Opioids Methadone addict, want to get this shit out of me asap

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Let me start by saying I'm on 80mg and that I know I should reduce slowly until I'm at 30mg then detox from there. I've only been on the program six weeks or so, I just can't face how long it will take to get clean doing it by the book, I need to move on with my life.

I don't think my mental state can handle it taking that long. I'm extremely depressed and lonely (even though I have good friends), and I can't move on with my life until I get this shit out of me.

I'm too much of a pussy to cold turkey from 80mg, but I need to make a plan to get clean relatively quickly. I can get hold of all the benzos and subutex I need to help things. If there is anyone who can give me some advice or point me towards some who can it would be so much appreciated.

Thankfully I'm in the UK so most treatment centres actually give a fuck about their patients, but I can't face the months of tapering it will take to do it by the book. I know I'm going to have to suffer to do this, but my mental state is reaching the point where I just can't go on being a methadone addict.

 

[King Hop Head]

If your depressed, trying to come of quick will do you no favours. As I've mentioned to others, a high dose of Gabapentin or Pregabalin may help you kick relatively painlessliy, staying on for 3-4 weeks then tapering off. Look to get up on a fairly strong antidepressant like Mirtazapine or Seroxat, thse will help with the depression and post acute withdrawal.

Regrds

Alan

 

[i are spectre]

hey bud, sorry to hear about your depression, i know what its like mate, and many of us here...

anyway, my suggestion would be tramadol and benzos. tramadol works for depression better than any other compound for myself, and itll help ease the wd. id say try and get that methadone dose down as quickly as possible and jump off. try dropping 5 or 10mg a day. itll start to get pretty painful but with a good amount of benzos it should be ok.

complete cold turkey is pretty rough on that dose but weaning down fairly quickly will help a lot. i say quickly because if you wean down at a slow rate your body will only become more adjusted to the methadone, making it harder on your body once youve finally reached the end point. youre kind of in that area where it might be better to jump off sooner because youve only been on methadone for a relatively short period of time.

subutex/suboxone will help too. consider weaning down to that low dose quickly and taking the subutex. precipitated withdrawal doesnt last that long. id rather have an hour of that ackward transition phase then trying to get down to an extremely low dose over weeks.

if i were you, id find a good friend to help you with this, wean down to the lowest dose you can in the shortest amount of time because you really havnt been on the 'done THAT long. getting off it sooner is the best idea I THINK. once you get down to 20 or 30mg, pop all those benzos you have and transition to subutex. make sure you have someone around to monitor you though, seriously. that's a big thing, benzos + opioids are always dangerous, and when in withdrawal you can sometimes make some bad decisions. have someone to support you and you can do it.

once on the subutex try to get off THAT asap too. six months isnt that long and like ive said 3 or 4 times, i think itd be better to get off sooner than prolong this and making your body only more acquanited with opiates.

good luck mate, feel free to PM me or anything, we're all here to help because most of us have been EXACTLY where you are!

you can do it and you will love yourself for getting over this, i promise!

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Thanks for the replies, the problem I have at the moment is I'm on supervised consumption. I'm wiley enough to stockpile a little though.


So maybe if I came down 10mg a day until 30mg, then waited until I started to go into withdrawal, ate some subutex (32mg I would have thought) to try and bring me back and then taper that down over the course of a couple of weeks? Does that sound at all sensible?

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

If your depressed, trying to come of quick will do you no favours. As I've mentioned to others, a high dose of Gabapentin or Pregabalin may help you kick relatively painlessliy, staying on for 3-4 weeks then tapering off. Look to get up on a fairly strong antidepressant like Mirtazapine or Seroxat, thse will help with the depression and post acute withdrawal.

Regrds

Alan

I don't want drugs in my life anymore, pharmaceutical or otherwise (other than the odd acid trip or spliff).

