Failed self detox, Newbie to methadone
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: East coast USA
Posts: 26
Failed self detox, Newbie to methadone
Well, I have been on this site many times. To basically "sum it up", I have been abusing opiates for years and at very high doses. I have tried to detox myself three times and for whatever reason, I kept failing and returned to drugs. Well thus time I have chosen to attend to a methadone clinic, for this way I honestly think is my last hope in trying to clean up. I have two beautiful children and I just can't keep slowly killing myself. The clinic will help me finally kick my habit. I am choosing the clinic fir numerous reasons and most importantly is the structure. I feel that I need to ve forced to go there everyday and attend group and counseling as a requirement is going to be the "Gold Star" to my sobriety. I am starting in two days. So please anyone with success stories or helpful tips, please post to me. I AM determined this time, and I am sure I will succeed thus time for it does take ALOT of guts to attend a clinic versus saying I'm going to self detox after years of opiate abuse, that's how I view myself anyways. So, any advice or support please I am begging for it before I start in two days. Thank you, and I wish everyone the best!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: North Ogden, Utah
Posts: 23
I do and don't regret going to the methadone clinlic!! I've been where your at with the opiates and couldn't get off them, and I kept going back even after being clean for a month. Methadone did help those cravings go away!! Just do yourself a favor and don't let yourself go to high on your dose, this is where most ppl mess up. If I would've stopped at like 50mgs I would've been fine instead I let myself go to 160! But if you can get on methadone and off it fast, then it might not be as bad for you.....
Also if you can find a pain management place where an actual doctor can help you with methadone, even if its a few months of being at the clinic. A clinic will try to keep you there, like mine they pulled this crap with me and my bf where they wouldn't let us go down till we were at a high dose for a year!! But now my bf has switched to going to a doctor instead and the doctor is making him go down like he should be.
But if I could just go back to when I started the clinic I wouldn't have let them put me up so high in my dose and I probably would've been out of there a lot quicker then 4 YEARS!!! Which I still probably had at least another 1 and 1/2 yrs to go if I didn't decide to detox myself off of 50 mgs!!
Also if you can find a pain management place where an actual doctor can help you with methadone, even if its a few months of being at the clinic. A clinic will try to keep you there, like mine they pulled this crap with me and my bf where they wouldn't let us go down till we were at a high dose for a year!! But now my bf has switched to going to a doctor instead and the doctor is making him go down like he should be.
But if I could just go back to when I started the clinic I wouldn't have let them put me up so high in my dose and I probably would've been out of there a lot quicker then 4 YEARS!!! Which I still probably had at least another 1 and 1/2 yrs to go if I didn't decide to detox myself off of 50 mgs!!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,422
Hi Sister,
Real sorry that I can't offer any advice etc on the methadone, just wanted to welcome you to SR
Keep posting - there'll be plenty of people along who knows where you're coming from.
Good luck girl, nice to meet you
Real sorry that I can't offer any advice etc on the methadone, just wanted to welcome you to SR
Keep posting - there'll be plenty of people along who knows where you're coming from.Good luck girl, nice to meet you
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: In the South
Posts: 228
Hello sistersforever, welcome to SR. I can tell you that the Methadone will work; as long as you are committed to your recovery. I have a 27 year old son, opiate addict, who had at least 3 very successful experiences in getting off the oxys/roxys by going on methadone. He stuck with it until he was stabalized, and he didn't experience any of the withdrawal symptoms. He could have functioned very well (imo) had he followed a program, gone to meetings, but mainly had he been committed to recovery. He wasn't, he wanted to use, and that's what he did.
In my son's case, he wanted to continue upping his dose of methadone. Again, in my opinion, I'm not so sure he needed as much as he got up to. But each individual is different, and my son had also been shooting enormous amounts of opiates prior to going to the methadone clinic.
Drinking grapefruit juice will help with the methadone therapy, especially in the beginning. Methadone is stored in the liver, and it builds up over time. Grapefruit juice contains an enzyme that helps the liver to release more of the methadone into the blood stream, so in the beginning when you're on a very low dose I'm sure the clinic will advise you to drink grapefruit juice in the evenings/before bed, as that helps the liver do it's thing so you don't feel any wd's.
