Methadone Drug Addiction .com

It is highly advisable to wean off Methadone under a doctors supervision.
Symptoms of withdrawal include:

Abdominal pain
Agitation
Diarrhea
Dilated pupils
Goose bumps
Nausea
Runny nose
Sweating
Vomiting
Bone Pain
Methadone withdrawal can span anywhere from two weeks to six months.Sudden withdrawal from some synthetic opiates such as methadone can be fatal.

2008-08-15 12:31:01 by fiboab

The first video in a series about detoxing from Methadone and recovery from long term narcotic addiction.One man's experience getting off ...

i been on methadone for 3 years. 110mg for a majority of the time. now i brought my self down to 10 mg over the last year. feels like such an accomplishment but man i feel so weird. i only have about 6 pills left and do not intend to buy more or even look for a clinic here in Nj, i moved from Ca and left the clinic at 12 mg and bought some pills on the streets to bring my self off. what should i do on this last step. everything feels so weird, i cant even talk right, im not super sick but im not well cant sleep, really weak, hard to even walk my dogs, but i actually feel better after i do some type of excersize. i only took 5mg today to see how it worked out, and it sucks. i almost feel like its in my head but i dont know, its such a low does, when is my body gonna get back on track? any info would be great BTW i was a herion addict before this, 23 yrs old. this is nothing compared to the few days coming off herion cold turkey, but im just wondering how long it will last. any advice would be great. thanks

that is so awesome you want to quit!! trust me you will feel so much better when your off that crap. I quit 5 weeks ago. It will be one of the best desicions you will ever make in your life and it will change your life. I want to write more but Me and my fiance just quit 5 weeks ago with suboxone, we were taking 80 mgs of methadone and 80-160mg of oxycotin. I don't know what your situation is but if you want to check out suboxone and find a doctor http://www.buprenorphine-doctors.com/fin d-a-doctor.cfm Its alot of work to get ( live in a small town so not many options for me)in there and if you don't have health insurance it is expensive, cheaper than what i spent on pills though, I got all my prescriptions paid for through heretohelp.com It's really worth it. I tried to go throught withdrawls I lasted maybe 4 days and I always ended up relapsing and using more than I usually did. If you can just get through it awesome but suboxone is something that will help if you end up relapsing or just not quiting. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-08 17:57:33 by fordtech

As far as when will it make you feel better, that's a question best answered by your doctor. I think this is something that goes on a case by case basis.

To me, it sounds like suboxone is a very potent drug. It is 25-40 times more potent than morphine.

It's possible (even though I am guessing here) that suboxone is being given to you because many people who use methadone (as a way of easing withdrawl off heroine) end up back on heroine.

It's possible that suboxone is even more potent than methadone.

Your best bet is to read the entire definition from wikipedia--I have provided the link below.

It gives great detail as to what suboxone does and what its intended end results are.

2007-12-09 08:45:53 by Mcmama34

I know someone who is getting off of Methadone as a opiate replacement theorpy. I was wondering what are the side effects of coming off of Methadone? Will the attitude change from happy to grumpy or bitchy? Complete personality change? What should I expect from this person? How can she correct any side effects. Thank you in advance

