How long to stabilise on methadone?
 

I was an alcoholic for 15+ years and in 2015/16 I transferred my addiction to opioids - which quickly ended up with me on Heroin. I always insufflated - never used a needle.

I've been in treatment for 5 years but found subs and methadone have never "stuck". I kept going back to H for the energy and mood lift.

I now have a few months break from work and really want to give methadone a go. I am on day 4. This is the first day I've not had inter-dose withdrawals but I still feel flat. Like there's no joy and all the colour has drained out of the world.

I assume this will pass at some point.

Did others here have a similar experience? How long did it take you to feel satisfied / comfortable with methadone alone?

I still use nicotine if that is relevant. I use an e-cig and Swedish Snus, not cigarettes.

I'm also prescribed antindepressants and benzos. I use the benzos sparingly (and have done so for 10+ years). I'm not addicted to them, but find them helpful when I'm getting too worked up about how negative I feel.

Edit: I should add - I haven't drunk alcoholically for 6-7 years. I have zero desire to go back to that.

I can't answer your question but welcome back SlimJim :)

D

Thanks Dee74. You've been a fixture here for as long as I've been coming and going.

Day 5 is better than day 4. I didn't have any interdose withdrawals.

I still lack motivation and joy but it's not as soul destroying as yesterday.

I still feel I have a long way to go though.

I'm on Day 8 or 9 now. I managed to fracture my foot and am in horrendous pain which sucks as pain is a relapse trigger for me. I am going to try and get in with my Doctor urgently on Monday to talk about what to do.

I can't relapse quickly as I don't know dealers - always used the Internet which takes days - so I'm safe at the moment. Just in mega pain.

I hope you can get into see your Dr Jim - 8/9 days is a great head start :)

D

How are you feeling today Slim? foot must be agony.

I got an orthopaedic boot on my foot and most of the pain was gone by Monday. It still hurts a bit, but it's surprising how fast it improved.

I think I'm at 19 days now and feel much more stable on methadone. I miss the energy and motivation but I want to give quitting a real good try this time.

I'm glad you're feeling better Jim :)

D

Great news that you made it through the pain till Monday, the temptation to use to use must have been overwhelming. Shows true commitment to staying clean, well done Mate.

I hope your mood starts to lift soon, you definitely deserve a break.

I haven't been as tempted as I thought I would be. However cravings can come on from nothing to intense in seconds so I don't want to get to far ahead of myself.

Thanks for the kind words - I've got a fair bit of pressure on me at the moment so I am hoping for some easier days soon. At least I don't experience any withdrawals anymore - it sucked having a few hours of withdrawal every day between doses.

Day 20 and all is good. This is my best ever attempt with methadone. I feel pretty good now. I think my dose is probably a bit high (I have lost a LOT of weight since my last try). I'm going to downgrade my dose next time I go in.

The world has brightened up a lot, and I'm finding the methadone more and more satisfying. I managed to quit cigarettes in 2006, alcohol in 2015, and if I do this, I'll have quit Heroin in 2022. I feel quite proud of my achievements. Not many people could do what I’ve done. I think I need to keep reminding myself that slow and steady wins the race.

I'll try to keep checking in but I have a bad habit of disappearing for extended periods. Just know I'm doing my best.

Congratulations on Day 20 Slim, great your mood is lifting.

Yay - 3 weeks. It sounds so short - but (as cliché as it sounds) every journey starts with a single step, does it not?

I spent the last 3 days looking after a sick child (cold or flu - not COVID) while I managed my fractured foot. His coughing + tossing and turning meant I wasn't sleeping either (he likes to sleep in bed with Daddy). That was the pressure I was under.

I convinced him to sleep with Mum last night, so I got to sleep alone. Then I went and slept in until 3pm. I feel a little lazy, but wow has it ever done wonders for my mental state? I feel great today; I have a new burst of energy.

I'm in bed now and when I wake up it'll be day 22. I feel I'm getting somewhere.

Thanks to anyone who is listening. I'm finding this journaling cathartic even if it's a bit of a boring read. Maybe it'll help someone someday - or not. Have a good (upcoming) weekend fellow SR-ers.

I messed up. Last Friday i took 20x30mg oxycodone :a043:

On a positive note i didnt feel a thing and still had to take my methadone not to get sick.

I feel dumb, but it was once and i'm back on the sober wagon with more motivation than before

I always run away when I falter, but this time I'll keep coming back.

That last relapse turned into a full blown Heroin relapse for just over a week. I'm 2 days stable om methadone now and actually didn't take long to stabilise.this time. I feel shame, and stupid. This is haes.

Try, try again.

Glad you made it back Jim.

D

Yep. Make it stick this time.

At some point it has to be enough, yeah?

I'm doing my best. I still fight the urge to do Heroin as $$ is the one and only reason I don't use it. If I was a multi-millionaire I'd never stop - THERE - I SAID IT :(

I am still fighting though. I tried smoking it this time and I swear 6 months of doing that will cause lung cancer.

I'm back on the clean side though. Rome wasn't built in a day - but it was built.

Gosh, but heroin WILL kill you. It's just a matter of when. Rich, poor, it all ends the same way.

My next door neighbor died with a needle in his arm. 32 years old. He had a good job, a family, two cars, a nice place. Still dead.