What Are Methadone Withdrawl Side Effects?

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What are the side effects of coming off methadone. I have been on it since October of 1999. Started at 75 mgs now on 100 mgs for past 3-4 years I have heard lots of horror stories about coming off methadone. Most doctors say 2mgs a week but that would take a long time.

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1

Please what pill will aleviate methadone withdrawal? I was at 42 mgs stopped 1/18 i have vicoden es 6 to7 tabs daily help, i feel horrible
pp

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2

just joined thsi group. By now im sure you have a nasty vicoden habit or have gone back to methadone. MAybe buprenephine would help. But you cant just stop from 42mg dose to nothing without major problem, unless you return to heroin, etc, What happened ? curious

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3

i have been on methadone since 2001 im on 74ml now and i want off this crap my plan is this to get down to 30ml then go on suboxone 5 week corse then thats it. methadone withdrawl is horrible especially if you have been on a maintenence dose for aslong as we have i am dropping 2mls a fortnight at the minute but am going to start dropping 4mls every 2wks soon the quicker the better. i know il suffer a little but i put myself here so i see it as no pain no gain kinda thing. the side effects of methadone is awful its a horrible drug. if only i knew then what i know now.

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4

Sure sounds to me like you are commited , so you will succeed, Your philosophy of no pain, no gain is exactly what is needed, But this will be well worth it as you know. Your life wont be tied to a MMT clinic or their controlling ways anymore.
Others have detoxed completely, one guys i knew did it himself over a year though by not usng all his take -home med, reducing every 3 or 4 days. He didnt have a bad withdrawal, and he didnt use buprenorphine either.
Good luck

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5

U need a benzo like Klonopin to help with the withdrawel anxiety, you need Clonidine 0.5 mgs, to take as needed when you have the hypertension and high blood pressure from withdrawing, and you need Ibuprofen 800mgs for the body aches spasms and back pain, taking vicodin is going to prolong your symptoms because its an opioid and methdone blocks the effects of ANY opioid you take, thats how methadone keep you from using, its impossible to get high on methadone, even after you stop the Methadone it is built up in your system, its one of the worst withdrawels to go through, and the symptoms can kill you, someone needs to be there with you while you are doing this...its hard alone, but those are the meds u need to help you truly get over this. Hope this helps.

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6

Mindy, great response i learned something from your post

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7

I was on Opana - NOT Heroin and wanted OFF Opiods even though I am a chronic pain patient. Can't take changing meds, going up and down - it's horrible.

I went from 280mgs Opana's (ER & IR) down 75% w/methadone....It's been about 60 days AND I Feel Good - 1st time in yrs.!

At 120 mgs/day - go down 10 mgs, then wait 1-2 mos - then go down...mostly hard towards the "end" - and I've researched this.

As far as Suboxone-There Are More Suboxone Withdrawal Clinics Than Methadone Now! You get on that stuff - and I just saw a doc before deciding Methadone waS right for me - and he said - here take 2 pills, then we'll TITRATE YOU FOR 4 MONTHS - then we'll see about getting you off it! No Way! That's craziness - Docs don't make any $ if they can't keep U visiting them for the Suboxone which is $$$ AND they put in a "narcan-like" product that'll send you into withdrawal - if you have ANY Opioids in you....

Think you'd better do more research... I walked out w/a pamphlet and I never looked back. I had 2 Pharmacists, 1 Psychiatrist (for Panic/Anxiety Disorder) - Professor & Director - Plus my Endocrinologist - Who ALL Agree Methadone Was the Easiest Way to Go - Just Do It Slllllloooowwww - That's the Key....Never did street drugs and it was horrible during 45 days - but I'd do it all over again...I talked to other nurses and users and they All saId it IS easy to get off of - Nurse 40 yrs exp. w/drug users and a Heroin user who said it was great and saved his life-off it now...

Again, do your homework. Look at the posts and check w/pharmacists or if you can get into a program - which I cannot because I'm just a disabled chronic pain pt - The counselors will tell you like it is... Suboxone - people are trying it AND having a tough, tough time getting off it.....And it's contraindicated for my Endo conditions too...But w/Narcan-lke stuff in it - now I know the Doc I saw put it in the initial dose - and i would imagine he would do it all the time as the script was the same. He also said if I had Any Opioids still in my system after 24 hours I would go into withdrawal!

