my boyfriend started using heroin 7 months ago, he was using for 6 months and has been clean from heroin for 23days, he was put on methadone 30ml 6weeks ago, he went cold turkey from the methadome 4 days ago and he seems to be feeling worse as the days go on, especially complaining of his legs hurting. how long will he be uncomfortable for??? im scared if he feels bad for much longer he wont stick to it
I'm on day 29 off 20mg a day for 10 months. I thought coming off that little would be uncomfortable at most but it's shear hell!!! the longer you are on methadone the more dependent your brain becomes so the sooner he stops the easier. he should be prepared for depression following the withdrawal and so should you. i have been on everything known to aid in the process including good multi-vitamin, 6000mg fish oil, melotonin, 5-HTP, vitamin C, multi-antioxidant, 100 GRAMS of protein via 100% whey protein shake, milk thistle, and ginger root/ all split in 3 doses per day except for melotonin which i take at night. (5-HTP and fish oil will improve his mood significantly) i also took out all the sugar and soda ect from my diet. i took double or more the suggested dosage for all the supplements (because the digestive tract is not absorbing as much as it does normally). i was feeling much better by day 10 (yes it's possible with milk thistle, it improves the livers ability to clean the blood). still though not a full nights sleep by day 19. then my girlfriend got some Ambien (strong sleeping pills) and i made the mistake of taking some to get a full nights rest on day 21. BAD IDEA!!!! my withdrawals felt like day 6. if he is serious about getting off methadone, and he should be. dont not let him take ANY other meds! NO XANAX, NO muscle relaxers, NO sleeping pills. do take lots of hot baths/showers and drink tons of water At least 90 oz a day. Propel brand water is the best because it replenishes the salts in your body with little sugar (also has electrolytes for his restless legs). if you drink a lot of plain water it can dehydrate you by flushing out your body's necessary salts. when i couldnt sleep i would wake up drink a bottle of propel water, take a hot bath and try to sleep again. sleep is so important, it's when your brain is healing and your liver is cleaning the methadone out of your system . protein is equally important. if you do only two things increase your protein and drink water.
Remember all the pain and discomfort is in his head (does not make it any easier). his legs are not really in pain and there is nothing to be anxious about. the withdrawals are your brain telling your body there's some work to be done to restore balance. your brain needs to heal. so take deep breaths, go for a walk, every day he deals with the pain is a day in the bank, dont let him blow it by taking ANY opiates. almost forgot, picked up some Rescue Sleep brand herbal sleep spray from GNC (they sell it at walmart too i think). the directions said to use 2 sprays but i did 20 (literally) it was the first night i got 5 hours of straight sleep and the following day was the first i was feeling better. do yourself a a favor, go to GNC and stock up on supplements. and dont stop taking them when your feeling better. poor nutrition = depression. depression is the reason MOST of us are in this mess in the first place. hope i was some help k.
Remember all the pain and discomfort is in his head (does not make it any easier). his legs are not really in pain and there is nothing to be anxious about. the withdrawals are your brain telling your body there's some work to be done to restore balance. your brain needs to heal. so take deep breaths, go for a walk, every day he deals with the pain is a day in the bank, dont let him blow it by taking ANY opiates. almost forgot, picked up some Rescue Sleep brand herbal sleep spray from GNC (they sell it at walmart too i think). the directions said to use 2 sprays but i did 20 (literally) it was the first night i got 5 hours of straight sleep and the following day was the first i was feeling better. do yourself a a favor, go to GNC and stock up on supplements. and dont stop taking them when your feeling better. poor nutrition = depression. depression is the reason MOST of us are in this mess in the first place. hope i was some help k.
I would like to chat with you, as I am only on 20mgs a day and I tought that I would be ok to ween off, please get in touch with me
k_hart wrote:
Hey, I was on 140 mg of methadone as of a month and a half ago. I moved away and had no program to go to where I moved. I am now 3 weeks off, COLD TURKEY, and Yes it is painful. Between the 7th and 10th day it gets even worse, but it does go away, little by little. The things that helped me and that are still helping me are... Drinking alot of fluid because you get dehydrated, I take 4 advil in the morning and in the evening, I also took one Depakote a day for about a week, which is used for depression and it's an anti-seizure medicine and that helped relive a little of the burning, watery light sensitive eyes and the mind stuff you go through. If you can get that it will help, I can't tell you exactly how much.
