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Short term norco detox using methadone

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.
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Avatar universal
Norco is not a good drug to detox from methadone with.  The half life is too short.  If you have been on methadone for 10 years, you will go through 6 months of w/d.  You would have to take such a high dose of Norcos to substitute for your methadone.  With methadone, you do not develop a tolerance in respect to the amount you need to keep from getting sick.  With Norcos you would continually need more to keep from going through w/d at more frequent intervals.  Your best bet, as a long term methadone user, is to go through a year long detox tapering a very small amount at a time.

How did things turn out for you?
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An important ready to quit both*
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Anyone over get off methadone with norcos. I've been taking methadone for ten years and my dream up and retired.
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I keep reading allot of posts (ps i cant spell but i am an addict and went to  medical school I am not a dr because of my choices)Yes depending on what your taking methadone needs to be thought out. You have to have a plan. here in ny it is so easy you walk into the clinic and your given 30mg methadone with in 3 hours its the easiest when you already have Medicaid or insurance but they will help you, you have to say your going to stay on it for as long as they want you to LIE say ok. then you must get ride of the numbers and i mean friends that do it girls that do it mothers that do it. You can also in ny go to rehab and detox for free you if you can do it 5 day in the hospital ***** but its safe, then spend months for free in a rehab like Daytop (they saved me) ok if you are smart cause we are you dont abuse benzo's because you will need them and they are ok short term
dont over do it, first you could die 2nd kicking benzo could turkey you could die nobody that is healthy dies from opiate withdrawal they die relapsing. ok i did this and it worked  but i was shooting a gram of heroin a day but i would always try a stop with some success but not until i gave up my place and went to my moms gave up what ever it takes ok, start on a Wednesday so your saturday take home can b split up or not taken, c you have to go there everyday except sunday which helps you not want to go, understand methadone could hold off wd for up to 2 days so dont think its over. you will have a few sleepless night maybe some sweats sadness but thats when you take a little Xanax, talk to you dr cause Klonopin (clonazepam) would be safer, now if your on anything under vicoden just use the benzos and natural stuff like Valerian root and look up the thomas recipe ,I have only meet one person how ever came off a years addiction to methadone he was in jail, and suboxone is for 3 weeks and under and you better be tapering it I kicked it but i was stuck in rehab and i wanted to die for 3 weeks once you forget the hell you just went through 2 months if your a real addict we are sick you WILL relapse if you dont make a meeting more important then eating    
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I came off a bad opiate addiction with my own at home methadone detox method you cant biastly say that methadone is bad i never felt any kind of wd from mets like i did 4.hours after taking my last hydrocodone. I am a very small person i experienced heroin wd from hydro very sick till i went on my met detox i owe mets my life
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Thank you for your comment I I really appreciated it. well she has given me a methadone and she gave me 90, she said the whole process will take 21 days and each day I have to take 4 equal to 20 mg and then after the third day. taper off 1 per day until i need the methadone anymore.. now, since i have been taking it i have not had any norco and no cravings, now I dont feel "high" or anything on the methadone, it actually makes me feel i can do this.. I will taper off them the next few days. as the withdraws of the Norco, subside... I am confident this will work..
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HI your habit is not that bad .....at least not bad enough for methadone .....you dont want to have it get its hooks in you it is far worst to detox off of then the norco this would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire do yourself a favor and just tuff out the detox with the norco it going to last a week and you will be free of it physically mentaly it will take some work.....trust me on this one you dont want to fase off with methadone it is by far the worst and longest detox you can go threw I was sick for months with pills its a week of he11 then some mind games and then your well if you go for aftercare it up to you but if they only gave you like 20 pills of methadone the short detoxes dont work we just had a member on here today complaining about one this is just something your going to have to face off with there is no ''get out of jail free card'' it a mater of a few weeks or months it up to you good luck with your choice.........Gnarly  
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Hello, I love reading the post its very encouraging and discouraging at the same time, I just talked to my Dr, cause I was taking 7-10 norco's a day. and ran out.. I started freaking out about the w/d's, my husband also gets the meds and it doesnt both him like it does me. he has been on them for years, with no problem..  he runs out early because of me and he doesnt have the problems I do, he just hurts and deals with it.. I am the one who got addicted to them.. I have had bad scoliosis for years. and recently got my own prescription from the Dr.. bad idea.. I would take too many and when I was out and my husband was out. I would get some Vicodin from my mom or who ever I could to not go thru withdraws. but now I am at my breaking point as I just want off, i tried the other night to ween myself off, but to no avail. I gave up and took 2 so i could sleep. the pain was unbearable and the sweats were crazy.. My husband still doesn't know my problem.. I finally broke down and told my dr. i need help. at first she said as long as I took them sparingly I shouldn't worry about addiction, but then I told her I REALLY  want off, and by her telling me that just made me go try to get more norco because I was scared to do it myself and she wouldnt help me, she agreed and now she is giving me Methadone a tapering off the norco, but in reading up on this. it seems like I am trading 1 drug for another. I am sure she knows what she is doing.. but everyone who has done it said they got addicted to Methadone too?? now I am really confused as to why she would perscribe this to me if it would get me addicted?
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just took 40 mil of methadone been struggleling with roxycet addiction for a year detoxed onece and relapsed i suceeded once tapering with methadone for one week it worked but felt discomffort for a month im trying again i only relapsed a month ago god help me but the mathadone did work after that week alot of vitamins and good nutrition and also coming clean with family and friends helped me alot gotta try again though
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In truth, doing a 7 day methadone taper CAN in fact greatly reduce W/D aspects.  It is true however, that once you stop W/Ds do kick in, they just aren't nearly as bad as going CT; vomiting and spraying poop simultaneously in a fetal position on the ground.  Sorry to be graphic but that is what its like going CT from a serious addiction.

