Methadone Dependence

[Artist_Girl]

Hello,
I am seeking help in regards to my father.

My father is 46 years old and was an heroin addict. The man selling it to him was thankfully put in jail and my father went to seek help at a center for heroin addicts. He has been clean for a little more than 5 months now.

The treatment that he has been on for the past months was methadone, prescribed of course. Every week or so, they up'd his dosage. Eventually making it at 90.
He grew tired of going and every time he went to the center, it made him depressed. He wanted off the methadone and asked repeatedly to lower his dosage but they told him it was "too soon" and they never did. My family and I were giving him rides to go down there but he told us he doesn't want to

But now for the past week or so, he has been suffering from withdrawals, to the point where he cannot get out of bed. He has trouble sleeping and has not really eaten. He refuses to go back to the center because he does not want methadone anymore but I hate seeing him suffer. He has been depressed for awhile and has been on antidepressant pills but the withdrawls are making it worse

As his daughter, I am worried for his well being and I do not want anything to happen to him. When I'm at work or school, he's all I think about. My family and I don't know what to do anymore. I love him so much & he's my best friend. Please help :(

[motye51]

I was reading your post and quite honestly, I think your dad's lucky to have such a caring and loving daughter.  He is totally in w/d by this point if he hasn't decided to change the situation, so all you can do is help make him comfortable and make sure he drinks, drinks, drinks!!!!  It will be very easy for him to become dehydrated so push gatorade, water, juices, etc...stay away from cokes and coffee type products as the caffeine will make the w/d worse ( they did for me ).  I was told early on that methadone and suboxone w/d are pretty similar, so I know what he's feeling like but he knew this was going to happen to help him push through it!  He obviously wants it!  We don't die from w/d.....we think we are dying, but in all reality, I had to look at is as I have to get all the **** out of my system.  We don't get to play without paying somewhere.....it's his turn (we all have one if we choose to take it!)  
Get the 1 or 2lb bag of Epsom Salts and make him take long hot bathes and soak in the salts....this does help and allows magnesium to soak into his skin.  Broth, soups, etc....it took me about 3 weeks to really get any type of appetite and what I did eat I had to force it!  Protein bars, banana's, my kids got me some type of high protein and whey drink from grocery that helped to. I actually would feel better temporarily the more I tried to eat but it was such a chore to eat!  
Your father's very lucky to have such a great daughter to help him.....I cared for my dad (alcoholic) for a long time until I just had to let go.  Totally different scenario though..Help him push through this and as soon as he can sit up and move, get his *** into an aftercare program of some sort that does NOT include methadone or suboxone!  N/A has worked wonders for me.....Keep posting and let us know how he and you are  both doing.....Many prayers for strength for you my dear.....

[gnarly_1]

Hi....  well jumping off 90mg is going to be ruff but we have members that jumped at 120 and made it... the withdrawal will be in tence for 7 to 10 days with some of the phyical parts hanging on up to 2 weeks it is the recovery time that makes this drug hard to get off of I have helped a lot of people do this and there are several factors that come in to play the first is how long you been on it and that is good he has only been on it 5mo  the next is how high of dose 90 is a lot and last is your age when I detoxed I had all 3 going ageist me I was on 150 for almost 7ys and was 47 when I detoxed for me the hardest part was no sleep for 2 mo  and the energy crash out to 90 days    his withdrawal in a perfect world would be aprox 60 days but again there are things in play  you have been given some great advise keep posting for support please keep us up to date and we will help you all we can......Gnarly

[Artist_Girl]

Thank you Vicki
I will definitely get the minerals and the Epsom salts!

[vicki595]

Be sure to get the minerals we talked about and the Epsom salts. It will go a long way toward calming his nervous system. Green tea is very good for detox. But the minerals will help.

Insomnia goes with the territory unfortunately. There's an OTC called Alteril that works well for a lot of people but sometimes nothing helps.  Keep him comfortable with clean sheets, a cool room, plenty of water at his side, some hard candy...I know it's hard to watch but I admire his resolve to get off the methadone.

[Artist_Girl]

Thank you all very much! It feels better knowing that many others go through this too.

I will look into Alanon and also let my mom and brother know about it.

