How long do methadone withdrawal symptoms last - part 2

Dear "Guest" or K8thegr8t: I'm sorry I didn't get to the end of your post to discover that you're doing okay now. Thank goodness! To the person having problems with the slow taper: some people are especially sensitive to this medication (like myself) and slow taper is the way to go. You are doing the Right THing. I know it's unbearable. I tried to taper off too quickly on my own (I have a severe chronic pain disorder because of a large brain tumor and had been put on high levels of Decadron to manage an adrenal crisist. The Decadron totally masked or eliminated the chronic pain, so as I tapered over three weeks during my hellacious adrenal crisis, I didn't know that I was going into withdrawal. I had no pain and the Decadron made me feel great. I tapered from 30mg/day over a three week period to 5mg/day and two days later I felt like I was going to die. A two ton truck on my chest and a feeling so horrible that it is indescribible. Fortunately, I was able to reach my pain doctor who told me to go back up on the methadone to my original dose immediately. Going back up has been almost as hard as coming down. Completely nonfunctional. I'm finally back up to my normal dose and beginning to feel better. Your story has helped me because I will need to taper off the methadone as soon as I can with professional help, but knowing ahead of time how long it can take is helpful. Hang in there! You'll make it. The last two tapers are the worst I think, but it depends on the individual.

I am a mother of four boys and my oldest son is now on methadone at 80 mg daily. He just came by my home last night and told me that he was using again. He has been to rehab once which was very expensive and says he stayed clean for 8 months. He has one son when he left for rehab only 6 months old. Now, he returned and has another son 2 months old. He says that is all he is doing and is smoking alot of marijuana. The girlfriend and boys do not live with him. He is falling asleep in his chair at home letting cigs burn holes in the chair. Most of his clothes now have hole burns all in them. He has had some accidents with some vehicles and has been very blessed not to had lost his job by now. Now, he is saying he wants to go back on suboxone and quit methadone. As his mother, my heart is broken. I have prayed and hoped for a miracle. He just seems to go right back to the drugs and has so much going for him if he could just see it. He is now not living in my home with my boys. He wants to come back, he says he can't pay his bills. I know it sounds terrible, but I just don't know that I can handle him anymore. I can relate to what you are going through. I believe in God and I am going to pray hard for each one of this situations that I have read. We do not now have anymore finances to send him anywhere expensive. I am really scared and very afraid of what is going to happen to him and his kids.

First time posting here, just reading through these threads trying to find a little glimmer of hope here. I was in a methadone clinic for almost 4 years, at my highest i was stable at 180mg a day, more recently, (past year) i had been tapering down slowly trying to get low enough to leave the program and stop throwing my money away on that garbage. If theres one thing Ive come to realize it's that 90% of people in methadone clinics, esp those who have had no other form of attempt at treatment, dont need to be there (including myself). They dont tell you the real truth, and the clinic structure is set up like a business to keep you there. Giving people methadone in this fashion is cruel.

As far as detox goes, everyone will experience it differently it seems, much like the drug itself. Methadone withdrawal is particularly mean because of it's long half life in your body. From what I've read, the detox can be different in many ways. Some people can come off low doses and be in shear agony, while others will come off high dosage and barely break a sweat. The hardest part for me is the not knowing. Not knowing when it will be over, which falls back towards the same old "addict" way of thinking, but is hard to steer clear of because of how it feels.

What's important to remember is like others have said, don't try to treat the disease itself, treat what is happening to you body. On it's way out methadone will pull everything good out with it. I recently started taking multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, sam-e (mood stabilizer), 5htp, potassium, fish oil, 2000mg of vitamin C per day, b6, full spectum anti-oxidant + milk thistle, and melatonin at night. Stay awat from red meats and sugar, get lots of good protein (chicken, fish) and drink obnoxious amounts of water. I wasnt doing it this way in the beginning and I wasnt suffering much. Since I've been pounding all this stuff i feel like ive been hit by a truck, which im going to take as a sign that my body is fighting to reboot and kick that garbage out faster.

