Methadone reduction staying clean

[KARMABI.CH]

Hello bluelight,
I am a 29 year old woman and have been addicted to heroin for 11yrs I'm currently on 35mls of methadone I'm reducing slowly to hopefully be methadone free next year as my fiancé and I want to have a baby and I refuse to have a baby with withdrawal symptoms now I have tried everything for last 8yrs to get and stay clean I did 5rehabs on methadone twice tried N.A and honestly it's not the getting clean that is the problem it's staying clean. Please if anyone has any input/advice I would be very grateful peace out✌?

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Welcome to bluelight. I moved your post to sober living. It's great that you want to get sober and stay sober, and that you want to have a child. Good luck.

It's a cliche but you really have to cut all ties with your former life of drug use including not associating with people who use drugs including herb, don't drink alcohol or smoke herb as sometimes when people drink or puff their inhibitions get lowered and they figure "I can get buzzed/stoned so why not just use _(insert drug which person has addiction to)__ once, try to see if I can use it recreationally, one last time/socially, etc.".

Some people find AA/NA helpful, others do not, do you have a support network of people who know you want to get and stay sober like besides like fiance?

 

[twang]

How long since you last used heroin? From an outsiders perspective it seems like people with big goals in life such as having a child are the ones that have better success in staying clean. Having something to work towards makes it easier in my opinion, and like Priest said cutting any and all ties with people who still use is crucial. It can be daunting if everyone of your friends uses, but it's really important. For me not necessarily the pot and alcohol, but the people who still get high on opiates.

 

[KARMABI.CH]

Thank you so much for your response I've been clean from heroine for 2 years and 9 months I am a habitual cannibis user and LOVE Weed I'm prescribed 1mg of xanax a day. Honestly this is the most stable I've been in a decade. It's like being stuck between a rock and a hard space I could continue on as is or I could detox and have a baby.(i absolutely refuse to go through a withdrawal with a baby) due to heroin over spent over a year in residential care and soooo many hours of therapy and pouring my heart out at N.A meetings nothing works this drug has truly ruined my life

 

[Jabberwocky]

Honestly I would really recommending waiting to even considering having a child until you've been off the alprazolam for 12 months. The methadone isn't as problematic as the alprazolam is IIRC, but I'll have to double check.

This could be the motivation you need to address you challenges with substance use OP, who knows. Keep you head up. I'm beginning to sympathize with people who want to have kids as I get older myself, though god knows I'm not nearly ready quite yet (not even close).

You're 29 though, so your window to have children is basically 11 more years. If you can get sober and with some abstience under your belt within the next few years, you could set yourself up to have the family you desire. Try to take the long game approach.

Edit: yes the alprazolam is more of an issue than the methadone is. With methadone you can have a healthy baby and safely wean them off at the neonatal unit. With alprazolam you run the risk of birth defects.

Would you tell us a little more about your history of alprazolam use, how long you've been taking it and to treat what conditions?

 

[simco]

TPD, I totally see your point. But I think the OP's plan is not so different from what you suggested...i.e. She wants to come off methadone so that she could become pregnant in about a year (am I reading that right, OP?). Personally, it sounds like you've stabilized really well, Karm, and I think now sounds like a great time to begin tapering your methadone (and making a plan to come off the xanax, though at 1mg/day it doesn't sound like that will be too hard).

In terms of *staying* quit...yes, that's really tough for most of us.

The advice about severing social ties that keep drugs in your life is spot on. Some people are able to maintain old, drug-influenced friendships during recovery, but you'll increase your chances if you can move on, onto new social circles.

I'm also a big believer that asking for help improves most people's odds during recovery. Is there any kind of intensive outpatient program in your area? If you check with major hospitals/clinics in your area, you may well find one. Though these kinds of programs vary in quality, they can be really helpful, especially in terms of helping you figure out how *you* can keep yourself clean/sober (this is something each of us needs to figure out For ourselves). If a formal program isn't on the table, there are plenty of other places to seek support. Groups like NA, SMART, and Refuge Recovery--they're not for everyone. But sometimes they can be good enough. Sometimes they can even be really helpful.

 

[Jabberwocky]

My concern is only insofar as alprazolam is a teratogen, whereas methadone is not. The difficult or ease in coming off that will have a lot to do with how it's been used and for how long. You're right, 1mg isn't going to be prohibitively hard to come off compared to higher dosages.

That is another good point though, I didn't even think about how opioids like methadone can make it harder to get pregnant. That said though, I'd just be more concerned with alprazolam than methadone. But I guess I made that fairly clear

 

[KARMABI.CH]

Hey guys haven't been to the site in a while but am down to 34mls of methadone I'm doing a manicure/pedicure course which is coming to an end soon then hopefully I'll be able to do the next stage and get a nail technician diploma under my belt I've made conscious decision not to drop down on methadone until I've achieved this and then my goal is to drop down to 20mls of methadone and then cut off it all together I believe there will be little difference in coming off 20mls than 1ml I just don't see the point in going through excruciating pain and dragging it out for God knows how long! any ex methadone users out there who can give solid advice, I've been experimenting with phoenix tears(high thc content oil) this 'supplement' is honestly the only thing that is strong enough to over come methadone withdrawals. Please any input much appreciated peace

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have heard from others that there isn't a big difference between coming off 20mg or going down below that, but my own experience has been that people experience less discomfort when they taper down as low as possible. It is important to slow down the taper when you get around 20mg though, because each drop will be much more noticeable. But the amount of suffering involved in each dosage drop is less significant than what will be gained by getting a low as possible.

It sounds like you're making the right decisions considering your health and recovery for the present though. Take you time with the methadone, you have the rest of your life to recovery. Doing this "right" now with your decisions for treatment will make things a lot more manageable down the road.

Kudos on the mani/pedi course! Having stuff like that to occupy your time and orient around in terms of your sense of self is super, super helpful for your long term recovery.

In terms of coming off the methadone, whatever you do, please try and get yourself some comfort meds organized to help you manage the transition off. They'll be even more important if you choose to jump off at a dose like 10-20mg. Even if you choose to wait to jump off until you're under 5-10mg, they'll still be really important. I'm talking about clonidine and gabapentin at a minimum, but ideally also diazepam and buprenorphine.

Don't wait until the last minute to get the comfort meds organized and planned out. Find a doctor ASAP if you don't have one or if you current doctor isn't willing to provide you with appropriate comfort meds like clonidine/gabapentin/diazepam. It will take time to organize, but luckily you still have a bit of time left on your methadone as you continue to taper. So now is the perfect time to start getting things organized for your final push off.

The more you can do to organize support for yourself for when you make the final jump, the more manageable it will be. And with something like methadone, every last little bit can make a big difference.

 

[KARMABI.CH]

I've been doing a lot of research and supplements + high octane medical marrijuana +subtext which is really hard to get cause it's illegal in Ireland me and my partner are going to take turns helping each other go through withdrawal one of us is going to stay on low dose until the other one feels well enough to be able to help the other.

 

[KARMABI.CH]

I think pregablin and minimal benzos from doctor as to many can make withdrawal worse imo

 

[Jabberwocky]

Pregabalin works really well for opioid withdrawal. I prefer gabapentin, but they're very similar drugs. Actually I prefer baclofen over those two, but again very similar in effects.

What benzos are you think? Generally speaking you'll want a mid-long acting one like clonazepam or diazepam (IMO diazepam works better than clonazepam, and is preferred by many detox protocols when dealing with opioid withdrawal).