HELLO ALL A.R.G. MEMBERS,
I'M NEW TO THIS WEBSITE AND JUST FELT LIKE SHARRING MY VERY LONG METHADONE JOURNEY. IM SURE, WELL I'VE ACCUALLY HEARD SO MANY PEOPLE SAY,EVEN MYSELF THAT IF I KNEW THAT KICKIN " DONE " WOULD BE HARDER THAN KICKIN. HEROIN OR PILLS, I WOULD HAVE NEVER EVEN STARTED THE MMT CENTER / PROGRAM. DON'T GET ME WRONG, METHADONE DID SAVE MY LIFE BUT I DON'T THINK METHADONE WAS MEANT TO BE TAKEN. FOR 10 YEARS. PLUS ECT.AT THE MMT CENTER THAT I HAVE BEEN AT FOR THE. 10 YEARS. DOESN'T DO ANY COUNSELING AT ALL AND WHERE IM FROM. IF. YOU WANT REAL GOOD COUNSELING YOU GOTTA HAVE ALOT OF $$$. ANYWAYS, I TRIED KICKIN. MY METHADONE. BY WALKING OFF OF 180 MGS FOR 5 DAYS. ON THE 5TH MORNING MY WIFE NOTICED WHEN I GOT OUT OF BED THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF MY FACE WAS DROOPING DOWN AND I COULDN'T TALK. , JUST STAMMERING MY WORDS CAME OUT.WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY IS, I HAD A MILD STROKE WHILE SLEEPING FROM METHADONE WITHDRAWALS.WELL, OF COURSE EMT CAME FASY AND QUICKLY GOT ME BACK ON THE METHADONE AND MEFS AND THEROPY FOR THE STROKE ..TODAY YOU'D NEVER KNOW THAT I WENT THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT ..THANK GOD I WAS HEALED. I'VE EVEN TRIED TAPPERING DOWN OFF MY METHADONE WITH NO SUCCESS AT ALL...SO.....THAT'S MY SHORT PART OF MY METHADONE STORY. I WANNA THANK-YOU FOR READING THIS POST AND I GUESS WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR IS SOMEBODY OUT THERE THAT MAY BE ABLE TO SHARE SOME IDEAS ON KICKIN METHADONE " HIGH DOSE "!... I WOULD BE EVER SO GREATFUL ...WELL. , THAT, THAT ..GODBLESS YOU ALL!...PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU ALL..DONE180FOREVER.....THANKS
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Hey 180,
I am sorry to hear what you went thru, but of course I think that now you realize what you did was not a good idea.
If you haven't already please go to the beginning of the "Has anyone got off methadone" story by StrongWoman and read the stories of detox trial and error from addicts who were on methadone and wanted off. There are stories of success, done by VERY SLOW detoxes over a period of time. Like I just told another poster, if methadone was the only way you have been able to stay clean you may want to reconsider and stay on the clinic but at a lower dose.
Detoxing can be done, but after so many years it will take time and patience.
Good luck to you and keep in touch, we care!
granny
I am sorry to hear what you went thru, but of course I think that now you realize what you did was not a good idea.
If you haven't already please go to the beginning of the "Has anyone got off methadone" story by StrongWoman and read the stories of detox trial and error from addicts who were on methadone and wanted off. There are stories of success, done by VERY SLOW detoxes over a period of time. Like I just told another poster, if methadone was the only way you have been able to stay clean you may want to reconsider and stay on the clinic but at a lower dose.
Detoxing can be done, but after so many years it will take time and patience.
Good luck to you and keep in touch, we care!
granny
DEAR GRANNY,
THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU'RE REPLY. AND YES, I WILL CHECK OUT THE METHADONE
DETOX, - TAPPERING SLOWLY STORIES OUT AND
REALLY WEIGH OUT WHERE I'M AT AND WHAT I NEED TO DO. AGAIN I THANK-YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! ...PS.....HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS OK?..
GODBLESS U GRANNY!
THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR YOU'RE REPLY. AND YES, I WILL CHECK OUT THE METHADONE
DETOX, - TAPPERING SLOWLY STORIES OUT AND
REALLY WEIGH OUT WHERE I'M AT AND WHAT I NEED TO DO. AGAIN I THANK-YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! ...PS.....HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS OK?..
