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How long can methadone withdrawal go on?
I have been on Methadone for the last 6 years, all starting with 5mg dose all the way up to 120mg per day. I was put on methadone to get me off of percocet that had been perscribed to treat my Migraine headaches. Finally I had enouugh of the Methadone and asked to be taken off of it. I had already tapered myself down to about 60-80mg perday, then went cold, on the third day I hurt so bad I finally went to the hospital and they treated me with Suboxone for 3 days. Starting with 4mg per day and I started feeling better almost immediately so I asked if we could taper the Suboxone. The one thing that really confused me was that even though i had not taken any methadone for 6 days by the time i got out of the hospital I was still coming up positive for methadone in my urine. Now i have been home for 6 days and the withdrawal symptoms have come back hard and I am really suffering. What advice do you have?
Woooo.... Be VERY careful, please read this: Another issue of concern for patients considering beginning any maintenance therapy or switching from one maintenance therapy to another is the transition associated with this switch. Due to buprenorphine's high-affinity to opioid receptors in the brain, care needs to be taken when a patient is transitioning from one drug (e.g., heroin) or medication (e.g., methadone) to buprenorphine. In essence, if an opioid-dependent patient is not in sufficient withdrawal, introduction of buprenorphine may precipitate withdrawal. In lay terms, in a sufficient dose, buprenorphine "pushes" any other opioids off of the receptors, but is itself not always "strong enough" to counteract the withdrawal symptoms this causes. Thus, opioid-dependent patients, in particular those on methadone or another long-acting medication or drug, should be thoroughly honest with their prescribing doctor about their drug use, in particular in the days immediately preceding their induction onto buprenorphine, whether for detoxification or maintenance so not to risk immediate withdrawal. In contrast, in general the transition from buprenorphine or other opioids to methadone is easier, and any discomfort or side-effects are more likely to be easily remedied with dose adjustments.
That said.... DO NOT Use Buprenorphine AKA: Subutex or Suboxone, if you have ingested methadone in the past week to 10-days, or most other opioid substances in the past 3-5 days or IT WILL PUSH YOU INTO withdrawal like you've never experienced before !!!!!! CAUTION !!!!!!
From: MoreOnMethadone....
That said.... DO NOT Use Buprenorphine AKA: Subutex or Suboxone, if you have ingested methadone in the past week to 10-days, or most other opioid substances in the past 3-5 days or IT WILL PUSH YOU INTO withdrawal like you've never experienced before !!!!!! CAUTION !!!!!!
From: MoreOnMethadone....
Hey ArJ420,
You can not do methadone this way, though some have done so or forced too, it is insane from my point of view to Jump at high doses even low doses. I was at 120 MG Methadone and 80MG of Percocet.
You need to start taking your methadone and get stable, be carefull on every dose decision you make, and hopefully you can get a doctor to get you stable.
Forget Buprenex, can be even worse. Nope once on Methadone you are in the big leagues.
With Methadone it is actually not so bad to taper in steps, and those steps add up to significant reductions fast. Keep in mind Methadone is different in it's half life and your body see's does adjustment up or down different than when your stable on a dose for about 7 days. Making the drug erratic or messy, your body can change metabolism effectively change your blood levels.
The key is and it easy at the higher amounts to taper at say 5MG every 3 4 or even 7 days until you are ready for one more step, you do this in steps, and their will be a point somewhere lower around 20 or 30 MG where you will have stumbling block and may need to go back up to your last dose amount for a while until you able to cope moving forward.
When lower around at 30MG or so change 5MG to 2.5 MG steps. Then get oral methadone then start step tapers with .2MG reductions every 3,4 or 7 days as you can tolerate once down around 10 MG. IT takes lots of time and you will have PAWS while being in more slight Acute withdraws as well. Double whammy. When you quit it will still be a rough ride up and down, somedays will be super days, relish them so you can look forward to them again. It cycles and you feel better every cycle is somewhat less and you have to figure out how to deal with cycle of PAWS. There is more, research what I say, I took alka seltzer with Goddies powders for body aches and that helped a lot, did not change the fact I could do little to take care of myself. You need a plan to get your needs and life handled while you give up a part of your life in exchange for your life back.
Buprenex
You can not do methadone this way, though some have done so or forced too, it is insane from my point of view to Jump at high doses even low doses. I was at 120 MG Methadone and 80MG of Percocet.
You need to start taking your methadone and get stable, be carefull on every dose decision you make, and hopefully you can get a doctor to get you stable.
