Lowering your Methadone dose. Help!

[DreamAngel]

My fiance and I are getting married in October.
He has been in treatment for over a year now,
He used to be on 110ml a day ,right now he is going down by 5ml a week.
He is down to 35ml . In the morning he wakes up and starts sneezing, at night his pupils are bigger than usual.
What is the best way to detox for him?
There is a detox next to our house, its a 6 day detox... How low should he get on methadone?
Or is it better to just keep going down on his dose every week? And how many ml should he cut?!
Please advise!
Thank you.

[DreamAngel]

No replies?

[itisatruth]

Welcome DreamAngel ~ I usually post in the Friends and Family of Substance Abusers but just noticed your post. SR is a great place IMO, full of lots of experiences that are helpful for addicts and their loved ones but they are just that....experiences....medical advice should only be given by doctors. I've watched my husband detox off methadone a few times and let me tell you, it can be very, very difficult for both the person detoxing and those around him/her. It can be dangerous too and a lot depends on the quantities taken and for how long....so your fiance really needs a doctor to help him through this.

[nohopeindope]

DreamAngel, as was stated above I am not a doctor. And, this is not intended to be medical advise. All that I can give you is my personal experience. I am on methadone right now and I have made it a point to learn all that I can about methadone. I have detoxed in the past and have never been successful. All because I tried to go to fast. You say that your boyfriend is at 35mg. That is the point in your detox that you start to really feel withdrawls. If he wants this detox to be a success, he should only go down 1-2 mgs every 10-14 days. I know that it seems as if it will take forever at that rate and you are right. But, think of this he has already invested a year into his treatment. So, he might as well take the time that it takes to do this correctly. You guys have your whole life ahead of you. If this is done properly, you will never have to face it again. Also, he should go all the way down to zero milligrams before he stops. When he gets to 1-3 mgs, he may want to try dosing every other day. Please be patient with him, he will need alot of support from you. I hope that this helps you in some small way.

[citychick]

He used to be on 110ml a day ,right now he is going down by 5ml a week.

From personal experience 5ml a week is too fast. Methadone is a strong drug and will take longer to leave his system.

My husband detoxed off methadone 9 months ago. When he got to 30 mls he slowed the reduction rate to 5mls a month, then 2.5 a month and so on till he was off completely.

I hope it all goes well and congrats on your upcoming wedding.

[DreamAngel]

Thank you guys for your advise,
We have 2 month till the wedding, and than we are going on a honeymoon.
And as you all know on methadone you can not leave the state.... because you get dosed every day.
Yes he's done great so far, from 110mg he went to 30mg.
What do you guys think about DETOX clinics? You can go there for 6-8 days and they detox you. In order to get in one of these you need to get as low as 50mg .
It is hard on him, but we are kind of running out of time

[DreamAngel]

You know every place we call , and every doctor that we talk to has their own opinion.
The methadone clinic says to slowly detox from it, but if you look around at the crowd that goes there, these doctors do not care that their patient just getting high and enjoying their life style.
The doctors in Detox they saying that it's the best to check your self in.
The doctors at all rehabs say that you should start taking Suboxone.
And the other doctors say that if you start taking Suboxone In addition, he may become dependent on it, which, in that case, he will simply trade one for another-again. It becomes a vicious cycle. And of course, he would have to experience the withdrawal syndrome-to some extent.

So you never know which one of them is right.

[nohopeindope]

DreamAngel,
I do not think that the 6 day detox will work. The reason being, is the long half life of methadone. He will not even be into full withdrawl for about 4 days after he stops taking methadone. And as far as methadone not being able to leave the state, that is just not true. He should have takeouts, if he is complying with the clinics requirements. Even if he is not, he may be able to get a travel exception for your honeymoon. The very worst case, he would have to guest dose at a clinic in the town you are going for your honeymoon. I do not mean to offend you, but why are you so adament about him detoxing before the wedding. You knew that he was on methadone when you agreed to marry him. I would think that you would want him to take methadone as long as it takes to be successful with his taper. And if he starts to feel as if he may relapse, that you would encourage him to get back on methadone. I feel that the problem that people have with addiction, is that they think it is a moral failing. Addiction is a brain disease!! If your husband to be had cancer, you would not encourage him to stop taking chem therapy. It is exactly the same thing!! I do mean to come down on you, just think about the things that I have said to you. If he needs to stay on methadone the rest of his life, it is nothing compared to the heartache and pain that a relpase will cause him and your realationship.

[DreamAngel]

He hates methadone and its the worst thing that ever happened to him.
And I am not planning to marry a person that might relapse when they'll be going through withdrawls.
And he agrees.
We are going to Russia, they don't do dosages over there.
We'll be gone for 2 weeks.
About the 6day detox, they check you in only when you haven't taken methadone for 42 hours.
Have you seen people that live on methadone all your life? they have nothing in life, their life is that clinic.
My fiancé has been on it only for 1 year and its not too late to start a normal , HEALTHY life.
Thank you guys.

[Vintersemestre]

Lowering methadone quickly is not a good idea if someone's been on it a long time. Slow tapers on the order of a year or two seem to be what's in order if someone's been taking it for more than a year. Chemically speaking it is entirely logical, due to the drug's excessive half-life.

[lotdot19]

I see that you are in a tough situation, in my experience my brother is trying to drop his dosage by 5mg, its not working well at all. This is a VERY tough disease please remind yourself about that. I know how much you much love your fiance and want to do everything to help him. Some clinics give travel packs to take on vacation. According to my brother did he ever ask about that? And I agree about those who stay on methadone, their lives revolve around the clinic, its not fair.