 

[paper planes]

i wouldn get on any antideppresents your just trading one for the other brain chemistry wise..because with addicts you can become dependent on anything really..try eating healthier, exercising alot, be around positive ppl because negativity is contagious...also you have to remain positive and know that your doing something good for you and as you taper pat yourself on the back becuase its a hard thing to do..but if you have any ?s or just need to talk pm me or somethin

 

[sekio]

Reduce as slowly as you can. See how low you can get before you run out of 'done. Then I would start the next day (when you're withdrawing) on 8mg suboxone and maybe redose it if you still feel wierd a few hours later. Figure out how much suboxone you need and then start decreasing the dosage by leaps and bounds. By the time you hit less than 4mg you're basically golden. Jump right to 1mg (2mg if need be) and then 0.5mg, then 0.25mg, then 0.125. then get off the opiate train. (the reason this works, incidentally, is cause suboxone has a metabolite that is more effective as an opiate than suboxone itself)

Try not to build a massive benzo habit in place of your opiate one, benzos are even harder to kick. Use them sparingly, if at all.

I've yet to hear of anyone building an actual *habit* with anti-depressants, but they can produce unpleasant dependence with chronic usage. It's really a good idea to save those for a last resort when you've tried a happy active sober lifestyle and it didn't work out.

I'm sure that your opiate addiction is probably a factor in your depression. But just know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and that you have a plan to get there.


Disclaimer: I'm not a licenced Suboxone doctor

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Yeah, I'm working on sorting out my lifestyle not just in terms of drugs but my hobbies/diet etc.

There's no way I will be taking anti-depressants, they scare me.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Reduce as slowly as you can. See how low you can get before you run out of 'done. Then I would start the next day (when you're withdrawing) on 8mg suboxone and maybe redose it if you still feel wierd a few hours later. Figure out how much suboxone you need and then start decreasing the dosage by leaps and bounds. By the time you hit less than 4mg you're basically golden. Jump right to 1mg (2mg if need be) and then 0.5mg, then 0.25mg, then 0.125. then get off the opiate train. (the reason this works, incidentally, is cause suboxone has a metabolite that is more effective as an opiate than suboxone itself)

Try not to build a massive benzo habit in place of your opiate one, benzos are even harder to kick.

Disclaimer: I'm not a licenced Suboxone doctor

I've kicked a benzo habit at the same time as heroin habit before (not voluntarily), and believe me I know not to get a benzo habit!

I don't want to reduce my methadone slowly though. All the time I'm on it I can't get on with my life....can't get a job, can't get a girlfriend, can't leave my neighbourhood for more than 30 hours except at the weekend. I want this shit out of me ASAP.

What do you mean see how low you can get before you run out of 'done? I'm scripted, I have an endless supply.

 

[itsok]

I am finishing up 2 month methadone taper. i went ama (against medical advice) because i dont like methadone, i have too many shitty side effects, and dont want to be hooked forever (seems like the longer one takes it the harder it is to get off).

i am ordering ketamine and mxe to use occassionally to combat depression, plus moving out of a place i hate, and getting a job.

i am on benzos and adderall now but i am not a big fan of those and dont abuse them so im ok w tapering off of those. at least w those i can hold a job, not sweat profusely, nod out wo realizing it, and get my period...

u have only been on a relatively short time. u can still jump off and be fine. i tapered by 5 mgs. the highest i went to was 50mgs.

last time i was at 80mgs then got down to 50mgs, got in a car wreck and cold turkeyed it and was ok. this was also a 2 month thing. i think i was pretty lucky though.

 

[sekio]

I misunderstood, thought you had a limited supply.

The reason a slow taper is the reccomended option is because doing a rapid withdrawal leads to actual phyiscal pain and anxiety as your body adjusts, and it sounds like you don't need that at the moment. The question is: do you want to have a week or two of unbearable agony, or a few months of mild misery until you're free? 80mg of methadone isn't a trifle to detox from.

Whatever you choose, don't take suboxone til most of the methadone has cleared out of your system and you're in withdrawal again. Otherwise you'll have to doeal with a Suboxone vs Mehtadone battle royale in your nervous system and that is likely to lead to a TKO by Suboxone and precipoitated withdrawal that will be unquellable by most drugs and just generally a total shitty scene.

Go read in the OD directory too. Lots of detox resources there.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

I misunderstood, thought you had a limited supply.

