Methadone withdrawls

Hey everyone, I have been taking methadone for almost 7 years now. I want to get off the shit but I have heard all sorts of things like it has a half life of 23 hour.That it will take months not days to get out of my system. I need to hear how everyone else who's been addicted got off and how bad it was. I know it's going to be bad but for how long? I was given Methadone as a pain killer from a Doctor, Now I find that I don't want to do anything, I don't see family or friends I barely get up and go to work.I don't laugh, I want my life back, but how long will that be? I need Help, let me hear your Methadone horror stories.

I don't have a methadone story, but I have an oxymorphone story. I had a friend who gave me tons for free on a daily basis for maybe 2 or 3 months. Needless to say, when that supply ran dry, I felt like shit. I was crawling around my floor looking for pill fragments to snort. I felt like shit for a week or so, not gonna lie. But once that week was over, I started getting back to normal. It really isn't THAT hard. I'm not gonna say that a 7 year habit is ANYTHING like my few month habit, but still...if you put your mind to it you can get off.

If it's too hard for you to quit straight up, start reducing your dose very slowly. A few mg less each day, until you get it down to where you can just quit. That method doesn't work for a lot of people, but it can be very successfull with some effort.

I forget what the fuck I was saying. Too baked.

The good part is you can't die from opiate withdraws. They suck really bad but no death. I would smoke lots of pot to help though. You have to force yourself to get up and move around though or you will end up depressed on top of it all.

Hi
Methadone does indeed have a very long half life--up to 72 hours. Withdrawal from methadone takes much longer than withdrawal from other opiate drugs for this reason, although this is also the reason why it works so well for addiction treatment and pain control.

Methadone works great for a lot of people, but not for everyone. If you are feeling the way you describe, and a dose adjustment has not corrected the problem, then you may need a different treatment for your pain.

The suggested method for withdrawal from methadone is to reduce the dose by 10% every 2-4 weeks. You always measure the 10% based on the dose you are on NOW, not your starting dose. For example, if you are on 50mg, your first drop would be 5mgs, and then your next drop would be 4.5mgs, the next drop 4mgs, etc. It is crucial to success that you go all the way down to 1mg before stepping off. Otherwise you risk serious withdrawals.

Methadone withdrawals, if going cold turkey, can last weeks or even months--and I speak of the acute phase where you have the severe opiate withdrawal symptoms. The majority of those who try this route end up relapsing or returning to methadone treatment.

If you are still in need of medication to treat your pain you could ask the doctor to simply switch you to a different pain med. If, however, your wish is to be opiate free, I would strongly suggest following the tapering protocol I mentioned which is supported by most experts in the field of methadone treatment--your chances of long term success are much higher. I know it may seem like a pain, and it is easy to get impatient, but it is truly the best way--and if done correctly, there is no need to experience any undue suffering or illness.

Wishing you the best,

Zenith
Certified Methadone Advocate

NewGrowth said:

The good part is you can't die from opiate withdraws. They suck really bad but no death. I would smoke lots of pot to help though. You have to force yourself to get up and move around though or you will end up depressed on top of it all.

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Oh, also--it is actually possible to die from opiate withdrawals. Not long ago, two women died in an Orlando, Florida jail, about a year apart, from acute methadone withdrawals. The jail ignored their worsening symptoms until they died--truly tragic. The stories can be found online by Googling "Orlando jail deaths methadone". However, it is true that people USUALLY do not die from opiate withdrawals. Usually, people not in jail would seek treatment for symptoms before it got to that point. Being incarcerated, though, leaves you at their mercy. The most dangerous symptoms of opiate withdrawal are increased blood pressure (which can cause stroke) and dehydration (which can cause electrolyte imbalance, leading to cardiac arrest).

What Zenith said...man sounds like he knows his shit. I think your going to need up your smoking, and stay busy.