Hey - This was MY DECISION! I couldn't see myself going up and up - was once at 360mgs/Opana/day and took myself down to 280mgs/day - but was starting to loose efficacy and I said NO MORE....Good Luck To Us All - You Do What Ya Gotta Do to Get To Where You Want To Go! XO

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8

Man-up dude. You can withdraw yourself with nothing. Give yourself 10 days and you will feel much better.

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9

Ignorant response

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10

Man Up?...It's awesome to be superman, I'm glad that's all you had to do to get over it. Some people are not so lucky and feel things on completely different levels. And no two doses, or bodies, are the same. Everyone's metabolism runs differently, as well as their tolerance for meds, and their pain-thresholds. If u did it like that then "Kudos" to you, but if you didn't, and are just commenting, then please don't pretend to know what we're talking about unless you have been through it, or have some kind of experience with it. That's just disrespectful.

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11

I was on 145 for 4 years.. I went down 10 a week til I got to 70 then 5 every week, then every 2 weeks. I was a HEAVY opiate user and the weaning off wasnt bad AT ALL for me. Until I got to the lowest doses.. Coming down from 30 ish was rough, I took my time. 2 mgs every 2 weeks, then 1 etc. But the hardest for ME was 5 down to 1 and I SO DONT GET IT.. If I was hurting back in the day 5mgs would have done NOTHING But when I was just coming off methadone the lower doses were really hard, I wasnt sleeping, my skin felt too tight for my body And then the whole month after coming off completely I still had troubles sleeping and didnt feel "myself" You can definitely do it and obviously its different for everybody But Ive heard similar stories of it being harder towards the end.. Take your time, talk to your doc & LISTEN TO YOUR BODY Good Luck!

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12

I recently had to fly to Florida bc my dad was very ill, I went with 40 pills on me, and I was prescribed 10 a day.. 4 Days supply, I had only been taking 8 a day, and keeping the rest in case of an Emergency, With all the Excitement & Commotion going on with my father, & Knowing I was going to be there for awhile, and not knowing where I would get my medication, I decided to see how long I could hold out wiht out taking it, and I did 9 days before I started shalllow breathing. That was the only side effect I had,(And I have been through Withdraw before.. trust me) I am now on 1 a day, and doing great., Hopefully soon, I will be able to take my self down to anything, and take motrin for my Pain, as I am sick of the Medication Addictions from my Polymyalgia! i have been on Narcotics for over 10 years. =0) I cant wait until this Ordeal is over, and I can Assure you.. I will never go back! 4/2011

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13

Opps, I meant NOTHING!!! not Anything.. Sorry!

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14

are you from the us tammy? i am from the uk and they will not give me tablet form of methadone only if i go away abroad on holiday and then when i get back its back to liquid form. i really want to go on the tablet form as i cnt stomach the liquid anymore and i know ppl that have gone away with tablet methadone and have reduced themselves as they realised they didnt need as much as they were on with the liquid. i am so comitted to getting off methadone it cnt come quick enough. i have complety changed my diet i drink alot more fluids and have started pilates and walking/bike riding and after just 2 wks of doing this i feel better than i ever have but every morning i awake with feeling ill it goes obv after i have taken my methadone i have asked to be reduced quicker but the doctor i see wnt? he says 2mls a fortnight is too much? i am down to 70mls it feels like i have been doing so well for so long and i am just getting knowhere my mother would like for me to be able to do a quick detox so we are looking at detox places that i could go to to get off the methadone all together i am moving in with her in 2 months she lives in the middle of know where has never took a drug in her life is completely all organic and lots of excercise and outdoors she just hates me being on methadone and keeps saying 'well cnt you justs top taking it all together' what would happen would you feel ill? oh yes i would. it is daunting as the doctor keeps saying that when i start getting down to lower doses the withdrawl is worse? thats why i am thinking of suboxone i dnt mind doing 2 days withdraw at 30mls then take suboxone for 5 weeks. i am making big changes in my life to get away from the ppl who i started my drug use with 11 years ago i come from a good family with no drug addictions and the support is unbeleivable it has made me want to live again.

