What is a good taper to get off 25mg methadone

[SoCal424]

Hi Everyone

It's been a while since I was here last, so I thought I'd post an update. In case you read this and don't know my history: I took 25mg of methadone every day for pain management for 20+ years before stopping it. I got through withdrawals at home, but I think it was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through.

Now, I'm just a few days from the six month mark and am still opiate free. I don't have any physical or psychological cravings at all, but I do still have sneezing attacks every day. Once I sneeze just one time, sneezing goes on and on for 10 to 20 times. I took methadone for pain from RA and lower back issues. I still have those issues, but I take only aspirin, and use a heating pad and a massager. I'm really lucky that my bed has a built-in massager. I sometimes leave it on all night long and it does help. I still have tough days with pain, but I have plenty of good ones too.

My sister taught me how to play a card game called "hand and foot" and I've been playing that with her every 3 or 4 days. I don't win very often, but it's a fun game (winning IS better though!). She and I used to have a really troubled relationship, but now I really enjoy her company and we laugh a lot. Since going to see my brother (Tucson), he stays in touch more often. I'm glad for that. My next trip is in December heading to Maine (on the opposite U.S. coast). I have family there and it's long overdue I went to see them. You know, my fear of flying starts as soon as I buckle myself in and then the guy up front mumbles a few unintelligible words - then before I know it I'm thrust into the back of my seat by acceleration that seems way too fast and the rest of the trip is an endless nightmare of turns and near misses - then, the cabbie drops me off at the airport

I see there are many new BLers posting here now. I wish all of you success in getting to a better place in your lives. If I could give you all just a little advice, I'd tell you not to look at the difficult long withdrawal/struggle you may be just starting to go through, but instead take it one day at a time, and if that still feels overwhelming, then go hour by hour. Keep telling yourself that you can do it - say it over and over to yourself like a Mantra. Don't think about the next day until it is the next day. When you do get past the really tough part, then I hope you'll believe that you can truly get to a place again where you do not feel anything but normal - no withdrawals at all. I got there to that place, and I know you can too.

Ash - I hope you're doing really well. You're such a good friend to so many people here. BL kind of felt like home when I saw all your new cheering posts filling up the column like you've done so many times before. I still think "Mother Hen" would have been a perfect user name

Your friend, Dale

 

[SoCal424]

Hi Everyone,

All of you are supporting each other and getting to your goals, and it feels like it's time to move on. I will not forget those of you that shared this journey with me. I wish you all a lot of success in reaching your goals, and I hope you all find love, peace and joy in your lives.

I send you all a sincere heartfelt THANK YOU for helping me quit methadone.

 

[EPL1]

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you or anyone that has gotten to know me how I am going to reply.

I think everyone here would benefit greatly from further kindness and encouragement from someone of your caliber. Not only are you kind and non judgmental, but you are a great role model for others struggling.

I wish you would reconsider.

Having said that, I also respect your decision and if you feel like you need to move on I will respect that as well.

I wish you nothing but the best in your life Dale.

You mean a lot to us here, and to me personally.

Love,
your friend,
and here for you anytime,
Ash.

Hi Everyone,

I had originally planned on posting until I hit one year, but I'm stopping today. This is my last post and last sign-in. All of you are supporting each other and getting to your goals, and it feels like it's time to move on. I will not forget those of you that shared this journey with me. I wish you all a lot of success in reaching your goals, and I hope you all find love, peace and joy in your lives.

I send you all a sincere heartfelt THANK YOU for helping me quit methadone.

 

[SoCal424]

I hadn't planned to post again, but something someone wrote long ago kept flashing back in my mind all these months. They wrote that only about one person in every 1,000 make it a year (staying off drugs). So, here I am - one year later... telling you that I did stay off methadone (and all other opiate drugs). If you're reading this now and are struggling to get clean, stick with it. It wasn't easy for me either, but I'm just an ordinary nobody special - and I got through it - so can you. Don't waste a single day repeating withdrawals. Withdrawal is the process your body goes through switching back to life without drugs - it is a healing process. If you can get through that process, I swear to you that you'll will sleep normally again - you'll feel normal again - and be free of addiction.

