Opioids Methadone Taper/ Detox

[lyserg]

Hey everybody I'm not sure if anyone here remembers me but I was a moderator here in the Other Drugs Forum here a few years back and kind of drifted away from the site after a while but I am back! I have been doing really well and am still on MMT and I've decided to completely detox and get off methadone for good. I'm pretty damn motivated and have detoxed all the way down to 23mg's. I have my whole detox figured out with the dosages and times inbetween and all that I just wanted some advice from people who have tapered successfully. Where did you have the most trouble and why? What helped you in the process? Also what were your symptoms when you got to zero and for how long did they last? I don't want any cold turkey horror stories as I've heard them all haha I just want some people who have taken it super slow and come out on the other side. Thanks everyone in advance and its good to be back!

 

[Deadhead420]

I don't have much experience at all with methadone. I was on suboxone myself and successfully tapered off. That said, congrats on getting down to 23mg. I don't know what your original dose was but you could probably cold turkey off 23mg without it being too horrible. Of course if your on the program and they let you taper down slowly then nothing wrong with that approach either.

Really, what I came to say was from experience with withdrawals a few good things to have is clonidine, benzos, marijuana, and immodium. You probably already know this from being a mod but clonidine directly helps the part of your brain that deals with withdrawals. Benzos for the anxiety. Immodium and marijuana for stomach issues. If you can get all 4 of those drugs you'd probably be golden to quit right now. Clonidine is prescription but not scheduled or abusable and doctors know it helps opiate withdrawal. Go to a good doc and tell him the truth that your looking to get off methadone (ask for it if he doesn't suggest it first) and chances are good you'll walk out with a script. Immodium is OTC. Benzos and marijuana you're on your own though.

 

[lyserg]

Yeah I will have a good amount of benzos to help but i doubt ill really take much of them and cannabis usually makes my heart race during withdrawal so ill prob steer clear of that. Ill most likely go to a doctor for clonidine but honestly its just the lower doses that i need some advice for, not really what will happen at 0. Anyone have any advice with how they got through the lower doses of methadone, say below 20mgs?

 

[walterdini]

What is it that your worried about it specifically? If it is going into w/d or feeling w/d symtoms when you drop from 23mgs to lower doses I think u'll be ok. As far as I know, there isn't a fixed threshold dose that when you go below it, you start feeling sick. I believe that ur particular threshold dose is based on ur tolerance and so long as you taper low and slow, you won't have any acute w/d symptoms.

PAWS ans mental withdrawls are a diff issue tho goodluck and keepp it up!

 

[lyserg]

Just giving this thread a bump, does anyone have any advice as to how they went about their methadone detox? Any replies are helpful!

 

[tokenname]

Just giving this thread a bump, does anyone have any advice as to how they went about their methadone detox? Any replies are helpful!

i don't really have advice..i c/t'd it..
my advice would be don't do that!

but i have a friend who tapered himself..
he was at 180mg/day..
he went straight to 90mg/day in the beginning..
not many symptoms..except trouble sleeping..
after that he dropped 10mg every other week..
and was reasonably comfortable.
the problems came when he got to the lower dosages.
i thought he was gonna give in @ 20mg. tbh..
he thought about it for sure..
but hung in there w/the help of benzos.
overall it took him several months..but he's been off for a 2 or 3
years now..and he's much happier.
i know i've seen taper plans for methadone here in od before.
this prob. isn't much help..but it's all i've got.
good luck!