But when you do a 7-10 day methadone taper you do actually bypass that stage of W/D.  Like I said, you still will feel like **** aftwards- you won't be able to get an oz of sleep, muscles will be sore, terrible 'goose flesh' (skin tremors/goose bumps) and some of the other PAWS symptoms that go with the addiction.  And another thing, once you stop on that last day of methadone and the minor w/ds kick in..the FIRST thing youre going to want to do is go and score.  the cravings will haunt you for a long time to come.  That is why it is important to have a total plan of action for after that last day..be it workout/diet regimen to rebuild your body, a hobby that could produce natural endorphins and keep your mind off the drugs, etc.

THere is hope, but it can be harder than hell to ride the whole thing out.  Best of luck to you
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I have successfully used Ultram 200 mg once a day to get off Norco hydocodone. I was told by my doctor it worked on the same pain receptors but it has no opiates in it.  
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Hey all Goodmorning!!! I have benn taking norco for 2 years, I decided I dont want this in my life anymore.... Some one gave me some methadone tabs and I have been taking the methadone for 2 weeks now.. I am taking 4-10mg tabs a day... I am ready to stop everything this morning... Do you think I will go thru w/d, if yes, Will I w/d off opiates or methadone... Norco should be out of my system now right.... Thanks in advance for all your help
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i agree with kim 715!!  get rid of this methadone and go threw the wd,s..we all been there..its tough but whewn the physical withdrawals are gone in 14 days..then the mind game for monthes..if you take things wile ur detoxing it can make ur physical pain a little easier..like sleep..use vistreal  to help you..if you can get methadone you can get this vitstreal for sleep..take 50 mgs 2 aday  then 50-100 mgs at night..drink plenty of water and juice..also take multi vitamins to help the healing process..if you could take say 5 mg valiums to help relax the muscles and rest it would be good but dont get hooked on the benzos either.. i know eating is going to be tough but try to eat things like fresh fruits no red meat for this detox..eat chicken,fish,.white beans.. but  NO RED MEATS  PROTEINS IMPORTAIN BUT NO REDS!!!!!!!!!!! if you get diarrhea use imodium  but dont lose electrolytes,,this is potassium and salt and sugar..you can look online to make ur own electrolytes drinks you make home made..get this stuff ready before you  CT..if you have a bathtub  take 3 baths aday will help the muscles..i know this seems hard to do but it will help you recover faster..now for the last thing you think is dumb.. force urself to go walking at least 15 min worth aday you pick ur own time.. if you just lay around and let thuis take its course  witch alot of people do..it takes longer to heal the body..when you withdraw from the Vic,s you got the flu symptoms..when i detoxed from 120 mgs of methadone i did it the harsd way..i tapered to 20 mgs after 4 monthes and ct from there..witch was no difft if you detox from 100 mgs or 5 mgs ur going to be uncomfortable anyway you look at it..

If you cant do all this i listed then at least get 2 gallons of gatorade and 100% fruit juice and chicken and imodium and  something to help you try to relx like xanax 2mgs every 6 hrs..then the vistreal at bedtime..this sure did help me alot..my sleepwas my worst.and lived 3 blocks from a train track..very wild..

when you get this done this will be great then you got a good 3 monthes of the mind thing's..they will be rough but i didnt think that they were as bad as my cold seats and no sleep for days at a time..everyone is difft..i never threw up or runs or anything like this off methadone..it was bad for me.. but when its done its done.. no taper bull just bite the bullet and do it..i would rather do it alone with no one around . but you have no choice but to have ur kin around

