Help getting off methadone!

[lifeiscrazy86]

Hi everyone. So i have been taking around 70mg liquid methadone every two days for quite a while now. Before this methadone binge I have been on Suboxone for several years after a long iv heroin addiction and I was down to only 2 mg a day subs and was one dr visit away from starting to get off subs altogether...

Well I guess I just got bored of subs and craved an opiate high again and that's why I tried methadone which I seemed to love at first but now it doesn't provide the euphoria or do anything for me or it just makes me tired and wish I was on suboxone again. I don't have reliable supply of methadone and I know I have a horrible methadone detox ahead of me .

I was Able to get one last bottle of 140mg liquid methadone. I have gone to my sub dr and told him the truth and my methadone fuck up to see what he could do and he said I made a horrible mistake and methadone WD are way worse and longer than heroin WDs and harder to quit !. After saying I needed rehab and all this crap I was able to get him to realize I was going to do this at home. He gave me script for 60 strips of the 8mg subs and Said I will be needing them now that I made the stupid decision to get additcted to methadone. This was more subs then he ever gave me in the past years of getting off heroin so I knew it was going to be rough ESPECIALLY The 3 days zero methadone required before being able to induce subs again and this scares the shit out of me. With heroin I could take subs the very next day after using
I'm trying to get ready with Kratom and phenibut for the three days
What is he best way to utilize this final 140 mg methadone with a quick taper ?
When can I start to induce suboxone ? (I have waited over three days before and one 2mg sub made me worse so it must of been too early still)
So subs seemed to have lost their magic ever since I got on this methadone shit. Please help. What is the right way to get back on subs and never look back??? Any advice and or personal experience appreciated!!

 

[My3sons]

That's why they are called maintenance. These drugs are designed to keep you stable and off drugs not to keep you high. Honestly you should have known better. If subs lost their magic why would you think methadone wouldn't? Good luck switching back. Maybe you should hold off on maintenance drugs until you are ready to quit getting high. You just put your tolerance through the roof and what will you do when you actually want to stop? You are burning through your last resort bridges.

 

[vision conquest]

Hey I was on methadone 15 years and swapped onto subs last year, I did it reasonably painlessly but that was because I tapered my done dose down to 17.5mg over a period of years.

Thee problem is jumping from high dose methadone the subs will not have you feeling to hot for a while.

If it were me I would use that last 140mg as follows.

Day 1 take your usual dose of 70mg

Day 2 as you said you normally only dose every other day skip this day if you can.

Day 3 take a half dose 35mg

Day 4 17.5mg

Day 5 17.5mg

You will still need to wait at least 48 hrs after the last dose to induce sub probably longer, you really need to wait until you are in full wd.



This method may help but it still will not be a comfortable week at all.

I feel that this method could give you a smoother transition onto sub.

Either way you are in for some bad days man.

You could just use the last of what you have as normal and then wait as long as possible, at least 72hrs then start sub.

It's you call man, I think I would do the fast taper.
I have never used kratom so can't say how that may help, the phenibutt I guess should help, I would rather have some valium but have heard good things about phenibutt.


Wishing you the best mate.

 

[Blind Melon]

I went from 130ish mgs of methadone a day plus a budding xanax addiction (had been taking about 3 bars a day, sometimes klonopin or ativan instead) to Suboxone (why I did this, and did it so quickly is a different story).

The doctor told me that he wanted me to get my methadone dose down to 40 mg before making the switch. And he said if I can get even lower than 40 mg before making the switch that would be even better. I told him I couldn't wait; he wrote me a script for 3x8 mg suboxone strips a day, told me to wait, and consume zero to no methadone for 3-4 days, then make the switch to the suboxone strips. Also made me sign a paper saying that I was receiving treatment Against Medical Advice. Meaning if I was to get hurt during the switch I cannot sue him. Because switching from high-dose Methadone to Suboxone as rapidly as I did is just fucking stupid, downright masochistic, and could be dangerous depending on any pre-existing health conditions.

Well I was an idiot. I should have told him about the benzos so he could have weened me off those as I adjusted to the suboxone.
And I was a dumb idiot for not weening myself down from 100 mg+ to 40 mg or even less.

I waited ~ 5 days before taking my first suboxone strip. I didn't make things better, nothing really happened for an hour or so. So I took another one. And I started to feel worse. Increased sweating and paranoia.

I had a bottle of 50x 2 mg Ativan to ease me through the days of no methadone during the switch. I think it was gone by the middle of the second day. Whether or not it helped me I really have no idea.

From this point on (Having taken my first strip), I very slowly started to feel better and was eventually able to function at about 70% of my normal capacity. I'd say it took me 2.5 months to stop hating life. After 3 months I was just depressed. But benzos and cannabis filled the holes that suboxone never seemed able to (benzos decreased the sweating/anxiety/depression/insomnia, while herb helped me to eat when I otherwise would have had zero appetite. And so long as I was careful not to smoke too much, and to smoke the right strains at the right times things were okay. But there were never better than okay. So I wound up selling my sub strips to buy H.

