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Doctors tapering me off of 20 mg methadone in 3 weeks. Im scared
Been on methadone for back pain from my doctors. I’m now on 20 mg and doctor wants to taper me in 3 weeks to come off completely . I’m scared cuz I’ve been on for 15 years and I think he’s making me taper too fast.
The trick is to taper off so slowly that the body and mind doesn't notice.
(I have a friend who was on massive amounts of methadone, like 180 mg/day, having all sorts of problems, massive constipation. I convinced her that if she reduced her methadone to 80%, it would decrease her pain and she would feel better. She reduced it, felt better, was so surprised she kept reducing it and is now on about 30 mg/day, which is quite amazing I wasn't expecting her to go down that much. Her pain went way down too. (Doctor said her pain would decrease if she decreased her methadone. She was on it for pain.)
The other trick is some types of chronic pain are actually curable (we did not know this until a few years ago). When the body has actually healed itself, but the mind still feels intense pain in a part of the body which has nothing wrong with it, other than it hurts like hell, it can be because the brain has been rewired to be very sensitive about that part of the body, due to some past injury trauma.
The trick is to unwire the pain. The brain has a map of the body in it. That map of the body is what we perceive as reality. People who lose a limb claim there's still a limb there, even though it's not. Phantom Limb syndrome. It also works in reverse: people who have a stroke which damages part of the body map in the brain, say it damages the part that maps their left arm, suddenly the patient no longer recognizes this appendage as belonging to them and they may ask the nurse to take away their lunch tray and this arm here because it does not belong to them.
That body map can be damaged by extreme pain, and rewire itself to be more sensitive to pain. It can even commander adjacent brain real estate and take it over for the purpose of processing pain. The trick is to force this to go in reverse. When one feels pain, one purposely activates their visualization brain circuits, visualizing something, like visualizing the pain regions of their brain shrinking. The visualizing will eventually become more important than pain processing, and the visualization center will expand and take over the part of the brain that was commandeered to do pain processing. That part of the brain will be commandeered for expanding the visualization part of the brain. And the person's pain starts going away.
A better explanation of this by a doctor is in the book by Norman Doidge, M.D. How the Brain Heals Itself (2015) Chapter 1.
There's also a professor Paul Hansma at UCSB (maybe retired now) who has some videos and a website explaining this same concept, and how he overcame a chronic pain condition. There are some videos of a lecture he gave at the local library one Sunday on YouTube. (Look for the back of my head in the front row.)
Best wishes!
(I have a friend who was on massive amounts of methadone, like 180 mg/day, having all sorts of problems, massive constipation. I convinced her that if she reduced her methadone to 80%, it would decrease her pain and she would feel better. She reduced it, felt better, was so surprised she kept reducing it and is now on about 30 mg/day, which is quite amazing I wasn't expecting her to go down that much. Her pain went way down too. (Doctor said her pain would decrease if she decreased her methadone. She was on it for pain.)
The other trick is some types of chronic pain are actually curable (we did not know this until a few years ago). When the body has actually healed itself, but the mind still feels intense pain in a part of the body which has nothing wrong with it, other than it hurts like hell, it can be because the brain has been rewired to be very sensitive about that part of the body, due to some past injury trauma.
The trick is to unwire the pain. The brain has a map of the body in it. That map of the body is what we perceive as reality. People who lose a limb claim there's still a limb there, even though it's not. Phantom Limb syndrome. It also works in reverse: people who have a stroke which damages part of the body map in the brain, say it damages the part that maps their left arm, suddenly the patient no longer recognizes this appendage as belonging to them and they may ask the nurse to take away their lunch tray and this arm here because it does not belong to them.
That body map can be damaged by extreme pain, and rewire itself to be more sensitive to pain. It can even commander adjacent brain real estate and take it over for the purpose of processing pain. The trick is to force this to go in reverse. When one feels pain, one purposely activates their visualization brain circuits, visualizing something, like visualizing the pain regions of their brain shrinking. The visualizing will eventually become more important than pain processing, and the visualization center will expand and take over the part of the brain that was commandeered to do pain processing. That part of the brain will be commandeered for expanding the visualization part of the brain. And the person's pain starts going away.
A better explanation of this by a doctor is in the book by Norman Doidge, M.D. How the Brain Heals Itself (2015) Chapter 1.
There's also a professor Paul Hansma at UCSB (maybe retired now) who has some videos and a website explaining this same concept, and how he overcame a chronic pain condition. There are some videos of a lecture he gave at the local library one Sunday on YouTube. (Look for the back of my head in the front row.)
Best wishes!
3 Comments
Thank u so much
Hello.
Just thinking about you. Hope all goes well Wednesday. Keep us posted.
Bless you.
Just thinking about you. Hope all goes well Wednesday. Keep us posted.
Bless you.
Well I just left my doctors appointment... I cried to him explaining how scared I was of him tapering me so fast and he said “ don’t cry, I just want u to help u , some day I won’t be here and nobody here at this practice will write a script for methadone , that’s why I’m trying to help u stop methadone “
So we agreed to do it my way.
