How long do methadone withdrawal symptoms last?

If you're thinking of trying this, if your dr. wants you to try it - and even if he or she is a great dr., don't do it. I got myself off, I'm 3-4 days clean from it - I am having a hard time with the physical side effects, including typing this. So I am not going to say much more here. I can't imagine anyone having success with this drug. It sneaks up on it, the changes to your personality are subtle. Then before you know it, you have no one left in your life and you can't imagine what happened - nor do you care. I would have ended it, or at least I thought I would - except I wouldn't leave my dog. I'm glad to see from other posts that there is an end to the hellish aches, pains, etc. I've got some making up to do - starting with my dog who just patiently waited, maybe wondering what happened to me but refusing to leave my side. Good luck people. But if you're contemplating starting this drug, for Heaven's sake, don't do it. You can lose your whole life, everything, because this drug takes a hold of you. Repeat: it's subtle, you won't see it coming. God bless.

I have been using opiates for 30 years mostly heroin. Methadone is a great drug if it used no longer then 3 days halving the dose each time, as long as the last dose is no more then 5 mg. I have now been off my last 5 mg two days after being on methadone for 4 years. My suffering subsides as soon as I think I will get my life back. I tell you all one thing the first thing I noticed is, not only my physical sensory is extremely delicate, but also my emotions are also. I have finding myself crying watching a sad movie or the hurt I have done to others. Those emotions were all dulled even on methadone.

I have been using opiates for 30 years mostly heroin. Methadone is a great drug if it used no longer then 3 days halving the dose each time, as long as the last dose is no more then 5 mg. I have now been off my last 5 mg two days after being on methadone for 4 years. My suffering subsides as soon as I think I will get my life back. I tell you all one thing the first thing I noticed is, not only my physical sensory is extremely delicate, but also my emotions are also. I have finding myself crying watching a sad movie or the hurt I have done to others. Those emotions were all dulled even on methadone. Every time you pee drink, get that stuff out of you. as fast as you can, if you want to be human again.

Ya just to let every 1 know I have been off methadone for 3 and ahalf moths and still have feet and leg muscle ache pain it takes 6 - 9 months to completely be free of the beast

Ive been off Methadone 75 mg for 5 days. I went on cuz i was having a hard time coming off Vikes. I was in bed withdrawling for 3 weeks, it was nt getting better. I couldnt eat, sleep, socialize... So, i went to the Methadone Clinic. I was ther for 2 1/2 months, when I stopped going. I havent had any withdrawl symtoms! I dont think that is normal, i was so scared to go back through what i went through before. I dont have to worry though. Now I am curious, does anyone know Why, or have heard of this? Why I am not having withdrawl symptoms? I hope I am not speaking too soon.

Hey there. Here is me in a nut shell. I worked in an environment where taking Vicodin and Percs were an everyday, normal thing. And, yeah, I liked them. I guess you could say I'm an addict. Anyway, my friend gave me 50 10mg methedone. I took about 15 mg a day for a month or so. I have been off for about a week. I have a tore up leg, so my doctor gave me 90 5mg vicodins. After the methedone, I took the vics. I have now quit the vicodins. I probably took them for a week after the methedone ran out. I did experience some what I suppose were Methedone withdrawals, but the Vicodins helped me through that. I quit, done, off the Vicodins, cold turkey. I am going through some typical withdrawals, ie. sore legs, not in a good mood, not on top of the world. My question is being that I did metadone for about a month or so (which is apparently no too long) do you think that I am in for a 3-6 day withdrawal from my Vicodin, or in for a month long of agony. Any replies would be a help

I've been withdrawing from methadone for 3 weeks after 10 years on the poison. I jumped off at 20 ml coz of events coming up. The hell I've been going through I have made worse by twice trying to take the sting out of methadone withdrawal by using a little h. Bad bad move. A friend told me that it would take the edge off it but it intensified my withdrawal symptoms terribly for 4 days & then like a complete fool I did it again. Never again will I follow advice like that. It only adds to the hell & extends it.
The things we do to ourselves is mind boggling.
Things are on the turn, I can feel it. I can't wait for the ball & chain that methadone is to be just a very bad memory.
Good luck & perseverance to all of you trying to rid yourself of this poison.

