Need to hear methadone quitting success story

Hi, I've been on methadone for more than 2 years now.  My boyfriend and I got into the oxy's pretty bad.  It got to the point where we couldn't afford it or take the withdrawals. Well I have been struggling my boyfriend decided enough was enough and decided to just quit from 55mg and he did it. 

I was with him the whole time and cannot believe what he went through.  The person above who wrote about the different days is exactly right! Each day it gets worse and worse.  On day 6 he started having hallucinations, thinking there were people outside watching him and thought things were crawling on him.  It was bad.  He didn't sleep for 5 days straight.  He got through it though! He actually did it. 

He cant stop smiling, he says he finally feels normal again.  I couldn't be prouder but I can't do it. 

 

If you are going to quit cold turkey your going to have to really want it!  Make your mind up, set your mind to it and just do it and don't give up! 

I wish I had the courage to do it! I wish you luck! Just know what your going through is normal and your not alone.  It will pass and you'll be normal again. 

 

 

 

 

Everyday I go searching the internet for successful methadone stories or stories on how long it take to feel "normal" again. Normal is a hard word. As a former addict what did normal feel like?  I have been off methadone now for 73 days.  I was on methadone for 5 years.  I actually thought I would be better by now. Physical symptons are gone. I sleep at least 6 hours every nite.  But mentally I am no where near the same.  I feel depressed most days.  My energy is only maybe half way back. So getting off the couch is a struggle every day.  But I force myself to get up and do things.  Sitting around makes it worse.  My biggest problem like one of the above posts mentioned is that your "happy" center of your brain gets fired. I don't find the things I used to enjoyable or fun. Things I used to care about don't seem to matter and life seems dull.  This very thinking is making my cravings worse and has my mind wondering why I got off methadone in the first place? Was it really that bad?  But I ignore those thoughts. That is my addiction speaking.   I know that with time all these feelings will go away.  Even my worst days are better then being on methadone for the rest of my life.  So I take it one day at a time. I think that is all we can do.  I hope that if there is someone out there feeling the same way that reading my post might help a little. So they know they are not alone. 

Hi im 26/f i was on 150mg of methadone for a year and a few months and i decided i wanted to stop so i signed myself out of the clinic i was attending i was tappered off within a month down to 20mg then my dr decided he wanted to take some time off from tappering me i didnt like that so i quit cold turkey it wasnt as hard as most people say for me i guess the worst part is leg cramps and rls at night i am not sleeping full 8 hr nights but im getting like 5 hrs max ive only been off for about 9 days i guess for me the 5-7 were the hardest i dont have a good appetite either the best advice i have is drinks lots and lots of fluids and keep your mind off of the fact that your not taking it i hated the saying mind over matter but i truly feel like the horror stories scare you more than the actual feeling does i wasnt on methadone for pain i was on it for opiate abuse and herion its very possible also i took an emergen-c shot every day vitamin c and fish oil they.help so much i hope this.has helped you i didnt think it was possible but if u want it you want it bad enough u can have it!

I would like to add my experience.

I was addicted to codeine for 4.5 years. I started out taking around 300 - 500 mg of codeine phosphate per day and within about 4 months, I had peaked at 1600 mg/day of codeine phosphate. I was constantly trying to quit. I never had any luck tapering the dose and when I tried cold turkey, I rarely got past 48 hours without codeine. I think I was able to get to around 92 hours twice. Once, I made it past the acute withdrawal and got 12 days, but only because I went on vacation to Europe and didn't speak the language so I couldn't get codeine.

After those 12 days, when I got back home, I went right back to codeine, despite the fact that the acute phase of withdrawal was clearly over. The acute phase only lasted about 5 days and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I kept craving codeine after that.

I soon went on methadone. I was actually comfortable at 60 mg/day but I enjoyed methadone and got myself up to 110 mg/day. I was on it for about 2 years. I used to take multiple doses and my tolerance was so high that I was even able to take 440 mg of methadone at once (though that kind of dose would have me asleep on my feet).

When I finally decided to go off methadone, I ignored all the other patients in the waiting room who would always say things like, "Methadone is the hardest opioid to get off." I had heard other patients say so many ignorant things about opioids that I was sure they had no clue as to what they were talking about (for example, one man tried telling me that if you have a heroin overdose the first thing done for you in hospital is that you're given intravenous diazepam, which is basically a death sentence).