COME CLEAN WITH UR FAMILY THEY LOVE YOU LOVE THEM  BE A TEAM!!!!!!!   THANKS  JAMES                       YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Avatar universal
The good news is with time our bodies to return to normal and we get some of the natural energy back. The problem with using the methadone like kim said is its still feeding the same receptors therefore keeping you from withdrawals. Its not like its going to keep away the norco w/d's and then be easier, when you stop using opiates period your body is going to withdrawal. Thats not to mention the risk you run of becoming addicted to the methadone when your just trying it for a week or so. The honest truth is taking methadone for a few days probably wont make the w/d's harder, but it certainly wont make it any easier, that much is assured. When it comes to norco or percocet, the main physical symptoms really only last about 5-7days, after that its basicly the mental aspects you have to deal with (cravings, depression, anxiety,fatigue, lack of sleep) those kind of things. If you really are ready to quit, I promise you that your more than capable of doing so. Its not easy, especially the staying clean part, but we are all stronger than we think, but at the same time scared of the w/d's. The one thing Ive learned with any opiate detox is the more you stress yourself out over the w/d's only makes them seem worse. Just know that we're all here for you, no one here has the room to be judgemental about anything. If I can help you out in anyway please feel free to send me a note/message or just post your concerns. Sometimes it may take a little while to get some responses but there so many people here that can help you through this process. I really do wish you all the luck in world, trust me life without pills is a feeling of true freedom and independence that we forget about during our addiction. Almost everyone tries and fails a few times before they actually get it right, so dont get discouraged by your previous attempts. You really can do this, the more things you can do to keep yourself occupied can really help keep your mind of the negative feelings. Again feel free to hit me up if I can assist you in any way, take care.
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It's like one minute I am strong and then the next I am sitting here reading other people's stories and crying and thinking how in the heck am I going to rescue myself? why me? why do some people keep pills in their cabinet for years without even thinking about taking them and then there's me, who takes a month supply in a couple days, but just keeps trying to quit and failing. it's like there's always an excuse, some event I have to attend or host and it would be so much better with just a few more pills in my system and then it's "I'll quit in the morning" all over again. how am i going to be able to keep uo with my two kids without the pills? i have never tried to before, that is so sad when I look in their eyes and try to convince myself that i am better mom because of the pills, happier, more energy etc..., but i feel like they don't even know the real me only the high me. do i even know the real me anymore?
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Avatar universal
I know its hard to do...I was in the same boat, I relapsed and was so ashamed and it was the hardest thing to tell my wife I did it again.  But guess what...I bet he already has suspects.  We think we hide it, but when all is said and done you find out many people already suspect.  Its hard to swipe other peoples meds and them not start getting suspiscious. Especially if the dont abuse.  That I what I found out after coming clean. We only THINK we are hiding it.
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I'm glad to hear you flushed the majority of the methadone.No matter what you decide to do hon,we're here for you.There is no judging here only help and support.I hope you find the strength to tell your husband.I know it's hard but it helps so much to have that support.If he is willing you could invite him to come here and read or post.We would be more then happy to try and help you explain to him just what addiction is and how it takes a hold of you.Best of luck hon and please keep posting......Kim
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There is NO way to totally avoid any type of w/ds.The methadone is feeding the same receptors in your brain as the hydro did,thus when you are taking the methadone you're not feeling the w/ds.It's simply holding them off.Once you stop,you're going to feel them.Like TysonRed,I wish I had a  success story for you using this method.I can honestly tell you though I have been coming to this forum for over a year and have seen a few people try it the way you are and I just have to be honest.I have never seen it work out the way they thought it would.I have had many tell me though that they wish they would have never touched the methadone and just tapered off their original doc or just went cold turkey.I'm not saying any of this to scare you or to try in any way to discourage you from getting clean.I want all of us who come here to succeed.I just worry that when day 4 gets here and you don't take that methadone in the morning and by the evening you start to feel the w/ds that you will continue to use up the rest of the methadone you have on hand and that by doing so you will be taking your addiction to a new level.Please just take what we have all told you here into consideration.Learn from our mistakes.Keep reading the posts here and keep posting.We're all in your corner.We all want you to succeed....Kim
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also, i have no more norco's for at least 3 days so taper is out of question, and I always fail at that anyway. and no resource to the methadone when day 4 arrives as i just flushed any extra that won't be needed at the end of taper plan. thank you all for caring, i have felt so alone and ashamed. maybe i will tell my husband, but last time he wanted me to tell everybody-his parents, my co-workers, just so all would keep an eye on me, but i wasn't ready for that. i told my parents and family, they are in a different state though and if tell them this time will just feel helpless.
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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?
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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....
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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.
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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.
Avatar universal
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?
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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.
Avatar universal
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.
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Avatar universal
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.
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