I can say this though, it is very hard coming off of heroin cold turkey, but I would do that again in a heartbeat. Methadone withdrawl is horrible, it is in my bones and the worste parts are the leg pains, and the weird, electrical sensation/pain in my lower back. You have to give him possitive encouragement everyday... Tell him you understand and ask him what you can do to help. You have to try to be as understanding as possible becuse when us addicts feel we are not being understood or supported, we tend to drift backwards and begin thinking more and more about what we know will make us feel better. Be proud of him and let him know, because what he's doing is very very hard for anyone, addict or not, but especially being an addict, so show him praise!!
my boyfriend started using heroin 7 months ago, he was using for 6 months and has been clean from heroin for 23days, he was put on methadone 30ml 6weeks ago, he went cold turkey from the methadome 4 days ago and he seems to be feeling worse as the days go on, especially complaining of his legs hurting. how long will he be uncomfortable for??? im scared if he feels bad for much longer he wont stick to it
Hey, I was on 140 mg of methadone as of a month and a half ago. I moved away and had no program to go to where I moved. I am now 3 weeks off, COLD TURKEY, and Yes it is painful. Between the 7th and 10th day it gets even worse, but it does go away, little by little. The things that helped me and that are still helping me are... Drinking alot of fluid because you get dehydrated, I take 4 advil in the morning and in the evening, I also took one Depakote a day for about a week, which is used for depression and it's an anti-seizure medicine and that helped relive a little of the burning, watery light sensitive eyes and the mind stuff you go through. If you can get that it will help, I can't tell you exactly how much.
I can say this though, it is very hard coming off of heroin cold turkey, but I would do that again in a heartbeat. Methadone withdrawl is horrible, it is in my bones and the worste parts are the leg pains, and the weird, electrical sensation/pain in my lower back. You have to give him possitive encouragement everyday... Tell him you understand and ask him what you can do to help. You have to try to be as understanding as possible becuse when us addicts feel we are not being understood or supported, we tend to drift backwards and begin thinking more and more about what we know will make us feel better. Be proud of him and let him know, because what he's doing is very very hard for anyone, addict or not, but especially being an addict, so show him praise!!
Hi faith, I think what you posted was very helfpul and insightful, and I think it's hard for people to maintain their perspective someitme. Good on you for encouraging all that. I feel llike people aren't supportive enough sometimes. Thank you again!
Was your boyfriend getting that 30 MGS from a clinic??
i do not understand why they just dropped him without tapering him off??
RESPONSIBLE clinic will give you a slow taper sometimes even blind dose (at the end being blind dosed is a good thing for many)
I have been on Methadone off and on for 20 years.
I can tell you the last 30 MGS when coming off is when it bothers you
Takes about 7 days or so if you jump off and are not tapered off.
Honestly that program should have lowered him 5 MGS till he got to 15 or 20 and than went to blind dose and lowered 3 MGs a dayevery 5 days until he was off.
I am all for people getting off i got off only to than need it later for Pain issues.It is one thing that helps and does not leave me all wonky.
However I would not advise anyone to just Jump off at a high dose or even a 30 mg dose.
Don't get me wrong you can do it but why go through that if you do not have to?
i do not understand why they just dropped him without tapering him off??
RESPONSIBLE clinic will give you a slow taper sometimes even blind dose (at the end being blind dosed is a good thing for many)
I have been on Methadone off and on for 20 years.
I can tell you the last 30 MGS when coming off is when it bothers you
Takes about 7 days or so if you jump off and are not tapered off.
Honestly that program should have lowered him 5 MGS till he got to 15 or 20 and than went to blind dose and lowered 3 MGs a dayevery 5 days until he was off.
I am all for people getting off i got off only to than need it later for Pain issues.It is one thing that helps and does not leave me all wonky.
However I would not advise anyone to just Jump off at a high dose or even a 30 mg dose.
Don't get me wrong you can do it but why go through that if you do not have to?
this is a great post. it is very important for people to get there vitamins and alot dont. especially when coming off high doses of vit. c, st. johns wart, multi b vits, vit e and bee pollen seem to really help along with alot of fluids and potasium. potasium is deadly to the heart in high doses so either eat alot of banannas or take the vitamines exactly as suggested on the bottle
Gavin, I totally agree! I thought it was a very helpful article and hopefully anyone else will read it and benefit from it too.
gavin111 wrote:
Hi there, can you explain to me why bee pollen and st. john's wart are important for this? I would like to hear why it is that you want to take them. Thanks!
