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Has anyone ever got off Methadone???

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Bluelighter
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Nov 30, 2010
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Direland
Has anyone ever managed to ween them selves off a methadone maintenance program? If so how long did it take you & did the manage to stay off heroin afterwards?

Back when i was very first using heroin i managed to get off heroin using methadone. I had only been using heroin daily for about one year so it was much more manageable. I bought methadone on the street & then i stopped using heroin & then i weened myself off the methadone in the space of 3 weeks, i felt great afterwards!!! :) Unfortunately i started using heroin again 3 months later. Since then i have been using heroin for the last 10 years. I went to my local methadone clinic about 6 or 7 years ago & got on a methadone maintenance program. I've managed to keep my methadone dose low, i take 60mls a day, over the last year & a half i have more or less stopped using heroin, well i don't use it daily anymore, i only use it 2 to 4 times in every 2 weeks. The heroin in Ireland is very weak since the drought so thats why i don't use heroin much anymore.

But at no stage have i ever felt well enough to start reducing my methadone dose, the 60mls barely holds me, but i'm not prepared to higher my dose even though my Doctor has suggested it. I was talking to my Doctor in my methadone clinic yesterday, i told him that i'm frustrated that i don't feel ready to even drop 5mls yet, he said to take my time & some day i'll feel its then right time. (my Doc doesn't know that i still use heroin the odd time) He said when i do start dropping it will be done very slowly, dropping 5mls every 2 weeks & as my dose gets lower i'd start only dropping 2mls every 2 weeks.

He said that the last 15mls of methadone is the hardest to get off, he said if/when i get to that stage that i'd have to go into a detox clinic to get off the last 15mls, he said there is no other way! In the detox clinic they would swap my methadone for a similar drug & then ween me off that. I had never planned to go into a detox clinic, i wouldn't be able to get 4 weeks off work! & i couldn't leave my kids, they are old enough to look after them selves for 4 weeks, but were would i tell them i was going? & what would i tell my family? I'm never gonna burden them about this mess i got myself into, my heroin use is a secret that i want to bring to my grave, i don't want to hurt my family with my selfish problems.

I can't see how i'd ever feel well enough to start dropping my dose, for the 2 or 3 hours before i'm due to take my 60mls i always start getting awful withdrawals. I know that even though i'm only using heroin occasionally that i won't be ready to drop my methadone dose until i've stopped using heroin altogether. But i can't imagine ever feeling well enough to drop my methadone dose. I've feel trapped by methadone, i hate the stuff! I know that i'm not ready yet, but I'd love to think that some day that i'd be able to get off methadone!

So has anyone ever successfully gotten off methadone? How long did it take? Did you stay off heroin afterwards? Did you have to go into a detox clinic to get off methadone? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I know there are plenty of people on methadone who use Bluelight, but i've never heard anyone say that they are dropping their dose or that the got off it? I'd love to hear your stories & thoughts! Thanx! :)
 
This is a great question and I hope someone can answer as I want to know too!! I have been on Methadone maint. for 5 months now...I started at 30 and worked my way up to 90,but then moved up to 95 then up to 100mg's and I vow to never go higher than that no matter what...what gets me is the constant cravings...at first methadone was great but then I guess the honeymoon period was over:) anyways I have a fear of going through w/d with this drug...I can skip a dose and be okay but at 48 hours I am really starting to sweat and get ycuky feelings...I heard at the clinic from other users that even stopping at 5mg's is hard...and at my clinic 5mg is the lowest dose...you go down in 5mg increments...so I have no idea what to do when I get to that point! but that is still a year away if I taper down 5 mg's every 2 weeks...!
 
Yup. And the scag too.