It depends entirely on how they are getting off methadone- properly, with a slow weaning process; administratively, as in a punitive action where they reduce the dose 10mg a day until down to zero, or cold turkey- having walked off or been kicked off the program,and therefor,not completing the process properly.
I'm going to post a commentary I wrote from a website I run on MMT advocacy regarding the recommended process for coming off methadone~ it mainly details the pharmacological process though. In terms of how they will be emotionally~ the best thing you can do is encourage them to do this properly, with guidance from her MMT clinic- and to be supportive by educating yourself on the process. Knowing what to expect, and being supportive is the best thing you can do.
Typically, the best chance at success when detoxing from MMT is to start out with a weekly decrease of no more than 5mg & no less than 2mg, once every week, depending at the stabilized dose you have been at. 80-100 mg is considered an average dose, and the typical start wean/decrease for that range is a 2-3mg decrease once a week. You should try not going lower than those 2-3 m, and if you're having a hard time with that, consider taking your weaning schedule to every other week~ one thing we tend to overlook as addicts is that methadone, unlike heroin and other opiates, is a time released medication. It works for exactly that reason, but it also makes for a longer acute withdrawal period. Where as with a heroin detox, you can expect a typical 5-7 days for to get through the worst of it worst of it, methadone takes closer to 3-4 weeks before the full brunt of the acute withdrawal abates. This is because that slow acting, time releases aspect has also allowed a residual to build up in your system~ the same applies for getting stabilized: remember when you started at 20 or 30mg, and were having a hell of a time feeling normal, but they insisted you wait 7 days minimum before getting an increase? That’s because the medication needs time to build up in your system; the same way it needs time to leave your system.
If this is just your first take down in mg, this might not be as applicable, but if you’re being weaned a few mg every week for a month or longer, you might just be starting to feel the long term effects of those first initial dose decreases.
It will vary for every client~ someone at a higher dose, say 150mg+ ~ may be able to handle coming down at 5mg a week, b/c their residual will be slightly larger. It can also vary with body type- people who are heavier may retain more medication in their system. There is also supported evidence that clients can be “fast” or “slow” metabolizers- one person may be able to go up to 72 hours before feeling the onset of withdrawal (“slow” metabolizers); others feel it in 12 hours- (these are fast metabolizers, and often the solution is split dosing- taking half in the morning, the other half 12 hours later). While this is another issue altogether, it should be noted many clinics do not support this process, since the bulk of their clients require supervised dosing. I will discuss that issue in another note in the near future, but for the time being, if you’ve got take homes, you may want to try doing a split dose for a few days- even if you weren’t a fast metabolizer in the past, as you come down in dosage, you may find this pattern- smaller, more frequent dosing- helps you get through it.
Once your dose gets smaller- in the under 40mg per day range- it is common to decrease the # of mg you cut each week. So, for example, if you’re at 100 mg, and you start to wean yourself down at 5mg each week, you may feel fine until you reach a daily dose of 45mg, then suddenly find yourself feeling horrible. It’s normal in that scenario to switch your weaning schedule from decreasing your dose 5mg each week, to 2mg every OTHER week~ because not only are you feeling the effects of your weekly decrease, but that of the residual build up leaving your system, on top of the discomfort from forcing your body to adjust to a lower dosage.
Those who successfully stay sober continually demonstrate following this type of pattern~ taking their time, allowing for the need to possibly decrease their original cut back. As you move into the 30mg range, you should be considering detox. Detox is tricky- no detox facility is permitted to detox a MMT patient without correlating with the MMT clinic, in most states, by law. This is meant to deter MMT clients who break the rules & are given administrative detoxes from thinking they can get away with it, since a detox will fix it. An emergency room will treat you, if they feel your life is in danger, but as we all know, detox from opiates & opioid agonists like methadone, won’t kill you (unless you have a pre-existing condition that is exacerbated by the withdrawal). It might feel like it- and yes, MMT withdrawal is overall a longer, harder detox-but it won’t kill you. So an ER doctor is at liberty to pick and choose if they will treat withdrawal symptoms before sending you on your way, and the stigma of the disease of addiction makes our plight somewhat unsympathetic, so odds are slim. They cannot, however, send you to a detox in the event they take up your cause, that is out of their hands (unless, again, your life is in danger, or the patient is pregnant, since the withdrawal can bring about miscarriage).
The exception to the case being, a proper weaning through your clinic. A client who decides to take the big step and begin their extradition from MMT has options: and at about 0-30mg, detox is indeed one of them, and a wise one.
Your clinic should have some familial relationship with a couple detox facilities who are equipped and educated to handle such a withdrawal~ and it will often be the difference between success and failure. I know many clients who went through 2-3 years of being weaned 5mg a week, who never felt uncomfortable~ but who, at 10mg, were switched from being weaned 5mg to only 2mg a week- who came back the next day begging for their 2mg back. It all relates to the individual, and to the long term decrease of residual and dose.
You should have a plan arranged at the onset of your weaning: your counselor and your MMT clinic physician should explain the process to you in detail, and all of you should agree on what steps you will take~ including hypothetical ones. You may not need the detox, you may find 5mg a week never really bothers you; you may find 1mg does- so be prepared for those obstacles, BEFORE you reach them~ because if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we don’t make well-planed decisions when we’re dope sick.
There are also medications your MMT clinic physician can prescribe to help with some of the discomfort through out your withdrawal; though you shouldn’t rely on them until you’ve reached a considerably low dose. Starting to rely on them too soon will leave you ill-prepared for the long haul. Common meds used in detox apply here- vistaril, trazadone, ultram~ but will vary by clinic & physician. Also be sure to account for any changes in your own life: weight loss/gain; a new medication (OTC or Rx- even the simple ones can make a change in the way you metabolize your dose). Stress, grief, job loss, and other emotional issues can also be factors.
It should also be mentioned that while there is no specific, tried and true formula, the vast majority of MMT clients who succeed in weaning themselves completely off have been on MMT for a minimum of 2 years. And I mean 2 years of MMT without any other chemical abuse; 2 years attending every group, counseling session and other appt- even when you don’t want to; 2 years of having a stable home life, a job you enjoy (or at minimum, one that doesn’t make you suicidal, lol), 2 years free of unresolved court cases, warrants, probation, parole, etc. Two years of having the life you had- or wanted- BEFORE you got hooked on the junk. We’ve already got the odds stacked against us: opiate addiction is hands down, statistically, the hardest addiction to beat, and has the lowest success rate. It doesn’t need any help to make us fail; you need a life you consider worth fighting for.

