cindymarie

Dear friends,
my husband has been on methadone for 4 years. He started to detox from 150 and is now down to 60. I am scared for when he is below 20. He is determined and I know he can do this. I need to know what I should expect and what I can do to help him. He isn't taking any side medication and doesn't plan to. Has anybody helped somebody detox before?
Cindy

greeteachday

Hi - I'm sorry I can't offer you any insight, but I hope you will stick around and read some posts. We all have addicts we love in our lives and we are learning how to take care of ourselves...You see far too often we become as sick as they are. Hugs

hope213

i do not really know about this. i just wanted to give you a big,warm welcome.others will be along to welcome you with more experience with meth. i am the mom of a crack addict. prayers,

summerbrz

I was with my bf as he detoxed from methadone--twice. He went from 160 all the way down to I think 10 was his lowest, then he just quit, as his center was forcing him to either attend meetings or go to outpatient or he would be kicked out. He ended up relapsing but on crack which he hadn't tried before, and IMO that was the real turning point in our relationship..

I will say watching him detox was hard. I took comfort in finding a recovery program for myself. There was really nothing I could do to help him other than leave him alone.

But people DO do it. I know at his center, the rumor was that no one did or could. People do. He goes to NA religiously, and there aren't many, but a few of the methadone clinic people are starting to come over. One guy approached my bf in complete awe, and said he didn't think anyone ever could get off methadone. He still goes to the center, but maybe a seed was planted.

Good luck to you and your husband.

rahsue

I only know of detox from heroin, if it's the same symptoms he will be cold (very cold)but will sweat. his body will feel like the flu with all the aches, and he'll feel like theres bugs crawling on him. Now of course this is detox, not weining down but thought if I gave you the worse scenario the better you'll be

good luck

kalidk2007

Hi Cindymarie

My husband has 92 days today off of methadone....This is my first post here so i hope i follow all the rules... I will be honest with you he did it cold turkey well at least tried he went into detox for 5 days he stopped at i think 60mg a day. but i know he was abusing the methadone because he would run out. (i did not know he was on methadone) anyway the dr couldn't fill his scrip early so she gave him morphine!! ya nice dr huh?? His drug of choice is oxy. So the last 92 days with nothing was well honestly but nicely....NOT A PICNIC....there is the physical ok so i loaded up my fridge with gatorade and water. bananas. bread and peanut butter. there was PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome) that was not fun lasted 2 weeks.
Then there was the emotional end of things....that in my opinon was the worst. this was a roller coaster ride of roller coaster rides....i wish i found this site then...because I did not deal very well i was A TRAIN WRECK!! I cried everyday i dry heaved, i had only 2 friends to talk to....I was scared....i was sad...OK I was every negitative emotion out there....I was able to talk to his friends that are in the program and they helped, they helped by listening to me and i screamed and yelled cussed (cussed alot a real lot) insulted addicts...Got it all out one night to a recovering addict...and he saved my marriage...I am here with my husband who is my world...at this time I have lost my own world but I will get it back. 92 days....it seems like a lot longer, i am not trying to discourage you but I am trying to be real...the roller coaster ride well were at a medium one...no loops occasionally up and down emotionally...but I have faith today...90 days ago i had none. I will be happy to answer any questions you have as to my experiences nothing is to personal....my ah had 12 yrs sober and relapsed 4 years ago on opiates. well pardon my spelling and the such as i am typing with no glasses. you are in my thoughts

cindymarie

Wow. This has all been so wonderful to read. I am so scared beyond words because I am not recovering and I never messed with stuff. He liked Oxy as well and Heroine. I think this site is actually going to be wonderful for me because there are people like you guys who know what I am going to be going thru. I cannot understand what he is going thru, but I know I will stand by him thru it all. I love him. Completely. I don't have any friends I can talk to about it because everybody I know is "normal." (ha.) Or at least never been into drugs.
He's over halfway down, and in just about a month he should be under 20, and that's when he said it's going to start to get bad. His doctor said between 10-20 is the worse, but how does his doctor know. He just reads it in books. He's already started to feel something. He's happy. But, he's noticing toothaches, etc. that he never did before. He said it's because he's starting to feel again for the first time in years.

I'm happy to know there are people out there who are listening, and can give me advice.

rozied

My ex husband who called me about 3 mts ago after not hearing from him for 30yrs told me he detoxed off of Methadone........................I don't really know how he did it but this Sept he had 5 yrs clean time.
I'll ask him when I talk to him.

Diane

cindymarie

Well right now he's going down 10/week, which from what I hear is normal. But after he's at 20, I assume it's going to get rough. He said he will take it week by week and go own 1-3, depending on how he feels to avoid the most pain. I am assuming there will be many nights I sleep on the couch as he will be sick in bed. I just don't know what I am going to do during that time. I will feel so helpless to watch him hurt and not be able to help. He's not a mean person at all to me. I just hope this detox doesn't make him be because it's hard enough being in this all alone with him.

kissmeimamie

Hi I'm a recovering heroin addict who took methadone for 2 yrs, then I got pregnant and quit cold turkey at 17 mgs. I can tell you that for me it was the worst experience of my life. I don't want to scare you, just prepare you. It was worse than heroin withdrawals, and it lasts 3-4 weeks instead of 3-4 days. On the 3rd day I went to the hospital to ask for help and they prescribed me morphine. When I ran out of that (because yes, I took more than I should have everyday), I started taking vicodin. If I had been given the option I would have gone right back to heroin just to stop the methadone withdrawals. All is fine now, been sober a few months, but am a militant anti-methadone spokesperson. It just creates more problems, and I was told by many dr.s that it doesn't matter if you stop at 60 mgs or 6 mgs, the withdrawals are the same. My boyfriend was a great support system in my lowest points. Just do your best to be there, don't expect much from him, he won't want to get out of bed for any reason. Be patient and understand that it's not him yelling or getting upset, it's the withdrawals talking. Good luck and I genuinely wish you the best.

cindymarie

im scared to pieces. He detoxed from Heroin before and after a year went back. Then went to methadone when I came back into his life because no way was I going to be with somebody who used.

Im scared to pieces because I can already see the different moods he goes thru. Ups and downs. and It's down right scary and he's only at 50mg right now. I just want to know what to expect physically. What happens and what will I see him go thru? I am sure its not pretty, but it's better I know now and prepare the most I can then just be thrown into it.