Guest wrote:
I'm on day 29 off 20mg a day for 10 months. I thought coming off that little would be uncomfortable at most but it's shear hell!!! the longer you are on methadone the more dependent your brain becomes so the sooner he stops the easier. he should be prepared for depression following the withdrawal and so should you. i have been on everything known to aid in the process including good multi-vitamin, 6000mg fish oil, melotonin, 5-HTP, vitamin C, multi-antioxidant, 100 GRAMS of protein via 100% whey protein shake, milk thistle, and ginger root/ all split in 3 doses per day except for melotonin which i take at night. (5-HTP and fish oil will improve his mood significantly) i also took out all the sugar and soda ect from my diet. i took double or more the suggested dosage for all the supplements (because the digestive tract is not absorbing as much as it does normally). i was feeling much better by day 10 (yes it's possible with milk thistle, it improves the livers ability to clean the blood). still though not a full nights sleep by day 19. then my girlfriend got some Ambien (strong sleeping pills) and i made the mistake of taking some to get a full nights rest on day 21. BAD IDEA!!!! my withdrawals felt like day 6. if he is serious about getting off methadone, and he should be. dont not let him take ANY other meds! NO XANAX, NO muscle relaxers, NO sleeping pills. do take lots of hot baths/showers and drink tons of water At least 90 oz a day. Propel brand water is the best because it replenishes the salts in your body with little sugar (also has electrolytes for his restless legs). if you drink a lot of plain water it can dehydrate you by flushing out your body's necessary salts. when i couldnt sleep i would wake up drink a bottle of propel water, take a hot bath and try to sleep again. sleep is so important, it's when your brain is healing and your liver is cleaning the methadone out of your system . protein is equally important. if you do only two things increase your protein and drink water.
Remember all the pain and discomfort is in his head (does not make it any easier). his legs are not really in pain and there is nothing to be anxious about. the withdrawals are your brain telling your body there's some work to be done to restore balance. your brain needs to heal. so take deep breaths, go for a walk, every day he deals with the pain is a day in the bank, dont let him blow it by taking ANY opiates. almost forgot, picked up some Rescue Sleep brand herbal sleep spray from GNC (they sell it at walmart too i think). the directions said to use 2 sprays but i did 20 (literally) it was the first night i got 5 hours of straight sleep and the following day was the first i was feeling better. do yourself a a favor, go to GNC and stock up on supplements. and dont stop taking them when your feeling better. poor nutrition = depression. depression is the reason MOST of us are in this mess in the first place. hope i was some help k.
this is a great post. it is very important for people to get there vitamins and alot dont. especially when coming off high doses of vit. c, st. johns wart, multi b vits, vit e and bee pollen seem to really help along with alot of fluids and potasium. potasium is deadly to the heart in high doses so either eat alot of banannas or take the vitamines exactly as suggested on the bottle
Hi there, can you explain to me why bee pollen and st. john's wart are important for this? I would like to hear why it is that you want to take them. Thanks!
I want to thank every-one for taking the time to share your experiences. Truthfully, I'm on day 16 and only made it this far (I went cold turkey with a super quick taper from 70ml-15ml in one month) because I could easily relate to what everyone was going through. I've been on methadone for 6 years and seriously, I found the worst days were between 7and 10. The only uncomfortable symptoms that I experience are the sleepless nights (no more than three hours), and my heart is racing. I'm sure that my blood pressure being so elevated is the cause of my lack of sleep. I'm hoping this will fade as I'm DEAD SERIOUS about being through with ANY drugs(narcotics of course). Any quick solutions for my blood pressure would be greatly appreciated and of course my sincere thanks to all who took the time. I could'nt & probably would'nt have kicked if it were'nt for you. Kudos!!!
