Methadone tapering, the final milligrams

[bananamana]

IM 19 years old and have been on methadone for a little over a year now. I have come down from 40 mgs to 13 and it has taken me this long. I havnt had
much trouble with withdrawl symptoms but have found that the lower i go the more i have a yearning to use, and i know this is the affect of not having
enough methadone to uphold your comfort level however i have ignored it and have refused to raise my dose. I am currently on 13 mgs and sill going down.
i feel like it may take me almost the same amount of time to go down the last 10 mgs that is has for me to decrease the previous 30mgs. What im afraid of would be an intolerable decrease and feel like i may have to use or raise my dose which i do not want to to, or maybe it wont be that bad? i dont know
what to expect over the next few months... any help?
P.s. female advice would be helpful too. havnt met any fellow females my age that are going through the same thing as me.
thanks

 

[sekio]

Slow and steady is the way with methadone. You'll just have to find some other outlet for stress in your life other than opioid drugs. The yearning to use is probably boredom- you should find a hobby or something to keep your mind off of getting high. In the worst case, smoke a few joints and trip out. Just don't increase your dose.

It won't be that bad if you stay calm and keep your head in the zone. Relapse is not the way out, and when you've whittled your methadone dose down to something like 2 milligrams, jumping off will be as simple as dealing with a mild cold. It's heartwarming to hear of someone like you who has had the persistence to get their dose down that far. I'm positive you'll be able to take it even farther and eventually detox.

Patience is a virtue. Worrying is not going to help you.

I'll move this to The Dark Side; this discussion is more appropriate for that kind of forum.

 

[effie]

bananamana, I don't have any personal experience in this, although I know there are both men and women in this forum who do One thing I wanted to say though is go at your own rate with this. If it takes you longer but you do it properly and stay clean then that's much better than rushing because you feel you are going too slowly and not being ready to drop your dose or jump off completely. You've done amazingly, sekio is right - you can definitely do this

 

[Bojangles69]

I'm not a female but you are absolutely right about the last 10mgs taking just as long if not longer than the first part of the taper.
The fact that you realize this shows you already comprehend how tapering ideally should go. The end of the taper should get exponentially slower kinda like if you were landing a plane you want to come in as shallow as possible at the end. That will allow your body to make its last most important changes and you really (I stress *really*) do not want to rush the taper now.

Be patient, and go as slow as you possibly can. It WILL pay off. If you rush it now at the most important part of the taper you will regret it later. Forget about the whole first half of the taper and focus on the end. Imo nothing really matters untill you get to the end anyway. There are people who would stop right at the dose you're at now and would have some pretty uncomfortable wds. But if you get down to amounts you can't even see, tiny tiny amounts, and you hang out there for some time, this will lessen the trauma a lot for your body. And depending on how shallow you actually "land your taper" you can stop imo and not feel much of anything except for some depression. Its really the depression that matters the most anyway imo as thats why most addicts relapse. They rush it, are slammed with depression and can not deal with it. There is no need for going through that. It would be like stopping an ssri or blood pressure med in 1 day, no sane person should do it and it just makes no logical sense. Just realize your brain is a hypersensitive organ so I can not stress how important it is to just go slow and take your dear time. This will also build confidence because it will allow you to feel more stable as opposed to if you were going fast.

G/luck! Theres tons of other stuff you can do too but I'm sure other people will mention all those tapering tips like loperamide and what not.

 

[bagochina]

what to expect over the next few months... any help?

I know for me when I hit the 15mg'ish dose was when w/d's were getting pretty rough. My thoughts would instantly look for relief which was heroin. I started chipping with dope to ease the w/d's. Than I started looking for rehabs that would take me with methadone in the mix. I didnt have any luck with that so I went back to shooting dope full-time. There seems to be a sweet [or sour i guess] spot when dropping to low methadone doses where w/d's becomes intolerable at least for me.

I was on methadone from age 19-21, topped out at 100mg'ish. Oh do I wish I was able to get off methadone at that time and be done with opiates but it just wasn't in the cards. Now I am 35 and close to 2 yrs clean, I really want to know wtf I was thinking for so long. Good thing for you a year isnt to long and 40mgs is a low dose so you might be able to handle it better than I did.