If you haven't been to a methadone clinic before, you will run into people there for possibly different reasons. Meaning some hard core addicts use the methadone as a stop-gap between their other drugs to keep from getting sick. That's an unfortunate reality. Also, it's not safe to use other drugs with Methadone. Be sure to read the literature they give you. However, some hard core addicts continue to use lethal mixtures, and that is why people on methadone die.
Overall it sounds like you are committed to your recovery, and that's what it takes. Committment, determination, some hard work, willingness to feel some discomfort here and there until you get your dose right, but you can do it. I know of some people who have been off of opiates for 10+ years, and they credit Methadone for helping them kick it. (Not methadone alone, they also went to group, meetings, etc.) I wish my AS were as committed as you are, but in time maybe he will be.
Hugs and prayers coming to you for your recovery!
In my son's case, he wanted to continue upping his dose of methadone. Again, in my opinion, I'm not so sure he needed as much as he got up to. But each individual is different, and my son had also been shooting enormous amounts of opiates prior to going to the methadone clinic.
Drinking grapefruit juice will help with the methadone therapy, especially in the beginning. Methadone is stored in the liver, and it builds up over time. Grapefruit juice contains an enzyme that helps the liver to release more of the methadone into the blood stream, so in the beginning when you're on a very low dose I'm sure the clinic will advise you to drink grapefruit juice in the evenings/before bed, as that helps the liver do it's thing so you don't feel any wd's.
If you haven't been to a methadone clinic before, you will run into people there for possibly different reasons. Meaning some hard core addicts use the methadone as a stop-gap between their other drugs to keep from getting sick. That's an unfortunate reality. Also, it's not safe to use other drugs with Methadone. Be sure to read the literature they give you. However, some hard core addicts continue to use lethal mixtures, and that is why people on methadone die.
Overall it sounds like you are committed to your recovery, and that's what it takes. Committment, determination, some hard work, willingness to feel some discomfort here and there until you get your dose right, but you can do it. I know of some people who have been off of opiates for 10+ years, and they credit Methadone for helping them kick it. (Not methadone alone, they also went to group, meetings, etc.) I wish my AS were as committed as you are, but in time maybe he will be.
Hugs and prayers coming to you for your recovery!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: East coast USA
Posts: 26
A BIG BIG thank you for the replies and mostly the support! I am so determined to start my program tomorrow. I really need the support and I am truely grateful for this site. Please anymore success stories or anyone going thru a methadone treatment program now, I would love to hear your progress.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 13
Methadone has worked wonders for me too. I've tried to quit on my own and been to rehab three times and I always relapsed. But thanks to methadone treatment I haven't touched a drug in eight years. If you do it right and are determined it really can give you your life back.
To do it right it's important to understand how methadone works. Much of what you'll here from other addicts and sadly even some addiction professionals is not correct so take things you hear with a grain of salt and educate yourself.
There is a common misconception that methadone is used to deal with withdrawal symptoms and that addicts start taking it because they can't get through detox. That's not entirely true. As I'm sure you know detoxing is just a small part of quitting drugs. Most have detoxed several times by the time they come to a clinic. The hard part is not starting again. This is what methadone helps if done right. It helps by removing your cravings and desire to use opiates and at a sufficient dose it will also block the effects of opiates so if you do take it you won't get high. Yes, it does also prevent withdrawals since it's an opioid but that's not why it works to treat addiction.
During previous attempts to stay clean I would always have a lot of cravings and all sort of triggers would set me off leading to relapse. But when on methadone I can sit right next to someone using and have no desire at all to use myself. Now that's quite amazing to me. Now, I don't recommend that you continue to hang out with people who are using or put yourself in a room where people are using. No good can come of that. But at least your overwhelming desire to use will be gone when on methadone.
I have to disagree with UTCandy regarding her advice to stay on a low dose like 50mg. 50mg is a sub-therapeutic dose for most people and is not in your best interest. The average therapeutic dose is between 80-120mg. Some need much more and some need less. In order for methadone to work you have to be on a dose that will completely suppress cravings, block the effects of opiates, and keep you from going into withdrawal for at least 24 hours. A low dose may take care of the withdrawal part but for most people it won't suppress the cravings or block the high from opiates. Imo that makes taking it pretty pointless. It's like taking half a Tylenol when you have a headache. Sure, it may be better for your liver to take a lower dose of Tylenol but it won't help your headache. For that you need to take two pills.
