally, I am beyond screaming mad at the doctors who messed me up in the first place, so perhaps SRF can work all around. It really is sooo nice to hear from you! Let's keep in touch. Perhaps we can help each other, I know that I am having a very hard time with little support. No one really understands. Charlotte

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Hi Charlotte, glad to hear from you again, ya it's been awhile and this site doesn't always notify me when there is a post in response to mine. I'm doing well, I've also found that meditating is very helpful and I can't stress how much it has helped. I don't think I'did of made it if I hadn't had it. I am studying the SRF lessons and practicing their techniques. If your interested you can look up SRF, they have weekly lessons sent to your house! Anyway it definitely takes awhile to get off that last little bit?? Sometimes longer then we think it should, hang in there. Your right I do care, knowing what methadone is like, like a prison, I fell for others who want to be free if it. Again, I found calcrumbles magnesium very helpfully for the bones and grapefruit juice helpful. How are you doing now?

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Hi Jon,
I don't know if you are still taking messages, but I am down to 1 pill per day. My brain is coming back- I have been playing my piano, and generally just getting back on track. You know, I really thank you for your generous post. You did help me.
You cared..... Physically, I am still having nerve pain from the lack of pain meds.
But this is better than the problems caused by taking them. For me, I found marijuana ticture to be of the most help. Smoking it was too strong, vaporizer- too strong, edibles made me sick- and either too high or bad headaches, BUT, the tincture was just right! It helped immensely. How are you doing now? I care too!

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Hi Charlotte, I myself have been on methadone for a few years and I'm so ready to get this chapter of my life over and done with. Through the years I have done a tremendous amount of research and I recently came across this amazing website by Matt Finch......

opiateaddictionsupport.com/home

He has an amazing 7 step program, at home, and it's all natural. He has saved me. What made me want to reply to your post was a form of meditation that has helped many people with withdrawal. And Johnyb4, u also recommended meditation. This form of meditation is called QIGONG and you can buy the dvd on Amazon for $13.79. This is actually my first post ever on a blog, so I hope this helps! Matt Finch has saved my family and I hope that he can save you and everyone else who has been a slave to this drug.

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Hi Jon,
I hope I am not being a pest. If you have time to write back, what did your body feel like when dropping down your dose? I can only get 10 mg pills when I see the dr once a month. But I can break them down into small pieces. The way I feel right now, I better give it one more week before I drop lower again. The needle feeling,
headache, is pretty bad. The hot/cold thing is not as bad.
Thanks soooo much,
Charlotte

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You can call a methadone clinic and talk with them if your dreams is only able to go down 5mg a time. They clinics can do mg by mg over long periods of time.

Do you have to see your dreams every day to get your methadone?

If you have a take home prescription, you can just go along with his decreese but break the pills up into smaller doses or if it's a liquid do the math to measure out the mg you want to take.

Most insurance will cover methadone clinics.

Ifor you have info about this let me know, I'd love to help you find one, or give you information on how to best get started.

You don't have to stay with this dr, there are other ways, even if you take the pills or liquid and do the math do get the desired dose. Drs too too often have no idea and patients endnotes getting looked for life or experience the hell you are. It doesn't have to be this way, it can be almost un noticable.

Your in ,your prayers, keep me posted

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Hi Charlotte, dropping off methadone was not extremely painfully for me physically but emotionally it was hell hell hell. I would never recomend you drop another 5 next week. You seem to be having very bad wd, and I'd go very very slow. I don't know how it works but if you can I'd say drop one mg a week......I know that sounds bad, half life's a lot longer on methadone but these wd's last a long time. Since you have to do it you should BPT just get it over with. If you go down slow, your body will have a week to get used to the new dose then the wd's will be less. Go down fast and they will be just as bad, or similar to what they are now and will last for awhile.

The thing is methadone remains in your system much longer after you stop taking it, releasing it's self from your liver and fatty tissues. So a unlike other narcotics 'getting it over with ' won't apply in your case. If you were on hydrocodone it would be a diffrent story.

My strongest advice is to go down slow, your already physically addicted to it, so being on it longer won't get you hooked more, especially if you are going down.

I can't stress enough going down too fast, then being off completely will be even worse than it is now. I know 1 mg a week is good, then if possible after you get down to 1 mg do it every other day, or even every 36 hrs. I even know others who do .5mg to make it easier. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Pins and needles all over means too much too fast. Also clonidine, check it out, get some if possible. Take the dxm every 6 hrs if it helps. Do all you can to do it right.

Methadone wd's can take months to recover from when the body isn't able to adjust to the decreasing amount of medication.

Let me know your thoughts.