I would almost suggest a switch to bupe and than taper off that much easier, imo. You are still young and your body will bounce back quicker.

Good luck!

 

[paper planes]

stay positive you've came along ways..like somebody else said keep your mind busy, you gotta make changes but they gotta changes your comfortable with..do what works for and understand that everybody makes mistakes because you dont need to carry the world on your shoulders anymore

 

[bananamana]

I've heard basically all of it is mental. My doctor had mentioned he was treating a patient who kept relapsing when she got down to zero, this happened several times. He decided to try something new and recommend a blind dosing program where only he would know the true amount of meth she took. she had been off methadone and feeling fine for a month before she walked into the clinic and said " you know what doc, I think I'm down to the single digits at least!" then the doctor told her she had been at zero mgs for over a month and she that same day went into an intense withdrawal period that lasted almost a week. I feel like if I keep my mind straight and keep busy and resist resist resist. Because I haves caved a few times over the past few months when I was under half my original dose after staying clean the entire time of my first half which was probably five to six months. Hopefully I can hold out and remain clean . One thing is for certain that I never want to do this again!

 

[Bojangles69]

Its definitely not all mental. Just saying. The longest part is mental and it is the hardest imo but physical wds can be annoying too depending on the half life of the drug. For methadone, that happens to be the longest. Not to scare you or anything, just so you're not underprepared and take your time with the tapering. Just think, the longer you taper, the higher your chances of not feeling that intense paradigm shift when you get off opiates. Like when things all a sudden become real and stress is magnified times 10. Taper for longer, it only becomes magnified times 2-3. And no this is not a real number its just for the concept. I would naturally think something like that would also raise your chances of not relapsing. Getting off opiates is about increasing stability, not rushing things and destroying foundations.

Still, its also relative to how many times you've gone through it before. If its your first time you may not even get an intense depression. That is the worst part for me and the first time I stopped after only a couple years of moderate use it wasn't that bad. Then I used again for about 2 more years and now when I stop I get a very intense long lasting depression. Its the reason I am tapering my sub and tapering very slow now. Once I get under 1mg thats when the taper really begins for me. At 2.25now. Will take another month or 6 weeks to get to 1mg. Then I plan on tapering till feb/march and stopping right before the weather gets warm. I believe depression will be much less and the spring fever will help the depression. Plus I'm on traz a mild antidepressant now too. Very low and weak dose (50mg) but I will bump it up if I need when I stop the sub. We'll see how it goes. All I know is I'm being strategic as a mfkr.

 

[D n A]

My ex was on methadone for two years before he was finally able to wean himself off of it. Take more time if you need it- it's not a bad thing.

 

[soundsystem00]

I have never been on done, but I heard the tapering is so uncomfortable that it is pretty much pointless, and that it is just as effective to quit cold turkey.

I may be wrong but this info is from extensive studying and personal experiences from friends.

GL

 

[Bojangles69]

/\ Thats an excellent point I haven't been on done either but that would make perfect sense. The shit is out of your system so quickly you'd have to dose so many times a day at the same interval just to do it right.

 

[suessmayr]

I have never been on done, but I heard the tapering is so uncomfortable that it is pretty much pointless, and that it is just as effective to quit cold turkey.

This is terrible advice. Don't quit cold turkey in any event. If you send yourself into acute withdrawal it will stick around for weeks and possibly months. If you take it down slowly and don't set off any really extreme WD's it will be much more manageable. I've been on and off both methadone and buprenorphine and that would be my advice.

You may also consider switching to buprenorphine and reducing from there? It's a much easier drug to withdraw from.

 

[ErikTheRed]

I don't have any personal experience with methadone WD, but a good friend of mine recently came off of methadone at 2.5mg, and I helped him through the experience on a daily basis. Even though he tapered down to just 2.5mg it was a pretty rough ordeal and the symptoms lasted around a month.

I would taper as slowly as you can, the more gradual your taper the less likely you will be to relapse.