I made the mistake of staying on a sub-therapeutic dose when I started on methadone. It takes longer to taper off a higher dose and I wanted to get off quickly so I didn't go above 45mg. As a result I didn't get clean. I kept using heroin on top of the methadone for the first year on methadone. I tried to stick with methadone only a few times but it didn't last. I finally learned a bit about the importance of sufficient dosing and started to increase my dose. Once I got up to 80-90mg I just stopped using heroin all together and haven't used since.
So please don't worry about being on a low dose for the sake of it. Don't worry about the numbers. Listen to your body and do what works for you. It doesn't matter if you're on 30mg or 300mg. What matters is that you feel good and don't have any cravings. Proper dosing is highly individual when it comes to methadone so you can't compare yourself to others. I'm on 80mg and that's just fine for me but I have a friend whose cravings didn't go away until she got up to 250mg and there is nothing wrong with that. Yes it will take longer to taper off a higher dose but that's not something you want to focus on in the beginning. It's really not that important. What's important is that you stop taking drugs and start living a normal, happy, productive life. If you need a high dose to do that then so be it.
It's also important to understand that methadone is not a treatment program that you go through and come out fixed on the other side. It's not like rehab where you finish after a certain period of time. Methadone is a maintenance medication that is supposed to be used for a longer period of time. It's different for everyone but studies show that patients that stay in treatment for 2 years do better. I would recommend against having an end date in mind or starting to work towards stopping treatment right away. Just take it as it comes and when you feel that you are ready you can start tapering then. I've been on methadone for over eight years and I'm still not ready to get off. This is my second time on methadone and the first time I got off after only about a year and I relapsed after only a couple of months. I'm terrified of going back to active addiction and for now being on methadone works for me. The way I see it is that the goal of treatment is to stop abusing drugs and live a normal life, not to get any kind of substance out of your body no matter what. A lot of people need to take medication to help them live normal lives. I have an uncle who is bi-polar and without his medication his life would fall apart. I view my methadone the same way. I think it's a huge mistake to go into treatment with the goal of getting out of it asap and several studies back this up. The relapse rate of people getting off methadone within a year is 90-95%.
Well, to sum up this loooong post, just take it easy, listen to your body and take it as you go. What's important is that you do well, not if you take a medication or not. Surround yourself with clean people and stay busy. An idle mind is the devil's playground. There is something to that. Find a hobby you enjoy. If you find 12-step meetings helpful finding some of those may be a good idea. Unfortunately some NA meetings are very anti-methadone so you may want to keep your methadone status to yourself. According to what I've heard AA tend to be more accepting. There are Methadone Anonymous meetings too but not all areas have them. Some clinics have some good groups too. But if they are just places where people sit around and talk about dope stay away from them.
Once you get to a dose where you don't experience withdrawal symptoms any more don't go up too fast from there. It can take up to a week to get full benefit from an increase. So give each dose some time to see how it works for you. Just like you don't want to stay too low you do NOT want to get too high either. Unlike other opioids you don't get high from higher doses of methadone. Being overmedicated from methadone is not pleasant at all and can really screw things up for you. It just makes you really tired and you'll spend all day sleep-nodding.
If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. Good luck at the clinic tomorrow!
To do it right it's important to understand how methadone works. Much of what you'll here from other addicts and sadly even some addiction professionals is not correct so take things you hear with a grain of salt and educate yourself.
There is a common misconception that methadone is used to deal with withdrawal symptoms and that addicts start taking it because they can't get through detox. That's not entirely true. As I'm sure you know detoxing is just a small part of quitting drugs. Most have detoxed several times by the time they come to a clinic. The hard part is not starting again. This is what methadone helps if done right. It helps by removing your cravings and desire to use opiates and at a sufficient dose it will also block the effects of opiates so if you do take it you won't get high. Yes, it does also prevent withdrawals since it's an opioid but that's not why it works to treat addiction.
During previous attempts to stay clean I would always have a lot of cravings and all sort of triggers would set me off leading to relapse. But when on methadone I can sit right next to someone using and have no desire at all to use myself. Now that's quite amazing to me. Now, I don't recommend that you continue to hang out with people who are using or put yourself in a room where people are using. No good can come of that. But at least your overwhelming desire to use will be gone when on methadone.