Good Luck with everything, you will be in my prayers. Remember your not alone in your frustrations.

[DreamAngel]

Just an update:
He did go to detox... He was there for 5 days. They gave him a lot of sleeping pills, he said he didn't feel any withdrawls there.
He got out and looked like a zombie the first day.
Every day he looks better and better, he takes vitamins, at night he takes muscle relaxers and sleeping pills to fall asleep. He doesn't eat much, drinks a lot of Gatorade, and he says he cant sit at home, he has to do something. He works on the cars, rides the bicycle. He gets really bad restless legs, pain in the back, and one minute he's hot and in 30 seconds he has goose bum's.
We are trying to go see an addictions specialist next Tuesday to see if he might need to get on NALTREXONE.

Thank you guys for your support!

[kjswish]

DreamAngel, I have just recently completed a methadone program that I was on for about 2-1/2 yrs. I have seen several people detoxing as well. Some that were on doses over !00mgs would drop as much as 5mgs a week until they got to 35-40mgs. then slowed the drop to 1-2mgs a week from that point on and sometimes stop to let there body catch up. Once they started feeling better they would start the slow tapper again. As for my personal experience, I took it real slow, mostly from advice from staff nurses and other members. They all told me that to be successful that is how it should be done. And for me it has worked so far. It has taken me !-1/2 yrs. to get totally clean, and I have only been clean now for 3-weeks. Even at that slow taper the first day I felt nothing bad at all, the next three were a little different. I was fine as long as I kept moving, but if I sat still I got irratated and uncomfortable. Not sure if it was a mental thing or not, but it was nothing I could not tolorate though. Sleeping has been a little difficult, but only that I have a hard time trying to fall asleep. For me I`m trying to stay away from more pills, such as sleeping pills because I don`t want another problem to deal with. But that has been the only problems I have had, which I had been told to expect. As others have said here, methadone is a very strong drug with a half life much longer than most any others. It is not one I have seen people strong will there way away from. For me, I did not get in this situation in a week,month, or even a year. So I gave my body time to get use to the changes, and so far I`m happy with no cravings. FYI I have seen others leave the program and stay clean doing it at a slow rate, for me it's was more important that I get clean than how long it would take. I don`t think that me personally could have withstood a quick detox of any kind and be where I am right now. Good luck!

[kj3880]

Well, this whole topic is besides the point at this time, because, just as everyone predicted, the young man in question relapsed. So sad. Check out Dreamangels' post on family and friends where she talks about how she's cancelled the wedding, he did a little time in jail on a probation violation, and now she's deciding if it is a good idea to take him on the unhoneymoon anyway...I wish people would not rush these tapers off DRT. Opiate dependence and addiction is just not understood at all in this society. We are treated as morally defective and criminal. I am so tired of it.

Love,
KJ

[meganl]

You need to be patient with him or else you might not have a husband to go on a honeymoon with. If he doesn't properly taper down it might make him more likely to go out and use... you should do it slowly, that is what I am doing and it is working great. At first, I tried to cut down way too much and it make me crave opiates, but now that I have slowly tapered down, I feel much more even. The best things are worth waiting for, remember that.

[lilrose]

I'm truly sorry for Dream Angel and the man she was to marry. I just found this site recently and saw her question. I know she had real hope. I was on heroin for only a few months, back in 1992, but became quickly addicted. It was advised that I go on methadone to get off heroin. But then, I was on methadone for the next 10 years. There were many special occasions I had to miss because I had to go to the clinic to dose everyday. I missed my daughter's college graduation because it was at the other end of he country, and there was no courtesy dosing. I weaned down to 20 mg and stayed there for a year before I decided to go to detox to switch to suboxone. I'd seen too many people fail at the methadone clinic, to actually wean off and stay off. It takes a nearly a year for the body function normally again, producing its own endorphins; so it's not easy. However, with a subscription of suboxone in 2002, I went from three 8 mg a day, down to two, then to one. The next year, I did 2 mg, twice a day, and a few months later just one 2 mg, then I began splitting that in two. I took a tiny piece now and then until they ran out. The Doctor discharged me in 2003. All those years on methadone before suboxone became FDA approved. I was surprised the other day when I ran into an old friend from the methadone clinic, and she was still going. I couldn't believe people still choose methadone over the opportunity to take suboxone,
I'd been clean up until last year when I had to have major surgery, and they gave me oxycontin for pain. When I got out of the hospital, I threw my pill down the toilet and called my Doctor who put me on suboxone again. However, I weaned off in a few months. Once we take opiates, our receptors are always ready for some more..forever. Next time I have to have surgery, I hope to discuss alternative pain medicine.
So, Dream Angel, if you get your man back, he can get a prescription of suboxone, and he should be able to take it anywhere with him.

[turkstragal]

Seems if somone comes off the methadone to fast they may have a higher risk of relapse..I have been going down only 2mg per month from 150mg I am now at 58..Some months even 2mg's hurts and causes withdrawal for a few days..

[collin5]

I have been going to a methadone clinic for the past 3 years. I take 220 mg per day and I am ready to detox. I am considering the rapid detox in a hospital vs a slower detox at the methadone clinic.

[Ranger1]

i went from 600+ mg a day of oxycontin to 180 mg a day methadone tabs. I can honestly say that coming off of meth is not that bad, it is a mental addiction but not nearly as physical. You can dtox quickly, dont let them string you out. I was shot several times in the army and will never live without pain but also went from making 190 thousand dollars a year to selling my stuff in pawn shops. Put this crap behind you, there is a new better life off dope.