sadie30

my dp is a bout to withdraw from 30mls of methadone a day, his doctor has advised against this but he swears this is what he wants to do, since starting it he has become very low in mood cant sleep and is finding it diffuclt, he says he does not want any drugs in his life anymore... i just do not know if this is good or bad or if it is safe......... please hellp xx

gettingstraight

Hello sadie30, I was on methadone for 3 years. I dropped off at the lowest point of 2.5 mg. It will not be easy but there are some things he can do to help himself through. I had alot of problems with Restless Leg Syndrome so I started taking potassium and vitamin B6. It was recommended to me to stay away from red meat and caffeine and to eat lots of protein. It was also recommended to me to try an herbal remedy called scullcap or skull cap. I found a friend that had some and it had a calming affect. He can take hot baths or showers for the aches and pains and even try some ibuprofen. This is not medical advice in any way, it's just some tips that were passed on to me in my search for help. He has to be willing to not turn back, no matter how bad it gets for him, everyone is different and the length of time he has been on methadone will play a factor, along with his general health. Methadone is stored in body fat and therefore is long acting. IT CAN BE DONE! Good Luck to Both of You!

life

Hey there,

Hey there buddy. I also jumped off the bridge at less than 5mg after around 3 years hovering around 140mg. Icould not go thru it. After about 124 hrs I was about to shott myself in the head with a .45 caliber 1911. Before I did that I reached out to get some suboxone. I ended up taking that for a year before I tapered down and quit. Ive been completely off and clean for 6 weeks + 1 day. I even quit smoking cigs last week. I do not understand how he will get through it from the info provided, but some people have that strength and will. I think if he can stick with it it is definitely a good thing. more power to hiim and things will get bearable after about 7-10 days from what ive heard, but days 3 - 7 i could not imagine going through again. Tah is why I was on suboxone for so long. The w/d from that was not bad at all, but I kept thinking back to methadone wd and that fear made me drag it on for a whole year. Anyways, I would love to give you some tips for the pain, but I tried weed, whiskey, and lorazepam and they all didnt really help. The best thing to do would be to take a steaming hot shower for a week. cuz that is the only thing that really alleviated most of the pain during the worst of it. Hope your budy makes it out. Im sure he will I can tell hes a strong willed person. I dont know if hell never do drugs again but he will beat this in the short term the long term is up to him

scaredtostp

How is he making out so far, i hope he is not suffering too much as this can be a long road but doable, make sure he eats, takes a multivitamin and drinks a lot of fluids, gatorade is great and give him some sugar along with the electrolites in the gatorade. Dehydration is not something he needs or wants to go through, make sure he has some immodium for the runs and some ibuprophen for the pain and something to help him sleep, benadryl works for sleepp

sadie30

i talked him out of it, he is actually on 50ml and not 30 sorry, thats my fault, i am scared of how he will be, i jave helped him through herion withdrawls but froom what i have heard it is worse coming off of methadone... i want him to see his consultant who can help go through a fast detox then onto something else to help, i am terriefied that he withdaws of the methadone and goes back to heroin. i could bot handke that.

SteppingItUp

Sadie, I've never heard of anyone dropping cold turkey off of 50mg of methadone, and I'm very concerned that it might be too much for any body to handle. Can you ask his doctor about this? Explain the situation, and ask for help in understanding what is humanly possible without putting him at risk for something more serious. I went onto a self-induced detox through a daily dose of 20mg of methadone, stayed there for 4 or 5 days and then dropped in down to nothing in 5 or 6 days, bringing it to 10 days total from my starting point. Yes, I felt like a total cow pie, but I survived it, and I'm still clean 35 days later (and it's been 45 days of solid freedom from an active addiction to smoking heroin). No doctor that I know of would recommend this, and I'm sure there are reasons behind that. If your partner does jump, I seriously suggest that he tapers his dosage, even if it is more rapid than usual, before completely stepping off. If he's working, I think he's going to need to take some real time off to get his system back in order. Speak to his doctor. Best of luck to both of you.

sadie30

well today is day 3 of no methadone and he has cold like syptoms, i know they will get worse over the next few days but his doctor has prescribed symptomatic relif for him when he needs it, so here is hoping. he swears he wants all drugs out of his life and he is so depressed on that methadone, i am going to write daily to how he gets on xx

Angelic17

I have a friend that stopped methadone at 30mgs. He took suboxone for a few weeks. That helped him and he hasn't gone back yet. It's been over 2 years. He is totally 100% clean. Good luck to you and your dp.

connecian

:praying MY AH is trying to wean off of Methadone. He just went from 35 Ml to 30 ML. It is a combination of he does not want to have to go daily as he does not care for the area that he needs to go to.

I also voiced a concern about reading what it does to fertility, as we are talking about haveing children. However tonight was REALLY bad for us. Since he is currently unemployed, and this is causing a huge financial strain on us, I was BAD!! I lost my temper and did something I try not to do.. vent out on him. Especially because he missed a dose today.

Of course, I mad him feel horrible, which made me feel horrible, and I wanted to just scream and turn back the clock.

I am wondering if any one has suggestions. ( not medical advice) to help.. he seems to not want to be doing anything as he is coming off of this methadone.

It is frustrating for me, he tells me that he is starting to have 'stinking' thinking again which also worries me. He was talking with an NA buddy tonight who said that he may be past a meeting and may need to go back to rehab.

Please, can anyone offer ESH?! I am sick with worry, and at myself. This seems tougher right now then when he came home from rehabs.