Rae,
Thanks for your responses. They helpped me a lot. I was on methadone just over a year and came down 5mg per month. i've been off now four weeks and i thought the worst was over till yesterday the itching started. it feels like my bones are itching and my gums. i can't scratch because it's inside but i can rub my gums. my brothe had me drinking a lot of milk when the withdrawls first started. tremors ended then the headaches started, i've had three days without a headache but do had periodic icepick stabs through my brain. I don't know what else other than milk to do. MRI's are normal so doc says headaches and shocks in the head must be part of fybromialgia. I don't buy the shocks but can't find anything! thanks for being here! 8)
Thanks for your responses. They helpped me a lot. I was on methadone just over a year and came down 5mg per month. i've been off now four weeks and i thought the worst was over till yesterday the itching started. it feels like my bones are itching and my gums. i can't scratch because it's inside but i can rub my gums. my brothe had me drinking a lot of milk when the withdrawls first started. tremors ended then the headaches started, i've had three days without a headache but do had periodic icepick stabs through my brain. I don't know what else other than milk to do. MRI's are normal so doc says headaches and shocks in the head must be part of fybromialgia. I don't buy the shocks but can't find anything! thanks for being here! 8)
I am new to this Methadone withdrawal and am only on day three, and feel as though I am dying a slow, painful, torturous death. I have been on Methadone for...well, this would have marked year three, but I left on my two year mark, after slowly tapering down over a year, my highest dose was 80 mg, but I asked to have it taken down 20, and I stabilized well on 60 mgs. I thought for sure I was doing things the right way, slow tapering, etc. but honestly, the research I've done since being off suggests its possible that cold turkey is no more painful than slow tapering. I really can't say, as everyone's symptoms are within the same parameters of torment, but to varying degrees and with slight individual sensations experienced from time to time. Is it just me, or do others on here feel pretty comfortable during the day, and even for about an hour after retiring for the night, only to have an onslaught of withdrawals, just as you are reaching that sleepy state?? This withdrawal has been the strangest I have ever experienced, and the most painful thus far. For the blood pressure, I suggest Clonidine. I normally wouldn't recommend anything other than natural and herbal products, because certain tranquilizing agents can actually exacerbate withdrawals, as someone mentioned in a previous post, but this has sedating properties, and is a hyper-tension medication, also used largely in combination with ADHD patients using Adderall, which I am an adult with ADHD, and on Adderall. I only stumbled across the Clonidine suggestion after researching Methadone withdrawals, and was desperate to try anything to slow down my racing heart at bedtime especially. I tried it last night for the first time, and it does aid in relaxing the spasms and cramps, and I was able to sleep for about 1 hour initially, but after taking some Melatonin once I woke up, I slept another three hours, and I was ever grateful for even that much sleep. Methadone withdrawal is sheer hell on earth, and I share the same feeling as another poster on here, who said it only reaffirms why I never want to go back to any opioid...I feel like I despise them right now, for how they have done such damage to my body (especially the adrenal-fatigue responsible for the insomnia and anxiety), but I have been following the general concensus, which is to begin working on body repairs, via lots of water, and botanical supplements. Also, Melatonin promotes sleep, and is fine used in larger doses, but I would recommend slowly figuring out what works for you, and not exceed 30 mgs (personal opinion). Reading these posts have enlightened me, but also frightened me a little to be honest, because I see I haven't even graced the surface of what's yet to come, and the suffering I will endure....but I'll be damned if I ever allow myself to become imprisoned in my own withdrawling, thrashing, wretching body again, once this is over, and this is a good wake-up call for those who are serious about getting off opiates and staying off! Good luck everyone...I completely empathize with everyone who has posted!
hey guys i am going cold turkey right now, i was on 30 ml a week ago forthe last 10 months, but last week i decided to withdrawer for my own peice of mand and partner. i grew up with a mum thats a heroin addict and seeing her suffer made me despise opiats, infact all drugs but the same old story is i got in with the wrong croud and my mate offered me mst (morphine sulphate tablet) after a 3 day clubing session in London and i didnt know what it was and before i knew i was addicted. we are all in the same boat cos we like the feeling but now its time to change. today i took my las 5ml and i feel quite bad its day 7 of my weining off meth. tomorrow is my first day with nothing at all i did think i would feel even worse as i tried cold turkey for a week before without weining off meth just a clear stop and obviously i didnt succeed. i find a nice warm bath with bath salts really stop the muscle pains. although its now 01:52 i am dreading going to sleep i only get 2 hours each day and by some peoples words on here thats alot! i will try so hard to succeed and if i do i will update you guys. good luck people you can do it! a couple of weeks of head ache muscle ache and the other symptomsl are better than a lifetime of taking meds to be normal.
All of this has been really helpful! my boyfrind has been on methadone for 3 years at 120mg now and something physically is always coming up with him...i am almost certain it's all in his mind because it's just an excuse to take more methadone but he thinks it's real. recently it's been the toothaches.i dont know what to do about it and im worried that if i give him anything else it will acually have severe side effects..i dont really know how to help him and its really frustrating. He says that if he stops taking it hes worried that his personallity will change and he really doesnt want to go through the whole in pain detox stage.i mean should i advise him to do a slow rapid detox or just quit cold tukey?whats the difference? He's worried that i wont stick by him through the whole thing either i mean we've never had any really serious problems but ''nobody should have to deal with that'' as he likes to put it... all i can think to tell him is that i wanna help him anyway i can but i dont know what else to say did you have someone help push you to do it?how? or did you just decide that it needed to be done on your own? he just doesnt get that i want him to be healthy not someone else that is..so any ideas would be great...I feel helpless
Its been some time since someone has posted, I just wanted to add