Remember to take it slow, and not rush yourself- MMT has the highest success rate of any opiate addiction treatment, but it doesn’t happen overnight- allow your body the time it needs to adjust to each take down. Your clinic should be very much in agreement with this. Unless you’re going through an administrative detox (typically administrative detox means going down 10mg a day until you’re at zero mg; and administrative detox IS NOT intended to keep you sober- it’s a punitive action taken when a client is not paying their bill, coming up dirty repeatedly on tox screens, gets arrested, or is missing groups)- if you’re going through a planned withdrawal, your clinic should be very supportive in spacing out your weaning- if you’re feeling pressured about going faster, and you’re NOT being admin. detoxed, then you have rights, and you can invoke them. If you’re having issues with this, email me; I will help you find the right channels to deal with it; and don’t be afraid to reach out to the other folks on this site. We have nurses, counselors, MMT clients, & folks who’ve completed MMT & are now clean, and no one knows more about how to fight for their right to sobriety.

Don’t be afraid to take a step back, either- if you were stable at 100mg for several years, and you’re at 80mg now, and having a hard time, there’s no fault in going to 85mg- you’re still progressing.

2010-11-08 15:23:52 by Toth

I just need the info for myself. Plwease help me out with what you know.....Whats normal, 5 mg, 10mg, 50?mg, daily, and do you just use it once in the morning. I need some yah-help.

It sounds as if you are wanting to try to use illegally obtained Methadone to treat your addiction at home. This is dangerous and will not work. I am not being judgmental, I tried it. You need to enter a Methadone program. If you cannot do this due to cost check to see if they offer assistance. It varies by state. Check the clinic locator to find out at...
http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/
The reason it is so dangerous is because of how methadone works. It lasts 24 to 36 hours which is long after you feel the effects. So if you take an additional dose when it wears off or before it is accumulating in your body until finally you can overdose. The first dose given at a methadone clinic would vary but it doesn't vary as much as people think. The federal regulation guidelines state the following...
"The first dose of any opioid treatment medication should be low if a patient’s opioid tolerance is believed to be low, the history of opioid use is uncertain, or no signs of opioid withdrawal are evident. Regulations stipulate that the initial dose of methadone should not exceed 30 mg. The physician considers carefully the reasons for exceeding an initial dose of 30 mg and documents these reasons in the clinical record." See Page 33 (2) Maintenance Therapy (c)
http://www.dpt.samhsa.gov/pdf/OTPAccredG uidelines-2007.pdf
Many clinics "blind dose" the first week meaning you don't know what you are receiving but I know now that 20mg is the starting point for most everyone at my clinic with an increase 5mg. every other day until the withdrawal is gone, cravings subside and vitals stabilize. The average for opiate addicts is 80-120mg. Now does this mean you should go ahead and take 30 mg on your own and increase it in a couple of days? No! The clinics use a scale called a COWS scale to judge the amount of withdrawal you are in, they require a positive urine test for opiates but they do look at levels to guide them as to whether the amount you say you take is what you have in your urine, the evaluate other attempts at rehab, your health is taken into account, blood is drawn, and many other factors are considered. Plus you have counseling and you take the medication (in the beginning) in front of a nurse! Face it as addicts we need that watchful eye at first to succeed. If we have a bottle of anything that makes us feel better we don't stop till that bottle is gone. After you have been taking the methadone for about 3 months your "thinking" has changed somewhat and you can have a take home dose (one dose). You didn't become an addict in a week and you won't fix this in a week. It is a disease with no cure. But it is treatable. methadone is one treatment. It can be life saving if taken correctly but fatal if used the wrong way. Be safe.

2009-01-16 13:05:46 by meeeeeelee