The reason a slow taper is the reccomended option is because doing a rapid withdrawal leads to actual phyiscal pain and anxiety as your body adjusts, and it sounds like you don't need that at the moment. The question is: do you want to have a week or two of unbearable agony, or a few months of mild misery until you're free? 80mg of methadone isn't a trifle to detox from.

Whatever you choose, don't take suboxone til most of the methadone has cleared out of your system and you're in withdrawal again. Otherwise you'll have to doeal with a Suboxone vs Mehtadone battle royale in your nervous system and that is likely to lead to a TKO by Suboxone and precipoitated withdrawal that will be unquellable by most drugs and just generally a total shitty scene.

Go read in the OD directory too. Lots of detox resources there.

I used to moderate BDD, I know the opiate 101 shit!

To be honest, at the moment I'm thinking I would rather the two weeks unbearable agony. I've kicked a heroin and benzo habit at the same time before completely unmedicated, so there must be some option than can get me off this in a month or so that I can handle!

Also, I have access to subutex, not suboxone!

As for the mental health stuff, the primary thing (although it is one of many issues) that is getting me down is how long it will take to get opiate free, and I can't rebuild my life until I am.

 

[lptrax]

subutex will put you in precipitated withdrawal just the same as suboxone since the buprenorphine strips all other opiates off your receptors ( even the nalaxone is stripped away and basically does nothing in the subs). correct?

 

[sekio]

Subutex is essentially the same thing as suboxone, the naloxone is essentially ineffective because it is overpowered by the bupe (and poorly absorbed, and rapidly metabolised.)

Buprenorphine doesn't neccesarily strip all the others off, but it does a damn good job. High doses of methadone will overpower it.

If your primary concern is getting clean *now*, hole up with as much comfort as you can scrounge, plenty of fluids, and inform a friend or two of your plight. Then wait it out. The methadone will gradually leave yoiur system and then your body will go into freakout mode. Bear with it as best you can but don't expect to do anything productive. Watch movies and stuff, I dunno. Sip on icewater. Eat small portions and try to hold them down. Generally the length of withdrawal is related to the half-life of the drug, and unfortunately methadone's half life is quite long, so you'll feel probably like shit for a week or more. It is imperative that you don't go back to methadone or suboxone or any other opioid for relief once you have made the decision to "get clean". Even though suboxone can help you detox it is still a powerful opiate drug.

The only thing that you need to detox is time (and the decision to do so).

 

[_Synapse]

I too am in the same boat. I want off because I don't want to be a slave to the methadone... I have been on methadone since september... worked up to 110mg from 30 and have been stable for 2 months or so on 110. I dropped to 100 last week and noticed no difference... my plan now is to try to go off by 5mg at a time (slowly for two reasons, one being myself and not wanting to suffer at all... and two the court may be including mandatory treatment in my sentence for a dui in august... court is in two days after three months of continuances its finally the day...). So if I drop by 5mg every 10-14 days give or take a few extra should I have a pretty comfortable time getting off of it? I plan on slowing and waiting upon discomfort that I can't handle... like high blood pressure and depression being the first signs... and dope sickness in general... dreams and nightmares... I noticed after only dropping 10mg no difference in being sick... but I bought a bag and am now trying to get rid of it... but obviously i must have had been craving even though its been a plan of mine to try to do a bag one more time before new years... will that hurt anything either really or no? thank you. to the OP 6 weeks? I don't know but go as quick as you can as long as you are not in too much discomfort otherwise you may relapse pretty hard... or worse.

 

[sekio]

So if I drop by 5mg every 10-14 days give or take a few extra should I have a pretty comfortable time getting off of it?

You'll probably be fine.

By the time you've made it to the 80mg+ methadone level there's no real point in doing other opiates because methadone is so potent and strong. You can try but the worst case is you'll get sick or OD.

 

[fuzzfreek2675]

I have been on methadone for 21 years already-with only a small break, less then a year, without it. My current dose is 240mgs and I also have a huge benzo habit..I get my scrips from a few docs & I fear that detox WAY more than a methadone one..both are bad..but the pills are Much worse-at least to me anyway..even though my clinic is very close & its really no bother to get there..I do regret being on methadone since age 16..to those of you who are new to the program..get stable & get off..and dont rely on the benzos to get through...