Forget Buprenex, can be even worse. Nope once on Methadone you are in the big leagues.
With Methadone it is actually not so bad to taper in steps, and those steps add up to significant reductions fast. Keep in mind Methadone is different in it's half life and your body see's does adjustment up or down different than when your stable on a dose for about 7 days. Making the drug erratic or messy, your body can change metabolism effectively change your blood levels.
The key is and it easy at the higher amounts to taper at say 5MG every 3 4 or even 7 days until you are ready for one more step, you do this in steps, and their will be a point somewhere lower around 20 or 30 MG where you will have stumbling block and may need to go back up to your last dose amount for a while until you able to cope moving forward.
When lower around at 30MG or so change 5MG to 2.5 MG steps. Then get oral methadone then start step tapers with .2MG reductions every 3,4 or 7 days as you can tolerate once down around 10 MG. IT takes lots of time and you will have PAWS while being in more slight Acute withdraws as well. Double whammy. When you quit it will still be a rough ride up and down, somedays will be super days, relish them so you can look forward to them again. It cycles and you feel better every cycle is somewhat less and you have to figure out how to deal with cycle of PAWS. There is more, research what I say, I took alka seltzer with Goddies powders for body aches and that helped a lot, did not change the fact I could do little to take care of myself. You need a plan to get your needs and life handled while you give up a part of your life in exchange for your life back.
Buprenex
Wow!!! Has anyone on here actually gone through this crap????
Hi...my name is AJ and I am an addict...lol.. I jumped off 105 mgs after tapering down over 2months from125mg... Can you imagine feeling like all your bones are splintering, breaking, falling apart inside,,,,,you have a slugs energy whilst feeling so anxious and crazy and twitchy,,,headaches, the *****,,puking,,crying, aching,,just fighting off the neeeeeed for relief from more of this ****??? I am on day 17 and feel like I am getting through it, but not by leaps and bounds..by mental strength and conviction alone...
God bless the junkies...such a hard, self-inflicted and painful life.. I will miss it and dearly...it is a false reality, a dream state kinda existence.
Hi...my name is AJ and I am an addict...lol.. I jumped off 105 mgs after tapering down over 2months from125mg... Can you imagine feeling like all your bones are splintering, breaking, falling apart inside,,,,,you have a slugs energy whilst feeling so anxious and crazy and twitchy,,,headaches, the *****,,puking,,crying, aching,,just fighting off the neeeeeed for relief from more of this ****??? I am on day 17 and feel like I am getting through it, but not by leaps and bounds..by mental strength and conviction alone...
God bless the junkies...such a hard, self-inflicted and painful life.. I will miss it and dearly...it is a false reality, a dream state kinda existence.
well i have to say reading these posts has helped me alot so to start im now on methadone it will be 2yrs this june and my highest was 75mg a day i tapered 10mg a week til i got to 55mg then stayed there for a month then asked to be tapered 2mg a week til i get to 20mg i am now at 40mg and im trying to eat better drink more water exercise and take a vit. and taper even slower from 20mg i have to say im alittle worried/scared/nervous etc to get down to 0 but i really want it and i am determined ...so please if anyone has a question for me or if anyone has advice please ask and or tell thank u and wish every one the best
And as I'm writeing I'm sleepless,sore,periodically vomiting,extremely irritable and feeling the worst I have in years. Its 1 am and 7 am ill be off to work roofing all day. Its right there on my night stand but I got the control now and so do you! This is a mental thing I believe. If you look beyond the withdraw to your better healthier self the present situation is only temporary. 30 days of hell then the rest of our lives opiate free. Never going through withdraw again. Now that's something to look forward to!
The bottom line is do you really wanna quit and if that is really important to you then you have to stick to your guns till its over. I'm 5 days into withdraw from 40m l methadone/day for about 2 yrs cold turkey. Make it a game or something you prove to yourself. I'm not being holier then thou. This is not my first try but this is the first time I put 20m l in my pocket and went 5 days. Proveing to myself that I am strong enough to do it with it right there. My plan is to pour it out on day 30 and party my but off. I hope this can be inspiration for others. You can do it. You just have to STOP doing it(any opiate). I went cold turkey 10 yrs ago from 600m l oxy a day and that was insanely painfull but I did it without a doctor or any alternate drugs. Obviously 8 yrs later I fell back to opiates but quiting is posible. Keep hope just know that you,me,everyone can beat it if you just say "I don't care how bad it gets I'm not going to use" well that's what's keepin me going. Good luck.
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