There hasn't really been any vomiting, just mainly insomnia, anxiety and a lot of body aches. I also see him physically shake as well. It pains me to see him like this.
He has been taking hot baths, that has been somewhat helping too

[HenryS354]

Oh, and get in contact with Gnarly1, he's our residential methadone expert. :-) I'll shoot him a PM, but I bet his eagle eyes will spot this thread quickly.

[HenryS354]

Jumping off 90mgs after 5 months is going to be rough. It will be the worst for about two to three weeks and then "Uncomfortable" for a few weeks after that.  As Vicki had mentioned, without understanding his full medical history, and the fact that we are not MD's, we can't say for certain that w/d is 100% safe.  

My primary concerns would be electrolyte imbalances from vomiting/diarrhea, improper nutrition (from the GI upset), and circulatory issues involved with blood pressure.  I know that when I detoxed, my BP was all over the place.  

Push the fluids, ideally gatorade/powerade that contain a lot of sugar, potassium and sodium.  Get him on a chelated magnesium supplement which will help calm the nerves a little.  Epsom salt soaks in a hot tub for the muscle/bone aches (And another way to get more magnesium as its absorbed through the skin), and a whey protein supplement if he can stomach it.  

Alanon for my family was integral to my successful and continued sobriety.  By understanding my disease and having support themselves, they were able to support me in a healthy and guilt free manner.  Your dad is not the only one that needs help right now, you guys need to take care of yourselves and be supported too!  

Unfortunately, most methadone clinics are not that encouraging when it comes to tapering.  My clinic had me up to over 200mgs daily.  Maybe a taper pan at another clinic if available?  Keep us posted!

[luvdolphins58]

Hello. I'm not expert on this subject I just want to give u support from one daughter to another. Sounds like you love your dad so much. Its so hard to deal with dad not being the super human we have in our brain. I'm dealing with my dad with alzheimers. Very hard watch. Again totally different. But love all the same. Definitely go to alanon it will help you. Read as much as you can. Oh there is a Thomas recipe helps with alot of wd. Hang in there. Praying for you

[vicki595]

Hi there-  To abruptly stop taking methadone at 90mg is rough. That's a high dose to jump from. Most will tell you that getting down to 30mg or lower is optimum.

So, he's going to feel awful for a time. Support him symptomatically. Be sure he's getting fluids; especially if there's vomiting and diarrhea. See if he'll eat a little something or drink a protein shake. Get some powdered protein mix and get some cal/mag/zinc tablets. Hot baths with Epsom salts are very soothing.

Monitor his blood pressure to be sure it's not high. If at any time you're concerned about his condition, get him to the ER.  It's hard for us to predict how his body is going to react.

Try not to be upset about the addiction. It's not necessarily a conscious choice we make or a goal we aspire to. It happens. The focus now is for him to get well and once he's back,on his feet, in to a recovery program.

Post back with any questions-

[jifmoc]

Artist, again, will you and your family members look into Alanon? Believe it or not, the 3 of you don't have to worry about him all the time:)

[Artist_Girl]

He tried to tell the doctors that he wanted to lower his dosage but they wouldn't. He wanted to stop because going to the center every day was making him more depressed than he already was

And thank you, I appreciate it. I am upset about him even starting his whole addiction in the first place but I know all I can do at this point is be there for him. My mom, my brother and I are all trying our hardest

[jifmoc]

Hi and welcome. Some of the methadone experts will be along shortly but your Dad is just going thru withdrawl. Withdrawl is what happens when we stop taking something that we are dependent on. It is recommended that folks taper their methadone otherwise they get sick, like your dad. However, if he is healthy in general, it won't kill him, it will just be very uncomfortable.

Honestly, this part is a short term issue. Why did he want to quit so fast? Is he in an aftercare program? (vital to staying clean). His staying clean is the lifetime issue.

You may have heard that addiction is a family disease. Meaning, it affects everyone, not just the addict. These might be tough words but you need to detach (w/ love) from your Dad and let him have his journey. I can't suggest Alanon strongly enough. It's for those who are upset about a loved one's addiction. It will change your perception and allow you to get calm. Please check into it:)