 

[8L4YN3]

You are hugely under estimating truly how bad it is going to be if you rush this, honestly man. Hopeforly you can do it, but the thought of withdrawal is never as bad as the reality, everyone thinks they can just tough it out, that they want off this shit so bad, yeah until you are feeling so bad, and SO uncomfortable within your own skin you can not do a thing to escape the hell you are feeling, and when it gets to the point where you are wondering how you are gunna mentally stay sane while in this inhuman state for the next 10 seconds! Time goes so fucking slow, and there just is no reason to rush this, espcially if you are depressed and anxious already, your idea is crazy man do it slowly or you're in for pain and your overall goal will be very hard to reach, if you even have the motivation left once you feel proper sickness.

And lets be honest here. You really think you are going to be able to resist your cravings for opiates when you are in this "two weeks of agony", you know what agony is right lol? Every cell of your body is going to be screaming at you to give it some opiate, and you really think you're gunna just resist and put up with hellish sickness for 2 weeks? FOURTEEN days myfriend, 336 hours of hell. Them hours are gunna count by damn slow..

I dont think you're being realistic here. You're jumping your guns. Your on a fairly highish dose of methadone, there's no fast way to being opiate free from this point my friend, there is no quick fix. Cold turkey isnt even an option lol, unless your fucking crazy.

Also you wont sleep a wink without some strong sedative man.

I'm not trying to be an ass man, just want to you realise majority of people who get in this mindstate u do, drop way too fast, majority of them end up with withdrawal they cannot handle and end up relapsing onto whatever opiate or running back to the clinic. You say you hate the clinic now, but when you're in huge pain, havnt slept or eaten for a week, skin STILL crawling off your body, i find it hard to believe you're gunna just put up with that for 14+ days, i just dont believe it sorry.

 

[SUB SHOOTER 2010]

Thanks for the replies, the problem I have at the moment is I'm on supervised consumption. I'm wiley enough to stockpile a little though.


So maybe if I came down 10mg a day until 30mg, then waited until I started to go into withdrawal, ate some subutex (32mg I would have thought) to try and bring me back and then taper that down over the course of a couple of weeks? Does that sound at all sensible?

Holy shit did i read this right? Did you say you wanted to take 32 mg of subutex when coming off of methadone? I was in rehab with a guy withdrawing from methadone and they waited 7 days to give him subutex and he went into prec withdraw, then they waited another 7 days until he had been off of it for 14 days and he STILL went into prec withdraw from the bupe. I would drop my dose like 5 mg a day until i was at barely anything then wait a couple days at least and i would start off taking a real small dose of bupe like 1-2 mg to see if it made me sick. Then if i was still withdrawing from methadone i would take the subutex for a week or so taking just enough to get by and dropping my dose everyday. But damn id rather be hooked on subutex than a high dose of methadone in the end.

 

[trip407]

I could never handle a slow taper from methadone, the withdrawl last so long that you need to taper very slowly. I went to a detoxification clinic after 8 years of constant methadone (ab)usage (120mg from the doctor + up to 400mg from the street, usually i.v.). They tapered me down in 10 days and gave me a total of 2x50 mg doxepin for sleep (haha). Gladly i was off the benzodiazepines 3 month earlier. It still sucked very bad. But after one month my body had recovered much to baseline, i could even sleep some hours straight.
No matter how badly you think you are addicted the withdrawls WILL get over. I only had to cope with the PAWS, mainly lack of motivation and depression, also my underlaying problems of my consuption came to the surface. But after 6 month of psychotherapie i feel so much better now, way better then on opiates. I still have craving from time to time ( hell i read in OD) but i know how to cope with them. My body is in good shape now. I really enjoy life and my emotions even the bad ones, if the are not too intense.

Try to get as much help as you can, i know the UK has a similar health insurance system then we have in germany. Here it its easy to join a detoxification center and get inpatient rehab up to 6 month ( which i strongly recommend if you truely want to live a clean way of life). This is time well spend for YOUR life.