I'm a chronic pain patient (at least I was), and stopping treatment has been a big change for me. I have rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitus and problems with sciatic pain. I can still remember when my doctor talked me into starting methadone. I had heard about it being far more addicting and hard to quit, and I asked about it. I remember hearing him say "don't worry about withdrawals, we'll deal with that in the future "if we" ever have to." It wasn't "we" that had to deal with it - it was me alone. Looking back, I lost a lot of trust in the medical community for how much it caved in to the war on opiates by taking them away from people who needed them. At one point in early 2018 (at the height of the news coverage on the "war on opiates") my insurer ended their contract with the pain clinic I went to - and had no other options for patients. The way this situation was handled by the medical establishment reminds me of when I was a kid. If one kid did something wrong and wouldn't admit it, everyone got punished.

My life in general has slowed a lot from what it once was because of limiting pain, but I'm doing okay. I play cards with my sister, watch way more TV, and if I'm having a rough spell, I stay home. I don't ever feel any withdrawals - not in a very long time. I am so glad for that.

I think this saying holds a lot of truth for many of us: "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."

Peace,
Dale

ps: tpd, ash, greendark, moscatel and the many others who shared this experience with me - thanks again. I think of you all often and I hope your lives are going great.

 

[EPL1]

Pm'd you Dale.

 

[EPL1]

Hi Dale, @SoCal424

I have sent you several pm's on here as well as sending messages to your email over the last 5 months. I see you haven't logged on here since Oct 1st and you haven't sent any emails to me despite us talking by email all the time. I'm not gonna lie, I am worried now. Please email me if you see this. I miss you a lot. a lot has happened to me lately and I would love to talk with you. I hope you are well.

Your friend always Dale,

Ash.xo

 

[Shady's Fox]

@EPL1

Thank you for your effort, thank you. We need more people like you. You don't need to be upset, if they were having trouble you would see their recent activity. Again, thank you for your effort. As far as venting goes, please visit TDS.

 

[EPL1]

@Shady's Fox

Thanks for your concern but this message is for Dale and Dale only.

Dale and I are friends outside of here and talked daily, so I am just trying to see if he responds to anything at all.


I have been a member a long time and never mentioned needing to vent.

Take care.

Ash.

@EPL1

Thank you for your effort, thank you. We need more people like you. You don't need to be upset, if they were having trouble you would see their recent activity. Again, thank you for your effort. As far as venting goes, please visit TDS.

 

[SoCal424]

Feb 16, 2021: In April, it will be three years since I started getting off methadone - a two month+ ordeal I never want to go through again. I did get off it and have stayed clean. In retrospect, I think we are the most successful at stopping when we really want to stop - not because we ran out or are having trouble getting more - but because of whatever reason it is - we want free of the drug bad enough that we'll go through withdrawals and stick to it.

I've been told that very few people who try to get clean ever make it to a year. The odds are against you because withdrawals can make you feel pretty sick, but if you really want to get clean, you will find the inner strength to get through withdrawals - to the other side where withdrawals are nothing but a bad memory. It's a great place to be.

I wish you all the best.
Dale

 

[RedRum OG]

Feb 16, 2021: In April, it will be three years since I started getting off methadone - a two month+ ordeal I never want to go through again. I did get off it and have stayed clean. In retrospect, I think we are the most successful at stopping when we really want to stop - not because we ran out or are having trouble getting more - but because of whatever reason it is - we want free of the drug bad enough that we'll go through withdrawals and stick to it.

This is my last post on bluelight. I've been clean long enough to know I'm never going back. I've been told that very few people who try to get clean ever make it to a year. The odds are against you because withdrawals can make you feel pretty sick, but if you really want to get clean, you will find the inner strength to get through withdrawals - to the other side where withdrawals are nothing but a bad memory. It's a great place to be.

I wish you all the best.

Goodbye,
Dale

Good for you, man. I've been on for 10+ years, tapered from 120mg to 20mg, and now cant get off that last 20. Killing me. Always helps to hear a success story. Good luck out there

 

[Stevie1979]

Ok, so I will try this again! Lol. To answer your first question it took 28 days. Which feels like a lifetime when you are that sick, but it was so entirely worth it. I was 8 days before I got my first nights sleep. I actually found the Thomas Recipe online on that 8th day. I immediately went to the health store and bought every vitamin on the list. I didn't look for and wasn't interested in any of the prescription meds recommended.