How long it took is a tad complicated though cos it all kinda interweaves and overlaps as you no doubt know. Was addicted to both for 12 years or so - the last two of which were mainly just methadone. Long - very long - slow taper down from... probably 60ml that last time (depending on when "that last time" started from...) down to 30ml/day and then switched to Subutex. Which was like switching night to day. Gawd <3 bupe. If you can get your meth dose down to a level where you can switch straight to bupe then it's a piece of piss after that. Bupe holds a gazillion times better, has plenty beneficial effects (most notably the brilliant antidepressant effect) and is a doddle to taper and quit as and when you choose.

You do have to grit yer teeth and do the initial 'done taper though. Even dropping a ml a month is better than nowt. Discuss it with your consultant or whoever prescribes it for you - they shouldn't force you to drop more than you feel able to at a time. Tortoise and hare stuff - don't rush yerself, make it as painfree as possible. There really is no need for it to be difficult at all no matter how bad your habit gets as long as you don't rush it cos that's just setting yerself up to fail.

Methadone always made me feel crappy but was a necessary evil. Cutting down took me a long time and wasn't exactly a joyful experience. I took it slow enough that I really didn't notice the drops in dose though - it just dragged on for ages and irked me cos I hate fuckin' methadone. As soon as I could switch to bupe everything changed for the better. Wish I'd never asked to be tapered off it now actually :\

Good luck <3
 
Yeah Ganeal the heroin cravings are the worst! Methadone stops my Withdrawals but i has never stopped my cravings for heroin. I am 40 years old, & i have friends that are well into their 50's who have been on methadone for years & years, yet they are no were near ready to get off methadone. Most people say that you never get off it, what a depressing thought!!! :(
 
Hi Shambles! :) Wow its great to hear a positive story of someone who managed to get off methadone! So there is hope! I'm like you i hate methadone & its horrible side effects!

I'm so glad to here that you did it! I don't know you Shambles but i have read many of your posts in the past, you seem like a real up beat person & you seem to be doing really well! I hope that i can follow in your footsteps some day! Thanx so much for your reply!!! <3
 
Why thankee kindlee, Ms Ructions :)

Think it's been ~5 years "clean" now. To be honest, after all those years of junkydom, I was bored shitless with the drug and the lifestyle so a couple more years of shitty methadone was worth it. No easy options to come off the gear really - but it's not like we didn't all know that going in 8)

I know I'm a bit of a bupe evangelist - and it's not for everyone to be fair - but the other Good Thing it has going for it is that it genuinely does stop the cravings for gear. Probably cos it actually feels nice to be on unlike methadone which feels vile. You can also get fucked on Subbies even when on daily script which you definitely can't with 'done. Not that I'm saying it's a Good Thing... but it's nice to have a script you can get a buzz off every now and then if you choose to ;)
 
I think that is why my Doctor said i'd have to go into a detox clinic to get off the last 15mls of methadone. They won't prescribe subutex in kippy Ireland as far as i'm aware, so they probably will only give Subutex to people if they go & stay in a detox clinic! This is a backwards kip, they won't prescribe anything if they think that it might give you some sort of enjoyment, they just want you to suffer!

I will talk to my Doctor about it when i'm there next, i would love to be able to use something other then horrible methadone! Thanx for all the advise Shambles, you've given me plenty of food for thought! :)

PS. An example of how backwards Ireland can be is that condoms were totally illegal here up until 1992!!! 8( This was due to the input of the catholic church, & look at what a disgusting shower of pedophiles the catholic church turned out to be! Dirty hypocrites!!!
 
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The thing is I do not have insurance and bupe cost major $$$ I checked into that before I called the local methadone clinic...before I got on methadone everyone told me never ever to get on it. BUt the first month and now really I do feel like a new person compared to how I felt chasing dope dealers around all day getting sick every 4 days from running out...I mean methadone has saved alot of heartache and stress,but at some pooint I guess I do want to get off,I have to pay 350.00 bucks a month which is alot cheaper than what I paid for dope but I fear I may not have the money one day and have to go into major withdrawls. At the clinic I see people every day who run out of money and pay by the day and scrapetogether the money for a dose,I fear one day that could be me! I hear methadone withdawels are the worst thing in the world!
 