I have to disagree with UTCandy regarding her advice to stay on a low dose like 50mg. 50mg is a sub-therapeutic dose for most people and is not in your best interest. The average therapeutic dose is between 80-120mg. Some need much more and some need less. In order for methadone to work you have to be on a dose that will completely suppress cravings, block the effects of opiates, and keep you from going into withdrawal for at least 24 hours. A low dose may take care of the withdrawal part but for most people it won't suppress the cravings or block the high from opiates. Imo that makes taking it pretty pointless. It's like taking half a Tylenol when you have a headache. Sure, it may be better for your liver to take a lower dose of Tylenol but it won't help your headache. For that you need to take two pills.
I made the mistake of staying on a sub-therapeutic dose when I started on methadone. It takes longer to taper off a higher dose and I wanted to get off quickly so I didn't go above 45mg. As a result I didn't get clean. I kept using heroin on top of the methadone for the first year on methadone. I tried to stick with methadone only a few times but it didn't last. I finally learned a bit about the importance of sufficient dosing and started to increase my dose. Once I got up to 80-90mg I just stopped using heroin all together and haven't used since.
So please don't worry about being on a low dose for the sake of it. Don't worry about the numbers. Listen to your body and do what works for you. It doesn't matter if you're on 30mg or 300mg. What matters is that you feel good and don't have any cravings. Proper dosing is highly individual when it comes to methadone so you can't compare yourself to others. I'm on 80mg and that's just fine for me but I have a friend whose cravings didn't go away until she got up to 250mg and there is nothing wrong with that. Yes it will take longer to taper off a higher dose but that's not something you want to focus on in the beginning. It's really not that important. What's important is that you stop taking drugs and start living a normal, happy, productive life. If you need a high dose to do that then so be it.
It's also important to understand that methadone is not a treatment program that you go through and come out fixed on the other side. It's not like rehab where you finish after a certain period of time. Methadone is a maintenance medication that is supposed to be used for a longer period of time. It's different for everyone but studies show that patients that stay in treatment for 2 years do better. I would recommend against having an end date in mind or starting to work towards stopping treatment right away. Just take it as it comes and when you feel that you are ready you can start tapering then. I've been on methadone for over eight years and I'm still not ready to get off. This is my second time on methadone and the first time I got off after only about a year and I relapsed after only a couple of months. I'm terrified of going back to active addiction and for now being on methadone works for me. The way I see it is that the goal of treatment is to stop abusing drugs and live a normal life, not to get any kind of substance out of your body no matter what. A lot of people need to take medication to help them live normal lives. I have an uncle who is bi-polar and without his medication his life would fall apart. I view my methadone the same way. I think it's a huge mistake to go into treatment with the goal of getting out of it asap and several studies back this up. The relapse rate of people getting off methadone within a year is 90-95%.
Well, to sum up this loooong post, just take it easy, listen to your body and take it as you go. What's important is that you do well, not if you take a medication or not. Surround yourself with clean people and stay busy. An idle mind is the devil's playground. There is something to that. Find a hobby you enjoy. If you find 12-step meetings helpful finding some of those may be a good idea. Unfortunately some NA meetings are very anti-methadone so you may want to keep your methadone status to yourself. According to what I've heard AA tend to be more accepting. There are Methadone Anonymous meetings too but not all areas have them. Some clinics have some good groups too. But if they are just places where people sit around and talk about dope stay away from them.
Once you get to a dose where you don't experience withdrawal symptoms any more don't go up too fast from there. It can take up to a week to get full benefit from an increase. So give each dose some time to see how it works for you. Just like you don't want to stay too low you do NOT want to get too high either. Unlike other opioids you don't get high from higher doses of methadone. Being overmedicated from methadone is not pleasant at all and can really screw things up for you. It just makes you really tired and you'll spend all day sleep-nodding.
If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. Good luck at the clinic tomorrow!
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 862
Methadone has been a miracle drug both for my chronic pain issues and mental health. I started at 20mg, left the hospital after a week at 40mg. Over the next six months I was titrated up to 80mg - was a bit much so I dropped to 70mg, which is definitely my ideal dose. I feel so happy, productive strong and best of all - finally STABLE!
Methadone gave me my life back - no question about it.
