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Methadone Taper
Hi guys! I've never posted here, so I hope this in the right section and all that jazz. I am on a methadone taper. My highest dose was 100mg, and I've painfully and slowly made it down to 6mg. I know it's down to the nitty gritty, but lately I've just been so uncomfortable. I feel restless but tired, like my body is being pulled in two directions and cannot be content. I am extremely depressed, and I am absolutely tired of feeling like this. I am off work for the summer, but not motivated to do anything because I don't feel good, I'm sad, and it's extremely hot where I live. So basically I'm trapped inside all day watching Netflix, trying to distract myself (even though it's futile). So do you guys have any ideas how to make this maybe a little easier? I am really tired of feeling like this, it is truly no way to live. I know suffering is what we have to do to get through this, but I guess there's only so much someone can take; which is why people end up on this stuff forever. Thanks for listening to me :)
Oh yes, about the booze? There was none during my 14 years on methadone. I should have mentioned that not drinking was essential to coming off. There is no feeling worse than WD combined with a hangover and alcohol burns up the methadone leaving you short for the day.
Good news, I think I'm finally over this flu. Throat is still sore when I swallow but I feel normal otherwise. So, this is my first good day in 14 years.
Good news, I think I'm finally over this flu. Throat is still sore when I swallow but I feel normal otherwise. So, this is my first good day in 14 years.
Hey pretty inpain
I jusped from 15mgs methedone per day and only experienced around 3 days of real pain. From 6mgs per day i suggest you just go ct. Yes you will be sick for a few days but your body is resilitiant and will heal quicikly.
I jusped from 15mgs methedone per day and only experienced around 3 days of real pain. From 6mgs per day i suggest you just go ct. Yes you will be sick for a few days but your body is resilitiant and will heal quicikly.
Guys am sure you know this, but would like to point out: stay away from alcohol once you're clean of methadone. Your ability to tolerate alcohol is gone for good and you can wind up drinking suicidally if you're not VERY aware of this sneaky little legal drug.
Other than that, as you were. Stay stoic, read, rest, exercise (there's some good yoga vids on youtube) and keep on keeping on.
Remember: You're not going insane, you're going sane and it takes time to unravel the years of damage but it can be done.
Other than that, as you were. Stay stoic, read, rest, exercise (there's some good yoga vids on youtube) and keep on keeping on.
Remember: You're not going insane, you're going sane and it takes time to unravel the years of damage but it can be done.
This is my story:
10 years at 100 mg methadone. Tapered to 30 mg, over the last 4 years. That part was easy - 5 mg drops then held for one or two months. Stayed at 30 for a year. Then I came down 1 mg per week over 30 weeks. When I reached 15 mg I signed up at a gym. I took lots of supplements and did an hour of exercise, including swimming, daily. I lost 40 lbs. I was on top of the world. When I reached 5 mg I could no longer do an hour. Dropped to 20 minutes. Extreme fatigue set in but NO WD whatsoever. I gave up on the exercise by the time I reached 3mg. I couldn't even walk to the gym. Other than lethargy, still no WD. One week at 2 mg then I jumped off. That was 40 days ago. Still no WD. Making my way back to the gym slowly. The fight has to begin weeks before you jump off. Only complaint now: catching every cold/flu bug around. I had one good week after jumping off then came down with bronchitis. That passed last week and now I have something new starting (sore throat began last night). So I'm not where I want to be yet, but it's sure good to no longer have to drive to the methadone clinic anymore!
10 years at 100 mg methadone. Tapered to 30 mg, over the last 4 years. That part was easy - 5 mg drops then held for one or two months. Stayed at 30 for a year. Then I came down 1 mg per week over 30 weeks. When I reached 15 mg I signed up at a gym. I took lots of supplements and did an hour of exercise, including swimming, daily. I lost 40 lbs. I was on top of the world. When I reached 5 mg I could no longer do an hour. Dropped to 20 minutes. Extreme fatigue set in but NO WD whatsoever. I gave up on the exercise by the time I reached 3mg. I couldn't even walk to the gym. Other than lethargy, still no WD. One week at 2 mg then I jumped off. That was 40 days ago. Still no WD. Making my way back to the gym slowly. The fight has to begin weeks before you jump off. Only complaint now: catching every cold/flu bug around. I had one good week after jumping off then came down with bronchitis. That passed last week and now I have something new starting (sore throat began last night). So I'm not where I want to be yet, but it's sure good to no longer have to drive to the methadone clinic anymore!
