A lightweight looking for methadone advice

[Pattybarnes]

Im a 25 yo male

I started doing opiates about 3-4 years ago and only about 1.5 years ago did I start doing them regularly until I was doing 50-100mgs of Oxy a day. This isnt very high compared to alot of other people. I tried kicking on my own but it became apparent very quickly that i was going to need some help so i decided to see a doctor about methadone.

I started methadone about 1.5 months ago. I started at 20mg. It took the WDs away and i was in no pain at all so i decided to just stay with that dose. About 2 weeks ago i moved down to 17 mgs and i feel fine. Painless.

I too wonder how i will feel when i taper down to 1-5 mgs and then stop. I feel like it will be relatively painless. Can anyone give me any advice on this?

I feel like if i would have started methadone at 10mgs it would have been enough to make me not need to take oxys.

For me, it wasnt really as much the mental desire to take them once i was physically hooked. I have always had an extremely addictive personality but once i found myself physically addicted to Oxy the minimum dose of methadone that i could have taken to make the physical wds stop i feel would have been a good enough dose. I understand that i am different then alot of the people who are having issue on here.

I read people talking about the thomas recipe and all these other comfort drugs to help with methadone wds and it just makes me wonder what the point of taking the methadone is in the first place. When i was looking to kick oxys everywhere i looked gave the same exact advice about the benzos, clonidine, thomas recipe etc

By starting methadone and slowly tapering down to 1-5 mgs i thought that was to get around the withdrawls of the opiate your originally addicted too. Or is it to maintain a more productive lifestyle? My life has been no more productive on the methadone then it has been on oxys.

I dont know, can someone shed some light?

Thanks

 

[pasha]

The aim of opioid replacement therapy, is to maintain a sustainable, healthy, and productive lifestyle for someone who is dependent.

There's no way around withdrawals.

Homeless -> Basic Drug Discussion

 

[Pattybarnes]

I do understand that but keeping in mind that i am at 17 right now down from 20 which was my highest dose... If i wait a month then go to 14 then a month then 11, month, 8, month 5, month, 2 then say go a month and a half at 1 mg and then jump off....
What sort of withdrawals can u expect? What if i wait till im down to 5 mg then switch to suboxon? How would that be for me?

How long are withdrawals from suboxone roughly?

I undestand everyone is different, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[adder]

The best option for you would be to taper it down even quicker than every month. I can remember when I was 17 and hooked on morphine. If I then simply have tapered down with methadone and haven't relapsed again to finally stay permanently on methadone for like 2.5 years. The withdrawal was terrible even though I slowly decreased the dose. Now I'm on Suboxone and all it does to me is making me have a headache sometimes or restless legs piss me off because I can't sleep and am too lazy to go get Suboxone, I hate it so much. Don't go into maintenance if you don't have to. 1.5 months is not long, you could taper off methadone and live without a substitute or oxycodone itself.

 

[Pattybarnes]

ADDER

What exactly do you mean. I need the maintenance in the sense that i cant handle the WDs of the oxy i was addicted to, but at this point i have learned my lesson. I know that if i go back to the oxy i will be in a bad place again and the cycle will continue. I dont need the methadone to leep myself away from oxy anymore. Im looking to get off the methadone as soon as possible but want to go about this as painlessly as possible. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot

 

[opi8]

It's going to hurt no matter how or what you do to get off opiates. You simply cannot escape that.

Oxy withdrawal is quicker and more painful, generally speaking. Methadone withdrawal is longer and less painful, generally speaking.

It's still going to hurt, you're still going to have PAWS (although a relatively minor case of if you've only been on methadone for such a short time).

There is nothing that will make this easy, otherwise everyone would do it. Sorry mate, at some stage, you're going to have to go through the inevitable.

 

[missmeyet?]

Hmm, I think most people with experience of oxys and methadone will tell you on such a low dose of oxys you would have been better off just tapering down and coming off the oxys. Methadone withdrawals, in most peoples opinions, are much tougher. Methadone has a much longer half life wgich causes the withdrawals to be more difficult. Pretty much same with bupe.

Also, IMO, the reason Methadone is supposed to give you a "better quality of life" is when your habit (oxy, heroin etc) is causing you a lot of difficulties, costing you a lot of money you can't afford, obtaining them illegally (which is always the case of course with heroin), etc. Since the methadone is legal (assuming you are getting a presciption for it or attending a clinic) and very inexpensive compared to illicit drugs, it improves your quality of life. So I'm not sure I understand what kind of improvements you were expecting from taking it.

 

[Pattybarnes]

No, it has definatly improved my quality of life, i was just saying it hadnt made me any more productive. But i think thats just because im a bit depressed about all this. During my oxy habit i was always able to hold down a job, pay for my apartment etc but it was definatly causing problems with money, with my girlfriend and with my physical/mental state. I definatly feel better and am doing better in those regards but i hope im not causing a bigger problem then what i had before. I obtained all my oxy illegally and didnt have the willpower to be able to taper down with it properly. Id try and quit sooooo many times. Stop for a few days, go to the gym, promise myself id never do it again but i would always go back. I was out of options so decided to get help. To fix my money problems, fix my relationship and stop the pain and mental anguish the constant cycle was having on me. I just want to say that to anyone that said i should have just toughed it out with the oxy. A: i just couldnt do it, i tried and tried and could not stop fucking doing it and B: its too late for that unfortunatly.

I just want to be back to normal.

It just dissapoints me so much that my Doctor didnt mention any of this and just said i could taper it down and be more or less home free. I live in Canada so its not like they are working for profit or anything lile that. They are genuinely trying to help you so why not mention that ill still have a long painfull withdrawl on methadone?

Im at the point where i just dont know what to do. Going back to doing oxy the way i was isnt an option. I could see myself having the control and willpower to only do it on special occasions since i know how long the road can be if i abuse it again. I know alot of people will read that and think that its just your basic addict talk. Im not looking for advice on that anyways.

Should i taper down quick, jump off and withstand the methadone withdrawls? Switch to bupe then go through those wds? Whatever i do i will taper down to a very small dose to hopefully make the pain as less intense as possible.

Is there anything else i can go on to make the transition less painful? I know about benzos and thomas recipe and all that. I will deinatly be obtaining "none physically depending" amounts of xanax, valium etc once i jump off and am no longer putting any opiates into my body.

Thanks alot for the replies, i really appreciate it everyone