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Hi Jon,
I do think the DXM helps a bit. To describe it, I would say that the Methadone withdrawal is still there, but just not as bothersome? Can't really think of the right word. In your opinion,
should I stay at 20 mg, or, if I drop another 5 mg next week do you think I will feel the same? I know everyone is different. You just did such an amazing job at getting off this extremely bad drug. Could you try to describe how the drops in dose felt, not each day, just kind of overall.
I still feel like needles are poking me head to toe, is that what you felt like?
But if dropping further and I will still feel like hell, might as well get it over with. I do not know what to do at all.
Thank you for your great help and kindness!
Hope you are happy and healthy,

Charlotte
Charlotte

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Hi Jon,
Thanks so much for your kind replies. Will try the DXM every 6 hours. It does seem to help
with the hot/cold thing. The needle feeling is still there, but, with the DXM and I think the grapefruit juice, a bit more bearable. This is tougher than I could have imagined. If I go by
my dr's advice, he would drop me by another 5 mg in 2 weeks down to 15 mg methadone.
He can only do 5 mg decreases, so, I can stay at 20 mg. for a bit, maybe just a month or so. It's my decision. I really believe I
can get by with just non prescription medication for pain. I just have to get off the Methadone. All the needle feeling I have now must be the nerve endings coming back from constantly being numbed down, that's what I tell myself anyway

You mentioned meditation. If this is the same thing, I get deep into reliving my beach swimming, hiking, traveling whatever good experiences pop into my numbed down brain.
I have done the hot hot showers, that does help.
Also, silly shows and movies.
Trying to stay as calm as I can,
Thank you for letting me write to you, I feel sooooo drained of energy and life
Am trying to eat more since I am losing too much weight
Charlotte

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The suboxone didn't help me, but I tappered off a very high dose of methadone with in it in one month. I was wondering if you think most your pain is drug related, not having enough or from your extensive medical history. Suboxone would not the best if your pain is due to surgeries etx.

This hasn't come up yet but have you thought about adding meditation into your rutine, I do, it saved me and made me so much more alive then I ever thought possible, good thing is you don't have to 'do anything ' to do it, just learn the right teaniques. There are lots of studies, even Harvard that show meditation lessens pain a lot and reduces the size of the center in the brain that is responsible for anxiety and pain, the amigdila. I think it's worth looking into.

Did more research for you and think taking the dxm every 6 hrs would be good. Also give it a few days for this all to work and to let your system get used to it.

When I was going through the worst of the withdrawalsame I'd run a hot hot bath and sit in it till it got cold, then drain some water and start agsin, when I was in a hot hot bath all the symptome, most all left entirely.

Keep me posted, Jon

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Jonyb,
Thank you for your kind support! Have been on methadone for pain management for 6 years from having 2 back surgeries. I did what you said and took 50 mg DXM
this morning with grapefruit juice and just took the same again. My prescription says to take the methadone 5mg 4 times a day. I was cut back from 30 mg per day
about 3 weeks ago. Before I was put on methadone, I was on fentanyl patches. Sorry if this post is rambling, am just so tired etc., etc. The DXM is helping a bit I think. My doctor has nothing to offer, so am on my own with this. I just want to know exactly how much pain I am in without methadone for it. Whenever I told the drs that I felt okay, they said that the pain meds were doing their job. But after so much time, I want to know where I stand without medicine. Am adding the vitamin pills you suggested also, plus a small drink maybe if the nausea goes away. Did
the Suboxone help you at all? It didn't sound like it from your post. This will be your BEST Chistmas in a long time! I am happy for you! Thanks again so much for the very kind support you have given to me. I have used your advice.... Starting to ramble from being without sleep. If you have ANY suggestions, I would love to hear them,
Charlotte

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Sorry for so many responces, but I keep thinking......stabilize at 20 with what we've been talking of, then go down ssssllllooowww. You must of gone down too fast, I've done it. I'd take 1 mg a week. It'll take a long time but it's worth it if it's done right.

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Hi Charlotte,

Your welcome, I know how scary this can be. Are you taking 5 mg methadone every 6 hrs as prescribed by a dr? As far as I know it's not really a drug you take multiple times a day because of the strong half life and shorter acting analgesic life, once you fell the pain come back the amount of methadone still in your system is the same! Unlike others like vicodine where when the pain't comes back most of the drug has already been metabolized. So what I'm saying is dosing multiple times a day with methadone is scary because you end up with so much of it in you and a strong strong physical addiction.

Why are you taking it? For how long?

I know that taking b vitamins are good, also to take a liquid called calmag helped me alot, it keeps the bones healthy, and the methadone works it's way into your bones quickly and when withdrawl happens they hurt, so the calmage (calcium magnesium) helps. Also clonodine is something your dreams can prescribe that helps a lot with the physical part of withdrawls, not psychological but can be taken while narcotics are also being taken,

All said, I know how you feel, it was the hardest thing I ever went through. But there is light at the other end. I felt I would never fell normal again, but I did and you will also.

Not sure if this is appropriate, it was ok for me, I was very carfull, but I also drank a little beer when it got bad, I was amazes at what 2 coronas could do to make me feel better.

Again I'm not sure why you are even on pain meds, using alcohol if you are going to be on them long term isn't a good idea. But the clonodine, dmx and grapefruit juice should help, along with tagment to make the benzos stronger.

Please if I can help at all just ask, I guess I get an email every time there is a responce in this thread, so......take care, you're not alone

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To Jonyb, thank you for taking your time to write to me! I have no one else to talk to that has been through anything like this. Especially since Christmas is next week. Last year, my father, oldest brother, and Aunt died. I did the hospice care for all 3. So this has been particularly rough trying to get off methadone. You should feel so proud for ridding yourself of this horrible medicine.
Charlotte

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