Methadone gave me my life back - no question about it.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Nashville
Posts: 3
The first time I tried to seriously get off opiates I went to a methadone clinic for 8 months. Initially it was brilliant, I stopped spending all my time and energy chasing dope, I could stabilize that side of my life and start repairing the other side. Only I didn't work on the other side. I knew nothing of AA or NA, I didn't really try to better myself, and I found the methadone had serious side effects. I was lethargic and constantly tired, my body ached, I sweat a disgusting amount, and the sugar cravings were out of control (and it gets expensive). I decided I wanted to get off of it and it took me quite awhile to taper down to nothing- and that process was brutal. The withdrawals last a long time- I didn't feel normal for months after I got off of it. And because I was unprepared for the journey ahead I got back on the dope about 6 months later.
If it gets you off the street and gives you some peace that is obviously a good thing. Everyone is different so maybe you wont experience the physical side effects that I did. Getting a sponsor, going to meetings, and working the steps is the best way to get off and stay off dope in my opinion.
If it gets you off the street and gives you some peace that is obviously a good thing. Everyone is different so maybe you wont experience the physical side effects that I did. Getting a sponsor, going to meetings, and working the steps is the best way to get off and stay off dope in my opinion.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Alberta Canada
Posts: 1
Hello everyone! i am currently on day 8 of no methadone after a kind of hasty taper this winter. I been on 150 mg/ml for just over two years. previous to the methadone i was a heavy consumer of extended release hydromorphone, and well when that wasn't available it was usually morphine...other dillies..oxies...percs...heroine...that sort of thing. which lasted about just over two years of hard abuse prior to turning to methadone. kicking the methadone has been really hard the last 8 days or so...no sleep...unbearable stomach cramps..mass depression...vomitting..diarrhea...just over all bad feeling...absolutely little to no energy...but on the plus side it gave me two years clean time from snorting dope...so i must say it has helped...but you will have to be a strong person to kick this so before entering methadone program you should ask your self, Do I wanna potentially be on this for the rest of my life? i honestly think i pushed my dose too high as well..but that was just so i could stockpile carries for the detox, as jan. 31 i got cut off methadone as i live in another province now..so was kind of lame. so glad i had a bunch stock piled or i would have really been screwed...i jumped off at 10 mg and well maybe i should have weened down lower..cause this is pretty painful..missed lots of work now. no hardcore cravings tho just feel like crap...hope this helps
Last edited by tydus420; 04-22-2012 at 11:15 AM. Reason: left something out
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: manchester
Posts: 523
hi sister methadone is defanatly better than active using no question.
totaly sorted my life when i was on the correct dose i left drugs behind for 6 or more years.
id been on methadone for 17 or so years at the time .
the thinking when i started was give you as littel methadone as pos
it wasent till the thinking changed and every one was given enough methadone to stop the cravings that i manedged to stop active drug use .
after 6 years clean i thought i was ready to stop the methadone..
it turned out i wasent my old habets were still there ..
3 years i torcherd myself staying of methadone trying my hardest to live normal.but i just got worse and worse .
im back on methadone now no cravings not even for beer living a normal life again if i have to stay on it for the rest of my life so be it ...
living a normal productive life on methadone is far better for me and every one around me .. my exsperians only but methadone has saved me again.
I hope it can do the same for you.good luck...
totaly sorted my life when i was on the correct dose i left drugs behind for 6 or more years.
id been on methadone for 17 or so years at the time .
the thinking when i started was give you as littel methadone as pos
it wasent till the thinking changed and every one was given enough methadone to stop the cravings that i manedged to stop active drug use .
after 6 years clean i thought i was ready to stop the methadone..
it turned out i wasent my old habets were still there ..
3 years i torcherd myself staying of methadone trying my hardest to live normal.but i just got worse and worse .
im back on methadone now no cravings not even for beer living a normal life again if i have to stay on it for the rest of my life so be it ...
living a normal productive life on methadone is far better for me and every one around me .. my exsperians only but methadone has saved me again.
I hope it can do the same for you.good luck...
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 142
Originally Posted by KuanYin 
Hello sistersforever, welcome to SR. I can tell you that the Methadone will work; as long as you are committed to your recovery. I have a 27 year old son, opiate addict, who had at least 3 very successful experiences in getting off the oxys/roxys by going on methadone. He stuck with it until he was stabalized, and he didn't experience any of the withdrawal symptoms. He could have functioned very well (imo) had he followed a program, gone to meetings, but mainly had he been committed to recovery. He wasn't, he wanted to use, and that's what he did.
