methadone withdrawals

My wife and I both were on Methadone strictly for the euphoric feeling. Unbeknownst to us, we became addicted. During the two years that we were using, "friends" assisted us with acquiring the wafers by us paying for the visit AND the script. I'm a senior member in the military and my wife is an MBA/CPA. This fact is significant because we had to detox completely alone, no one could know. It's been four months now and we don't even think about it. I can play with my children, mow the lawn, etc. with out thinking I need a wafer in order to function. Here's why I decided to "come out"; there's light at the end of the tunnel. Once one gets through the aches, irritation, mood sings, chills, sweats (we went through all of the above and still worked!) and so forth, it gets beter every day. Hope this inspired all considering breaking the miserable slave like chains this drug imposes.

Guest wrote:

Methadone is a necessary evil for some-i have a bone disease that is untreatable , but causes severe pain . for mant many years i lived each day to try and get opiates, iefriends,docs, whatener or whoever ..i was put on 40mg. of methadone and ive been able to stay at that dose for 4 years, BUT--i am a addict-i will always be a addict -why -cuz i am dependent on a substance,,,thats what you need to realize...if your looking to get high -meth is not the drug for you -it actually blocks the high of other opiates...please please-dont take it if you dont need it --it will bring you to hell.

They're right. I was put on methadone after my dr. decided I needed long-term opiate care for my chronic pain. I went from 40mg Norco/day to using Palladone, w/20mg norco for breakthough pain, and had good results, with none of the bad side effects: but the FDA pulled the Palladone almost 2 years ago. I could not tolerate the morphine concoctions, they knocked me out, the methadone gave adequate pain relief; but with severe constipation, grogginess, and just being a little out-of-it, for the downsides. Like the person above says, meth actually blocks the high of other opiates, so it is not for the person out looking for a good time - you would probably die from decreased respiration before you ever got even close to feeling a buzz. But now I am furthering my education and career, and I want to do so without the drawbacks or stigma attached to the meth. I am trying to ween myself off, having only had 20mg in 5 days. I am tired, achey, can't sleep, I have an overall fatigue, a headache like a migraine, and accomplishing the simpilest of tasks seems like climbing Mt. Everest. I have been told that these symptoms, at the rate I am going, should last about another week, and then about 2-3 weeks of insomnia and fatigue. That Does Not Sound Like What I Wanted For Medical Care To Releive My Pain! I would be happy with a few Norcos to take as needed for pain, there is nothing hard about getting off vicodine, just sleep for the weekend, and that's only if it is cold turkey. Chronic Pain patients, heed my warning, long-term opiod therapy will push you deep down into a well you never thought about having to get out of one day. Don't trade the quick relief of a super-strong long-acting opiate, when there are short term pain relievers, yes even narcotic ones, that are not going to lead you down a road where 2 years later you want to stop taking the medicine, like you've always done with everything else; only this time 'the Devil is in the details!" MY (UNPROFESSIONAL) ADVISE-ASK TO STAY ON THE SHORT ACTING NARCOTICS, UNDER SUPERVISION IF NECCESARY, THEY BEAT OUT THE LONG-ACTING ONES, HANDS DOWN! This is only for those with chronic pain, not for addicts looking for differant ways to break the cycle.

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kristy i have been tryin to switch from methadone 90mg after5 yrs to suboxone and iwant to die i toldly agree about the methadone it kept a needle out of my arm 4 the time i was on it but the guilt from my fam and thier opinions from what they herd about it is the reason ive been doing this 4 a wk but im ready to go back to methadone the only reason ive had any sleep at all is a friend gave me a few diazapam please some one tell me what to do!

Guest wrote:

my son has been on methadone for 3months now ...all thye want to do is increase him please don't let them increase your son ... my son is 33 years old and this is the worst thing highly addictive ...i'm trying to find ways to get him help to detox please do the same ...i's his life

Ma'am Methadone Maintance is the best possible option for a drug addict. They probably want to put him up because he's still using. Believe me they don't force you to go up these people are trying to regulate him so that he doesn't want to use anymore. Afer he's working and is beginning to get his life together they will slowly take him down, but not until he's ready. Don't push him to get off, because this is where he needs to be right now. If he wants off he can detox at any time but believe me it took me years to finally stop and begin to get my life in order. Your son's not telling you the whole story, it sounds to me like he's making excuses so that he can get something from you, sympathy perhaps money, guilt, I don't know but you can always speak to his counselor if you have concerns or questions. Please don't blame the clinic. In time your son will work, get an apartment, save some money etc. etc. Give it a chance and like I said speak with his counselor if you have concerns. It will help both of you I'm sure. For me it was the best thing ever, if I want to detox they will very very slowly drop your dose 5 or 10 milagrams evcery 6 months if you want . The slower the better odds you have on getting off and staying clean. Good Luck Ma'am

In reading these various posts I've seen people's individual experiences coloring their perception of methadone. I have in the past been addicted to opiates and am now currently clean and enrolled in an Addiction Studies course studying to become a drug counselor. First of all a person who is taking methadone is not clean, it is an opiate and acts as an opiate in the body. Since it is administered orally users to not feel the rush one would feel from intravenous use of opiates. It can be abused and people can get high from it. Back when I was using before I started injecting I abused methadone. Discontinuation of long-term methadone use will result in withdrawal symptoms like similar to heroin withdrawal. So why is it administered? Harm reduction. Intravenous heroin (or other opiates like morphine, dilauudid, etc.) is associated with many health risks. The sharing of needles exposes users to disease, the most concerning of which are AIDS and hepatitis C. Even reusing needles can result in soft tissue infections which if untreated can become life threatening. Second, with most addicts tending towards ever increasing use maintaining a habit becomes prohibitively expensive, this leads to most of the crime associated with drug use. Allowing a user to legally take a single daily dose of methadone these consequences can be avoided, substantially improving the life of the addict and their loved ones.