can any 1 help me with advice. I am a 35 yr old male. Ive been taking anywhere from 80-120 mg of methadone a day for about a yr. prior I was taking fentynal patches for a yr. before that morphine sulfate tabs for a yr. all while taking 6-10 10mg vicadins a day. this all started due to severe back pain. I have made a promise to the most important person in my life, my wife and mother to our four little children (1-7) who has stuck by me thru it all that i will get off this methadone and not replace it with any thing. After all the changes i have made over the past 3yrs due to these drugs, I am now ready to accept the pain and get my life back. I need to be here for my family. Its been 7 days since my last methadone dose and 4 since my last vicodin. My symptoms: I havnt slept in 5 days and nights. I cant eat more than 1-2 bites of food aday. extreme sensitivity to light and noise. per fuse sweating and body odor. My emotions are flaring. my body has a very bad feeling. I cant get out of bed. I have no energy at all and can barely walk or type this now. when I think of calling in my refill of meth I stop and think this will all end sooon and my family can have me back. im in the house with them but not here for them. can any one help with a way to end this a.s.a.p. thank you bless u. and god help us whoever is going thru this aswell. steven

I kicked tha methadone cold turkey at 50 mls and I have been sick for 3 weeks. I was on methadone for oxcy's for a year and i thought I could do this by myself but of course just like everyone else I have beeen miserable. My husband had to take off work and take care of me the first week. the second week i was trying to get to the grocery store and i ran my car through someones house!!! so that just added to the stress and sleeplesness. I dont know what else to tell ya but just think positive. sometimes you wanna give up and go back to hell!!! but, its really not worth it and sooner or later this ache willl subside and you will be back to yourself again! I take trazadone for the sleeplesness adn sometimes xanex for the tension and anxiety of leasving the house, getting dressed and trying to carry on like a normal pwrson. JUST DONT GIVE UP!! Atleast thats what I keep telling myself!!

23 days and counting for me since the last time I took methadone.
There comes a time when you gotta draw a line in the sand. Either you want to be a slave to methadone for the rest of your life, or you fight the battle. Trust me, it's pure hell dealing with the withdrawals. Just as challenging is the mental aspect. Trying to do "normal" things without doing some kind of dope is hard. You get so used to using, that you get lost when you don't.
I'm not trying to minimize the physical pains of withdrawals. They suck big time. It's a slow and miserable process, but you will get better. Sometimes you cant see the forest through the trees. Know what I mean???
You gotta take one hour at a time before you can advance to one day at a time. Bottom line is you gotta be strong, and stop being a slave to methadone.

I feel like user1955. I am driving my husband crazy... c i am an army wife. I have no support away from home, tha drug addicts, tha clinic counselors, tha friends whove been there, nothing. I cant even tell my Dr.'s that i was on methadone let alone that im withdrawling from it. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed to even begin to tell anyone what im going through because in this lifestyle theres alot thats not shared. this inparticularly is one of those things you dont share with tha fellow wives or anyone for that matter. I am alone most of the time, until my husband comes home. the sleeplessness has made me sordof crazy so I am gonna go to an independant dr. and unburden m :cry: yself with this hellish secrete so I can also get some sleep meds. I have noone to talk to about all of this and I dont want to push my husband away with the depression so I look to u guys and your blogs to get through these weary days... thank you my friendsQuote:

Forgive me for being a little naive, but are u saying the poison is the methadone or was it a bigger poison ?