Ask any doc and they will also say that attitude is the primary factor. Stay positive, get at least a little bit of mild exercise daily (walk a bit at least), and dont just lay there and feel sorry for yourself. Remember it doesnt last forever and you have the rest of your life free of this mental and physical prison to look forward to. I'm just on day 19 (yep still counting days, not weeks or months) and I had ended up leaving at 25mg's, just got sick of it... but remember that if done properly, methadone withdrawal by most accounts can be accomplished in 3-5 weeks.

Hang in there guys, you are not alone.

I was on methadone maintenance for nearly 17 years. Oh yes. After being over-prescribed Lortabs (that's what we called them back then), the couple of family members I still had left sent me to "the clinic". I was already seven days without any medications, yet the methadone clinic couldn't wait to get me "dosed" and "in". So, I worked this "program" for a couple of years and began my first of four titration efforts. Turned out, that, somewhere in the middle of attempt #2, I was diagnosed with Addison's Disease, Primary Adrenal Insufficiency. I would do quite well with my titrations (my highest dose was 80mg/day) until I hit about 20mg. Finally, in the Fall of last year I made a vow to myself that I would not turn 40 and still be making trips to that clinic and paying the exhorbitant cost associated with it. I spent $72,000.00 on methadone maintenance "treatment". Yes, I thought I was doing things right, that I was well (ha ha), and after all, wasn't I in Recovery? I punished myself and my body throughout the Fall and Winter to get my dose lower and lower. This entire year so far has been devoted to getting off of this drug that is only a trap for so many people. I finally reached agony at between 10 and 15mg, and did not return to the clinic. After a few days without methadone (eternity) I went to an inpatient rehab and they nearly overdosed me on suboxone. FYI: do not take more suboxone, in terms of mgs., than you are taking methadone!! So, I left AMA and came home for a few more days and thought I would surely die yet feared I would not. As a last resort, I entered another health facility and did a subutex taper. I was there for eight days, and after a couple days without the subutex I thought this was going to be the answer to my prayers, as I did not suffer in misery. Until I got back home. After about the 3rd day after my final, 2mg, subutex dose, my body felt misery I'd never known. I'm merely 8 days out of treatment, and I don't know how I will make it through the next hour. But I have, to my credit, and as a comfort, the fact that I am not on methadone anymore. And I am not yet 40 either. But, I just keep asking, "God, how much longer??" I've been through hell for months and months and months, and it just won't stop! Unless you or your loved one is a true hard-core opiate addict, using needles, and can't stop any other way, do not consider methadone. This treatment is really only useful for those who need to be maintained for the rest of their lives. Your feedback would be most appreciated.

This is my first post so sry if Im not following proper rules or whatever. I took my last bit of methadone this morning & I'm terrified waiting for the withdrawls to kick in. I hope they wont' be that bad as Im down to only 1/2 pill/day, but still all these horror stories have me scared. I was addicted to heroin for 6 months. An ex bf came back in my life & I was supposed to be helping him but he ended up dragging me down w/him, stealing all my $ (bank acct, crdit cards) totaled my car, pretty much totaled my life.

I graduated collage in 09, had a great job, apt, car, everything till that pos came back & convinced me he loved me. (we had been apart the last 3 yrs) I realized through all this that I'm addicted to love. I sold my soul for the 2 sec ritual hug we'd give each other after he shot us up. Totally f*cking sick. I disgust myself. I cant look in the mirror. I did my last shot 7/19/10 so its been almost a month now that I've been on methadone. However last night I got a call from the girl who has the best dope & luckily I missed it. However I listened to the vm & it got my palms sweating/heart racing. I want it so damn bad! I need help coping w/these mental cravings. Are they ever going to go away?

No one knows about this except my ex bf (the one who got me strung out then left me w/no food, dope, only $20. I hate him so much, keep listening to mofa I dont Care by Murderdolls and thinking of him! We were together for 6.5 yrs, I just dont get how he could use me up then leave me. I mean I pawned a few things, but I never stole or intentionally hurt someone to get their $ for dope. I'm so scared that I will start picking up the 313 area codes when the withdrawls kick in.