In my son's case, he wanted to continue upping his dose of methadone. Again, in my opinion, I'm not so sure he needed as much as he got up to. But each individual is different, and my son had also been shooting enormous amounts of opiates prior to going to the methadone clinic.
Drinking grapefruit juice will help with the methadone therapy, especially in the beginning. Methadone is stored in the liver, and it builds up over time. Grapefruit juice contains an enzyme that helps the liver to release more of the methadone into the blood stream, so in the beginning when you're on a very low dose I'm sure the clinic will advise you to drink grapefruit juice in the evenings/before bed, as that helps the liver do it's thing so you don't feel any wd's.
If you haven't been to a methadone clinic before, you will run into people there for possibly different reasons. Meaning some hard core addicts use the methadone as a stop-gap between their other drugs to keep from getting sick. That's an unfortunate reality. Also, it's not safe to use other drugs with Methadone. Be sure to read the literature they give you. However, some hard core addicts continue to use lethal mixtures, and that is why people on methadone die.
Overall it sounds like you are committed to your recovery, and that's what it takes. Committment, determination, some hard work, willingness to feel some discomfort here and there until you get your dose right, but you can do it. I know of some people who have been off of opiates for 10+ years, and they credit Methadone for helping them kick it. (Not methadone alone, they also went to group, meetings, etc.) I wish my AS were as committed as you are, but in time maybe he will be.
Hugs and prayers coming to you for your recovery!
In my son's case, he wanted to continue upping his dose of methadone. Again, in my opinion, I'm not so sure he needed as much as he got up to. But each individual is different, and my son had also been shooting enormous amounts of opiates prior to going to the methadone clinic.
Drinking grapefruit juice will help with the methadone therapy, especially in the beginning. Methadone is stored in the liver, and it builds up over time. Grapefruit juice contains an enzyme that helps the liver to release more of the methadone into the blood stream, so in the beginning when you're on a very low dose I'm sure the clinic will advise you to drink grapefruit juice in the evenings/before bed, as that helps the liver do it's thing so you don't feel any wd's.
If you haven't been to a methadone clinic before, you will run into people there for possibly different reasons. Meaning some hard core addicts use the methadone as a stop-gap between their other drugs to keep from getting sick. That's an unfortunate reality. Also, it's not safe to use other drugs with Methadone. Be sure to read the literature they give you. However, some hard core addicts continue to use lethal mixtures, and that is why people on methadone die.
Overall it sounds like you are committed to your recovery, and that's what it takes. Committment, determination, some hard work, willingness to feel some discomfort here and there until you get your dose right, but you can do it. I know of some people who have been off of opiates for 10+ years, and they credit Methadone for helping them kick it. (Not methadone alone, they also went to group, meetings, etc.) I wish my AS were as committed as you are, but in time maybe he will be.
Hugs and prayers coming to you for your recovery!
Methadone, and a few other opioid compounds, is metabolized by the liver. Basically, the liver uses a chemical pathway (called the cyp2d6 pathway) to break down methadone.
Grapefruit juice speeds up the metabolism of methadone into several active metabolites.
This is not a good idea for several reasons. First and foremost, you're still messing with drugs. What normal person is so concerned about the amount of a drug in their bloodstream that they would use organic chemistry to make it last longer? That is classic addict behavior. You're not just messing with the liver's ability to process methadone. You're also messing with it's ability to process many other drugs that use the same pathway. For example, almost all antidepressant medications are effected by grapefruit juice, and many other medications.
Quit worrying about all the organic chemistry involved in methadone. The best way to recover from drug addiction is to quit thinking like an addict, and that means not messing with the way your body naturally metabolizes drugs.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: new jersey
Posts: 15
Hey there and yes I am very much exactly like you Sistersforever! I self detoxed about 10 times from opiates and every time I relapsed. Its near impossible to stop due to our brains changing nuerochemically and hormone wise..
Why methadone works so well and has kept me clean for over 2 months now and I am very happy. I suggest to def go into the program, I am in the methadone program at my local VA hospital where it is perfect and the only reason im even alive... The doctor and nurses and everyone else is very kind and supportive.