I went from 110 mg/day methadone to 24 mg in 8 days. The next day, I stopped taking methadone entirely.

Unlike with codeine, by 48 hours in, I was barely sick and figured that I must have gone through the bulk of withdrawal already. The next day I realized I was wrong. The worst of it was 4 days in. My doctor prescribed me 10 mg/day diazepam for 7 days. I took all 70 mg in one day and it barely relaxed me. For whatever reason, even though it was physically unpleasant, it was quite different than codeine withdrawal. I didn't crave methadone or any other opioid. Yes, I wanted the pain to end and it was pretty unpleasant but it was less intense than with codeine (even though I was taking twice as much methadone as I needed to simply fill my desire for codeine). Acute withdrawal lasted about 10 days (whereas with codeine is lasted 5 days).

The hardest part of it was not being able to sleep.

Really, the hardest part of withdrawal, with codeine or methadone was after the acute phase is over. I thought I'd won and was free, but it took about 30 days before I could sleep more than 4 hours a night without prescription sleeping pills (zopiclone). I was about 5 months before I really felt like myself.

Why I found methadone easier to quit than codeine is a mystery to me. Yes, withdrawal lasts longer, but it's far less intense than with other opioids. The biggest difference for me was that I had no cravings with methadone withdrawal.

My advice is to forget anything you've heard about methadone being the "hardest" opioid to kick. That, in my opinion, is just gibberish. I know this will sound ironic or hypocritical, but many drug users tend to think that they're experts on drugs simply because they use drugs. I hope my little anecdote about hearing someone claim that diazepam (Valium) is the preferred treatment for a heroin overdose will illustrate just how ignorant so many drug users are about the drugs they use.

Even 2 of the 3 doctors I saw at the methadone clinic told me that I had a 99% chance of failure because I was withdrawing too quickly. The doctor I saw thought it was great that I wanted off methadone and even asked me if I wanted to go off 110 mg/day methadone cold turkey.

I really don't think it was just a matter of me being "ready." I wanted off codeine for the 4.5 years that I was on it. Being on methadone was far better than being addicted to codeine, despite all the gibberish I heard from other methadone clinic patients about methadone being "pure poison" and so forth. For whatever reason, it was just much easier to stop using methadone.

I find it very disturbing to see so many people (not here, but just in general) say things like "methadone is the most addictive drug known to man." That is complete and utter gibberish. Benzodiazepine withdrawal, for example, can be FATAL (so can alcohol withdrawal). Opioid withdrawal is very rarely dangerous.

I totally agree with you. In my experience, most of those who say that methadone is "the hardest opioid to get off" or "the most addictive drug known to man" have either never tried to get off methadone or are totally clueless. The amount of ignorance about methadone is disgusting. It also sickens me how many people will protest methadone clinics and methadone dispensing pharmacies.

I was on MMT for 3+ years. Started at 170 and got down to 1 mg. I did it slowly and experienced very little withdrawals. Took longer than I liked but ensured I was successful. Heres what the dr did for me: reduce by 20% stay for a week or 2 to stabalize and go down another 20% when i felt ready. Once I hit 10 mg then it was 1 mg at a time.