 

[srrondina]

Im was on Methadone for 7 years and its very hard to come off of. i was taking 90mg a day for 6 of those 7 years. You should come down 2mg a week(that what my clinic and doc did) and always never forget that you have all the control in your side. If you feel you cant handle the dose your on you can stay at that dose or go back up 5-10gm for a little while then start tappering off again. TRUST ME i know you want to get off of the Methadone as fast as ya can but with methadone tapering fast isnt the best answer. take ya time and let your body tell you you should do. GOOD LUCK and GOD Bless man

PS Be as positive as you can. Don't stress out about being on methadone and look at it as a bad thing. Be proud that your changing your life for the better and if you are around anyone that doesn't support you, just stay away from them. the more support you have the better it will make your tapering.

 

[badmommy]

Hi B --

I was on methadone - highest 75 mg -- and when I got sick of the clinic BS decided to taper. I got to 13 mg, where you are, then switched to suboxone and tapered off that way. It was nothing, really. I unfortunately didn't taper the subs as rapidly as I should have as my doctor said the methadone withdrawals would last at least a month. I stayed on subs 3 months but it was easier because I didnt have to go to the clinic anymore. I have heard of people tapering with subs for 1 week, but seem to have residual methadone withdrawals after stopping the subs. I did not suffer any physical wds during or after the sub taper, but the mental stuff was hard. Whether it was due to methadone or suboxone I have no clue, but I did it.

I took this route because I was pretty impatient and didn't want to wait out the whole taper and deal with the unknown, and subs seemed to be the easy way out (or the lesser of two evils). I did crave, but it wasn't too bad because I kept playing out the tape all the way through and decided I NEVER want to be in this situation again.

I don't know whether you are considering this route but wanted to share my experience in getting off methadone. Do your research beforehand with whatever path you choose and good luck! Keep your eye on the prize....it's not easy but it is SO worth it!

 

[bananamana]

I have never been on done, but I heard the tapering is so uncomfortable that it is pretty much pointless, and that it is just as effective to quit cold turkey.

I may be wrong but this info is from extensive studying and personal experiences from friends.

GL

yeah thats pretty much the most inacurate statement you could possibly say. If you've never been on the drug and you've never been through withdrawl i would refrain from giving advice. if I would to quit cold turkey i would probably WD for about three months straight. LOL

 

[bananamana]

Im was on Methadone for 7 years and its very hard to come off of. i was taking 90mg a day for 6 of those 7 years. You should come down 2mg a week(that what my clinic and doc did) and always never forget that you have all the control in your side. If you feel you cant handle the dose your on you can stay at that dose or go back up 5-10gm for a little while then start tappering off again. TRUST ME i know you want to get off of the Methadone as fast as ya can but with methadone tapering fast isnt the best answer. take ya time and let your body tell you you should do. GOOD LUCK and GOD Bless man

PS Be as positive as you can. Don't stress out about being on methadone and look at it as a bad thing. Be proud that your changing your life for the better and if you are around anyone that doesn't support you, just stay away from them. the more support you have the better it will make your tapering.

at the dose im at now the most i could do would be like 2mg-1mg a month! when it was higher i was going down maybe 2-3 mgs every 3 weeks.

 

[bananamana]

Hi B --

I was on methadone - highest 75 mg -- and when I got sick of the clinic BS decided to taper. I got to 13 mg, where you are, then switched to suboxone and tapered off that way. It was nothing, really. I unfortunately didn't taper the subs as rapidly as I should have as my doctor said the methadone withdrawals would last at least a month. I stayed on subs 3 months but it was easier because I didnt have to go to the clinic anymore. I have heard of people tapering with subs for 1 week, but seem to have residual methadone withdrawals after stopping the subs. I did not suffer any physical wds during or after the sub taper, but the mental stuff was hard. Whether it was due to methadone or suboxone I have no clue, but I did it.

I took this route because I was pretty impatient and didn't want to wait out the whole taper and deal with the unknown, and subs seemed to be the easy way out (or the lesser of two evils). I did crave, but it wasn't too bad because I kept playing out the tape all the way through and decided I NEVER want to be in this situation again.

I don't know whether you are considering this route but wanted to share my experience in getting off methadone. Do your research beforehand with whatever path you choose and good luck! Keep your eye on the prize....it's not easy but it is SO worth it!