MaryJaneDoe said:

Hey everyone, I have been taking methadone for almost 7 years now. I want to get off the shit but I have heard all sorts of things like it has a half life of 23 hour.That it will take months not days to get out of my system. I need to hear how everyone else who's been addicted got off and how bad it was. I know it's going to be bad but for how long? I was given Methadone as a pain killer from a Doctor, Now I find that I don't want to do anything, I don't see family or friends I barely get up and go to work.I don't laugh, I want my life back, but how long will that be? I need Help, let me hear your Methadone horror stories.

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What would the half life have anything to do with? Did you get a hold of some radioactive smack?

i been taking oxycodone for 2 years striaght. Lately i been "running" out ealry as i deliver a tolerance. Thats why i switvching to pot and hoping to get off the opiates all together. I can be worse i say as run out 2 weeks early every month now for like 6 months now. I go a few days a little weird but i fnd what helps is TRAMADOL or ULTRAM. Look it up it is for opiate with drawl and probably u have a lot if yu pain patient. My doctor gives me buckets of that stuff. Lol, non narcotic, sunthetic opaite that works on opiate receptors and besides helping with pain helps with opiate withdrawls. Thats what i take so i dont experience any withdrawls, then agan i got it down to 2 weeks on 2 weeks off . That opiates! But seriously talk to yur doctor it always surprises me how much they know about crap i didnt think there was any knowing too, or CARE! but they do.lol

matthew said:

What would the half life have anything to do with? Did you get a hold of some radioactive smack?

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If you don't know what half life is then why did you even post? Half life means that the pill stays in your system after you've taken it. Like you take it one day, then it's still with you in your system and working the next day also. that's why it's so freaking hard to get off it it takes a long, long time for it to be gone. It's not like other opiates either, they can make you sick for days or a week or so, Methadone can take MONTHS. Thank you Zenith! you know what your talking about + rep for you, Thank you for your information.

Okay so I was going to try it cold turkey, that lasted 2 days, Every time I feel ill or I feel like doom and gloom it seems my mind thinks ( it's because of the methadone) If I just take a pill I'll feel better, or everything will be better. I can't get my mind off the damn things. So Now I am doing it like Zenith said a little at a time , for weeks. then I ll try to do less and less. I can't seem to keep my thoughts together, I feel dread, I can't sleep at all. I toss and turn.... This sucks. I know there must be more methadone addicts or ex addicts that can tell me how long it took them to detox off of the shit!! I hate this I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, Oh you know what I hate this!!

get some tramadol. ULtram, it is also called. Eat it! (Not too much though).

dude just start smoking weed, fuck that meth shit man

MaryJaneDoe said:

Okay so I was going to try it cold turkey, that lasted 2 days, Every time I feel ill or I feel like doom and gloom it seems my mind thinks ( it's because of the methadone) If I just take a pill I'll feel better, or everything will be better. I can't get my mind off the damn things. So Now I am doing it like Zenith said a little at a time , for weeks. then I ll try to do less and less. I can't seem to keep my thoughts together, I feel dread, I can't sleep at all. I toss and turn.... This sucks. I know there must be more methadone addicts or ex addicts that can tell me how long it took them to detox off of the shit!! I hate this I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, Oh you know what I hate this!!

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Wow i have had a few addiction problems myself and I think I know a little bit of how you feel. mine is booze and coke and weed has helped me a lot if I have weed I don't need the booze or coke I don't know if I"m just trading one addiction for another but I haven't done coke for over a year now fuck 12 step legalize it!

I wish you the best and Zenith seems to know what he's talking about how
is it going?

Here here! I agree, methadone given to ease addiction for with drawls or even that tramadol is addicting. I was given Methadone for pain. I guess I'd rather have to be addicted to weed. At least I wouldn't be giving the drug companies money out the ass. I live in a MMJ state but just how much money from the drug companies goes into fighting legislation against MMJ laws By the way I'm still fucking hooked on the shit. I need a drug induced coma for about 6 months and come out ok. It's seriously the hardest thing in the world to try to overcome. It's there I have access to it. The sicks from this shit is more than I can bare. I wish they would tell people that first take it that they will be on it forever. I need it to even be civil at work. Or to just feel normal. which I know I can't be. By the way four posts til my big 420th post!!!