how can i strt to wean myself of methadone?

Question

i was addicted to drugs for ten years though i have been drug free for the last three. I am on a hgh dose and would like to start living my life being non dependant on any kind of medicine

Answer 1

I am a physician and am on methadone for back pain and cancer pain. My pain specialist and I decided to change med and since I had my back surgery I want off this nasty drug. I was on 60 mg every 8 hour . I am now down 30 mg. The safest and slowest is the best way. So far no withdrawal feeling. Start slowly 5 mg a day. But be patience do this every 3 weeks. I know as an internist and psychiatrist most substance abusers want every yesterday,Now I am on 50 mg every 8 hours tonight I start 45 mg at night. In three weeks from now I will lower my morning dose to 45. If you are in a public clinic tell them you want to go slow and if you are on 40mg-80mg once a day you can try 5 mg. or even just 2.5mg.
Good luck. If you are in a clinic and it get difficult ask for the smallest dose of clonidine 0.1mg once or twice a day this helps blocks the muscular pains,goose bumps the tickle feeling in the pit of your stomach. I worked in pain clinics and when I was a psych resident in NYC I worked in methadone clinic. Good Luck

Answer 2

It depends on what your daily dose is. You can start cutting down quite quickly, remember that it stays in your system longer than 24 hours so spread out the time between swallows so that over the week you use less and less.Getting down to 10mls can be quite easy, then you need to do it little by little. Unfortunately it's not always a good idea to tell the clinic or Dr how well you're doing when you are down to low doses as they might cut you down too much before you're ready, but don't save up what you don't use it can be too tempting if you get in a low mood. It's the last few mls that is the hardest as it's not just an addiction it's also a habit. Habits give you a sense of security so you have to work on that as well. Once you stop you'll have a few nights where you can't sleep but that passes. Keep away from the scene where there are other users you really need to be with people who are clean. Sitting about with nothing to do doesn't help so try to find things to do. Dream about something you would like to achieve so you know what you're doing it for and remember the last bit is the hardest so do it in your own time. It really helps if you know someone else who's been through the same thing who is supportive and understanding. It can be done, you have to keep remembering what it is you want. Wish you all the best and lots of love, good luck!

Answer 3

Screw all these people talking all this BS. If you are using Methadone to get off of other opiates/opiods, great, it is a wonderful drug for that. If youare using it for pain, again, great drug for that. If you are using it as a maintainance drug and have not been using whatever your DOC was,i consider that drug free. For addicts who take methadone, it sucks, it is not fun and is not considered "being on drugs". At least it shouldn't be, but there are tons of uninformed, ignorant people in the world (like most of the people that answered so far).

So, to answer your question, do it slow. Cold turkey is not good for methadone because the withdrawls last so long. Even after the real bad stuff, the WD's can last a month or more which leads most people back to using. So go slow. Go down 5 mgs every 2 or 3 weeks like the Dr. a few answers up suggested. Or maybe 1 mg per week. Talk to your doc, he can give you the best advice for your situation. But I have known people that went down 1 mg per week or 5 mgs per month and all felt pretty good and id it pretty painlessly. Good luck and don't let these people or any ingornat people out there tell you that methadone is bad or anything else. For addicts or for pain patients, it is no different than a diabetic taking insulin. Both groups need their medicine to live.

Answer 4

First of all you are not drug free. Methadone is a drug and as you know is addictive too. There is no easy answer. What works for one person may send another over the edge. Maybe you need to find a different Doc who is willing to make some hard choices for you.

Your answer might be "That's easy for you to say". Yes it is easy now. I have a bad back from an accident. Even after 3 major surgeries, 4 minor and countless procedures I am still dependant on pain killing drugs. I have been dependant since 1992. I use the word dependant because I use the drugs to control the pain, not to control me. My last procedure was to have an interthecal pain pump implanted. This pump provides a small amount of morphine directly into the spinal fluid. I consider myself extremely lucky and fortunate. Working with the right doctor can either save your life , or take any quality of life from you. Good luck, it is not an easy road, but it is worth taking the trip.pp

Answer 5

Methadone is a long acting opioid that is used to get you off other less safe drugs. If you are comfortable on your present dose of methadone then you should reduce the dose very gradually until you find the lowest dose you are comfortable on. You may or may not get off it completely but I would not worry if you find you need a small maintenance dose. I've found that pressuring patients to go off methadone altogether is often followed by a return to the original addiction.
Congratulations on what you've done so far and best wishes for what you want to do.

Answer 6

See your GP or contact your nearest drug rehab centre.

Seek out the support you need and proper advice on steadily reducing your dose on a regular basis.

Take it one step at a time and use the support network that is available to you.

Best of luck.

Answer 7

Long (planned) walks with an mp3 player, oh and take a bottle of water and some fruit, apples are good. Its like walking away from it all mentally and physically. Do it.
Whilst walking dont just see things but observe as though you will paint it later.

Answer 8

If you are on methadone only your doctor can reduce it. Stay with the reduction. My pal is on a reducing script. He is doing grand. He is now on 50mls. It will get better hun believe me. Its a bloody awful substitute though

Answer 9

my personal exp.first I had to addmit & accept that methadone is a drug.2nd discused with my family Dr. 3rd got phisical 4th my titrate was 2mg. per week without being dope sick,no sleepless nights,no leg cramps,or any other ill symptoms that I feared.I"ve also witnessed great sucess with subutex/bupranorphin,if their opiate addication was 2yrs. or less

Answer 10

Whatever you do, do not decide to go cold turkey. These things take time to do properly.