Hey there, I am new and sort of in the same boat.
I started on methadone because I just couldn't afford my $100/day habit, or at least didn't like the things I had been doing to pay for it. I tried to quit cold turkey but it was an absolute unbearable hell, and I had no knowledge whatsoever about the things that might have helped me through a detox.
Methadone entitled me to welfare, welfare paid for the methadone and any other prescriptions, so I thought it was my best option for getting clean.
I started methadone about a year ago, stabilized at 70ml, and took my last 4ml dose on Friday.
I have prescriptions for clonodine and xanax, but they are both comically low doses. Xanax is .25mg, and the Clonodine is .025mg.
It's funny because until a few hours ago I had been misreading the clonidine bottle as .25mg, thinking I was taking an ok dose, and wondering why the hell it wasn't helping. Damn decimal point...you've foiled me for the last time!
We'll see if I actually make it to sleep tonight now that I know better.
I found that melatonin actually makes me very agitated. It is the sensation of being really damn tired but not being able to sleep. I am glad to hear it is helpful for other people, but it really isn't doing it for me. Maybe after adjusting my clonodine dose at bedtime tonight the melatonin will work better.
I have been taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which has helped me get a few tossy-turny hours of sleep a night, but I read in a separate thread here that it might actually be hurting me more than it is helping.
Bless you bluelighters and your glorious wisdom! No more benadryl for me.
I am going to go out and buy some loperamide tomorrow. That is another thing I hadn't considered. I did read somewhere that imodium was helpful for detox, but only to combat the ensuing diarrhea. By some strange luck I have not experienced any diarrhea yet so I wouldn't have ever thought to take it if I hadn't started browsing here. (Again, bless you!)
Anyways, enough about me, here is some helpful information for others, or at least I hope it is.
Things I have found helpful:
I am taking two 50mg tablets of 5HTP 3 times daily. If you're not familiar with it, it is an herbal supplement that boosts serotonin levels in your brain, combating stress and anxiety. It takes about a week before it starts to make a difference, but I am pretty sure it is making a big difference. I started taking it a few days before I quit methadone, and today I feel great emotionally. Still feel like shit physically, but my mood is great!
One thing though, if you are taking antidepressants or St. John's Wart, or basically anything else that does the same thing, don't combine it with 5HTP because it can cause serotonin syndrome, which = really bad depression. 5HTP works better for me than any antidepressant ever has and it is all I need.
I'm also taking a multivitamin, some extra B12 because the amount in my multivitamin isn't enough, three 500mg capsules of blueberry concentrate 3x/day for their antioxidant power (I hear antioxidants play a big role), and in the miscellaneous category a yerba mate/green tea/ginger blend pill that is actually marketed as a diet pill (called MetaSlim), but seems to help a little in terms of energy.
I can't really handle coffee as it makes my pounding heart pound harder, so yerba mate was my next choice. Doesn't seem to exacerbate the hypertension, which is nice.
Most helpful thing I have found so far though is exercise. Getting up on my stationary bike seems like an insurmountable goal most of the time, but when I manage to do it, I feel almost normal for the rest of the day afterwards. The fever and chills make it kind of uncomfortable to work out, but if I turn on the TV or some music it kind of distracts me enough to get through it.
I hope that helps. As always, I totally recommend relying on herbal rather than pharmaceutical as much as you can because I am a filthy hippy and can't help but say that.
Don't give up, and remember, Groovy75, your being strong in the face of conflict is setting the right kind of example for your kids. If you can make it through this, you can damn well make it through anything. Much love.