Opioids Any idea what to expect after my latest attempt at quitting - here are the details:

[timetohunt]

10 year opiate habit. Hydro for 4 years then Opana and Roxi. Had up to a 300+ mg a day habit during many runs. Over the other 6 years I'd get off for a month here and there but always went back. Multiple rehabs, will not be doing any more of those due to many reasons. I'm the most determined and serious I've ever been. The mild autumn weather will help. And with football season getting started, I have a legit distraction.

Anyway, I have been on methadone for about a week going from 30mg down to 5. I'm out now and have no way of getting anymore. It's go time. Time to put in my suffering. I got the house clean and in order. Will not have to heavily tend to my home business for about 5 weeks. Just leaving some things for the postman to pick up and spending a few minutes on the computer each day.

I don't have the specter of a long Methadone history hanging over me. Just used in crunch times. I like that the 'come down' is kind of gradual.

But what should I expect over the next few weeks. Anything different from the normal misery of a short oc/oxy taper and then turkey it (which is my normal route). No turning back this time, I've hit my emotional bottom and near physical bottom. I'm a dead guy if I don't make it this time. I have some xanax and lunesta, but not enough to start a new addiction. I also tend to sip a little wine along with my other fluids for anxiety. Not much, but it really helps me. A security blanket sort of.

So how will the week of Methadone play out in your folks opinions. Today is my last day of feeling okay, plus tomorrow should not be a cliff dive either as I have some methadone build up.

Btw, I was a straw/snort guy on roxi and IR opana and chewed the non-crush OCs over the past 3 years if that helps with background. Of course I only swallowed the dones. Also I did have an 18 month suboxone experiment, but it resulted in bad side effects and I stopped trying that.

 

[SS373dOH]

Well normally methadone wd's have the most severe symptoms and tend to last the longest.. But at the doses you were taking, I would suspect you'll feel moderate wd symptoms for about 2 weeks.. But your 10 year history will make paws a bitch..

 

[crzydiamond]

The methadone won't really be a factor as you did it for a week at decreasing doses.

That's exactly what detoxes that use methadone to detox do

Methadone becomes difficult to detox when taken over a period of time because it builds up in the body. But even when you get on a clinic they tell you it'll take about a week to start being stable due to half lives needing to build up.

You will almost certainly be detoxing more from whatever your original opiate was. The methadone will cushion that a lot--because you took it as a detox tool and not as maintenance.

Good luck with getting clean

 

[Kittycat5]

I had a very similar habit that I cold turkeyed about 4 or 5 years ago. Your doses of methadone were pretty low, so if anything, perhaps will extend the acute phase by a day or so but I doubt even that. You know the drill it seems, so expect what you have experienced in the past (although I do find the older we get, the harder we seem to be punched by wd but its still doable).

Other than that, you are doing it how I feel is best and have told others to try. You prepared, have made it so you have little responsibility of your everyday life, and perhaps most important are both at a point you know you must do it and are cognizant of the fact that you will suffer ( its temporary as you know and to me, I feel the suffering is in a way necessary).

You have a few comfort meds which will take the edge off a bit. I would use the Xanax for any anxiety, restless legs, or muscle pain you may get and try first to sleep without anything but as I know thats really hard, reserve the Lunesta for it. Please try to separate the wine from either of these as far apart as possible as its a potentially dangerous combo. Id get some ibuprofen or naproxen for the pain you will have, some diphenhydramine or doxylamine to also help sleep, an antidiarrheal (please do not take huge doses of loperamide as its dangerous too) and maybe a steroid nasal spray for the runny nose that may occur. If you are able to get many find gabapentin or pregablin useful for RLS and sleep and clonidine for anxiety, sleep, and perhaps even cravings.

But tbh, none of these are necessary, but will make it easier. My CT was like yours a 300-400mg daily snort and swallow habit and I used nothing. Sucked but by day 6 I was semi-functional. Expect much the same although times may vary.