Thank you so much, your post was very encouraging! Yeah, it's like reality is hitting me hard and I am one cranky a-hole. Sometimes I wonder how other people deal with everyday life. Even before my addiction (I was on roxys and lortabs just about a year before mmt and think methadone was the worst mistake I even made), I always had a tendency to want to get lost somewhere else. It sounds stupid, but escaping in the alternate world of The Lord of the Rings helped me get through a severe depression during high school. I guess the hustle and bustle of every day life never much appealed to me. I hope I have the strength to get through the rest of my taper. My original plan was to jump this summer, but I got stuck on 8mg because it was very difficult. I am worried about returning to work on the last few drops of my taper, I don't think it will be so easy. But I'll do my best. By the way, congrats on your 2 years- that is a HUGE accomplishment and deserves to be commended!
400%RDA Cal/Mag/zinc in morning and evening helps a lot with those aches. Epsom salt baths as hot as you can stand it help too. As for the crying, I had not cried in many years and made up for lost time for sure. It hurts to feel sometimes, but that means you can feel joy and love more strongly too. Like it was said to me, "Congratulations on feeling again." It will get easier with time. You are in the final stages of the taper, so it is natural for those feelings to start coming, it is actually a very good sign. Keep on truckin, you are doing great.
Yesterday was very bad. I was very depressed and broke down crying a few times. The uncomfortable feeling would not let up all day. I took calcium/magnesium with my sleepy time tea, as I have been nightly; and I also took 2 tylenolPM generic pills. After about 3 hours, I was able to fall asleep, but I kept waking up tossing and turning and drenched in sweat. This morning, my bones in my calves ache so bad. I had my 6mg of methadone a little more than an hour ago, and it did help a little with the bone aches. I hope today won't be too bad.
Hi everyone! Thank you all for your warm welcome and for all your supportive replies. I greatly appreciate it :)
Lulu- I really wish I had a pool, because I have really been craving to swim! The public pools here are ridiculously crowded and I think that situation would be more stressful than beneficial. I definitely need to start eating better. Since I'm not getting any money until August, it's hard to have access to yummy, healthy foods :( Another difficult aspect in all of this is my parents have no idea I'm on methadone, my coworkers have no idea, and my friends have either moved or I've shut myself away from them. So I don't have support, and the methadone clinic is 100 percent unhelpful. My boyfriend is in the same boat as me, he's at 5mg on his taper. Thank you again for your input- I will try to start getting more exercise, drinking more water, and getting proper nutrition! :)
Sonrissa- Thank you so much for your reply! Man, how I wish I just rode out the roxy withdrawal. It was much more intense, but I'd take it any day instead of this long, godawful, drawn out and never ending agony. I'm going to try to get some walks in super early, drink more water, and eat healthier. It's just so hard to even exist when you feel like this, you know? I feel very lost and helpless. I did go to a GP back in October to get my blood work done and to explain my methadone situation. He said there was a place that detoxes you in a week with non-narcotic comfort meds, but I never made an appointment because I was at 16mg and a week seemed like way too short of a time to come off such a strong medication. I wish I had a doc that could see me through this stuff and just provide comfort meds their self >.< Thank you again for your post and support, it means very much to me!
Gnarly- Thank you so much for your advice and your reply! Did you test the waters by skipping your daily dose or did you just jump and not look back? I tried to skip a day at 7mg, but only made it to like 2pm and I felt like a total failure. I've been taking calcium/magnesium every night with sleepy time tea, but it doesn't have zinc in it. I will definitely try to find those supplements at Walmart. Thank you again for posting and have a good evening :)
Lulu- I really wish I had a pool, because I have really been craving to swim! The public pools here are ridiculously crowded and I think that situation would be more stressful than beneficial. I definitely need to start eating better. Since I'm not getting any money until August, it's hard to have access to yummy, healthy foods :( Another difficult aspect in all of this is my parents have no idea I'm on methadone, my coworkers have no idea, and my friends have either moved or I've shut myself away from them. So I don't have support, and the methadone clinic is 100 percent unhelpful. My boyfriend is in the same boat as me, he's at 5mg on his taper. Thank you again for your input- I will try to start getting more exercise, drinking more water, and getting proper nutrition! :)
Sonrissa- Thank you so much for your reply! Man, how I wish I just rode out the roxy withdrawal. It was much more intense, but I'd take it any day instead of this long, godawful, drawn out and never ending agony. I'm going to try to get some walks in super early, drink more water, and eat healthier. It's just so hard to even exist when you feel like this, you know? I feel very lost and helpless. I did go to a GP back in October to get my blood work done and to explain my methadone situation. He said there was a place that detoxes you in a week with non-narcotic comfort meds, but I never made an appointment because I was at 16mg and a week seemed like way too short of a time to come off such a strong medication. I wish I had a doc that could see me through this stuff and just provide comfort meds their self >.< Thank you again for your post and support, it means very much to me!