I have a social worker / therapist there also whom I see and is wonderful, also the groups help a lot and is def the key here. Methadone is just a tool and you need to use all the tools to stay clean, the medicine, the groups and the 1 on 1 therapy. Also I have met some incredible people whom go every day with me that are now my friends.
I do mine Monday-Friday and I miss it on the weekends lol. Because I have developed relationships with everyone there its the brightest part of my day and has really made me happy from horribly depressed like I used to be.
I hope you can have the same experience I have had and if need any info on Methadone just send me a message and I can help! I think Methadone is the way to go as I was offered suboxone but it is not a structured program at all as they give you the med and you come back in a month...
The structure is truly the only way the medicine works in my opinion. God bless you and hope it works! Just stick with it when you start as it takes some time to get to your correct dose and when you reach it you will be getting the most from your program.
Why methadone works so well and has kept me clean for over 2 months now and I am very happy. I suggest to def go into the program, I am in the methadone program at my local VA hospital where it is perfect and the only reason im even alive... The doctor and nurses and everyone else is very kind and supportive.
I have a social worker / therapist there also whom I see and is wonderful, also the groups help a lot and is def the key here. Methadone is just a tool and you need to use all the tools to stay clean, the medicine, the groups and the 1 on 1 therapy. Also I have met some incredible people whom go every day with me that are now my friends.
I do mine Monday-Friday and I miss it on the weekends lol. Because I have developed relationships with everyone there its the brightest part of my day and has really made me happy from horribly depressed like I used to be.
I hope you can have the same experience I have had and if need any info on Methadone just send me a message and I can help! I think Methadone is the way to go as I was offered suboxone but it is not a structured program at all as they give you the med and you come back in a month...
The structure is truly the only way the medicine works in my opinion. God bless you and hope it works! Just stick with it when you start as it takes some time to get to your correct dose and when you reach it you will be getting the most from your program.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: new jersey
Posts: 15
Grapefruit juice is a minor MAOI.. I do not suggest using it with Methadone and I would suggest speaking to the doctor first if you follow that idea. MAOI's will increase the effect of the methadone but also cause it to not be as effective after a tolerance is built. This method is really just going to make the methadone more like a drug. I have used the grapefruit juice method with opiates to make them give a longer euphoria and don't mix with methadone.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: new jersey
Posts: 15
Originally Posted by tydus420
Hello everyone! i am currently on day 8 of no methadone after a kind of hasty taper this winter. I been on 150 mg/ml for just over two years. previous to the methadone i was a heavy consumer of extended release hydromorphone, and well when that wasn't available it was usually morphine...other dillies..oxies...percs...heroine...that sort of thing. which lasted about just over two years of hard abuse prior to turning to methadone. kicking the methadone has been really hard the last 8 days or so...no sleep...unbearable stomach cramps..mass depression...vomitting..diarrhea...just over all bad feeling...absolutely little to no energy...but on the plus side it gave me two years clean time from snorting dope...so i must say it has helped...but you will have to be a strong person to kick this so before entering methadone program you should ask your self, Do I wanna potentially be on this for the rest of my life? i honestly think i pushed my dose too high as well..but that was just so i could stockpile carries for the detox, as jan. 31 i got cut off methadone as i live in another province now..so was kind of lame. so glad i had a bunch stock piled or i would have really been screwed...i jumped off at 10 mg and well maybe i should have weened down lower..cause this is pretty painful..missed lots of work now. no hardcore cravings tho just feel like crap...hope this helps
Many of the people in my program are older men/woman. 40-70 and they are healthy and doing great. There is no reason to stop until you build a life where drugs are not in it anymore and you know for a fact if you got off methadone you would be fine. Also you are not supposed to cold turkey methadone as I know tons of people who tapered off it to 30 mg then just took suboxone for a few days and then stopped and then were fine and clean for a while.
That's the method most use to quit methadone, they go down 5 mg every week or so and its painless.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: manchester
Posts: 523
Originally Posted by Vintersemestre
Methadone has been a miracle drug both for my chronic pain issues and mental health. I started at 20mg, left the hospital after a week at 40mg. Over the next six months I was titrated up to 80mg - was a bit much so I dropped to 70mg, which is definitely my ideal dose. I feel so happy, productive strong and best of all - finally STABLE!
Methadone gave me my life back - no question about it.
Methadone gave me my life back - no question about it.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
