• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Best way to take the edge off methadone withdrawal?

Relapse

Relapse

Greenlighter
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
26
I've been doing a slow taper over the last couple months and tomorrow will be my first day taking no methadone at all. I've been getting brutal muscle spasms and I feel so restless I'm going to go insane. I have several RX's at my disposal and I'm wondering which one might help the most.
So far taking Klonopin seems to be in the lead, which leads me to my first question: how long could I take Klonopin on a daily to near-daily basis before becoming physically addicted? I really just need to get through this first week most of all. I want to be super careful with the length of time I administer the Klonopin for, I just got off it 6 months ago and that taper was hell. Also, I have Valium, Soma, Darvocet, clonidine (which I hate taking, makes me feel awful), and Vicoprofen RX's I could try if you think any of those could be used to aid this process, without setting me back, of course.
I appreciate anyone's input and welcome any additional advice on how to lessen the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.
 
Defanitly take the soma if you are already having muscle spasms, as thats why its prescribed. I wouldnt take benzos for more than 10 days strait and even then some people might have problems ceasing use (mentally more than physically). I find Valium better than klonopin for w/ds but thats just me. You have way more than most who are going through w/d, it wont be fun but it could be alot worse. Good Luck :).
 
Valium is really nice for taking the edge off of withdrawal.

How long one can take a benzo without forming a dependency is different from everyone else.

I would advise only taking a benzo one or two days, and then take a break from it. You don't want to use them for a week only to find out how hard it is to quit taking them.
 
D's said:
I'm not sure what you are trying to do. You want to be off of opiates for good? Or are you looking into something to placebo the methadone.
Click to expand...

Not looking for anything to placebo the methadone, just want to get off it and be done with the vicious cycle of methadone dependency once and for all.

I appreciate everyone's advice! I think I'm going to try to alternate between benzos some days and Soma other days so I'm not taking a Valium or Klonopin throughout consecutive days. Next time I'll try the Valium instead of a KP.
 
I'm on 120mg Methadone a day as part of my pain management. They don't work too well unless I take all twelve at once but I've also went three or four days without taking any without noticing anything other than increased sweating. How long does it take before people are in full blown withdrawls?

I've been through alcohol withdrawals too many times to count. the last time was about ten years ago and I was puking every drop of water sick for a full six days but yet I had to keep trying to keep water down!!! What a shitty thing that was.

I've read that alcohol withdrawal is worse than just about any other cold turkey withdrawal. Is Methadone one of the just abouts?

Good luck to you OP!
 
Last edited:
you're pretty well equiped... soma and diazepam for muscle spasms, clonazepam for seizures, and vicoprophene is i presume a weak opiate with ibu. which should help with the shits, maybe some loperamide would help...

I'm jealous as fuck thou i'm at 32 down from 90 and allready having a hard time... how many mg did u drop/week?
 
cire113 said:
what is so bad about methadone? besides running out and withdrawal?
Click to expand...

Methadone is an awesome, helpful drug in a lot of ways, I just don't want to be on it anymore. I have actually spent slightly more time on methadone than I have spent using heroin, which is a horrifying thought to me. It's just my time to get off. I was never on a high dose (50mg at the highest) because I did not want to get stuck on it, but even at that dose I felt my senses dulled, my creativity suffered, even my ability to enjoy music, sex, all kinds of things. I'd rather have a go at being a responsible user again, sans methadone. I don't want to be dependent on any more RX's. I got off 2-3mgs of Klonopin a day earlier this year, now it's the methadone's turn.

deloppoled said:
How long does it take before people are in full blown withdrawls?

I've read that alcohol withdrawal is worse than just about any other cold turkey withdrawal. Is Methadone one of the just abouts?
Click to expand...

It took me a while to start feeling it. I hovered at various doses for a while though to try to stabilize. Once I got under 10mgs, life started sucking.

Yeah methadone withdrawal is awful. The first time I kicked methadone late last year, it was much worse than this (this time I kept my dose lower than before). I felt fucked for months.

phatass said:
I'm jealous as fuck thou i'm at 32 down from 90 and allready having a hard time... how many mg did u drop/week?
Click to expand...

I did it really slowly this time. Once I got down really low, like 15-20mg, I started dropping by a half mg a day. Sorry to hear you're already having a hard time :( Good luck!
 
