How to help my son go thru methadone detox

[Tino6261]

My son, age 23, was a heroin addict.  He's been on methadone for two and a half years and wants to not be addicted to anything anymore.  He was tapering down, and was down to 30 mgs. a day and decided to come home and just go cold turkey.  Today is day 4, and from what I've read on-line, day 4 is perhaps one of the hardest.  I'm lost as to what I'm supposed to do, he's talking now about getting on suboxone, but I'm thinking that's just another addiction.  HELP!

[Tino6261]

Thanks for your responses.  He made it thru day 4 and I think his biggest problem is not sleeping.  I found a "recipe" for detoxing that suggested some extra vitamins and minerals and some Immodium and Benedryl.  He said that he thought it helped take the edge off.

He took 3 weeks off from the school he is attending to come home for this.  He's soooo bored.  The other emotional hurdle he's dealing with is that his girlfriend of nearly three years 'just couldn't take his going thru this' and broke up with him.  He's devastated.  They've been living together for two years and he didn't see this coming.  I'm doing my best to be supportive, but Mom isn't what he really needs right now.  O'well..........

I suggested he join this message board, but he doesn't think he can sit at the computer right now.  Hopefully he'll feel well enough soon.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

I just cold turkey'd a healthy methadone dose instead of educating myself on everything......it was a serious mistake. And probably led to prolonging the agony that was methadone withdrawal.  It could take a month or better before the brain fog starts to lift appreciably......and the immediate week or two of physical w/d's are impossible to describe - - I have experienced heroin and morphine...cocaine and peyote....little bit of about everything.  The  methadone was by far the hardest of all that I encountered........Learn a lot very fast or enlist the aid of a professional to get started .....and read and post here - lot of knowledge on this forum....

[mr.lucky66]

I would rather see you son go back on methadone than suboxone. They are both replacement therapies or "harm reduction therapies" and are very addictive but methadone seems to work better for hard core or heroin addicts. At day 4 he is starting to feel the worst of it and in a week he will be better but it could take a month or so to really be better depending on how long he was on it. If he can hang in a med like imodium could help and a doctor could give him a weeks worth of some other meds that would help like bently and valium. all the best

[IBKleen]

Hi and Welcome,

I am so sorry your post went unanswered, it happens.

I have to be honest, that is a huge dose to jump off of and going ct from that amount will be unpleasant at best. If he could have tapered down further, it surely would have been easier but it is too late for that.

Day 4 off of Methadone is like day 2 off of other opiates (example) because Methadone has such a long half-life. It is really as if he has just begun and it is going to get harder from here.

Suboxone is certainly an option but like you said, he will have to go through withdrawal from that at some point. I know a few people who made the transition. Some say it was an easier way to go, some are still on the Suboxone.

Please stick around and keep posting. More members will come on that give you their personal experience as well.