^ Move over here - free prescriptions ftw <3

Maybe not so practical though. No idea about the US system other than I'm incredibly glad we don't have it here. *shudders*. Can but wish you good luck on that one. And ya, methadone w/d are about as nasty as you could ever hope to avoid :|

Good luck <3

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I think that is why my Doctor said i'd have to go into a detox clinic to get off the last 15mls of methadone. They won't prescribe subutex in kippy Ireland as far as i'm aware, so they probably will only give Subutex to people if they go & stay in a detox clinic! This is a backwards kip, they won't prescribe anything if they think that it might give you some sort of enjoyment, they just want you to suffer!

I will talk to my Doctor about it when i'm there next, i would love to be able to use something other then horrible methadone! Thanx for all the advise Shambles, you've given me plenty of food for thought! :)
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Maybe suggest Suboxone if they don't approve of Subutex. They're essentially identical only Suboxone has a tiny bit of Naltrexone in it. It makes no difference subjectively but does make doctors feel happier cos they presume it makes it non-abusable. Worth an ask if they're so uptight about a drug that achieves the desired effect only far less painfully than methadone. Some folks just think junkies haven't already struggled enough :\

Don't give up giving up <3
 
As far as i know the Doctors in Ireland won't prescribe anything besides methadone to heroin users in Ireland. As a result I know little or nothing about Subutex or Suboxone. Its only since coming on Bluelight that i really heard about these drugs.

So thanx for the info Shambles, knowledge is power!!! Maybe if i go into my Doctor & fight for what i want i might just get it! They purposely don't give us any information about these drugs in Ireland so that we can't ask for them. But now with all that you have told me i feel that i can go into my Doctor with the knowledge to ask for what i need! So thanx so much for your help! I'll keep you posted on how i get on!

I'm so glad that i got chatting to you Shables, i always knew that you were one of the good guys!!! <3
 
omg! I could not imagine having free healthcare and free Rx,it really is a pain in the ass. And I am totally in debt from medical bills,but that is another subject!!!
 
Shambles said:
^ Move over here - free prescriptions ftw <3
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Its been a life long dream of mine to live in London, i totally adore the place! My kids are 17 & 21 now, so once they are moved on & happily settled i think i'll follow my life long dream!!! <3

Ganeal that is awful that you have to pay so much for your medication!!! Even in Ireland Methadone is free & so are my visits to the Doctor every 2 weeks. Its seems that in the US people literally can't afford to be sick or need medical help, thats a disgrace! :(
 
I went cold on 70mg, worst month of my life then followed by the second worst month of my life! Do not go cold on a mid-high long time dose of meth!!!

Anyway...I was clean for about 4 months then relapsed but somehow manage to keep my heroin use (previous 12 year on off habit) to once every two weeks when I can afford it and in between I satisfy myself (barely) with benzos, bud and very strong alcohol in combination. I can't see myself getting back onto methadone, coming off it was horrible, the clinic was full of wankers, and the stuff kills your sex life and makes getting high quite hard sometimes! However it is the right thing for people...however the taper is too long and the cold turkey too horrific. Would happily go cold on smack any time over that shit!

1 g of very nice brown a fortnight for me now...no nasty green stuff! Although I did love the taste : )
 
My ex had to go cold off of 140/mg day methadone when he got locked up in jail...He gets out next week,but he went in last November,he said the first 3 months were brutal...Even though he is through all that,he has told me he plans to start back on it when he gets released on June 2nd,and I don't understand for the life of me why he is going to do that. Especially if he could get locked up again at any time...and if you know him that is a great possibility!!
 
You can come off but it's a long, slow business. Taper down all the way - I know a 70 year old who still religiously pours herself 1ml a day. Far from an idiot and swears she needs it. Personally, I think rehabs and detox clinics are a con. But a few users find sympathetic noises and advice from paid strangers helpful and considerably more need the institutional focus and geographical distance from their sources not to succumb to temptation. Can't stay there forever, though, and, whatever the setting, the kick's the same and it's you who goes through it.