I did read in the same post where I found the Thomas Recipe to take high doses of the melatonin. So I did some research to find safety facts and potential risks, and couldn't find any. I took upwards of 150 milligrams. The very first night I tried it was the first night I got sleep.

The RLS was the hardest part for me. Diphenhydramine made it 100x worse! I did find though that I could take small doses of Nyquil and it wouldn't exacerbate my RLS. It faded after about day 12. After that was the general body aches, vomiting whenever I ate, no appetite, severe stomach upset, the chills and hot flashes etc. But getting the sleep helped so much. I'll never forget on that 28th day actually feeling hungry and eating a meal that didn't make me sick. It was the best feeling in the world.

Nights were the worst for me, and I lived in a hot bath. I did force myself to be somewhat active in this time. I went to the beach, out to the store, even took my kids to the zoo one day. Walking felt like I was constantly walking through water and I was weak from dehydration and not eating enough. It's important to try and hydrate as much as you can. I forced myself to drink Gatorade.

I have to mention that I am a particularly strong willed individual. I decided early on that I was going to get through this if it killed me, that I would not get inside my own head and that I would keep a positive mind. My husband, on the 4th day, tried to talk me into going back to the clinic. He was weaker just watching me suffer than I was doing the suffering!

Having him was a huge help. He was very against drugs of any kind but completely supported me, albeit angrily, when I confessed my addiction and started methadone. He was my number one fan.

I had heard that mantra one time "this too shall pass" it's something they have children in the burn unit repeat to themselves when things get particularly bad. And when I was rocking back and forth in the bathtub, skin crawling and belly clinching, I would repeat that to myself over and over. And it did pass, all of it. And I had many good years of sobriety before a stupid simple surgery put me right back into it.

Thank you for sharing this. I'm getting ready for detox myself and it helped to read this. I am so sorry to hear about the surgery tho. It's absolutely amazing what you did for 28 days and I hope you find the strength to

 

[DeeDeeDrug]

The fact that you've been on Methadone for 20 years does obviously not work in your favor, but you are also on a relatively low dose. Patients who attend Methadone clinics can go as high as 240mg. I've seen it, so don't call bullshit. I do apologize because I haven't read the entirety of these posts, but I do have a recommendation for slow titration. First of all, I really think the only way to accurately dose at low intervals is by making a volumetric solution with your pills. How I would go about it, would be a 0.5mg decrease every 3 days or so. Why rush it if you don't have to is the motto.

What you should do, is take a measuring cup, crush your methadone pills. Make a solution with say 10ml of water. Mix the water with your crushed Methadone pills. This way, you know that every half milliliter is equal to a half milligram of Methadone. You can go about dosing the small increments this way until you are done. Alternatively, an oral syringe with a similar volume can be used.

Questions?

I’ve seen people at my MMT clinic on doses of almost 400!! They told me that in Florida, there is no cap for dosing methadone.

I only found that out because I was ashamed of the measly 115mgs I had gotten to. I’m weaning off and down to 32 mgs now but damn! 400!!
Hindsight is a bitch but I wish that those 5-10 mgs they up your dose at a time come so easily and quickly but that 10 mgs it took you a day to get will take you 2 months to get off of. I wish I’d had thought of that when I’d started.

If I could give some advice for going on a methadone treatment plan. Only go up to what stabilizes you, not what you can feel, but what keeps you comfortable and stable. I made the mistake (as I’m sure a lot of people have) of upping my doses just because it was easy and I was still in the mind frame of an addict which is “more is better”.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I’ve seen people at my MMT clinic on doses of almost 400!! They told me that in Florida, there is no cap for dosing methadone.

I only found that out because I was ashamed of the measly 115mgs I had gotten to. I’m weaning off and down to 32 mgs now but damn! 400!!
Hindsight is a bitch but I wish that those 5-10 mgs they up your dose at a time come so easily and quickly but that 10 mgs it took you a day to get will take you 2 months to get off of. I wish I’d had thought of that when I’d started.

