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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

short term use of methadone withdrawal. help....

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sickntired2

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Oct 30, 2014
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help anybody.... home withdrawal off methadone day 4

Hi there, I'm new to this site, but I'm looking for some guidance. I have a history of norco abuse that lasted years. I kicked the habit exactly 1 year ago. It was hell and i swore I'd never do it again. Well, of course 5 months later, I slowly got back into taking norco. My supply ran out, so 1 month ago, I got some methadone from a frieND. I have been taking anywhere from 5mg to 40mg a day. At the end I wasn't even really counting. I do know the very most was ever 40mg in 1 day. So 4 days ago, I realized what was happening so I stopped. Day 1 was no problem at all, day 2 I had anxiety and lack of energy, with mild night sweats, day 3 I had anxiety, weakness, and depression. Today is day 4. I feel the same as yesterday, just a little worse. What can I expect for the days to come? I was only taking the methadone for a month. Please help somebody because the anxiety of not knowing is killing me. If this is the worst of it, I can handle it. I just want to know if anyone else in this situaton has any input? Tia.
 
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Hey tia,

The bitch of methadone is the half life, 80+ hours sometimes. I used methadone to detox from opiates but only for five days. Each person is different, but I would expect insomnia and loss of appetite to follow along with the other things. Buy melatonin and start taking regular detox baths. This will help. Im not sure the time frame but I would expect another 2-4 weeks based on the mg per day. I hope this doesn't hurt or hamper your progress, but I find the truth is more helpful than a white lie.

Bob
 
Yes,

Because of the time it stays in the system, im not saying the whole time will be peak hell time, but it will last a while. Thats the problem with synthetic opiates. Each time you dose, compound that 80 hours.

Like I said each person is different, and the worst could well be over in another 3-5 days but it just won't stop all at once. I was just pointing out the timeframe until you probably feel back to even.

Bob
 
So, if I'm not in hell by day 6, does that likely mean that it won't get worse... just drawn out?
 
Once you notice you're feeling a little better than the day prior then yes, you be on the downside. There is no way to get around it being drawn out. This is a reason many are fearful of a methadone maintenance or detox, as it is so much longer that short acting opiates I.e. oxy. The latter of which stays in the system for about 6-8 hours. I hope that it goes well but we can make it worse worring about what is to come. Stay active if you can, the days will go faster and your mind will be elsewhere.

Bob
 
Although you were not using a lot, stopping methadone usually takes longer than other opiates as it remains in your blood stream for a long time and you´ll need about 12-14 days to get it all out.
Keep going. This is a good thing you are doing as methadone has a number of effects and build tolerance quite fast.
 
Thanks for all your replies. I'm just scared. I have a small daughter who demands a lot of attention, and a partner(her dad) who I came clean to 2 days ago, who is angry, but he took the week off work to help me with her so that I can get clean. I'm just scared that I don't know when I'll be at my absolute worst. So far, I've just been weak and tired but I haven't had the normal w/D symptoms that I've been through before with bad norco habits. So I just keep anticipating that each day will be worse and worse but I haven't gotten to hell yet. It's been almost 96 hours since last dose. So, I'm just trying to figure out when I will know if this is it or if it will get worse. Thanks guys.
 
40 mg per day is really not that much methadone, and only taking it for a month, you will experience some w/ds, but it shouldnt be that bad. I was on this crappy drug for over 10 yrs, 40 mg was under my prescribed dose, I would normally take about 60-80mg a day, sometimes more, depending on how many I had at any time.

Besides Benzos, methadone is probably one of the worst drugs to come off of cold turkey, the first day is usually not bad, but once you get into day 3, and up to about 12/15 days, it gets pretty bad. Many people think heroin w/d is the worst, but IMO, methadone tops heroin in a heartbeat!

I tried just about everything to lessen my methadone w/ds, tried drinking, smoking pot, lopermide, etc. but with all of these, I could feel the effects of those drugs, but the nasty methadone w/d symptoms were right there along with it, and actually made it worse looking back.

If you can afford it, I think the best way would be to be put under in a hospital for the duration of the w/ds, Ive heard this method being used more often, basically you are in a hospital bed, knocked out in a controlled coma during the w/ds, but this is VERY expensive.
 
Still, it remains on your body for up to 3 days, so withdraw really ends after at least 10 days.
If you are taking only 40 mg you should not experience withdraw in that extent but it can be really shitty sometimes.
I remember that as I was coming off my desire for getting back to harder opiates was getting really high.
So, sometimes you just have to find what suits you best - presuming of course, that you are not going to use heroin again.
Or at least not planning to.
 
So here I am. Ending day 6. So far, the withdrawals are hard, but different than the many times I've come off of bad norco habits. I never had any pain, I have some night sweats and am cold all the time, but the part that is killing me is the lethargy, weakness, anxiety, shortness of breath. I hope because it was a short stint with the methadone, only a month, that this will be over soon. I want my energy back. My little son deserves me to be the parent I need to b .
 
Here I am on day 11. The last 11 days have not been easy. I still have no energy and my anxiety is sky high. How much longer can this take?
 
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