That said one of my closest friends said he switched from 140 mg Methadone + 3-4 grams H and 2-3 grams Cocaine IV'd daily. He was lucky enough to do his detox in the home of a family member who fed him xanax bars and somas every couple hours throughout the whole thing. He went a full month without the juice before he put his first sub under his tongue. He said after that first suboxone + the ativan his Dr. had 'scripted him made him feel fantastic. And he only needed 2 mg of Subs because he waited the month.

 

[lifeiscrazy86]

Dam I certainly screwed myself by trying to get a cheap high off methadone. I did that because compared to subs methadone is way stronger and more euphoric but that was short lived . I also should have researched coming off of it! The whole waiting at least three days is going to suck. I have etizolam and phenibut and Kratom now for the 4 days I'm trying to go before trying subs again..haven't touched the 140mg methadone I have left yet as I'm scared to use it and have none left when I really start craving it! I just wish I knew how much a tsp of this liquid equates mg wise so I can properly titrate the dose down! I have read ppl saying anywhere from 5mg to 50mg per tsp. I will measure it out and calculate as I think I must know exact dose to do this right Thanks for the tips guys! Anything else help. N of course weed is in my daily regimen too lol

 

[vision conquest]

In Australia methadone is dosed at 5mg/ml, but a take away dose will almost always have water, orange juice or cordial added to the bottle.

I have heard of 1mg/ml and 10mg/ml in the U.K and the U.S.

Really it doesn't matter, as long as you are sure there is 140mg in the bottle then it is just a matter of measuring the total amount of liquid in the bottle and doing some basic math.
You are going to have to do some hard yards no matter which way you go, what you definitely don't want as you have already said is precipitated wd.

Basically the longer you can tough it out before taking your sub the better it will be.

Wishing you the best which ever way you go man.

 

[lifeiscrazy86]

Thank slot. I have to go the three day ays starting today it going to be rough but.have hope. I just want back on suboxone. Only drug I don't crave more and more and doesn't get me high bit still works like magic if not taken too early!

 

[ImSTILLtrying]

used to be on 95MG/day.

the WD are a pain in the ass so I switched back to dope for about 2 weeks and then went back to subs and got off that way.

nowadays I am back on 4MG suboxone before its just easier for me.

 

[lifeiscrazy86]

used to be on 95MG/day.

the WD are a pain in the ass so I switched back to dope for about 2 weeks and then went back to subs and got off that way.

nowadays I am back on 4MG suboxone before its just easier for me.

Yea I got sine dilaudid 4 and never really can feel them since been on methadone but I'm sure they would start working as prove useful in the days between. Thought? What about switching to iv 4 dilaudid and then sub from that detox which would be like heroin and being able to use suboxone the next day ?

 

[crzydiamond]

I wouldn't use kratom for those in between days. It is also a mu agonist...so could lead to precipitated wd even after you're out of the woods for the methadone.

Those days have to be opioid free ...

 

[vision conquest]

Yeah you could use an opioid with a short half life for a week or so and then transfer onto sub once in withdrawl from there.

If you went that way just make sure you have enough of whatever you are using to go for that week, don't use any more methadone during that time.

That would be a less painfull way to do it.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I would advise against over-complicating things by trying to switch to a short-acting Opioid then withdrawing from it. You'll just be trading yourself tit for tat a more intense withdrawal for a shorter duration. Each is difficult in its own way, so don't go to all of the trouble of trying to acquire new supplies for a different protocol. You've already got your Buprenorphine anyway, which is a lot better than many have when they go through this process.

You said you had Methadone left that you could consume. Just ask yourself a question, do you want to do this taper, or do you wish to prolong the experience for a couple of days? If you have already done your 72 hours of abstinence from Methadone, not only will redosing reverse your Bupe induction clock, it will cause you to lose an important benchmark in your own assessment of your sickness. It's easier to work with a medical professional by saing "I have been abstinent for 72 hours" or what have you, as opposed to "I was abstinent for 72 hours, then I got high on Methadone, and now it's been x amount of time"; it complicates things. I wouldn't pass judgement though. If I have Opioids, I use them, period. I lost self-control with this shit back when I was just a teenager.

The best way to get back on Buprenorphine is to continue remaining abstinent, or use your shit and start over, wait for up to 5 days and then attempt to reinduct with a very small amount of Bupe, then, work your way slowly up until the majority of your withdrawal symptoms have abated.

I understand that you're a little bit anxious regarding the necessity of a (up to 5 day) abstinence period. The thing with Methadone is and I don't mean to scare you, is that the first 5 days without it is invariably going to be the easiest part of the withdrawal. Once your ten days into a CT Methadone withdrawal, you'll be looking back on those first few days with happy nostalgia. Luckily though, you won't have to experience a complete withdrawal, you just have to bridge yourself until you can reinduct with the Bupe.

You have a relationship with your Doctor that seems to be somewhat okay, so I think you should resign yourself to the fact that you are going to experience a small amount of pain and attempt to acquire some non-Opioid medications to address some of your withdrawal symptoms. What are these? To name a few, in case you're totally in the dark...

Clonidine - Blood pressure medication. Helps mitigate sweats, chills, temperature insensitivity, lowers blood pressure, addresses physical symptoms of anxiety and in turn, the psychological ones. Should be very easy to obtain.

