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Best way to jump off 2.5mg methadone?

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donewithdone

Greenlighter
Joined
Mar 10, 2022
Messages
3
Hi all,

Wondering the best way to tackle jumping off of Methadone before i decide to go on sublocade as a last resort.
in January i dropped my dose from 3.5mg to 2.5mg which took me 3 months to stabilise on properly. RLS symptoms were haunting me as soon as i go to bed and struggling to sleep.
would it be best to keep tapering down to jump off at 1mg or would it be the same as jumping off 2.5mg?
i think i can handle most of the withdrawels expect for the RLS and aggitation. insomnia is bad but if i could somehow manage the RLS i could get through it.
have been on methadone for 5 years started at 55mg, suboxone before that at .5mg lowest, ex heroin smoker.

would love to know if anyones been succesful in detoxing and any advice you can offer. i feel like i am so close to getting there.

cheers.
 
Hi and welcome to Bluelight! I don't have any experience with methadone so I will leave it to others to comment on that but I just wanted to welcome you, and wish you the absolute best getting clean off it <3
 
I’m on the near end of my taper as well and boy it feels like I need longer to go lower each time even though it’s a smaller amount. I’m around 20mg now. I am interested/concerned about my final jump taper as well, but honestly I just assumed my clinic would taper me all the way to 0? Is that not how it works?
 
Oh I didn’t notice where you said you could keep tapering. I’d do that man, why not? Unless it’s a money thing and you don’t want to keep paying clinic..
 
Tapering just gets harder as it becomes a bigger percentage of drop each time and im at a dose where it doesnt really cut it anymore always struggling to sleep and feel shit at work. (Tradesman)
The doctor reckons jumping off of 1mg as opposed to 3 the withdrawels might be the same but looking for first hand experience and how to manage that in the most comfortable way possible.

Appreciate the welcome thank you!
 
I’d say for one to take a few days off work if you can. I find that cocooning myself at home is better, maybe eat/drink dairy if you can? Try too keep the plasma and protein levels high and maybe get a good muscle salve or maybe heating pack/blanket for the legs at night. Try drinking some chamomile tea or valerian and melatonin before bed? Not pharmaceutical options so apologies if that’s what you were looking for but just some tips I guess.
 
Actually maybe don’t take Valerian, seems like there may be contraindications with methadone, so maybe look that up and determine..
 
donewithdone said:
Tapering just gets harder as it becomes a bigger percentage of drop each time and im at a dose where it doesnt really cut it anymore always struggling to sleep and feel shit at work. (Tradesman)
The doctor reckons jumping off of 1mg as opposed to 3 the withdrawels might be the same but looking for first hand experience and how to manage that in the most comfortable way possible.

Appreciate the welcome thank you!
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Here is maybe a better supplement (just based on googling) for your RLS and sleeping issues. From the website “https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/opiate-addiction/withdrawal-detox/vitamins-supplements-opiate-withdrawal/”
  1. Acetyl-L-carnitine: This dietary supplement is derived from carnitine and L-carnitine. Carnitine is an important chemical building block for the body. Acetyl-L-carnitine was studied and shown to improve muscle symptoms and sleep problems from opiate withdrawal. Side effects from the supplement are very rare and usually limited to an upset stomach. However, you should talk to your doctor before using the supplement if you are on chemotherapy drugs for cancer, because the supplement may increase your risk of nerve damage.
they have a list of some other supplements as well for other symptoms
cheers.
(posted as reply in hopes you’d see it @donewithdone)
 
donewithdone said:
Hi all,

Wondering the best way to tackle jumping off of Methadone before i decide to go on sublocade as a last resort.
in January i dropped my dose from 3.5mg to 2.5mg which took me 3 months to stabilise on properly. RLS symptoms were haunting me as soon as i go to bed and struggling to sleep.
would it be best to keep tapering down to jump off at 1mg or would it be the same as jumping off 2.5mg?
i think i can handle most of the withdrawels expect for the RLS and aggitation. insomnia is bad but if i could somehow manage the RLS i could get through it.
have been on methadone for 5 years started at 55mg, suboxone before that at .5mg lowest, ex heroin smoker.

would love to know if anyones been succesful in detoxing and any advice you can offer. i feel like i am so close to getting there.

cheers.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Bluelight!! I’m a former IV heroin user, I’ve been illicit opiate free for a couple years or so, but I successfully stopped methadone back in July, so almost a year ago. I was at 30mg & I was just so tired of going to the clinic every day & seeing dealers/junkies not serious about getting off H. So I jumped off at 30mg! I was pretty sick for like 3 weeks, but it wasn’t even unbearable like everyone said to me. Maybe I have a higher tolerance for pain, idk.
 
I tapered right down to 1mg & stayed there for a month before stopping altogether. My taper went like this -

55mg - 20mg..... dropped 5mg/4wks
20mg - 10mg..... dropped 2mg/4wks
10mg - 0mg..... dropped 1mg/4wks

Was a long taper but worth it as didn't seem to have any wd symptoms. I was on the methadone for a total of 19 yrs so didn't see any point in rushing it
 
Get ahold of some lyrica and either clonazepam/diazepam for sleep and the anxiety. Also clonidine for every single side effect and ofcourse loperamide for the diarrhea.
 
DONT substitute with any other meds. Just keep reducing at your current, or even slower, pace until you get below 1mg/day.

Stabilise on that for at least a month and your addiction will be purely psychological at that stage. If you can't hack that, then you're not ready to jump ship.
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
DONT substitute with any other meds. Just keep reducing at your current, or even slower, pace until you get below 1mg/day.

Stabilise on that for at least a month and your addiction will be purely psychological at that stage. If you can't hack that, then you're not ready to jump ship.
Click to expand...
I was meaning it's good advice for when OP jumps off completely, to be used short-term of course
 
Bad Obsession said:
I was meaning it's good advice for when OP jumps off completely, to be used short-term of course
Click to expand...

My reply wasn't in response to yours mate. Christ, I've been substituting with booze since I sacked the smack and methadone many years ago.

I'm just saying how it SHOULD be done...
 
F.U.B.A.R. said:
My reply wasn't in response to yours mate. Christ, I've been substituting with booze since I sacked the smack and methadone many years ago.

I'm just saying how it SHOULD be done...
Click to expand...
Of course, if he/she can get by without anything else then that's the way it should be done, ur right buddy..... it's just I've seen folk relapse bk onto opiates cos they couldn't handle the jump off methadone & short term / sparingly usage of the meds nznity mentioned is obv the much preferable option to opie relapse
 
nznity said:
Ew booze is nasty
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I've never had an alcohol problem myself but binge drinking frm time to time. Only prob with that is the next day I feel so shit it can result in me using opies/benzos to feel somewhat normal again. Has resulted in disaster before as one morning after I took 14mg xanax & had a hit of heroin & ODd..... therefore I seldom drink now, I enjoy it at the time but the lows outweigh the enjoyment of the previous night
 
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