Why is Methadone withdrawal so intense already?

[babygurljrl23]

Before i get to my question i just want to quickly breif everyone on my situation. Please bear with me i will keep it short. Thanks:)

BTW- If anyone is interested in reading my full addiction story from beginning to end, uncensored then please visit the following link. It is titled "Confessions of a Junkie" and is a full recount of my struggle with and how i overcame a vicious drug addiction. Thanks:)  
Here's the link: http://moonstruckmama.wordpress.com/about/confessions/

OK, Here is the short version: I had been using for almost three years before i finally went on Methadone. My fiancee and I had a son together and he was also using with me. We knew we had to do something about it because we weren't even using to get high, just to function. During the years of using we went through so much as a result of addiction. Almost losing our son, getting evicted several times, being arrested and charged, overdosing. We would quit cold turkey a few times but it never last more then a few months and we usually resorted to using another drug (Valium, cocaine, crack) t6o take our mind off of the withdrawals from pills. It was a vicious cycle. I got pregnant with my second child in 09 and i knew i had to do something. Honestly, i felt that pregnancy was my only way out at the time, like it was meant to be, and happened for a reason, so i could get clean.  My fiancee signed into the inpatient treatment center and i couldn't go in the same time as him so i had no other option. I made the call and was put on methadone immediately. After i had my daughter (who was fine and had no withdrawals and needed no medication at all) I began going up in my dosage because it wasn't lasting long enough. I finally stabilized on 75 mg where i stay for about a year. I should mention that i am on the liquid form that is mixed with orange juice. I will say that it truly saved my family and probably my life, and allowed me to live a normal life again.

My son is now four years old and my daughter is now 19 months old, both me and my fiancee have been on methadone now going on 2 years and it has truly saved my life and my family. I was up to 75 ml a few weeks ago as was my fiancee. I get four carries at a time to take home so i do not have to go every single day, meanwhile my fiance only gets one carry because if i am honest he hasn't been doing so well with the drugs. He did great at first but has been doing speed (methamphetamine) lately which totally stresses me out. I don't understand how he can still use ay drugs after all the BS we went though, but he has a very addictive personality and will not think about using but if someone offers it he will do it without thinking,  knowing that he wont like the buzz. But forget that, that is for another post. I on the other hand am doing great. I haven't used ANY drugs since the day before i went on methadone TWO YEARS AGO. That's not one slip up, not once. Anyways, my doctor was saying that since i was doing so great and since i have been on it 2 yrs now that i am probably ready to start tapering. I also had been thinking about tapering because i am sick of having to depend on methadone every day not to mention that it can be bad for your stoma+ch and i notice it has been making my teeth pretty sensitive. I just want to go back to living a normal life and part of me still feels like i never beat my addiction that i simply replaced it. So9 i decided to start tapering from 75 mg. I decided to go down 2 or 3 ml every two weeks since i only see my doctor every two weeks. So i went down every two weeks and then just last week i went down from 68 to 65mg. Prior to that i had little to no withdrawal symptoms, however it seems as though as soon as I hit 65 mg that my body just said "nope, cant handle it" because it hit me like a ton of bricks. The first thing that started was nausea, it started out just a faint upset feeling the first day but now a week later it is so bad that i only feel like i am not gonna puke when i am laying down. I can barely get my methadone down. Then there is hot and cold sweats where i am freezing one sec and boiling the next, along with body aches and being super exhausted but having trouble; going to sleep. All accompanied by an all around ****** feeling. Now this really freaks me out because i read about all these people who have went from like 60 ml down to 20ml or some other big leap with little to no withdrawals, and the here i am going slowly and i am only in the very beginning stages of tapering and already i want to go back up. How come it seems so bad for me so soon when i am going slowly. BTW My fiancee has been tapering as well and he has been going down 3-5ml per week and is already down to 35 ml with only a little bit of soreness and symptoms. He doesn't even believe me that i feel this ****** but i am dead serious, i have lied on the couch for the past couple days to avoid throwing up and feel like ****. I don't want to go back up at all but i cannot take care of my kids (who are both under age 5) if i feel like this. I feel bad because i am not playing with them a lot and its because i truly feel like utter crap.

So on to my question(s)- Has anyone else experienced it where you hit a certain point and you body just seems to be at its limit? Has anyone else experienced withdrawals so early in a taper? Is an upset stomach common in withdrawals? Because that is the symptom that is bothering me the most. Should i go back up or try to tough it out? Do you think it will only get worse from here if i keep going down?  ANY  advice, tips, encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I feel as though I will NEVER be able to kick this methadone, and it will really suck if my fiancee gets off of it and i am still on it for like years. I understand that only I can know what is best for me and how I feel, and I know i need to talk to my doctor (who I only go see next week, so i hope i feel better in the next few days) but i just want to talk to people that have possibly went through the same situation and get some feedback and support.Please help! Sorry again for such a long post and Thanks in advance! :)

[gnarly_1]

HI Welcome to the forum......so its time to get off methadone......for some its a breeze early on then tuff in the end for others its tuff the whole way for most its somewhere in between ....first off there are no 2 withdrawals alike so dont compare yours to others as for coming off and then hittting withdrawals its not uncommon....I call them speed bumps because they slow you down you can be going along fine dfroping every week then bam the withdrawals show up
I agree with Vicki DONT GO BACK UP it to hard coming down to loose ground just deal with it ....the next few days will be a little ruff but your body will adjust you also dont want your brain to know if it complains you will give it more it will become a horabale pattern to break out of....I detoxed off 150mg 6 1/2 yr habit I hit road blocks at 60.... 40.... 20 was shear he11 and I almost gave up, but just know it can be done  let your body be the final judge in when you drop doses and it may take a couple of days to feel the drop ......I did a lot of research on methadone coming off it there is a few things that will help ez your withdrawals...get up to walmart and pick up a 3 in one vitamin...calcium/magnesium/zinc and start taking 4 in the morning and 4 around dinner in a few days this will greatly reduce your withdrawals if you keep up with the sick stomach see your doctor and tell him there are prescriptions that will help with the nausea....just know for most this is not comfortable to do but it is doable I always tell everyone starting out .....''you just got to be ok without being ok for a wile remember this is a race one by the tortus not the hare it takes a wile to come off this stuff.....I have helped a lot of people get free from this stuff I nkow what it like and will be more then hapy to help you if you want to talk privately just messenge me just hover your curser over my name and a box will apear click on send a message we can work one on one this requires commitment determination and perseverance but trust me in the end it is so so worth it to be narcotic free hang in there keep posting we all want to see you succeed....good luck and God bless........Gnarly          

[vicki595]

Hi!   I don't have any personal experience with Methadone but I know a thing or two. There are others on the forum who know quite a bit,like Gnarly. He'll be around at some point and he'll have a lot to say.

First of all,don't go back up!  Some of this may be a coincidence maybe?  You may be sick from something else..Also,really check what you're taking to be sure you have the right amount! You may have accidently cut your dose. Check that.

I know it's unusual to feel any change at this level. Double check your dose for accuracy and stay at that dose for a week or so,until you are adjusted physically. Tapering has to be in very small increments over months at the dose your on. It's okay...give it all the time it needs. Remember,you're going in a positive direction and it takes TIME!! No need to rush things...

Definitely get help from your doctor or at least tell him/her about this. I hope he has experience with this sort of thing.
Keep posting here and good luck!

[JLSecora]

I went off 50ml at once cold turkey.  I simply used Tylenol for pain and gravel for nausea.  For sleep trazadone.  All are non addictive.  Try that and let me know how it goes.