Opioids Methadone Mega Thread and FAQ

[amapola]

Check out the 'OD Directory' as linked in my signature. From there check out the threads.
-Guide to narcotic withdrawal (for help withdrawing from opioids)
-Community Project - Tapering Plans (for help jumping from the right dose)
-Methadone withdrawal (for more information on withdrawal of methadone)
-Methadone Mega Thread and FAQ (for a complete summary of everything methadone)

In fact I think I'll merge this thread in with the mega thread as well.

 

[hydrochron]

You should taper down to 10mg's or lower before you quit. Depending on if you want to quit for good or what. I would taper as low as possible, or switch to suboxone once you get to the 30mg range.

 

[ThePharmacist25]

W/Ds

Ive read that Methadone, or Dolophine, is nearly twice the dread for withdrawals in comparison to equivalent doses in Heroin or Morphine.

Could this be due to the racemic mixture? I forget, exactly, which one is the more potent or which is the NMDA Antagonist, the Levo or the Dextrorotary. Either way, just cure about the racemic mixture. LMK. TYVM

 

[austing]

would tramadol help with methadone withdrawl?

 

[amapola]

As tramadol is an opiate (albeit quite a weak one) it would indeed help prevent full opiate withdrawal.

 

[affasd]

^If that is actually their rationale it is poor, seeing as the effects "wearing off" is due to the body's tolerance to the drug. People increase the dose because they say it wears off too soon, then increase again when it happens again, etc. The smartest thing to do if trying to give the strongest effects for the longest would be to start at a small dose and have lots of room to increase once the body becomes accustomed to the dose.

I think many people expect too much of methadone. It builds tolerance like any other opioid, of course it won't give a buzz all day, every day...

Thats not true though because if you say at the same dose your tolerance wont go up, now that I am at 130 I have been on this dose for 2 months and it still lasts me all day and feels the same as it did as after a week on the dose when my brain stabilized on the dose. Sure for a few days right after I went up it was stronger but thats cause my brain was used to 100-120, so increasing the dose gives more effects at first, but then your brain creates more opiate receptors to handle the dose and then its effects wont feel as strong but after that point the effect will stay the same. The problem is when after the first 2-3 days of going up and the dose isn't as strong as it was the first couple days after going up and then people assume they need to go up again. But once you get to a dose that after 1-2 weeks it is still lasting you all the way through the night then that should be the correct dose to stay on and it should continue to last through the night indefinitely, instead of trying to go up again to achieve the mild high you might get for a few days after going up, because that will not last.

 

[affasd]

However if your goal is to get off the methadone within a few months or a year then I agree going up that high is pointless, but for me and a lot of people methadone is something long term until they can get their life back on track so they should go as high as they need to remain comfortable. And some people have higher metabolisms so 1 dose may never make them comfortable the whole day in which case the clinic usually allows you to take a split dose.

 

[Pegasus]

Thats not true though because if you say at the same dose your tolerance wont go up, now that I am at 130 I have been on this dose for 2 months and it still lasts me all day and feels the same as it did as after a week on the dose when my brain stabilized on the dose. Sure for a few days right after I went up it was stronger but thats cause my brain was used to 100-120, so increasing the dose gives more effects at first, but then your brain creates more opiate receptors to handle the dose and then its effects wont feel as strong but after that point the effect will stay the same. The problem is when after the first 2-3 days of going up and the dose isn't as strong as it was the first couple days after going up and then people assume they need to go up again. But once you get to a dose that after 1-2 weeks it is still lasting you all the way through the night then that should be the correct dose to stay on and it should continue to last through the night indefinitely, instead of trying to go up again to achieve the mild high you might get for a few days after going up, because that will not last.

130mg is a ton of methadone, but I'm sure in a few months it wouldn't feel as strong as it does now, just like 100mg and 120mg were in the past.

I've never heard of the brain creating receptors as a response to opioid use? If anything, I'd think the brain would shut down some pathways due to overload...