You got this. You know you have to, made the time for it, and have some help and distractions ( football is a great one, can lay around from noon to midnight watching college on Sat and 1pm to 10ish or so on Sunday with NFL). Other than expecting normal wd symptoms and using the meds, you have to try and eat, hydrate, and sleep. Taking walks if you can is nice as well and hopefully you have someone or many that understand and are there to help and support you. You have us at BL but we cant fetch a sandwhich or see you face to face, but we are here. Focus, stay strong and power through it. As mentioned, PAWS may be a bitch, but get through the first step first. Then worry about it.

 

[sm0kestack]

When I am starting to go into cold turkey withdrawal. Then I have to do something like walk to the store. I usually notice before I go to the store, I won't feel all that bad, although I know it is coming eventually, but when I take that walk to the store and back it seems to kick the withdrawal symptoms in full force. Doing things like that seem to jump start it for me.

Is it true that doing things like that will speed up the withdrawal process? Like I will go from just waking up, chilling out for a little bit, smoking a cigarette, watch a little TV. Maybe I might have, a little bit of early symptoms, like cravings, yawning, watery eyes, sniffles, and such at first, but when I have to go run that errand, like walk to the store and back, I will return a sweaty mess, and all the symptoms I had before will have been magnified by 2 or 3. Like once my blood begins to flow, the withdrawal intensifies.

If I continue to stay active while in withdrawal, will it get me thru it faster? Like instead of waiting 3-5 days for peak withdrawal symptoms to wane, will staying as active as possible cut it down to 24-48hours and then notice a decrease in the intensity ? Along with staying hydrated and eating healthy vitamin filled foods like fruit especially of course.

 

[sm0kestack]

Cuz having used for 10 years now myself and had large habits too, when I am in Withdrawal everything sucks bad and hurts. I don't feel like doing Shit. Staying hydrated? It hurts to just drink a glass of water!

 

[Pixies]

I was up north when I chose to come off Methadone cold turkey after tapering to 10mg myself, and this was after 2 years of straight taking it. TBH, I find the shorter half life meds to have a far worse WD for me. Hydros and Oxys, etc. But, everyone is different. The cold weather seemed to help me, as I wasn't sweating, and just got a bit colder, which was nice for me anyways.

Well, I guess I wasn't completely Cold Turkey, as I did smoke a little weed. And TBH man, I would try to find a little bud if you can. Don't let the Xanax or any other meds be your crutch. Weed every now and then should be fine for sleep. And I would prefer to be cold ANYTIME of the day over being hot. The way I look at it, is you can always put on more clothes/blankets. I can't only take so much off, and still be hot and sweaty, and fuck I just hate the heat so very much. GL man.

 

[Phil.McKeer]

I was up north when I chose to come off Methadone cold turkey after tapering to 10mg myself, and this was after 2 years of straight taking it. TBH, I find the shorter half life meds to have a far worse WD for me. Hydros and Oxys, etc. But, everyone is different. The cold weather seemed to help me, as I wasn't sweating, and just got a bit colder, which was nice for me anyways.

Well, I guess I wasn't completely Cold Turkey, as I did smoke a little weed. And TBH man, I would try to find a little bud if you can. Don't let the Xanax or any other meds be your crutch. Weed every now and then should be fine for sleep. And I would prefer to be cold ANYTIME of the day over being hot. The way I look at it, is you can always put on more clothes/blankets. I can't only take so much off, and still be hot and sweaty, and fuck I just hate the heat so very much. GL man.

Cannabis is excellent as a support med, but no way in hell will it put you to sleep if you're in full w/d from full agonist opioids. Shit, even 8mgs of xanax didn't put me to sleep on the height of my acute w/d; it just made me a lethargic zombie, my entire body wanting to sleep, but the akathisia overpowers it bu many orders of magnitude. Imagine being fully "barred out", barely able to walk a straight path, seeing double, but still the restlessness burns through from the inside with no mercy.

OP, you sound like you got it figured out pretty well. Like Kitty said, I would add gabapentin and clonidine to my arsenal if possible. Both should be readily attainable in most drug cabinets and easy to get Rx'd be a doctor.

The methadone was a great idea and you used it to its maximum effect - to mask the withdrawal from heroin long enough for the acute phase to peak and start on its way back down. You didn't use it long enough for it to become its own problem.

We're all rooting for you, give us an update.