well heres my story. I have been on oxyies  for approx 8 years and methadone for about 2 years. I started with 5mg of oxy and 8 years later 30mg 4 times a day, then 2 years later doctor added methadone to my daily dose of oxy. I was originally put on meds for cronic lower back pain. I'll make this part short and sweet.  Taken up to the mountains beaten and raped at age 14. Lots of physical abusive relationships. Degenerate arthritis in my spine neck hips. So doctors put you on these pain meds and then you get addicted and then they keep upping your meds. {I never once asked them to up my meds. but I never turned it down I figured I would just stock pile and if for some reason I couldn't afford them one month I would have them} Clearly that is not how addiction works, eventually you start to take what you are perscribed and you have to take more because its not working anymore. I never lost my med or ran out early. you know the old story my dog ate my homework. I was a good patient however, doctors start treating you like you are junkies, when there the ones upping your meds and taking your money. Then they want to start all these procedures to help with your pain. Well 7 shots of whatever at 800.00 dollars for each shot and they didn't do c**p for my pain. Now they want to burn the nerves in my back. NO THANK YOU.  And then there is the florida thing so now all the pain management doctors are scared as they should be. I had started backing off my oxyies about 4 months ago. I got myself down to 1 30mg a day but not the methadone and I was fine. Heres my biggest reasons  for quiting. #1- I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. #2- It's me, my daughter, and my 13 year old grandson. we all live together and my daughter was diagnosed with multiple sclorosis (M.S.) I need to be healthy for her.  #3- I want to be able to sit through a movie with my grandson  without nodding out like a heroin addict. I am 51 years old I have alot of life left in me and I am not wasting another minute. and I am not letting my grandson down one more time. So this is how it goes. friday March 1st took my last methadone at about 1:00pm. (I am a waitress and work fri, sat, sun) By sunday mid morning I was going into full blown withdrawals. I told my boss that I had to leave and her why. ( she knew about my meds.) and I told her I had to take a 30 day leave. Thank God she was very supportive of my told decision. I work for an amazing family owned company, and I love my job but I would have given it up if thats what it took. A friend of mine got me some medical  THC which helped with some withdrawals. (FYI I hate pot, always have. I could never function on it and I always got  super paranoid) However I was willing to make the exception in this case.  I would take 1 extra strength tylenol, 1 aleve, and 2 tramadol ( non narcotic ) and smoke weed however, the first 7 days I would not wish on my worst enemy, The one thing that never subsided was horrific back pain. Let me be clear I still felt the withdrawals, feeling like there's worms crawling under your skin, hot and super cold chills to the bone, I swear I could feel my hair growing on my head, vomiting, my head hurt so bad I thought it would explode, and forget about sleeping it aint happening, you just thrash about in so much pain, stomach cramps so bad. My first good day was day 16 but that was short lived. day 17 I have never felt so weak in my life. You literally cant even dress yourself, you feel like you weight 500 pounds and the thought of lifting yourself up is almost to much to bear but not once through it all did I think if I just take a methadone I could end this pain. It starts to get better. Your still going through withdawals and I'm trying to deal with this cronic back pain as well. Hot long soaking baths along with the above was my saving grace, thats when I would get the most relief. I am on day 23 of my recovery. I have only been out of my house twice, once to go to doctors for more tramadol and yesterday I did a grocery trip to walmart which kicked my ass. So much pain and weakness. Look This is just whats working for me I still have to figure out how to deal with my cronic back pain without the use of narcotics and THC. I have already started cutting back on the weed only taking it when super cronic pain but plan on quiting that very soon cause I still don't like the way it makes me feel and I never will. I'M CHOOSING TO LIVE FOR ME, MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, AND MY AMAZING GRANDSON. I could have never done this without there help. My daughter should have been a nurse she was sooooo amazing. Now its time for me to take care of my family. I will succeed there are no other options. So whoever reads this you have one life, make it count for something. You can do it. It will be one of the worst things you go through in your life, you will feel like your going to die BUT YOU  WON'T. You will hear that voice of addiction in your head saying one more time won't hurt, you must learn to change the channel in your head. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. I HOPE YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE, LOVE AND BE HAPPY. I KNOW I WILL BE A SUCCESS STORY BECAUSE I CHOOSE LIFE. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. I will keep you posted. Linda C.

Hi, my name is Ash, and yep, the last two weeks have been absolutely horrible, BUT have finally started to turn for the better! I HAD to come off methadone cold turkey, my ex would wait for me every morning outside the clinic to watch me, and finally when I told him I was leaving for good he beat me so bad I have a cracked skull and left me for dead. Thankgod (even being 30 years old), my mom came to the city to get me and brought me out to her house in the country thankfully. Four and a half hours from the city and an hour away from ANY sorta temptation. I think about how good using would feel of course, but just dont becuz I heard it only prolongs the horrible withdrawals of methadone. Most nights I toss and turn and am up with "the crazies" and during the day I pace from room to room, but this is where I need to be in my recovery....I did it this way so that i never have thhe desire to use another substance. There is a natural herb that you can buy at most pharmacies called valerain, it works wonders, its kinda like a more natural version of valluum....just not a benzo. I have been using it to come me down quite a bit, and it helps me get a good nites sleep. Well I just noticed ur post is from five years ago, but will post this info incase anyone else needs help. You just have to let time take its course....you will get better, and as hard as it is, try to stay in a positive mind frame.....