 

[SubDude]

Ive been on methadone about 6-8 months on a mmt program ive came down from 140 to 55 currently. Im prescribed benzos and all that for sleep but what else would help and what dose would be best to go cold turkey off of? or what would be best to help with withdrawls other than obvious weed n benzos? Im on the liquid too.

I mentioned this before but you may not of seen it and it's anecdotal. I knew a guy who tapered down to 5mg and stayed there for months befor dropping even 2-3 more mg before he quit. Never saw him again so don't know how he did. For us [and him] money wasn't a factor nor was clinic dosing. He had monthly takehomes and it didn't cost anything at the VA healthcare. They do this because many vets get addicted while in the service... especially after serious accident or wounds.

This likely doesn't apply to you but there are nine priority health care levels in the va system so you must be a 2 or lower to get ORT free. In other words you must have at least a 30% service connected disability to get priority 2.

 

[gypsywom3]

methadone

I have a question, i took 60 ml of methadone at 2 pm yesterday, how long should i wait until i take a 40mg oxycontin so i can feel it?

 

[debaser]

^ 48 hours is the minimum. Apparently you don't take methadone every day, so yeah 2 days.

 

[chuckster11]

How long after my last Oxy dose is it safe to take Methdone?? I'm going to try Methadone instead of Suboxone this time. I'm going to have 20 or so Methadones to try to kick this 300mg a day Oxy habit. Do you think that's enough and how much should I dose first and when?? Thanks, I also have like 4 Suboxone that if I need I will take but I've never fully tapered and quit on Subs and 4 Subs probably won't last more than like 3-4 days for me. You think 20 10mg would last me longer than 4 Suboxone??

 

[SubDude]

^First it would be helpful to know how long you've had the 300 oxy habit. You don't need to wait to take the methadone but should hold off at least 24- 48 hrs for the subs. Best to wait till your in WD's before subs or methadone. IMO You would probably better off to forget the dones and use subs to taper off.

Don't know if either will be enough since 200mg of methadone or 32 mg of subs isn't much to get off a 300 mg oxy habit.... unless you plan a real quick taper. Either way you are going to have some WD's to deal with... especially if you've been on the oxys for awhile. If you switch to subs after taking the methadone... that could be a problem if you don't wait at least 48 hrs. What ever you do... if you use the subs or methadone start low. You might be OK on 2-4 mg subs on your 1st dose and taper from there... it's an individual thing.

 

[rstar84]

I've heard that baclofen diminishes the nice effects of methadone. Is that true? I would have thought it increases methadone's potency.

 

[Canis aureus]

130mg is a ton of methadone, but I'm sure in a few months it wouldn't feel as strong as it does now, just like 100mg and 120mg were in the past.

I've never heard of the brain creating receptors as a response to opioid use? If anything, I'd think the brain would shut down some pathways due to overload...

It doesn't work just like that... stable dose will hold you just as well the year after your initial dose of the amount (when you found the dose, stable dose). Your tolerance won't increse in month, because of methadone's nature.

You could need very small increases (5 or 10 mgs) every two years or five years, but that is no law.

I have been on ecxatly same dose five years now and I feel just the same each day. I feel the dose "kicking in", but it still holds me like it did years ago.

I have seen people who have been on the same dose say ten years, some even fifteen years.

 

[chuckster11]