I have heard and been considering suboxone but my drug plan unfortunatly doesnt cover it. Where you paying for your script? if so do you know approx how much it was costing you? You came down 13 mgs in 3 months?

 

[Bojangles69]

This is terrible advice. Don't quit cold turkey in any event. If you send yourself into acute withdrawal it will stick around for weeks and possibly months. If you take it down slowly and don't set off any really extreme WD's it will be much more manageable. I've been on and off both methadone and buprenorphine and that would be my advice.

You may also consider switching to buprenorphine and reducing from there? It's a much easier drug to withdraw from.

Disagree it does not matter what dose you come off as any dose can "set off" acute wds. I came off 3gms of poppy pods once before not even a tablespoon when it takes cups for me to get high and even that set off an acute wd phase. Low doses can still set it off its just less and less intense obviously the lower you get. I also disagree about taking it down slowly *especially with heroin.

yeah thats pretty much the most inacurate statement you could possibly say. If you've never been on the drug and you've never been through withdrawl i would refrain from giving advice. if I would to quit cold turkey i would probably WD for about three months straight. LOL

Again not sure why people are getting at him like this he made an excellent point. He didn't say you can't taper heroin he said he heard that its useless.. and again I agree with him *somewhat. But its definitely not "the most inacurate statement" someone can make. No way at all.

Lets explore the reasons. Tapering pods can be a bitch mainly cause of variations in dosing. And they have a longer half life then heroin. But I still use to get fairly consistent batches of poppies as I never bought them on the streets so I kinda knew the quality as long as I always ordered from the same supplier. STILL, there was plenty of times even buying from the same person that I was thrown into wds countless times due to this reason of heterogenus quality.

I'm using poppies as a reference for heroin. Now look at heroin. Even shorter half life. That means its not ok if you miss your dose buy more than a few hours. And trust me this happens a lot when I taper sub and thank god it has such a long half life. If you work and live a busy life the longer the half life the better off you're likely to be.

So again not seeing how that was such an "inacurate" statement.
Worst thing with heroin is when your supplier doesn't have it, you start asking anyone, and then that even compounds the likely hood of you getting unknown potencies. Add that to the absurdly short half life and no I'm not sure I'd say tapering is "useless" but I'd say that with heroin it absolutely makes the least amount of sense.

You can absolutely do it no doubt. You'd have to buy about 100 bundles from the same person just so you can somewhat standardize the potency. And THEN having that much *HEROIN* you'd have to control that obsessive/compulsive feedback loop that tends to be strongest with heroin. Like "oh all I need is just a bit more and maybe I'll nod .. but damn I was suppose to be tapering with this shit why is it so hard?". With sub its 1000 times easier to control your use and taper. With methadone too. But I'd still think sub would be better just cause it’s a partial agonist.

Anyway my point is he made a totally fair statement and has the right to say that. I do not think what he said was inaccurate at all he was just voicing one side of the debate. Those who think tapering heroin is worth it and those who don't. Noones more "accurate" then the other here we all just have our own ideas and beliefs.

 

[Sappy_6794]

IM 19 years old and have been on methadone for a little over a year now. I have come down from 40 mgs to 13 and it has taken me this long. I havnt had
much trouble with withdrawl symptoms but have found that the lower i go the more i have a yearning to use, and i know this is the affect of not having
enough methadone to uphold your comfort level however i have ignored it and have refused to raise my dose. I am currently on 13 mgs and sill going down.
i feel like it may take me almost the same amount of time to go down the last 10 mgs that is has for me to decrease the previous 30mgs. What im afraid of would be an intolerable decrease and feel like i may have to use or raise my dose which i do not want to to, or maybe it wont be that bad? i dont know
what to expect over the next few months... any help?
P.s. female advice would be helpful too. havnt met any fellow females my age that are going through the same thing as me.
thanks

I havent been through the same thing as you and havent tapered off, I just quit because I could feel the addiction happening, but I know what that need is. I was addicted to opiates, and still am if i use too frequently. Just find something else to become enthralled with, find a book series, or a show, or something and follow that instead. Just keep your mind off of it as much as possible.