I had a methadone habit for eight years. Cut down from 150ml to 15ml over an 18 month period and cold turkeyed from there. If I'd had a choice in the matter, I'd have gone down to at most 5ml before quitting altogether, regardless of how much I hated the stuff. As it was, I didn't sleep a wink for 5 days - something I'd have not thought possible if I hadn't experienced it myself - and barely more than an hour or two a day for a month. The rest, surprisingly, wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected. Nothing like as intense as a smack kick but seems to go on much longer. And the overpowering lack of energy that follows and lasts 6weeks-2 month for every year of addiction was a nightmare. After 15 months of nothing, I'd had enough and went back on the dope. Never touched methadone since, though. There again, while I've always loved smack, I never got on with methadone at all. Might be harder for those who like it and have to invent and hold onto reasons to kick something which agrees with them.

When you look back on it, the policy decision to deny new heroin scripts except in exceptional circumstances but to hand out methadone more or less on demand has to rank among the craziest decisions in a field marked by practices varying from dubious to insane. At first, it was held you were 'clean' if you were off heroin and on methadone. By the 1970s the Woody Allen joke " I used to be a heroin addict, now I'm a methadone addict " changed that and the powers that be have blundered on ever since. Even though a switch back to heroin on script would result in less crime, less deaths, less infections and, in all reality, less drug users, it's still yet to be introduced. 320,000 British subjects are liable to arrest every day of their lives. Madness.


PS Ructs, subutex are only temgesic under another name. I've not really come across any habitues with much time for them and, like Shambles says, they're more of use for keeping you off if you can't manage the pure abstinence..
 
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^ & ^^ Excellent posts <3

charlie clean said:
PS Ructs, subutex are only temgesic under another name. I've not really come across any habitues with much time for them and, like Shambles says, they're more of use for keeping you off if you can't manage the pure abstinence..
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Ya, subbies are mainly for maintanance but also extremely handy for avoiding that notoriously horrid "last push" if you're trying to come of methadone. You can switch to bupe when at a low enough 'done dose and skip the neverending meth w/d stuff completely. If and when you decide to come off the bupe it's a gazillion times easier cos the cluck really ain't too bad at all. Lasted about a week for me but I had (with hindsight rather stupidly) agreed to take part in a pilot study at the detox clinic so my actual final detox was fairly... novel you could say. In fact the only Good Thing to come of that week (other than the actual detox... which is maybe of debatable value) was that the detox regime being studied never got beyond the pilot stage. *shudders*
 
Thanx for all your reply's! :) Everyone has been so helpful! Its good to hear that some of you did manage to get off methadone, coz its rare to hear of people getting away from it! I have heard stories of people like Charlie's mate who are down to 5mls of methadone or less & they just can't seem to drop that last few mls! Its hard to believe that such a small amount would be even worth taking, but it must be coz i have heard people say this many times!

I do not want to ever go into a detox clinic like my Doctor suggested, or any type of clinic for that matter, i'd hate it & i don't want to burden my family with my selfish drug problems, & i couldn't afford to take 4 weeks off work anyway, nor would my boss let me! But it seems that the only way they'll prescribe Subutex in this backwards kip is if you go & stay in a clinic were they can watch me! Its so stupid, this is nothing but a Nanny State!!! GURRRrrrrr....!!! :! But i will talk to my Doctor about it, I'll tell him that i won't & i can't go into a detox clinic, but that i will want subutex when the time comes! He'll tell me tough luck, no detox clinic not subutex, but i'll have to try anyway!!!

Thanx to everyone who shared their stories & gave advice! I really do appreciate everyones help! :) Its great to hear that people managed to get off methadone, but it seems like a very daunting process.... 8( I love to hear from anyone else who has had similar experiences, thank~you!!! XXX :D
 
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