GODBLESS U GRANNY!
DONE180FOREVER,
I was also at a high dose (165) and it was very difficult to come down for me too. We all know that all our bodies are different and react diff to diff meds, but I can share with you what worked for me.
At first I wanted off NOW, just like you prob did when you quit cold turkey. But after some trial & error, I realized I HAD to do it slowly. I started thinking in terms of percentages rather than mgs- psychologically that really helped me, and it also helped me figure out when & by how much I should reduce my dose. For instance, when I was at 100 I could handle 3mgs a week as it was only 3%, but when I was at 10 that would have been a 30% dose decrease! So at 10 I went down 1mg every 2 weeks. It took time, but it was a LOT more comfortable & because I did it the right way, I am 100% confident I'll never look back.
You may also have to go back up a few times to your last stable dose. A few times I went down too much too fast & just went back to the last dose I felt ok at & let myself stay there for a weeks. Sometimes you have to pause to let your body catch up a little. It can be SO frustrating but I really think the biggest secret is to go slow. Every week you make progress,and before you know it, time has passed with the business of life and you're halfway there!
I also consulted an addictions Psychiatrist & was prescribed Valium for the intense anxiety I was feeling, and also clonidine which helped with cravings. I also needed an antidepressant but I still need that so that might just be me! :)
I hope something I my story helps you. ~~~~~~positive energy~~~~~~> YOU. :)
I was also at a high dose (165) and it was very difficult to come down for me too. We all know that all our bodies are different and react diff to diff meds, but I can share with you what worked for me.
At first I wanted off NOW, just like you prob did when you quit cold turkey. But after some trial & error, I realized I HAD to do it slowly. I started thinking in terms of percentages rather than mgs- psychologically that really helped me, and it also helped me figure out when & by how much I should reduce my dose. For instance, when I was at 100 I could handle 3mgs a week as it was only 3%, but when I was at 10 that would have been a 30% dose decrease! So at 10 I went down 1mg every 2 weeks. It took time, but it was a LOT more comfortable & because I did it the right way, I am 100% confident I'll never look back.
You may also have to go back up a few times to your last stable dose. A few times I went down too much too fast & just went back to the last dose I felt ok at & let myself stay there for a weeks. Sometimes you have to pause to let your body catch up a little. It can be SO frustrating but I really think the biggest secret is to go slow. Every week you make progress,and before you know it, time has passed with the business of life and you're halfway there!
I also consulted an addictions Psychiatrist & was prescribed Valium for the intense anxiety I was feeling, and also clonidine which helped with cravings. I also needed an antidepressant but I still need that so that might just be me! :)
I hope something I my story helps you. ~~~~~~positive energy~~~~~~> YOU. :)
Syn,
Very cool! I could not have said it better. I DO know, not from my own experience, but from patients at our clinic that SLOW is the way to go. And you are right it's all about %'s and mgs.
I have been on 105 for many, many years,with no problems, but occasionally my counselor will ask me if I'd like to come down some. So after a few years I came down 5 mg a few weeks ago and of course never felt it. At my appt with the clinic DR he said well you're good to go, this dose is good for you, why change it?
It is all a personal choice, but I feel that until you are in a good place with everything in your life then you can start thinking about detoxing.
Thanks for your input!
granny
Very cool! I could not have said it better. I DO know, not from my own experience, but from patients at our clinic that SLOW is the way to go. And you are right it's all about %'s and mgs.
I have been on 105 for many, many years,with no problems, but occasionally my counselor will ask me if I'd like to come down some. So after a few years I came down 5 mg a few weeks ago and of course never felt it. At my appt with the clinic DR he said well you're good to go, this dose is good for you, why change it?
It is all a personal choice, but I feel that until you are in a good place with everything in your life then you can start thinking about detoxing.
Thanks for your input!
granny
I've been coming down from 180mg for about 2 years now.I started going down 5 mg every week until I got to 40 mg and I ended up getting back up to 120mg and Then I just said the hell with it and I've been going down 1MG every other day and now that I'm down to 6MG as of this morning I feel like death but I have to get off I know I'm coming down to quick but this has been a life time struggle and I have no one to talk to at all about this.I'm sorry I know your struggles it hurts and I feel like I'm loosing my mind at the same time trying to open up my new shop but it's almost over my last day at the clinic is the 21st and I know I'm going to feel worst for days to come after that??