I’ve decided to go down 5 mg every two month. I’m currently on 20 mg but I’ve been on methadone for 15 years..
do u think this will be ok?
I’m scared of withdrawals .. I work 40 hours plus a week bartending so I can’t be laying in bed from withdrawals if u know what I mean.
So we agreed to do it my way.
I’ve decided to go down 5 mg every two month. I’m currently on 20 mg but I’ve been on methadone for 15 years..
do u think this will be ok?
I’m scared of withdrawals .. I work 40 hours plus a week bartending so I can’t be laying in bed from withdrawals if u know what I mean.
5 mgs a month is more doable. In the lower mgs as where you are now it is best to slow down on the taper. Aftwr 15 is it goibg to take time to totally detox.
I would not recommend getting on another .
It would be best to totally detox and then re evaluate your pain. Your brain now has more pain receptors from the methadone. Your brain has to readjust to its own natural brain chemistry.
I would not recommend getting on another .
It would be best to totally detox and then re evaluate your pain. Your brain now has more pain receptors from the methadone. Your brain has to readjust to its own natural brain chemistry.
1 Comments
Thank u. I really hope my doctor will re consider tapering me slower than 3 weeks. I feel like I’m being punished.
I guess if he refuses I can always go to a methadone clinic and ask them to help me detox off slowly. I just hate going some where everyday for medicine , again I feel like I’m being punished.
I’ll let u know what happens. My appointment is Wednesday morning .
If u can think of anything I can say to my doctor that may help me I’m all ears and would greatly appreciate it....
Thank u again
I guess if he refuses I can always go to a methadone clinic and ask them to help me detox off slowly. I just hate going some where everyday for medicine , again I feel like I’m being punished.
I’ll let u know what happens. My appointment is Wednesday morning .
If u can think of anything I can say to my doctor that may help me I’m all ears and would greatly appreciate it....
Thank u again
Definitely ask your doctor. Remember, he works for you.
What is Belbuca? I've never heard of it.
What is Belbuca? I've never heard of it.
2 Comments
Hi.
I think that's ridiculous what your doctor's doing. I've never heard of belbuca what is this? And if you get off of methadone have you thought about maybe Suboxone or something like that?
Good luck. Let us know how you're doing.
I think that's ridiculous what your doctor's doing. I've never heard of belbuca what is this? And if you get off of methadone have you thought about maybe Suboxone or something like that?
Good luck. Let us know how you're doing.
Hi again.
I did look up belbuca. All it is is basically Suboxone. It's pretty new out. Good luck. Sending you positive vibes.
I did look up belbuca. All it is is basically Suboxone. It's pretty new out. Good luck. Sending you positive vibes.
Good morning, oh yes it’s too fast. Is there a reason they are making you do it in 3 weeks? I will say that it is doable. The biggest complaint for myself was the extreme tiredness. I moved so slow. I also didn’t ask my doctor for help during the transition. They have meds to help ease the withdrawal process. Clonadine helps with anxiety and sleep. They have anti nausea medicine and other meds. I also needed an appointment with a mental health care doctor. Depression set in with me and I didn’t seek help. So let your doctor help you with other meds if you need it. I love life not being on methadone.
3 Comments
Apparently my doctor ( who talked me into methadone 15 years ago) says he’s not going to be around forever and other doctors at his practice will not write a script for it.
Also he wants to put me on BELBUCA after I’m off methadone... why?? Why put me on something else to get dependent on? Absolutely not!! I’m not interested.
I did make another appointment Wednesday to talk to my doctor again. I’m going to ask him to decrease my methadone 5 mg a month. I know it will take longer ( since I’m on 20 mg) but I think it will be a little easier since I have to continue to work full time to financially support my family.
Dou think it’s a good idea to as my doctor that?
Also he wants to put me on BELBUCA after I’m off methadone... why?? Why put me on something else to get dependent on? Absolutely not!! I’m not interested.
I did make another appointment Wednesday to talk to my doctor again. I’m going to ask him to decrease my methadone 5 mg a month. I know it will take longer ( since I’m on 20 mg) but I think it will be a little easier since I have to continue to work full time to financially support my family.
Dou think it’s a good idea to as my doctor that?
Hi.
Belbuca is basically Suboxone. Suboxone saved my son's life. Some people don't like it and others do. Just letting you know this.
Belbuca is basically Suboxone. Suboxone saved my son's life. Some people don't like it and others do. Just letting you know this.
Hello.
This just really pisses me off. Anymore a patient doesn't matter nor does a doctor even listen to us anymore. It's all about the doctors. I just don't get it. I would be surprised if this doctor would tell you the truth. He doesn't want to write this any longer because of the DEA and other issues. Doctors are afraid nowadays. Patients basically have no rights.
This just really pisses me off. Anymore a patient doesn't matter nor does a doctor even listen to us anymore. It's all about the doctors. I just don't get it. I would be surprised if this doctor would tell you the truth. He doesn't want to write this any longer because of the DEA and other issues. Doctors are afraid nowadays. Patients basically have no rights.
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