Propranolol - Does mostly the same shit as Clonidine, but is significantly less popular than the former.

Gabapentinoids - Non-Narcotic, for many, a miralce drug that addresses many of the symptoms of withdrawal, especially the feelings of restlessness/akathisia. Doctor's are starting to recognize the potential for addiction and abuse of both of these medications, so they might be more difficult to obtain.

Cannabis - Relaxation, appetite stimulation, potential to induce sleep.

Sedating Antihistamines; Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Hydroxyzine (Vistaril, Atarax), Promethazine (Phenergan) others. They are all essentially the same, with only very minor differences from drug to drug. I personally avoid these as they tend to exacerbate some of my symptoms. Many others are affected in the same way, but some, a minority it woulld seem, get some relief from sedating antihistamines when in withdrawal.

There are many others, but what I've listed here are really my bread and butter. Good luck to you man. It's a tough process, but if I can do it, you can do it. Also, avoid drinking alcohol at all costs while in withdrawal.

 

[Prescottdave]

The standard medical protocol for transitioning an individual from methadone to suboxone is worth looking up. It involves tapering the person down to 30 mg or lower and then waiting no less then 72 hours before taking a low dose of bupe. I did it this way tapering from 150 mg not from a clinic down to 30 mg over a ten day period.

I actually got the sub doc to prescribe the methadone for three days under a vital state law. It allows the prescribing of narcotics for 3 days to relieve pain and suffering from opiate WD. After three days the doc had to change the indication of the script from a WD aid to a pain medication. With this I was able to do it. I had a diagnosed chronic pain condition at the time

He inducted me in his office which was a good thing. After waiting over 72 hours he gave me a quarter 8mg suboxone or 2 mg. I started having mild PWD including sneezing every few minutes. He advised me to wait another 24 hours before taking another 4mg while titrating up. This worked well. I would never make the transition on anything higher then 30 mg of methdone.

 

[lifeiscrazy86]

I would advise against over-complicating things by trying to switch to a short-acting Opioid then withdrawing from it. You'll just be trading yourself tit for tat a more intense withdrawal for a shorter duration. Each is difficult in its own way, so don't go to all of the trouble of trying to acquire new supplies for a different protocol. You've already got your Buprenorphine anyway, which is a lot better than many have when they go through this process.

You said you had Methadone left that you could consume. Just ask yourself a question, do you want to do this taper, or do you wish to prolong the experience for a couple of days? If you have already done your 72 hours of abstinence from Methadone, not only will redosing reverse your Bupe induction clock, it will cause you to lose an important benchmark in your own assessment of your sickness. It's easier to work with a medical professional by saing "I have been abstinent for 72 hours" or what have you, as opposed to "I was abstinent for 72 hours, then I got high on Methadone, and now it's been x amount of time"; it complicates things. I wouldn't pass judgement though. If I have Opioids, I use them, period. I lost self-control with this shit back when I was just a teenager.

The best way to get back on Buprenorphine is to continue remaining abstinent, or use your shit and start over, wait for up to 5 days and then attempt to reinduct with a very small amount of Bupe, then, work your way slowly up until the majority of your withdrawal symptoms have abated.

I understand that you're a little bit anxious regarding the necessity of a (up to 5 day) abstinence period. The thing with Methadone is and I don't mean to scare you, is that the first 5 days without it is invariably going to be the easiest part of the withdrawal. Once your ten days into a CT Methadone withdrawal, you'll be looking back on those first few days with happy nostalgia. Luckily though, you won't have to experience a complete withdrawal, you just have to bridge yourself until you can reinduct with the Bupe.

You have a relationship with your Doctor that seems to be somewhat okay, so I think you should resign yourself to the fact that you are going to experience a small amount of pain and attempt to acquire some non-Opioid medications to address some of your withdrawal symptoms. What are these? To name a few, in case you're totally in the dark...

Clonidine - Blood pressure medication. Helps mitigate sweats, chills, temperature insensitivity, lowers blood pressure, addresses physical symptoms of anxiety and in turn, the psychological ones. Should be very easy to obtain.

Propranolol - Does mostly the same shit as Clonidine, but is significantly less popular than the former.

Gabapentinoids - Non-Narcotic, for many, a miralce drug that addresses many of the symptoms of withdrawal, especially the feelings of restlessness/akathisia. Doctor's are starting to recognize the potential for addiction and abuse of both of these medications, so they might be more difficult to obtain.

Cannabis - Relaxation, appetite stimulation, potential to induce sleep.

Sedating Antihistamines; Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Hydroxyzine (Vistaril, Atarax), Promethazine (Phenergan) others. They are all essentially the same, with only very minor differences from drug to drug. I personally avoid these as they tend to exacerbate some of my symptoms. Many others are affected in the same way, but some, a minority it woulld seem, get some relief from sedating antihistamines when in withdrawal.

There are many others, but what I've listed here are really my bread and butter. Good luck to you man. It's a tough process, but if I can do it, you can do it. Also, avoid drinking alcohol at all costs while in withdrawal.

Thanks for that very useful and informative post!