Short term norco detox using methadone

[needhelp888111]

Good morning all;
This is my first post although as a pill addict trying each morning to get clean, lol, I read here often. I have tried suboxone 3 times, tramadol before that and each time have failed. I have 28 5 mg methadone, took 10 mgs this morning after much research and knowing the risks of doing this, but I have a plan, 3-4 days on the methadone. Today is 10 mg, 15 tops if the w/d's start later. Tomorrow 5mg if the 10mgs today stick, and so on. I think i will be able to get through the w/d's from the norco and be clean. I am so ready and determined and have been planning this for a long time. My 30th bday is Easter Sunday and I will succeed this time, for myself, my 2 kids and husband, who by the way has no idea of my addiction. I am quitting my job in 2 weeks, which is the place that allows for easy access to pills and becoming a stay-at-home-mom, for the reasons of being with my kids and having no more access to pills. I feel this is the only way I can really beat this addiction is to have no access. Any thoughts and/or support success stories etc., will be greatly appreciated. I have read the posts warning against methadone and truly feel for those people, but this time I am done with the bs and will make it.

[needhelp888111]

BUT, if I stay on the methadone for only the 3-4 days, will it work? By work I mean, clean from hydro and not yet addicted to methadone so as not to w/d?

[needhelp888111]

I was taking as many as I could really, at most I'd say is 20 norco's to stay high, but down to 10 if trying to ration and stay out of w/d's. It started 3 years ago after my first child was born, they sent home hydro's and I got two refills, after the pain of the childbirth was gone, he was a big baby, 4th degree episiotomy/natural birth, the pills made me feel happy and energetic. After they were gone, I realized I had post partum depression, got on prozac for that and that helped. I didn't think I had a pill problem at that time. Then it was on and off whenever I could get them for migraines, or a couple out of someone's med cabinet I would take them for the high. My job allows for somewhat easy access and that has allowed for a pretty straight 3 years of using with some lapses here and there, thus the suboxone and tramadol. Told family and friends 8 months ago and since then everyone thinks I am clean. I have read of people's success with the methadone if you only use them for 3-5 days and your body does not get dependent, then the vicodin is out of your system and not yet addicted to the methadone. That is how I came up with this current plan. Oh how I wish there was a magic pill....

[TysonRed]

Using methadone is only going to prolong the process, your body will still be getting the opiates it needs to keep w/d's away. Once you stop the methadone you will have w/d's that you'll have to deal with. Taking methadone for a short period of time will not allow you to bypass or lessen the w/d's, if anything it will just make it harder. Your much better off tapering off the norco, then switching and tapering the meth. It just doesnt make sense to switch to a stronger, longer lasting opiate in order to quit a short acting opiate. Your best bet is to stop the methadone and either taper your norco dose down, or just quit altogether right now. Just like the above post stated you really should let your husband know whats going on, there will be some intial shock, but if your truely ready to quit your going to need all the support you can get. I wish I had some sort of success story, but switching to methadone is not going to help matters. Regardless of what you choose we all wish you the best of luck, this forum is a great place for us all to benefit from. Just so you know my main addiction was to methadone, which came after norco, percocet and oxycontin. The only use for methadone is for long term pain management or long term replacement therapy. Again I wish you the best of luck, Im sorry I couldnt be more positive but I have to be honest. Let us know how things go, take care.

[jayeye]

misinformation a 3-5 day methadone will most certainly take care of 90-99% of your symptoms. This is why treatment centers use it in this exact way. You may fill mild symptoms after but nothing compared to heroin wd.

With that being said the OP SHOULD NOT use done to detox from hydros. This is like using a fly with Thors hammer. A hydro habit does not require something that strong. You should go the colodidne, benzo, Imodium route that should be plenty.

second person giving this false answer. If you aren't 100% about something please dont post or at least google first.

[kim715]

As someone who went the methadone route long term,and someone who is currently chatting with someone through pm's who just tired the exact same thing as you using methadone for five days to come off of hydro's.My advice to you is to get rid of the methadone.I know the w/ds are rough and the thought of having to go through them scares the he!! out of many of us,but there just is no magic pill.You have to just do it,bite the bullet and do it.You have already tried in the past introducing another drug to come off your doc and it didn't work.Nothing changes if nothing changes.Taking the methadone is simply holding the w/ds at bay,once you stop on day 4 you're going to feel them.Theres no way around it.You're just prolonging the inevitable.The scary part is that you are introducing a stronger opiate with a much longer half life and you have 28 of them on hand.Please,do yourself a favor and flush that methadone.How many of the hydro were you taking a day and for how long?

[jayeye]

misinformation a 3-5 day methadone will most certainly take care of 90-99% of your symptoms. This is why treatment centers use it in this exact way. You may fill mild symptoms after but nothing compared to heroin wd.

With that being said the OP SHOULD NOT use done to detox from hydros. This is like using a fly with Thors hammer. A hydro habit does not require something that strong. You should go the colodidne, benzo, Imodium route that should be plenty.

[never_again73]

Also my expierience with hydrocodone withdraw is a lot more like flu symptoms.  and easier than methadone when I was coming off methadone I truelly wanted to die.  The best thing would be to come clean to your husband...he's gonna love you no matter what!  I came clean to my wife and it was hard as hell.  But after the initial shock or spat, they are the best support system. If you want to succeed. AND you will feel SO much better!! It takes a HUGE weight off your shoulders and you have someone right there to talk to when your feeling week.

[Aleeve]

I've been in your shoes. I was addicted to 80-100mg of hydrocodone daily. I went through that withdrawl and I "thought" that was the worst. I was then switched to methadone because I did not like the highs and lows of hydro and coming off of methadone was hell. A year ago I was posting the same exact thing you are posting and I had planned on using the methadone for only a week. A taper schedule. As addicts we don't consider that day, the day of no more and thats when the fight begins.
If you can do this the way you plan I say more power to you. You have the right mindset and it seems like you have the will to kick this.
You do however, have way too much methadone to detox off of hydrocodone. Norco is very week and has a MUCH shorter half life than methadone. I ended up going to drug rehab and my last dose of methadone was 270mg. I first started using 5mg's to get off of norco and never stopped because it was cheap, available, and didn't have the same drug like side effects of hydro.

Norco withdrawl lasts for 3-5 days with 5 days of getting back to normal.
Methadone withdrawl lasts for up to 4 weeks with up to a year to feel normal.
Granted that is after long term use, I don't recommend it.