SteppingItUp

Hey Connecian. I think you'd do best to start your own thread on this topic. There are a lot of different things involved, and you'd be most likely to get more responses that way. By the way, I can't really blame your husband for not wanting to do anything if he's doing a hard taper off of methadone. It can be an extremely difficult experience. He probably needs a ton of support now more than he needs criticism. Gauge the situation and establish priorities. Be supportive. Keeping his fight against the drugs strong is critical.

Sadie, it's been awhile since we've heard from you. Is everything going okay? What's the situation? Hoping the best for you!!

Jimba

Do start you own thread, there are alot of good people here who now what they are talking about and will hold u up as they can, it really has amazed me that the thought without the human contact could be so helpful but it is maybe even more so for certain situations. Really there are those who have been through bad times and have been sober months and years and stay here to help the weary, so cut and paste your question and you will get many responses. I wish I could help but I am in a different place.

Jimba

Congratulations, I thought you had been sober for a much longer period and as for you story it is you who has taken the heros journey. Me and my sniveling sub crying. Well done. Keep it up!!!

SteppingItUp

((((((((((((((((((Big ol' Jimba shaped hug))))))))))))))))

Jimba, seriously, you've been doing AWESOME!!!

I love seeing your posts and following your incredible journey. You've got great character, and it shows in everything you write.

Many thanks for your dramatically kind and supportive words! Got to admit I'm celebrating the view from over here, clear as day. Well, except for the PAWS, LOL. Lately my brain feels like it has been replaced with a boiled potato. But you know what? I'm still as happy as can be. Woohoo!

Jimba

Thanks for the vote of confidence, It means a lot coming from you. Yeah my stomach feels like someone has one of those spegetti fork thins and is in the twisting it and I get grumpier and grumpier everyday. My posts are screwed up sometimes cuz i do them with my Ipone and the spellcheck changes words on you without telling you. But soon I know I will be say stupid angry things because the drugs are all out of my body and I will have to relight the burners somehow.

That is why I thought you had been sober for some time you are intelligent and get to the point. I like you.

Downtown

I too wanted to quit all drugs and stopped going to the methadone clinic after a year and came down to 20mg from 80 since my insurance was "out of order" and unemployed. I figured this would be the best time to withdrawal and quit everything. I had much methadone saved up from take-homes and began taking a little bit at night since I was unable to sleep. Then came the day when I had no more and I was ready to change. Being an addict, I didn't know I had that my will power is non-existent. I began feeling really crappy. I convinced my girlfriend that it was okay to smoke pot since it really did help with my pain. I was buying pot downtown near the other drug dealers. One week in, I shot up heroin for that day. The next week, still feeling hellish I used once more.
Another week passed and I am still withdrawing from methadone. I know this because H leaves my system in about 4 days. I woke up and my bed was soaked. I thought I pissed myself at night but realized I was sweating like never before. I scored one last final time. I came home and went into treatment 76 days ago. I've got a sponsor, going to meetings and am working the steps from the Big Book.
If I wasn't willing enough to take desperate measures to go to any lengths to learn how to change my life, I would still be out there researching. Thanks to AA, Ha and CA, this is the longest I have ever been sober.
What worked for me- quitting methadone, going to detox, living in a sober facility, going to meetings, getting a sponsor and working the steps.
Thanks

Insanitymm

I hate Methadone!!! I have been on it for 5 years now, 85 mgs a day. 100.00 a week, because my insurance seems to find a loophole not to cover it each time I try to get reimbursed. I went through rehab, felt helpless once I got home, jumped the wagon with the first temptation. (oxys) Heard about methadone. Though, I want no drugs, no temptation at all. I feel like a normal person. but it's a big HUGE trap. Methadone is the most addictive drug around, more then scripts, more then heroin, crack anything. As long as I take meth everythings fine. It has been an inconveniance to me and my family too many times. We drove 12 hours to Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago. I was to guest dose there. I had it arranged that I visit three times and they give me take home doses every other day. I handed her my ID, here it was expired. they would not dose me. We tried everything. noone could help me. Try to go through meth detox cold turkey while on vacation for a week... Finally we came home early. (even though in the beginning I promised myself I wouldn't let this hinder our vacation) It was aweful the guilt I felt, and still do. Anyway, after this debaucle, I promised that I would try to get off meth. I am so afarid. I want to take my time of course. I know in reality it will probably take a year or so to week off right. My dad looked into suboxone for me. I hear it's easier to come off of. Has anyone went from Meth to suboxone? do you still have withdrawl from the meth even with the suboxone? I know of people who successfully went off of opiates with suboxine, but never talked to anone who went from meth to suboxine? I just don't want to go from one trap to another, especially if it doesn't work as well. I am afarid and lost, confused, and did I mention scared? I considered taking meth for the rest of my life, but financially it's sickening to even think about. I see so many people on welfare go into the clinic, they don't pay a penny, they even get free rides there. What incentive do they have to ever get off? Anyway, I know I am all over the place with my words. I just have so many thoughts that they are all coming out at once. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you

citychick

I agree with the Dr, 50 mls is too big a dose to jump off. I tried to do it when I was much younger and healthier. By day 7 my heart was racing so fast I was sure a heart attack wasn't very far off.

I can understand he's had enough and wants out. But reducing to a more managable dose is the better way to go. Having said that, after a very long stint on methadone I jumped off. Reducing incredibly fast is doable but very uncomfortale.



Hugs for you both