I guess I screwed up after reading all of this. I have had several surgeries on my back and am in pain all the time. I have been on some type of narcotic pain relief since June 2001. I have been taking Methadone for about the last 2-3 years. I am prescribed 10 mg/ 5 times daily but some days I take more some days less. After reading this the less days are probably the days following the more days. I did not realize the stuff had such severe withdrawal symptoms. I stopped taking the stuff two weeks ago and i have been feeling progressively worse everyday. Mostly digestive tract issues and pain in my chest like the alien is trying to get out. i have been angry at one of my dogs for a week, about ready to bring it to the pound. today, I was even ready to bring my best friend, my other dog to the pound. My physical pain is coming back with a vengeance, My sleeping has been erratic the last few nights, sweating in bed at night while feeling cool. It's been crazy, I thought I had stomach cancer and having a heart attack at the same time.
After reading this I now know why I have been feeling ill. Unfortunately, I did not read all the topic before taking 15 mg to try and ease the issues. I see now I need to come off the stuff slowly.
I wish doctors knew what they were prescribing when they prescribe it. My doc even told me you won't get hooked because you are in pain and taking it for that reason. I have never felt high from taking the stuff, probably cause I'm a big guy, but I am not trying to get high, just ease the pain from the back butchers.
Can someone tell me a basic guideline to go by in coming off this stuff slowly? For instance I had been taking between 50-120 mg / day, depending on my back. How much should I cut back on and how long to taper off. I am not looking for anything exact, just general.
I have not taken any for 2 weeks till today.

Hi Everyone. I wanted to write this to let you all know I too have decided to quit using Methadone. Its been a long road and from the sounds of things its gonna get longer. So, I guess I'm hoping for some support, advice and some help with positive reinforcement.

I have been reading your stories, and gotta say I commend you all. For whatever reasons we started using Methadone we all have our addiction stories. Mine isn't so different from everyone elses, but I thought I would share it too. I got addicted to Vicodin 5/500's about 5 years ago. I had a terminally ill child, and a Doctor that I think felt sorry for me. I would get my prescription refills every month, Zoloft, Lethyroxine(thyroid medication) and my wonder drug Vicodin. Of course I didn't use the other 2 medications as seriously as the Vicodin. After my son passed away and with everything hurting, mostly things that couldn't be fixed with a vicodin, my Dr. increased my presciption. So I kept taking them. Finally February 8th 2006 I decided I couldn't do this anymore. I was going through about 90 pills every 3 or 4 weeks and trying to figure out how to get more. When that became hard to do, I sat in a parking lot for about 5 hours one morning and just decided I wanted more out of life than pills. I also realized that I was going to have to be real about things. Of course most people that I hung around with(mainly my Fiance and Son) knew I took the pills and when I would be questioned I would come up with some lie. When I found myself having to lie to my fiance and my other son, I figured it wold only be a matter of time before I lost everything for that little white pill, that caused ALL of the little white lies, that were turning into huge lies. So I found a clinic that told me Methadone was my answer. I was told that I could continue living a normal life and that i just needed to take this medication once a day, no more cravings, no more withdrawal. Life would be great again plus I wasn't using. So, I joined the clinic, made a few life changes, and BAM life was great. Until my fiance did some research and found that WOW, this isn't as great as I thought. I was still going to have to be sick when I decided I didn't want to take the methadone anymore. I spoke with my clinic and was told, that I shouldn't be in such a hurry to quit the methadone, hasn't it saved my life and made things good again? Well yeah it did but NOW I am addicted to something worse. I did get some good out of my clinic and got healthy mentally. I learned different ways of coping without the drugs, but found myself questioning why I was still on the methadone if I could cope with the hardships of life without drugs, then shouldn't I stop the methadone too? Again, my clinic wasn't so helpful there. For the last 18 months I have been trying to get off of the methadone. I came very close to being completely off of it last August (5mgs) when my fiance and I were supposed to go to Ireland. I stopped taking the methadone at 5mgs. I stayed off of it for about 5 days when I realized with each passing day I was feeling worse. Two days before we were set to fly out I decided I didn't want my trip to be ruined and returned to the clinic. 15 minutes later I felt better and went on an amazing trip to Ireland with my fiance. I was told that when I returned from Ireland my clinic would continue to help me get off of it. Like I said that was almost a year ago and I'm still taking the methadone. I'm ready to be done again and have the support of my amazing fiance and am scared out of my mind. I am under 5mgs. But don't know what to do or what to expect. Everyone says that the lower the dose the easier the withdrawl. My fiance found this site, so I thought I would ask. I never got above 70mgs the whole time I have been on it. Does the the dose amount matter?
Thanks to you all and I'm with you all. Any advice from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

i have quit taking metadone for 5 days now and i cant sleep at all is ther anything else i can do?