Relapse said:
Not looking for anything to placebo the methadone, just want to get off it and be done with the vicious cycle of methadone dependency once and for all.

I appreciate everyone's advice! I think I'm going to try to alternate between benzos some days and Soma other days so I'm not taking a Valium or Klonopin throughout consecutive days. Next time I'll try the Valium instead of a KP.
Click to expand...

Hey Relapse! Valium is a great drug when it is used correctly, just be careful dude! You have to tell your self that this pill is ONLY USED for aiding the withdrawal symptoms of the methadone WD's. The second you think, "wow, I'm high." Tell someone! fuck dude go to a NA meeting and tell them! The last thing you want is get in that mind set that your starting to feel better.

With my experience with methadone withdrawals is that it sucked, it fucking sucked. Benzodiazapams hardly did a damn thing, all it helped me with was my sleep. I was able to fucking sleep without my dose. I did think about Suboxone, but I told my self "how the fuck will this help me in the long run?"

My first 2 days were awful, I called NA and thank god there was a meeting within 15 miles. When I got to the NA meeting I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. So when I walked to the coffee maker a man that I will call; "Big Book Bob" , asked me how my day was going, and he told me that I looked like shit.
It felt nice to be able to say that I felt like shit, and to be proud of it, instead of fucked up. I've gone to NA/AA meetings high before, and it was almost like the fellowship knew it, and when I went sober, with super D.T's (Delirium Tremens), They accepted me.

I'm not trying to shove this shit at you dude, just give it a shot dude, what do ya got to lose? Hell you mite meet a girlfriend! (after the plant, and pet rule ;))
Watch out tho, stick with the people with double digit years. They may be mean, but those people know what it's like to overcome shit like temptations, urges, beer commercials, and fuck even a sex-ad popping up on your computer! :)

Good luck brother! Let me know if you need any help finding any recovery groups in your area!
-D

Oh yeah dude, you can't do this alone! Find that thing,person,tree,cloud what ever that gives you strength, courage, and hope. :)
 
I've found that getting off of methadone is best done using suboxone.. assuming its available to you. I was on 100-120 mg's methadone a day for about a year and a half.. and frequently supplemented my dose with what was being sold by the dude outside of the clinic. For me (and I know its different for alot of folks) it took a while after I stopped the Methadone before I really felt the withdrawal symptoms. I took my last dose on a Monday morning and it was Friday afternoon when I really started having some big problems. The half life is long.. 96 hours I believe, but could be wrong. It will take a high dose of Subonxone initially to alleviate the withdrawal. I'd say between 16 and 24 mg's for the first few days. From there you can taper down pretty quick.. 2 mg's every two days or so. Of course, this will stave off the worst of the withdrawal but you still won't be totally comfortable. I stopped on a Monday. Started the Suboxone on a Friday. Started with 24 mg's and worked my way to nothing in two weeks. I still had chills. Some trouble sleeping. But nothing too bad.. of course this also varies greatly from person to person. It was about 2 months until I felt pretty much "normal." Now that is if the Suboxone is available. And if so.. you can drag out the taper pretty long if you want to. I've heard people say Suboxone withdrawal is terrible.. the worst withdrawal ever. I haven't found this to be so. Compared to Fentanyl (the 1200mcg lollipops) and Dilaudid.. I didn't find it that bad. The worst for me were the chills that never seemed to go away. And its good because you can get down to such a small dose.. 2 mg.. ive even seen people breaking the 2 mg tablets in half. So the taper is much easier than methadone. To me, Methadone is the worst opiate withdrawal. If the Suboxone is not available.. its going to be pretty hard to manage alot of the symptoms. Other weaker opiates, low mg oxycodone, vicodin, etc.. will take a small bit of the edge off.. the benzos of course, some soma.. and ambiens can be useful. But I've found there still is some discomfort. I wouldnt worry so much about the benzo withdrawal (even though its brutal, I know.. but it does take some time to develop.. I know everyones physiology is different, but I've found it takes some time to build up a dependency on benzos.. a couple months for me.) Your immediate task is to get off the methadone. The longer acting benzo's (Valium) are good, but pretty much any of them will help you feel a bit more comfortable through this. I hated methadone (not knocking the drug, just me personally) and kicking it was one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life. But I'm glad I did it. I recommend to anyone who has the means (health insurance, time off from work available, etc..) to enter into a treatment program for the detox and inpatient rehab. In the Chicago area at least this is kinda tough to do. Alot of places don't do methadone detox. At least not until you are at a low enough dose to "jump" to the Suboxone. If you can do it the inpatient route, do it. If not.. managing it yourself with benzo's, other much weaker opiates, sleep aids, etc.. is possible, but tricky. The thing with methadone withdrawal is that it last sooo long because of the half life. You dont want to end up trading one habit for another. I know this was a rambling post.. but I hope at least something in here helped someone. It's tough.. but you can get off methadone.
 