If I could give some advice for going on a methadone treatment plan. Only go up to what stabilizes you, not what you can feel, but what keeps you comfortable and stable. I made the mistake (as I’m sure a lot of people have) of upping my doses just because it was easy and I was still in the mind frame of an addict which is “more is better”.

Haha yea, talk about liquid handcuffs. I'm a big fan of self-realization, finding inner/outer strength to overcome any obstacle, but at 400mg per day, there are going to be some pretty serious trials involved in becoming Opioid free. I understand that there are always certain scenarioes in medicine which might seem crazy to the bystander based upon some unknown circumstance, but in most cases, these guys are just junkies running into the waiting arms of the for-profit clinic system.

I'm all for giving addicts drugs if they want them. If people want to kill themselves, it should be their perogative in this universe. It makes me very sad to say that, but this is the unfortunate reality of humans becoming enthralled to their habits. Some can't be fixed. However, I think some can be members of the real world in a positive way if maintained in a somewhat responsible way. In other words, I think we can do this responsibly, but to say to a junkie in withdrawal, "how much drugs do you want man? Tall? Vente? Wheelbarrow?" is taking things to an equally unecessarily fucked up extreme and I think this is what happens at the clinic.

We don't need to strap junkies to a steel bed frame and throw ice water on them every hour until "well" and you also don't offer them more than what is practical.

I have experience with the clinic and I, like you, got up to around 120mg at my height and really felt like it was just a little too much, like I had taken a couple steps over what was truly appropriate. I had used 2ish grams a day or more for years. My dealer i high school had used like 4 grams a day and when I saw her years later at the clinic she was on 180mg and complained of falling asleep during the day.

I've never met anyone on a dose higher than 200mg at a public clinic. It's a pretty clear indication of differences in philosophy.

For people on large doses of Methadone, getting off is often of the most difficult experiences they might ever face. I've withdrawn three times and I really felt like that, short of torture or some shit, withdrawal is so agonizing that it's a nearly spiritual experience. I personally feel that withdrawal, the fear of it, the experience of it, everything, becomes so ingrained that it produces something like PTSD, as others have indicated. The only reason I don't constantly think about the experience of Methadone withdrawal is because my mind does not want me to remember it.

At any rate, getting off of 400mg would be like recovering from a major car accident in which your back is broken, only the car accident is originating from inside of you as opposed to out. Even if you were to "successfully" withdraw, you're looking at probably a decade of near pornographic fantasy of using Opioids again that will make relationships, work and ambition secondary to simply enduring your life.

To this day, I think about shooting up Heroin every day when I wake up and nearly every thought is punctuated by subtle hints of wanting to use. "Oh man, this would be so much better on dope" is the negative mantra that a lot of us struggle with for long, long periods. I really believe Opioids will have their hooks in most of us to some degree for the rest of our lives.

 

[joemidlife]

As you have been using that amount for such a long time your body is going to be expecting it and a fast reduction will hurt more than you would expect. Personally I would tapper down slowly 1 or 2ml a week until you get to about 2/4ml then ether stop and suck up the fairly mild W/Ds or go onto a very low dose of Subs. If it where me I would suck up the W/Ds so as not to replace on thing with another then after 5/7 days from last dose see if I could get myself onto a blocker. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Ain't read the whole thread but I was on 45mg methadone (up & down dose due to relapse etc) but when I decided to come off with a serious attitude I came down 5mg every 4 wks until I got to 20mg, then proceeded to reduce by 2mg every 4 wks til I got to 10mg . Once I was on 10mg I dropped by 1mg every 4 wks.... it was a pretty painless exercise & yeah it was a very, very slow taper but didn't see any sense in rushing it after being on it for 19 yrs. Picked up my last dose in December 2019....
After 20 yrs, no point in rushing it now pal, for the sake of however many extra mths it may take to get down to zero. Good luck & hope u make it bro, we're stronger than we think

 

[Bad Obsession]