I think the most important thing to remember is that none of became an addict overnight (even though it may feel that way). I got on methadone 9 1/2 yrs ago when I got pregnant with my daughter. I had her while on methadone and by God's grace, she was a happy healthy baby. I was on 160 mg and tried to get off methadone a few times throughout this time with no success. It was not until I lived a "clean" life (ditch old contacts &poisonous relationships) and dealt with the issues that drove me to addiction in the first place. Then, when I felt more confident, I tried again. I came down just 3 mgs/week and felt just fine through to the end. To anyone who reads this, you absolutely CAN do this w/o completely torturing yourself!! By going cold turkey like that, you can feel like c**p for up to 6 months! I've known plenty of people that have tried. I urge you...do it the right way!! The more you rush the process, the more you increase your chances of just ending up back in the same place w/in no time at all! Those of us that have gone up against addiction to opiates know that it is like facing down Satan himself! I'm sorry to anyone that is going through this. Please hang in there & know that you can absolutely do it! I DID! And I have never felt better and more alive. May God bless you and be with you all. Just try to have a little faith.. in Him and yourself, and YOU WILL SUCCEED! :)

"You never thought you'd get addicted, just be cooler in an obvious way"...... Dandy Warhols

Well, methadone (and heroin) sure aren't cool now, are they....

I can't believe people are stupid enough to get on them in the first place.  Just want to give all you young people words from an old junkie now 69 years old... and it AIN'T PRETTY.   After doing a bunch of jail time for armed robbery (and after stealing from everyone around, old ladies, cripples, family, etc.), this super creep got pancreatic cancer when he was 58.  He went back on methadone and tried to kick, but no way.  He is on it permanently now and on Social Security Disability.  He had this operation called the Whipple which saved his life, but it took away part of his intestines, pancreas, stomach and he is a MESS!  That is why he is back on methadone and despite going to a detox can't quit.  He beat the cancer, but keeps whining around on blogs, pancreatic cancer discussion boards, etc. about how he wants his old life back and how he hates liberals and welfare (and he received so many tax dollars, including when he went to jail).  What an ungrateful jerk.... he is still trying to be James Deane (his avatar)... HAHA! but really he is 69 and quite ugly.

Now he is an arch conservative writing how he is against liberals (he called them worse than heroin addicts or cons).  Even though he went through NUMEROUS methadone clinics, mental hospitals and collected welfare for years, he thinks you current addicts should not get any of that funded anymore (cause he finally got a factory job and worked 20 years).  He said liberals loved him to death and that you should accept responsibility.

I am just warrning you....... get off all that stuff, or you have pancreatic cancer coming down the line, with permanent methadone maintenance, depression, and just more ugliness for your old age... he still says, he walked cool.  YA RIGHT, Ray (real name Melvin), you're SO COOL!

i am very interested to find out how you are coping now ?

honestly, if i were you i would run as fast as i could from anyone who could possible get you into a situation to score, even a best friend , you may love them, but everything you have said is telling me you aren't strong enough to do this, i am not putting you down in any way, anybody here reading through these forums is having a hard time with it all,not just you! another suggestion,start searching for that little house in the boonies spend hours and hours looking and thinking about it, maybe a place where you could grow your own healthy food and bring your body back to at least forty, in 63 years of life,i have never meet a person who didn't have drama during there childhood , forget that, yesterdays gone don't stop thinking about tomorrow ! i know the hell of detox just got done with it,with drugs in my pocket there still there, i hope you can find the strength! and is ur mum watching you? probably trying to guide your every step,help her, stay strong always remember couple days of feeling good will never equal the hell that comes later good luck too you!