I've found that getting off of methadone is best done using suboxone.. assuming its available to you. I was on 100-120 mg's methadone a day for about a year and a half.. and frequently supplemented my dose with what was being sold by the dude outside of the clinic. For me (and I know its different for alot of folks) it took a while after I stopped the Methadone before I really felt the withdrawal symptoms. I took my last dose on a Monday morning and it was Friday afternoon when I really started having some big problems. The half life is long.. 96 hours I believe, but could be wrong. It will take a high dose of Subonxone initially to alleviate the withdrawal. I'd say between 16 and 24 mg's for the first few days. From there you can taper down pretty quick.. 2 mg's every two days or so. Of course, this will stave off the worst of the withdrawal but you still won't be totally comfortable. I stopped on a Monday. Started the Suboxone on a Friday. Started with 24 mg's and worked my way to nothing in two weeks. I still had chills. Some trouble sleeping. But nothing too bad.. of course this also varies greatly from person to person. It was about 2 months until I felt pretty much "normal." Now that is if the Suboxone is available. And if so.. you can drag out the taper pretty long if you want to. I've heard people say Suboxone withdrawal is terrible.. the worst withdrawal ever. I haven't found this to be so. Compared to Fentanyl (the 1200mcg lollipops) and Dilaudid.. I didn't find it that bad. The worst for me were the chills that never seemed to go away. And its good because you can get down to such a small dose.. 2 mg.. ive even seen people breaking the 2 mg tablets in half. So the taper is much easier than methadone. To me, Methadone is the worst opiate withdrawal. If the Suboxone is not available.. its going to be pretty hard to manage alot of the symptoms. Other weaker opiates, low mg oxycodone, vicodin, etc.. will take a small bit of the edge off.. the benzos of course, some soma.. and ambiens can be useful. But I've found there still is some discomfort. I wouldnt worry so much about the benzo withdrawal (even though its brutal, I know.. but it does take some time to develop.. I know everyones physiology is different, but I've found it takes some time to build up a dependency on benzos.. a couple months for me.) Your immediate task is to get off the methadone. The longer acting benzo's (Valium) are good, but pretty much any of them will help you feel a bit more comfortable through this. I hated methadone (not knocking the drug, just me personally) and kicking it was one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life. But I'm glad I did it. I recommend to anyone who has the means (health insurance, time off from work available, etc..) to enter into a treatment program for the detox and inpatient rehab. In the Chicago area at least this is kinda tough to do. Alot of places don't do methadone detox. At least not until you are at a low enough dose to "jump" to the Suboxone. If you can do it the inpatient route, do it. If not.. managing it yourself with benzo's, other much weaker opiates, sleep aids, etc.. is possible, but tricky. The thing with methadone withdrawal is that it last sooo long because of the half life. You dont want to end up trading one habit for another. I know this was a rambling post.. but I hope at least something in here helped someone. It's tough.. but you can get off methadone.
 
^^^How about some paragraphs buddy? a little hard to read

Sorry. I tend to ramble. Could be intoxication. Perhaps the same as that which is causing your double/blurry vision.
 
benzo's and weed (if you smoke) are a godsend if ur going throug mad withdrawals... even something like seroquel or risperidone wont hurt as it can at least help knock you out and get some rest.
 
Start with the Propoxyphene, then the Hydrocodone. Try to use these mainly to begin with, use the Benzo's very sparingly or not at all. Once you are out of the Propoxyphene and Hydrocodone, then start using the other medication as needed. The main thing is to go slow when you titrate up your dose. Meaning, don't swallow 3 or 4 Klonopin at once when you are hitting a rough patch, start with 1 and take another 1 in 15 minutes if you aren't noticing relief, and so on.

Physical dependancy to Benzodiazepines generally takes a good deal longer to establish than it does with opioids. A few weeks of regular Benzodiazepine use shouldn't result in abstinence syndrome when you do stop taking them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top