Methadone detox ?!
Question: i am currently detoxing from methadone through a clinic i was 80mgs went to 40,30,25,20,and now 15 i thought i would be able to stop at this point but to just go through one day is hard.i'm trying to do it the right way and my counsler warned me that doing it to fast is no good iwent down within a month and a half and although i was ok til i got to 15{no sleep,restless legs and just plain a nasty person to be around} how in the world am i ever gonna do this.i get alot of slack from my partner he is highly against this and i feel it saved my life and made it possible for me to have mt twin girls.now i don;t even no what i'm asking here i guess do you ever feel normal again its been so long to just be on nothing i forgot what that feels like.i would like to have that natural energy again,but on the otherhand i'm afraid to go bck 2 drugs.any positive advice for me?i need help...
Answers: i am currently detoxing from methadone through a clinic i was 80mgs went to 40,30,25,20,and now 15 i thought i would be able to stop at this point but to just go through one day is hard.i'm trying to do it the right way and my counsler warned me that doing it to fast is no good iwent down within a month and a half and although i was ok til i got to 15{no sleep,restless legs and just plain a nasty person to be around} how in the world am i ever gonna do this.i get alot of slack from my partner he is highly against this and i feel it saved my life and made it possible for me to have mt twin girls.now i don;t even no what i'm asking here i guess do you ever feel normal again its been so long to just be on nothing i forgot what that feels like.i would like to have that natural energy again,but on the otherhand i'm afraid to go bck 2 drugs.any positive advice for me?i need help...
You're going down way too fast. To be comfortable, you should be going down only 2-3 mg per week. When you get below 20, you should get some Clonidine from your doctor to help you when you feel like you want to jump out of your skin.
If you didn't have twin girls, you would probably be able to lock yourself in your bedroom for 10 days and going down fast would work. But since you have to be there for those girls every day, you need to be at a dose that makes you feel comfortable. Having a partner that doesn't understand is the worst thing in the world when trying to detox from Methadone, I know this from experience. Download a presentation called "opiates on the brain" and have your partner read it. It might help a little.
You can get it here:
http://www.bi-valley.com/Pages/OpiatesAn...
You can do it, you really can. It won't be very comfortable, but it will be manageable. Tomorrow I am taking my last dose of 2 mg. I started at 65mg, went down 5mg per week to 30, stayed there for 30 days, went down 5mg a week to 15, stayed there for 2 weeks, then went down from there. I tried it before and couldn't do it, but now that I have Clonidine to help me out, I am able to conquer this addiction.
Here is another webpage that has helped me learn some truthful facts about Methadone and how to detox successfully:
http://www.dpeg.org/treatment/methadone_...
Good Luck, God Bless You, and Stay Strong.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
"Every person suffers, some from the hard work of success, others from REGRET"
it is hard to come off any drug and you should be proud of yourself for getting this far. the road to recovery is a long one and can be very challenging. i have not gone through this myself but have seen people who have. they eventually got through it, and now are doing great. just keep up the good work, and listen to your counselor. you'll get through it!!!
My Brother who is gone now, he has passed away, had a horrible drug problem, and allot of health problems when he was alive. I swear that man went through his hell right here on earth, So I know he's in heaven. Anyways, He fell from an oil-rig, onto a steel-grid deck from 100-ft. high and lived. Broke most every-major-bone in his body. He had to have his pelvis wired together, Both knee's replaced, 6 vertebrae fused in his back, 2 in his neck, one shoulder replaced, both arm's broke though, along with both legs, Anyways, There was allot more, But you get the picture. They had him on so much pain medicine's that he eventually turned into a intravenous user because of influence from his friends, and it was no-longer working for him orally. Anyways, he fought this battle with the needle for 10-years off and on. Methadone, back to dope, Methadone, back to dope. He went back and fourth so many times I lost count. I always tried to help him out. I went so far as kicking all of his old friends asses to keep them away from him so he could clean up. It would work for awhile, then he'd sneak back and do it again. Anyways, enough about h that and him. On his many times of "Drying-Out", The doctors did the same thing to him, Methadone, then slowly ween him off. When he got down to a 20 mg dose, He would take Xanax, Or sometimes Valium in between doses, and it helped him so much with the with withdrawal symptoms. When he was taking those, Xanax or Valium he was able to get off the Methadone completely finally! But the years of abuse to his body, and he was born with a "Rhumatic-Heart"" just caught up with him, and he passed away from a massive heart attack some years back. Sad, :(. Anyway's, Perhaps you can do the same? Have a Dr. give you either the 10 Mg. Xanax, Or the 10MG. Valium, and take that as needed to get off the Methadone? I know if it worked for my brother, It would most likely work for anyone. He used "Allot" when