Hi I’ve posted a few times before. I have had chronic headaches of various types since 1987. I started pain management in 2000 bc the headaches destroyed my life. Anyway I ran out of my meds early this month. Im taking significantly lower doses of meds then I did from 2000-2015. I was once on high dose methadone with breakthru meds. Now I make do with 120 15mg tabs of oxycodone a month. I ran out over a week early this month, it was on Tuesday. I took my last dose at noon, and around 6 I took a single leftover methadone tablet, plus one Lyrica, Valium and clonidine. I’ve continued the Valium and clonidine thru today and have had virtually no withdrawal. In the past I would take leftover methadone to bridge the gap if I ran out of my prescribed meds. I don’t think that’s necessary and when I do that for too long it blocks the oxycodone when I get my script filled again. While I’m currently in pain I went thru a simple withdrawal, virtually no symptoms but insomnia.
When I got off of methadone, it was a five month ordeal. I tapered by myself and then jumped from too high a dose, 80mg. Went to a shrink and did suboxone and took small amounts and tapered to a minuscule dose. Took forever.
If I were on methadone now, and wanted off, I’d ask for short acting opioids like oxycodone or dilaudid for a month, which alleviates the methadone withdrawal. Once I stopped testing for methadone I’d taper the short acting down and do what I just did: take one or a handful of methadone to get me off of the short acting med.
I don’t know why it’s taken me 25 years to figure this out but this was unlike any WD I’ve been thru and I’ve been thru a lot.
Hope this helps someone.
When I got off of methadone, it was a five month ordeal. I tapered by myself and then jumped from too high a dose, 80mg. Went to a shrink and did suboxone and took small amounts and tapered to a minuscule dose. Took forever.
If I were on methadone now, and wanted off, I’d ask for short acting opioids like oxycodone or dilaudid for a month, which alleviates the methadone withdrawal. Once I stopped testing for methadone I’d taper the short acting down and do what I just did: take one or a handful of methadone to get me off of the short acting med.
I don’t know why it’s taken me 25 years to figure this out but this was unlike any WD I’ve been thru and I’ve been thru a lot.
Hope this helps someone.