Okay please tell me tar is not what I think it is I'm very much hoping tar is extra strong marijuana!?! I'm sorry I'm not here to judge just to get advice on getting off methadone! However, of all the advice I've heard taking heroine is the worst by far! I myself thank god possibly the only reason I did not resort to doing it as well is I've never even seen the stuff! do not know anyone who even knows where to find it! I read a good saying on another one of these sites it was something like ; Treating a drug addict looking for help with Subriety by giving more drugs is like fighting a war for peace or f*****g for abstanance! I had a 10 year norco habit, I looked for out patient help at the time because I was doing so well in my life great career, nice home, nice expensive car, my kids and I had finally made it to where I had worked so hard to get us. I did not want to loose it all because of my pill habit! However the help I thought I needed was out patient I was referred to bi valley treatment center where they make it sound like a walk in the park with butterfly kisses and all. They claim I'm going to be on a 21 day program but everyone is different is what they all say every single time u ask a question. But I had made up my mind I was getting off pills once and for all and if thine s what they say I have to do so I do not miss work and looses my job while I do so than so be it! Once I was on the program for about three days I get to see my new counselor the first one is just for intake purposes. My new "counselor" really case manager tells me how unsuccessful the 21 day program is and if I really want success I will do the maintenance program come down as slow as possible but what is the rite number to come down from well again that is different for everyone she says! BS! They know very well we are addicts and when u go to methadone from norcos u are getting the best high since u first started the pills a long time ago so of course I'm chasing that high for the first year up to 120mg of methadone daily...then I realize I'm still chasing that high so I request to be put on a detox program they talk me out of it by saying why don't we lower u a little now considering bits the holidays and they are stressful enuff then u come back after the holidays and we will lower u again if ur feeling up to it....I feel like this is good advice they are for my best interest rite then I go back ready to be put on detox program now I'm just super super tired all the time never in my life has that been me I'm always on the go! Now they wonder if I should be given split doses and as sleepy as I was I was willing to try anything they sent me for a blood draw and it came back I have a fast metabolism....so now I get 50 in am 50mg to go to take as I please however by this time I've descovered Pill form of amphetamines forbkids with ADHD I forget the name some one sold me a sh*t load of them for cheap so them my UA was not clean and I could no longer get split doses however u would think they would take me seriouse I came in with only opiats in my system and for a year that's it it ell them I need help please help I'm going to loose my job. They did not care! The only way I was able to getvthem to lower my dose was to not pay them I finally got down to 30mg by going down as much as I could every month then I would pay them and stay at that dose.... However in doing this ibwas missing a lot of my job that I loved so very much so I see this is not working out and find a way to go on a leave of absence and tryed to go cold turkey as its called I guess! However I had no idea it was so much worse than WD from norcos no idea whatvi was in for what so ever! I actually thought it should be easier considering that's what we start takeing it for rite to get off our drug of choice!?! Well I was so so so sos oso so wrong! Now to be able to go back to work I needed to get back into the program because taking my pills that I originally started off with now had noveffect but to maybe take a tiny tiny bit of the edge off! So I have to find a new clinic for I left the old one with money owed finally I get medical because I was scared to go thru my jobs medical smh! I get back on the program the only doctors note I can get has a stamp at the top that says ages treatment center. I wanted to die turning that into my boss and to my corporate office! They then treated me so bad the only job they allowed me to do after working my ass off for two years working my way up, earning the trust of clients and vendors I was no longer even allowed to speak to them not even answer a question! I ended up putting my notice in at my dream job because I could not bare to be fired! I've now been trying to get my sh*t back together I'm on 50mg of methadone a day I'm lazy fat I've lost the respect of everyone I love my 3 kids my friends I'm broke something I've always been able to avoid allowing my children to feel the effects of even 10 years of buying norcos on the streets @ $800 dollars a month or more I worked two jobs if I had to! Now we barley get by! Im ready to take the leape and just quite but I need to build a support group I need to make sure my kids and myself will be taken care of while I'm out of commission so to speak ! I've looked for residential that's a joke the price is so unreasonable no wonder success rate is 2%! I will be part of that 2% no doubt in my mind I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row so I don't fall backwards! This is my rock bottom so no place else to go but up! Thank u all for sharing your journeys it is very helpful knowing what to look forwa4d to what to talk to my doctor about and what to tell my support group to expect once I find the all ,) ....thanks again! Good luck ad god bless u all!

Thank you for that this is what I am hopping for when I quite! I feel I have no attachment to the Methadone like I did my pills I hate being on methadone and can't wait to be free of it! However I loved my pills and had dreams of taking them when I had stopped and started the methadone program that was three years ago I never want to take another pill of any kind so long as I live except vitamin s ....so I'm hopping to have the same experience as yourself I get withdrawal is going to suck but once its over it will be over unlike with pills I did the week of feeling like sh*t a dozen times but could not get past the loss of my "best bud" at the time!

I successfully got off methadone in May of this year. I went super slow and down to 1mg. I had zero issues. It was my second go round, and I just got my head wrapped around the fact that this was it. I'm doing great and even had dental work (major) done without resorting to Percocet. I took one, it made me itch like crazy and I threw the rest away. Think it through to the bitter end (withdrawl, jail whatever) and it really helps. The cravings are short lived, know your triggers. If I did this, anyone can!