I understand you are going through this but about 9 months ago I was hooked on oxycontin but I took methadone for 4 months to come off of the drug and it help but when I did decide to quit that drug in dec. it was so much hell i did it by myself I remember I couldnt sleep for weeks. I took ambien any sleeping pill you could think of and it still didnt really help me. But, I stayed strong and eventually but slowly you become back to normal. Just hang in there you made it this far and I know you will have your life back on track again....

Guest wrote:

I have been on Methodone for 5 years. I recently was so depressed over my use of the drug that I decided to quit. My last pill was Monday and today is Friday. From personal experience, I knew I would have to FEEL everthing during detox to keep away from this powerful narcotic in the future, but now I am not so sure! I have not slept since Tuesdy and the horrors of the "creepy crawlies" are still deep in my mind, I am delerious and of coure have experienced every single symptom associated with the withdrawal. My problem is that I feel utter hopelessness and wish I would have known this would happen yet it is not a symptom listed. I want everyone out there to know this before going through this hell to never be alone while you detox and make sure you tell your care giver that you will beg for many many things and they must be strong! If you are afraid, go to a detox center and prepare yourself for this... I can tell you that it is the hardest thing I have ever done. Good luck to anyone trying to get off this awful drug and good luck to me too!

after 3 years or oxycontin addiction and after that 2 years of heroin addiction i finally was ready and determined to quit. in this addiction period of my life i went from 40mg oxycontin to 400mg per day within 3 years. then sniffing heroin 3 stamp bags per day to shooting up 30 stamp bags a day, 5 or 6 in each shot. this is no exageration. i tried burpernorphin shots twice, suboxan pills 4 times, 2 detoxes and none lasted longer than a month sober. then i joined methadone maintence program. ill be 2 years sober in august. i went all the way up to 80mg per day in 6 months or so. i was 100lbs 5'2" when i joined and in when i reached 80mg i gained 40lbs. this past october 2006 i was at 150lbs and began taking decreases. i tried 5mgs once and wasnt sleeping well. i went back up to 79mgs per day. then i tried 2 mgs and was ok. the next week i took a 3mg decrease. i wasnt sleeping well. the doctor precribed me elavil, the generic name is amitryptlin. it is an antidepressant. i take it 100mg everynight and it helps me sleep. so since november ive been taking 2mg deceases every week. it is may 15th today and im down to 35mgs. the only side effect is anxiety. its mild, not panic attacks. but this is something ive had my whole life even before i was on methadone and used drugs. anyway it doesnt interupt my work or daily routines. and i have lost 15lbs! im at 135 now.
so my point is that methadone works. it helped me save my life. its not the devil. and its possible to get off. i go to a clinic so the doctor does the decreases for me. *oh and one very important thing to do is... have your doctor give you blind decreases, have him decrease 2 or which ever mgs you want some time that week. if u know which day it is u can mentally cause yourself mild withdrawl simptoms.*my point is that its possible to get off just take your time.

Hi , to all,
I am a drug abuse Counselor at a Methadone clinic I have over 70 Patients. As far as bringing someone down to get off of methadone I always start them out at 10 mgs. every two weeks if they are above 50mgs. I really like to bring them down 5mgs every two weeks, that decison is made between me and the Patient. No matter who they are when they hit 50 mgs. they start coming down 5mgs every 2 weeks, until 20mgs then they go down to 17, 15, 12, 10, 7, 5,2 down to zero. In that time if they become uncomfortable they may hold or go up once in their dose and stay there for as long as 30 days. If they chose to stay there over 30 days then they are returned to mmt{ Methadone Maintence treatment} until they are ready, It is all up to them. I also tell them they cannot be in treatment for anyone else but themselfes, if they start treatment because of some else there is a very good chance they will fail
YOU CAN ONLY DO IT FOR YOUR SELF WHEN YOU ARE READY.
THANKS for listing. Counselor from Fl.

get him off methadone asap is started suboxone instead of methadone you have to go thourgh 4 days of withdrawl but it works if monitored closely watch his med supply .

I was doing about $100 to $200.00 a day in sticking Heroin in my arms. I was clean & sober for 2.5 years, been thru my fathers death and all this hard stuff during that time. I had one stupid day where the drug was calling my name and I got high! So I went on Methadone, started at 15mg and went up to 30mg for two weeks. I was moving to Ky from Ct and when I went to the Methadone clinic to see if they would give me a few bottles to take with me, they said no. Good thing I had my 30mg Sunday take home bottle, I broke it down to 5 days. Mon thru Friday, it is now Sunday and two days without Methadone, I been sleeping the whole weekend away and my stomach is in knots. I'm surprised I have enough energy to write this? My advice is to either get on Suboxone, www.suboxone.com or dextox from your current addiction. Methadone in my eye is prison!

God Bless,

Johnny Boy