My brain is f*cked. I have no support system. I asked my mom for help back in Feb & she just starting screaming terrible things at me which caused me to listen to Damien & steal $500 from her. It all went to dope. Ive wasted 1000s on it & I have nothing to show for it except a disgusting little scar in the crook arm. Is anyone else out there going through someting even remotely similar? I've been listening to Tool & APC constantly & that seems to help a little.

I've come so far, was up to almost 1gram/day of dope, now only .5mg methadone, but it would be so easy to slide right back down in the abyss. I almost died in Detroit when a guy named Gravedigger mixed up the shots & gave me his. I wonder if that would have been better... I'm just lost...

LongHardRoadOutOfHell: Just read your post. By what you've written, I hear that you are not detaching from this guy, and therefore not detaching your mind from thoughts of using. You've got to. If you've only been on methadone for one month (I think I read that correctly) you might want to consider staying on it a little longer, at least until you can get a handle on your cravings. It would be a shame for you to go through this only to end up using again. Your priority right now should be focused on relapse prevention. That means not having ANY contact with this guy and also absolutely NO CONTACT with individuals with whom you've used and from whom you've obtained illicit drugs. Do not take calls from those individuals, do not speak to them on the street, and do not even acknowledge their presence if you accidentally run into them. Especially, and most importantly, you should never, never, never speak with this guy ever again. Focus on your recovery. Take care of yourself right now. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself clean. You CAN do it. I believe in you. Don't give-up. It can't last forever.

Hi, I thought I was bad taking 60 mg total for the past year, but have been taking long acting narcotics for about 5 years now. Watching my weight balloon up to 200 lbs from 135 was very depressing and also being dependent on the doctors schedules with mine and in case I went on vacation around the time of refill was very bothersome.

Since I quit cold turkey (I couldn't see prolonging the painful withdrawals weeek after week). My dear doctor gave me muscle relaxers and valium because I was having such painful seizure type musckle contractions and little sleep. It's been 5 days, and I'm feeling very tired, worn out and hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but still pretty dim at this point. I know it's worth it. My liver was feeling sick, I was severely having problems with constipation from all the narcotics and I have no idea what my pain threshlold anymore is. So maybe if I have to go back if I do still have reall pain, but I pray to God that it's almost over. I wish you all well with your journey and just keep upwith it

hey all, i am on day 2 of methadone withdrawl..i was on 80 mgs for 2 years, when my lovely dr just up and disappeared with no warning and no other dr to take over. so where i live they treat people on methadone like they have the plague..i was on it due to a car accident tore 2 discs in my spine there is no cartlidge in between so they are like 2 rocks rubbing together, leaving fragments in my spine causing the worst pain ever NYWAY....like you all, i am having the crazy legs that keep me up all night, sweats, loss of appetite, grumpy. etdc, not to mention im a single mom of 3, 2 teens, and one handicap son and they seem to bicker more when i am sick. I have to go through this cause there are no drs here, and no clinics that give you methadone...i want some relief though, and i can't take stuff that'll make me sleep all day cause of the children, just at night would be great. im not taking anything at all,not even a tylenol. my heart races though sometimes making me panick. so i do as little as possible, make dinner, clean it up go back to the couch, feed the animals, go back to the couch.....this is hard people no doubt however i hope to feel normal in a month or so....if i remember what normal is? good luck to you , it is a little comforting knowing there is someone in the world feeling the exact same way.....god b less, and keep in touch, i check here regularly.....hang on.

I've been on methadone for 2yrs, I went from 70 to 4mg tapering down slowly... I really was scared to quit it I thought I'd never do it even when i would be at 1mg... But at 4 mg I finally had enough, paying so much for a Tiny little drop! I appreciate the methadone and I think if tapering correctly it could help . I have been off of the methadone (4mg) for 2 days... Have kept myself busy at work but te nights are a drag! My leg shakes and all the sleep aides in the world don't seem to work! I'm exhaughsted... I'm hoping afte reading some of these posts that day 6 will be better.... It's not too bad it's tolerable...I can't wait to be free of it, I keep telling myself that i have to have strength and faith. Good luck to everyone...