Gnarly- Thank you so much for your advice and your reply! Did you test the waters by skipping your daily dose or did you just jump and not look back? I tried to skip a day at 7mg, but only made it to like 2pm and I felt like a total failure. I've been taking calcium/magnesium every night with sleepy time tea, but it doesn't have zinc in it. I will definitely try to find those supplements at Walmart. Thank you again for posting and have a good evening :)
Hi and welcome to the forum your doing really well on your taper I had to come off 150mg and I did it in 8 1/2 months as for your taper it is really hard to taper off below 10mg once your down to 5 most of us will tell you it is time to jump ship because the dose does not hold you over it is up to you I am not aloud to tell you how to taper on this forum but I will give you some advise you will be 5 weeks ahead and the withdrawal will feel about the same it not that methadone is harsher then other opiates but it is the length of time for recovery I have helped a lot of people off this drug and know it all to well it takes about 10day to 2 weeks to get past the phyical part sleeping is a problem for quit some time then there is the ''energy crash'' if you plan to continue tapering get up to walmart and pick up a 3 in one vitamin calcium/magnesum/zinc take 4 in the morning and 4 with dinner this will put the right minerals in your system that methadone has depleted in a few days you will notice a big difference in how you feel just know it is possible to do this it takes work you got to force yourself to do things we will be here to help you if you have questions please ask we all want to see your beat ''the liquid handcuffs.......Gnarly
Hi there, and welcome to the forum. You are definitely in the right place for advice and support. I live in the Las Vegas area, so I can totally relate to the heat. Congrats on your taper. That is quite an accomplishment! I'm sure it's been difficult. I do not have any personal experience with Methadone, but I have been through a few opiate detoxes and withdrawals. Depression is very normal. I can give you a few general suggestions. Drink plenty of fluids. You must stay very well hydrated, especially in the heat. Eat healthy to keep up your strength. Also, try to stay active and get as much exercise as you can. Try to get yourself outside in the fresh air (try it in the evening or early morning) and at least take some short walks. The more you can do, the better you will feel, and your depression should ease. Are you under a doctors care at all? Hang in there, we have lots of members who have experience in Methadone withdrawals, and hopefully they will weigh in soon with additional advice. Please stick around and continue to post your progress, or with any questions, or if you would like some support. Lots of wonderful folks here to help. Take care, and I wish you all the best.
Hey there and a warm welcome to the forum-
I know from many members here and many in my 'real' life support group how dang hard methadone is to come off of. You really do need to FORCE yourself out into the world, everyday. Can you go swimming? The cool water would feel glorious and exercise is the BEST way to get those natural endorphins pumping.
You should be really focusing on getting some brain food in the form of supplements and REALLY good nutrition. Lean meats, other proteins, fresh veg, fish, whole grains etc.
Drink lots and lots of water to flush out those toxins.
The more you move during the day, the more likely you are to rest at night.
I know you don't feel good but just ask yourself in each moment "What is a small thing I can do to make myself feel better?" (anything that doesn't involve using)
Are you involved in any aftercare? This is crucial for getting clean and staying clean. You will meet new clean friends and get some awesome and much deserved support and encouragement.
Get out there and start living. One step at a time.
And keep posting- there is a lot of support and wisdom here on this forum.
Lu
I know from many members here and many in my 'real' life support group how dang hard methadone is to come off of. You really do need to FORCE yourself out into the world, everyday. Can you go swimming? The cool water would feel glorious and exercise is the BEST way to get those natural endorphins pumping.
You should be really focusing on getting some brain food in the form of supplements and REALLY good nutrition. Lean meats, other proteins, fresh veg, fish, whole grains etc.
Drink lots and lots of water to flush out those toxins.
The more you move during the day, the more likely you are to rest at night.
I know you don't feel good but just ask yourself in each moment "What is a small thing I can do to make myself feel better?" (anything that doesn't involve using)
Are you involved in any aftercare? This is crucial for getting clean and staying clean. You will meet new clean friends and get some awesome and much deserved support and encouragement.
Get out there and start living. One step at a time.
And keep posting- there is a lot of support and wisdom here on this forum.
Lu
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