I have taken Suboxone before but I always seem to relapse so I was gonna try and get off by taking Methadone instead but I have no idea where to begin with my tolerance. I've been taking 300mg daily for probably about 5-6months and I wanna quit bad I really do but I'm trying quit and be able to not show it cause I live with my parents right now. What amount and how long should I wait until I take my first Methadone. I usually take 2 30mg oxycodone's at a time but I don't get noticeably fucked up when I take them which is good cause I don't like being fucked up anyways. I'm afraid of taking too much and being all fucked up all day but I also want to make sure I do have enough in my system to keep me normal like how Subs do. What you recommend?? A friend said take 2 10mg Methadone's at once in the morning and again at night if I need but he likes getting fucked up and I don't. Thanks again. BTW Is it true that Methadone's gives you like a percacet feeling?? Not that I care too much but a friend told me but that seems like it would be defeating it's purpose. Sorry I have a lot of ???'s but I'm always paranoid taking new stuff especially something as potent and dangerous as Methadone but I'm hoping it can keep me away from Roxi's for enough time to mentally get right and then jump off the Methadone, Ideally I'd like to be on Methadone for no more than 10days zkinda how you do a quick taper with Suboxone. Is that possible with Methadone?? Again sorry for being a pain with a million and one questions but I wanna know this things so I can have a plan and hopefully beat this shit. Thanks.

 

[BrokedownPalace]

Ideally stay on methadone no morle than 10 days and do a fast taper. Unfortunately there is no free lunch with opiate addiction and it isn't giong to be fun/easy/possible to go from 300mg oxy per day to nothing and be "fine". In my opinion using methadone to kick a short 5 month oxy habit is overkill, and not necessary. But if it is your only option start taking 10mg in the morning and see where that gets you. When I first got on methadone from a ~gram a day IV heroin habit 25mg daily certainly "held" me. It ismuh more potent and powerful than people realize. Good luck, i dont have time to type out a specific taper ATM but can come back to help.

I am currently on 65mg methadone and and trying to kick methadone. Yesterday was my last dose, gonna supplement with a short acting opioid for 5-7 days, then do a fast sub taper (2-3 weeks)and jump off. luckily i have scripts for klonopin, soma, neurontin, and seroquel. I am determined to do it.

 

[Pegasus]

It doesn't work just like that... stable dose will hold you just as well the year after your initial dose of the amount (when you found the dose, stable dose). Your tolerance won't increse in month, because of methadone's nature.

You could need very small increases (5 or 10 mgs) every two years or five years, but that is no law.

I have been on ecxatly same dose five years now and I feel just the same each day. I feel the dose "kicking in", but it still holds me like it did years ago.

I have seen people who have been on the same dose say ten years, some even fifteen years.

Sure, there are some people that are satisfied with their dose for a long time. We both know that this isn't the norm, though, and the people that are satisfied are generally on huge doses. People begin to become accustomed to the effects of any psychoactive drug after enough repeated dosing... It's just simple conditioning.

 

[SubDude]

I am currently on 65mg methadone and and trying to kick methadone. Yesterday was my last dose, gonna supplement with a short acting opioid for 5-7 days, then do a fast sub taper (2-3 weeks)and jump off. luckily i have scripts for klonopin, soma, neurontin, and seroquel. I am determined to do it.

Good luck... I think it's doable especially if you're determined and committed. You have most of the right comfort meds but you might want to consider Clonodine in case the others don't work. I used seroquel 50mg and 2mg k-pins when trying to drop from .25mg subs and couldn't sleep at all and the RLS were bad. But then I have PTSD and lack of sleep and exterme anxiety brings on panic attacks.

I've heard good things about neurontin so that might be a good one. A few others here swear on Kratom but I've never tried that either.

Once again... best of luck to you and I hope you keep us updated.

 

[BrokedownPalace]

Thanks, SubDude, I am still feeling confident and staying positive in regards to defeating this beast. It's day 3 with no methadone, just went out and purchased a small-ish stash of shorter acting opiates to last for the next 4 days, before I start using the suboxone. I am confident this is going to work, as long as I stick to my plan, my taper, and utilize the comfort meds I hve.

Neurontin is actually wonderfully effective for RLS and residual anxiety. Last night I could feel the sickness creeping up, and 2mg klonopin + 1200mg neurontin + 50mg seroquel + some ibuprofen made me sleep a solid 8 hours. Which is unheard of, especially for me since I also have diagnosed anxiety problems, PTSD, and horrible insomnia. The XR Seroquel I have actually works quite well t keep me asleep throughout the night.