hey all...ive been on meth for 6 years and have been tapering since summer....from 70mg to 4 mg...i have 4 weeks to go...a mg a week...does anyone have an idea what the withdrawl sypmtoms from 1mg to 0 will be like? so far i have a hard time sleeping like 2-3 hrs a night...leg crawleers restless legs and arms but the physical is nothing compared to the emotional.....depressed anxiety, no motivation no energy... i can handle the minor physical but scared that when i go from 1mg to 0 that the physica will be brutal and l combined with the mental will be to much to bear....
any similar experience or situation? HELP

Man I've read so many of these post about people going cold turkey and all i can say is i have much respect for all of you.  I just move to oklahoma about 2 weeks ago and had my normal take out of 2 weeks but it was 2 days short of my intake at my new clinic.  I had my last dose on sat. morning and its now late monday evening and while i dont feel horrible its enough to bug the sh#t out of me (thank god i go to the clinic tomorrow morning).

I have though detoxed off of methadone before and i had no real problems.  I was on 40mgs which i know is a low stable dose and most likely made it easier but i think doing this will work for higher levels.  Its really simple just go down 5mgs every 2 weeks and when u get to 5mgs go to 2mgs for another 2 weeks then stop.  There were really no withdraw symtoms other than getting good sleep (which can take a while no matter how u detox). 

Myself I was not ready but my family thought i was and low an behold about a month later i was back on narcs.  I've now been on it again for a little over a year and while on methadone i have never used anything eles so for me it works great.  I'm hopeing to be off of it in a year or so and sense i've detoxed before it doesnt scare me. 

Just be smart about it and please dont do one of those 28 day detoxes cuz if your on a high dose like 100mgs or more u will go through a significant amount of withdraw. 

Good luck to all and stay strong.

i have been on methadone for a year the dr wants me to stay on 65 mg forever like a diabetic med. ive been dumping half the bottle out in the trash for three weeks. so im guessing ive been taking thirty five or so i have two takehomes and that day im not taking any now i am sweating real bad and i was sneezing yesterday i got 800 mg motrin yest to help with pain but would like to know more about what to expect

to the one who is goin throughit with the parent who made u clean up ur own vomit? wowowowow hon get out of there, go stay with a friend someone,my god , i would like to know who that was i would make her clean up her own blood after i blasted her. anyway that really touched me, and if i were u call social worker, even though u r of age u can still get help gettin in somewhere to live na ll. good luck!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know how anyone would get relief from this! You guys are making me feel worse then I should. I have been an opiate user for 8 years. 4 years on the pills, 4 years on Methadone. Come off both a few times. It was forced, because I was in jail and it was somewhat easier in there. Now I am on day 3 with no methadone. I tapered from 120 to 0 in 9 months. TOOO FAST! If the doctor tells you, you are going too fast and you will be sick, do not let your ego speak for you. I live in Canada and  the doctors I have come in contact here with hate JUNKIES! The minute they bring up your file, because I also live in Ontario, they can pull up my medical file on a dime, see what I have been through due to drugs and instantly refuse me any kind of relief. I was getting some clonazepam from a friend and they were a god send. They really relax the nervous sytem, causing jumping legs, arm, head??? to stop bobbing like a bobble head. Unfortunately because of all the idiots out there that abuse our Medical system, it is next to imppossible to get a script for anything close to that. I am like some of the others here, I was hit by a car waiting to cross the street, it broke both legs, ankles and knees. I was hit head on at about 70 km/hour. There started my new found love or so I thought. Then I realized without the pain killers, I was sick. Lucky me, about to become a statistic and nothing more. Drugs in general have ruined my life. Thats enough for me right there. Im done. I won't lie I do plan to go to the walk in clinic today and try and get something stronger for sleep. I am a severe insomniac, I couldn't sleep with the methadone most nights so now I know I am screwed. 

I did go to the doctors, the gave me lorazepam (ativan) and clonidine. This day 5 for me, and I will make it. I am taking some t1s as well for the fever and pain. All I know is I hope this is the end, I can;t wait to be away from this s*** for the rest of my life. I hope many of you have made it too. Good luck to those still tryin.