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15

I was on 120mg for 10 years until 26 days ago.. I stopped cold turkey at home. Yes, I felt pretty darn bad. for me tapering isn't an option because I didn't want to prolong the withdraw period. if i'm gonna feel bad I want to get it over with. I have a nursing degree and knew that you can't die from opiate withdraw. Benzo's and alcohol u can. I have prayed alot and tried not to focus on the physical discomforts like I did in the past.I feel so free today on day 26. I may still be achy and don't sleep much but I'll take that over being chained to a clinic or dope dealer any day. You can do it!!!!

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16

I hope so, I hope i can get off 40 mgs of metahdone,, ive ben on it 7 mnths, and heard horror stories of people coming off.. i ve had my withdrawls and am an end stage addict wondering if some lortabs will help me deal with the withdrawal, i cant find a doc like the one that just dismissed all his clients!! i have m.s. but began using at age 19 30 plus vics a day for the last yrs, of my life, methadon ehelped soboxone the highest dose just made me want to use, and i had pain on it.. i will not go to a clinic everyday of my life, i might as well use lortab , its bs i finally had my life together using 40 mgs of methadone, but here we go agin, ive been scared out of my wits for weeks now, knowing if i didnt get a doc this was going to happen, i guess if i get to sick cuz i live alone i will be at the er getting treated like ship!,, but please keep me in your prayers yall i want to be drug free its been a long 16 yrs? of ups and downs.....

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I hope so, I hope i can get off 40 mgs of methadone,, ive been on it 7 months, and heard horror stories of people coming off.. i ve had my withdrawals and am an end stage addict wondering if some lortabs will help me deal with the withdrawal, i cant find a doc like the one that just dismissed all his clients!! i have m.s. but began using at age 19 30 plus vics a day for the last yrs, of my life, methadon ehelped soboxone the highest dose just made me want to use, and i had pain on it.. i will not go to a clinic everyday of my life, i might as well use lortab , its bs i finally had my life together using 40 mgs of methadone, but here we go agin, ive been scared out of my wits for weeks now, knowing if i didnt get a doc this was going to happen, i guess if i get to sick cuz i live alone i will be at the er getting treated like ship!,, but please keep me in your prayers yall i want to be drug free its been a long 16 yrs? of ups and downs.....

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18

THERE ARE NO"CONTROLLING "ways on MMT unless you are a screw up. After 1 year you go once a week and after 2 years 1x month The only contol involved is the control you finally have over your own life. It's always the ones who are not 100% committed to recovery that always find problems with MMT.I've been on since 1967 and am 82. I wouldn't have made it this far without it.

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19

You're on an artificial high now but you'll be using by the end of May

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20

Good fo u Tammy dis life of feeln good starts out pretty good but in the end ure justjust chasin a feel good!

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That's what I'm talkin about I'm 27 an have been on heroin for11 years and methadone for a bout 6 years nw I once cold turkey for 2 months of a 100ml methadone n bangin upto 5\ 6 bags aday. But I done it but I sadly fel into the same trap and bk to 100ml aday an upuntill 7days ago a 4 bag aday habit again an injectin it of all things to do. But 7days clean nw the hard part meths witch I say is the purest form of drug I know b ecus it causes a1 month withdrawrel atleast if ur lucky u might get to sleep afta several months but there no choice for me 12 years bein a slave to these things I'd rather be dead so failer isn't an option anymore good look to all determenationn an self worth is a good begining to recobvery

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22

amen to u honey, I myself was put in a sitiuation that i came off methadone cold turkey I was on ...200mg a day!, I completley shut down after 5 days, i though everybody was trying to kill me, or betting on me to die, I trip and hallicinated, that i was in a parade in NY. I"m in TN....I lost 5 days of my life, dont knw what happen what day it was, or if it was da/night....theres no such thing as" manning up" as BRUCE SAYS, u will want to die, u will feel like u will die, IT was the worst thing I ever went through. make sure u come off of it the right way, also I didnt sleep 4 months, and I still dont feel like myself...but I'm so scared of it, I"D NEVER GO BACK!!, good luck to you.

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21

OH LORD IT TRUELY OS A NIGHTMARE......NOTHING U CAN TAKE TO EAS IT N ANYWAY.... TRUST ME THEY DO HAVE SUBOXINE NOT SPELLED RIGHT.. HELP IF U TAKE THAT BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME.....

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