Methadone cold turkey
Now down for me it was quitting Methadone, cold turkey, when I was at 165mg./day and they were going to try to start weaning me down over the next 2 years! I'd been in a pain clinic 2 yrs prior and got hooked on 15mg Hydro, Oxy and Morphine Sulphate. Add severe ADD and lost a $100k/yr. job to become a private contractor (lawyer). All $$ went to the pills/booze (to take the edge off). Decided to try Methadone.
Every 5:00am, I'd be in line to dose. Drink a 6pack, go up into the woods and work on my meager cases, calling clients on cell phone and work hard for 8-10hrs.
After 2yrs of methadone, I had hyper "smell" ability, any thing in the house would set me off hours before my next dose and I wore dusk masks to keep from inhaling (insane, of course).
Driving to get my regular fix, decided to quit cold turkey. Not telling family or friends, checked into homeless shelter, called the methadone center, said I'm quitting cold turkey; can't take it anymore. Dr. begged me to come in and they'd give me something for the withdrawl.
I didn't take it against medical advice. Bought a case of Gatorade, a radio and some books and a quilt. Next 2-3 weeks, I climbed the walls, puked, sweated with skin-crawling fear. Almost ran off several times. Against house rules, wouldn't shower/shave cause I couldn't stand the feel of the water on my skin. Pissed in an OJ bottle so I wouldn't have climb down from the 4th top bunk to go to the john. Took two weeks to even come close to being able to eat. MOre than once turned down a hydro 10/325 (Norco, my faves).
I don't recommend it to anyone (at least without some medical help). That was the worst, and last comedown for me. I'd been through many of the others most folks talk about, including treatment centers, psych wards and jails.
Funny thing is, after 5 years clean time, you may get "your marbles back" but you still got to learn how to "play" with them again!! Despite that clean time, the people that licensed me required me to see a psychiatrist because they say they took my license to practice not because of any addiction issues (hell, most lawyers are addicted to something)but "attention problems." Diagnosis: Extreme ADD, Rx: Ritalin!, and I can't get my license back until a full year of Ritalin or Adderal treatment (Classified drugs, of course). Go figure.