As you have been using that amount for such a long time your body is going to be expecting it and a fast reduction will hurt more than you would expect. Personally I would tapper down slowly 1 or 2ml a week until you get to about 2/4ml then ether stop and suck up the fairly mild W/Ds or go onto a very low dose of Subs. If it where me I would suck up the W/Ds so as not to replace on thing with another then after 5/7 days from last dose see if I could get myself onto a blocker. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Hey pal, how do ya get the wee subtext at the bottom of ur post. I tried to do it earlier to no avail. Cheers

 

[SoCal424]

I haven’t posted in almost two years, but I have been here from time to time reading posts. When I documented my journey, I didn’t know if it would help others, but it has, and I’m so happy for that.
Methadone withdrawal feels like it will never end in the first few months - like we might never feel good again, but it does get better, and if we stick to it, we will feel totally normal again.
It will be 5 years (shy about a month) since I posted here the first time and started coming off methadone. I haven’t taken it since. I still have a very clear memory of how sick withdrawals made me.
I remember feeling freezing cold day after day. I remember sitting on my couch and rocking back and forth with leg spasms for hours with my face in my hands as doubt came on that I might never feel better - but it did get better. I remember so many nights when I couldn’t sleep and felt really bad. All of those symptoms are long gone. I feel calm and peaceful, and so glad I’m not dependent on that drug to feel normal anymore.
I discovered long after I recovered, that Trazodone actually triggered the restless leg syndrome (RLS) with me. If you have RLS, pay attention to when you get the symptoms. If it’s about 30 minutes after taking Trazodone, it could be the Trazodone is causing your RLS or making it worse. When I stopped Trazodone, the RLS I was still having stopped.
One person (in another thread) wrote about really high blood pressure while in withdrawals. This is common, but if you reach 200/100 blood pressure, this needs same day urgent medical intervention.

That’s all I had in my mind. I hope you all have a great night.

Take care everyone,
Dale

 

[Suboxone]

I'll be honest brother I was on 32mg suboxone and quit cold turkey. Did it quick and dirty over 7 days (6+ months of manageable PAWS) and I'll never look at an opiate again.

You can do this friend. I believe in you.

 

[SoCal424]

Suboxone: it’s been 5 years for me. Methadone has a very long half-life, and I felt pretty bad far longer than 7 days, but I got through it at home. I hope those who read my thread in the future will be inspired to stick with it when it gets tough because it does get better… a lot better.

 

[EPL1]

I haven’t posted in almost two years, but I have been here from time to time reading posts. When I documented my journey, I didn’t know if it would help others, but it has, and I’m so happy for that.
Methadone withdrawal feels like it will never end in the first few months - like we might never feel good again, but it does get better, and if we stick to it, we will feel totally normal again.
It will be 5 years (shy about a month) since I posted here the first time and started coming off methadone. I haven’t taken it since. I still have a very clear memory of how sick withdrawals made me.
I remember feeling freezing cold day after day. I remember sitting on my couch and rocking back and forth with leg spasms for hours with my face in my hands as doubt came on that I might never feel better - but it did get better. I remember so many nights when I couldn’t sleep and felt really bad. All of those symptoms are long gone. I feel calm and peaceful, and so glad I’m not dependent on that drug to feel normal anymore.
I discovered long after I recovered, that Trazodone actually triggered the restless leg syndrome (RLS) with me. If you have RLS, pay attention to when you get the symptoms. If it’s about 30 minutes after taking Trazodone, it could be the Trazodone is causing your RLS or making it worse. When I stopped Trazodone, the RLS I was still having stopped.
One person (in another thread) wrote about really high blood pressure while in withdrawals. This is common, but if you reach 200/100 blood pressure, this needs same day urgent medical intervention.

That’s all I had in my mind. I hope you all have a great night.

Take care everyone,
Dale

Hello Dale, ( me waving )

You're so helpful. and you offer such hope to people about how good things could be. That's gold. I read through your whole thread the other day, it is such a nice instruction manual of sorts, as well as a humorous journey, with so many good people that have posted over the years.

Huge congratulations on 5 years Dale!!! You are amazing!!!

So nice to see you posting here again. I've missed you. I hope you're well, and feel free to pm me if you like,

Your friend,
Ash.

P.S, not gonna lie, I'd like to see some more of your hilarious jokes once in a while. ; )