he was into it. I mean he was really bad. But it is not hard at all to get off the xanax or valium once your clean and off the Methadone. It's not bad at all. I used Valium for P.T.S.D. for 5 years after Vietnam, and had no-problems at all getting off of them. I still occasionally have to have one here and there, When I am having a bad day, But I was never what you would call "Addicted" to them at all. Perhaps you can get on one of these and it will help you as well? Like I said if it helped my brother, surely it will also help you? I mean he was so bad, at his peak he was taking intravenously between 7 and 9, 80 Mg. Oxycontin's a day, Or 7 to 9, 8 Mg. Dilaudid a day, Depending on what he had that month. And between 4 and 6 10 Mg. Lortab a day to top it off! It was really bad like I said. He didnt even know where he was half the time, and you could not understand his speach it was so slurred. He went from all that, to the Methadone, Then to Xanax or valium, to absolutely nothing at all. The stuff really helped him kick the Methadone hun, Believe it or not. Hey you can at least try and see what happens right? It wont hurt to do that. Anyways, Thats about all the help I can offer you here, That and a shoulder to lean on if you need it. Me and my Wife would be more than glad to help you in any way we can. If you need to talk please feel free to e-mail me, and we can do that. I'll send you my real e-mail address if you write to me from here, so you wont be so-limited in what you write. I dont want to post it here because, well you can imagine why i'm sure. Anyways hun, Please feel free to write us if you need, we have both lived through this type thing with family member's from both-sides, Mine and Hers. I really hope this helps you. Remember there is always someone worst-off than yourself, And this can be done. You will need support from family and friends, But it can be done, thats for sure. Again, I really hope this helps you, and I'll say a prayer for You and Yours. Feel-Free to drop us a line when-ever you like, I'll get back to you as soon as possible, okay? Until then, God Bless, and Take Care, Rocky K.
The best advice I got was from a friend. She used the Buddhist line "This too will pass".
I want to know why your partner is against it. Or what he's against? Is he against you being off heroin or is he against 'done as a reduction therapy?
You're right in the guts of this now. You have taken great steps. You must remind yourself constantly of WHY you want to kick this sh-t and get clean and healthy. It's all about positive thought. If you feel you are reducing too fast, kick it back up and come down in smaller doses. I've not done methadone but I have done buprenorphine and got a little overconfident at one stage where I thought I could just start taking bigger jumps down...but I was way off. Slow and steady is best. This is less about the length of the journey, it's about the destination.
Nice and easy. Stay strong.
Edit: Suboxone, referred to below, is one of the commercial names for buprenorphine, which I mentioned above. It's excellent.
There is no easy way to detox from opiates. Your doctor can wean you down to the lowest possible dose, and you will still experience some discomfort. The worst of it will last about three days- the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweats, restless legs, and sleeplessness, and it could persist for up to a week. Unfortunately, once you get past the 'hump', there are post-acute withdrawl symptoms. Not everybody experiences these, but they can include sleep disorders, restless legs, and extreme irritability, and mood swings.
I would strongly suggest that you call your insurance company, and see if they will cover a stay at a detoxification/rehab facility. The staff there will be able to detox you in the safest possible way, typically by administering Suboxone, Ultram and Valium to minimize discomfort, and a prescription sleep aid to help you rest. The best part is, they will introduce you to a 12-step program and a way to fill the void left by the methadone and other drugs you've used.
Is it truly necessary for you to detox from methadone while pregnant? Many women continue treatment throughout pregnancy; it is generally safe to do so under a doctor's supervision. I would discuss this carefully with your ob/gyn and methadone prescriber, and see if you can't continue treatment. Methadone withdrawl has a low sucess rate, and many turn back to street drugs because it is so unbearable.
Another option would be to transition to the Suboxone program, which again, is deemed safe during pregnancy. Suboxone will eliminate your cravings and discomfort, without the high associated with opiate drugs. Also, it contains Narcan, so you just CAN'T get high while taking it; it will rip the opiate out of your system. In my opinion, that's the way to go, as far as opiate withdrawl.
Keep in mind that out of all the drugs to detox from, methadone/opiates is the least deadly. Alcohol and benzo withdrawl can kill you, but people don't die from opiate withdrawl. It feels like you're gonna die at times, but you won't.
Please see if you can't get to an Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meeting ASAP. They should be in your local phone book, or Google them in your area. Chances are, someone will even pick you up. Here, you will learn how to live life on life's terms, without getting high. You will fnd a huge support network who understands exactly what you're going through.
Please e-mail me if you have questions or need to talk. I am in recovery, and I am a former IV opiate abuser.
Best of luck; you're in my prayers!