Chad,
Why in the world would you detox so fast? You MUST allow your body time to adjust to the drop!
Why put yourself through all the pain of a fast detox? If you are serious about wanting to be off methadone then why not do it right and feel better doing it?
As I have not detoxed myself I cannot imagine how you are feeling, but I do know people who are doing it and the key to their success was to do it slow. There is no shame in taking a while, I see you have been at it for 2 years, but doing it too fast is only asking to make it so much harder than need be and the possibility of failure. You say you are trying to open a business? Shouldn't you be in better spirits and health to do your best at that? You owe it to yourself.
I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope you make it, but don't be ashamed if you have to go back up and start again. You didn't get addicted overnight, you wont get clean overnight either.
Be careful and good luck!
granny
Why in the world would you detox so fast? You MUST allow your body time to adjust to the drop!
Why put yourself through all the pain of a fast detox? If you are serious about wanting to be off methadone then why not do it right and feel better doing it?
As I have not detoxed myself I cannot imagine how you are feeling, but I do know people who are doing it and the key to their success was to do it slow. There is no shame in taking a while, I see you have been at it for 2 years, but doing it too fast is only asking to make it so much harder than need be and the possibility of failure. You say you are trying to open a business? Shouldn't you be in better spirits and health to do your best at that? You owe it to yourself.
I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope you make it, but don't be ashamed if you have to go back up and start again. You didn't get addicted overnight, you wont get clean overnight either.
Be careful and good luck!
granny
I wrote my story here somewhere. I am a 290 mg doser coming down. I started 2 years ago and I am at 70 today for a month. then I will do 60 and so on. I want to be done by Christmas. It will be the best gift I ever had because I hate this s*** No matter what you say it controlls you along with the government. Going on a vacation can be a nightmare to get extras. f*** this the day I get down to 5 or 10 I will take the pain and go off. Iwhen I go down 10 I feel not good but not terrible week one but week 2 is nice most of the time. I get 2 good weeks a month but better than being at 290 and falling asleep driving and standing up.LOL
WOW! I just signed up and wrote my first post. If you read it (cause I'm tired of typing) you'll see how much I hate it too and how I was up to 190mgs a day and it almost killed me.
Aren't you worried about your life, especially your energy, never being the same as it was before meth? That's what freaks me out the most. That I'll never be the same, that I'm destined to live the rest of my life as this lugnut just sittin around, even if/when I'm off meth completely.
Things that mattered so much to me before meth started not to matter at all once I started taking it.
Let's just hope the way out isn't as bad as everyone says it is..lol..sounds positive eh?
Take care, Cyrus
Aren't you worried about your life, especially your energy, never being the same as it was before meth? That's what freaks me out the most. That I'll never be the same, that I'm destined to live the rest of my life as this lugnut just sittin around, even if/when I'm off meth completely.
Things that mattered so much to me before meth started not to matter at all once I started taking it.
Let's just hope the way out isn't as bad as everyone says it is..lol..sounds positive eh?
Take care, Cyrus
It amazes me to read time and time again that so many people feel they "have no life" when they are on methadone!!!
I just don't get it. I have been on methadone for 20+ years, been on the same dose for 90% of those years and I have a full and busy life. Sure, I guess I could just sit around "like a lugnut" as one poster said, but why should I?
I love to read, I sew, I cook, I garden ,I grow fruits and veggies, mow our lawn, I am involved in my grandkids high school activities, we go on vacations, I am an animal activist, I have 2 parrots, one is a macaw which is like having a 5 yr old child 24-7 (and dogs and cats). I even volunteer at our clinic. The days seem to run together for me anymore I am so busy some days.
Sitting still isn't my idea of living. I certainly don't blame methadone for my life. I thank methadone for allowing me to live and not be addicted to heroin anymore.
Maybe the dose is too high for that person?? 200mgs and above??? THAT is a lot of methadone.
granny
I just don't get it. I have been on methadone for 20+ years, been on the same dose for 90% of those years and I have a full and busy life. Sure, I guess I could just sit around "like a lugnut" as one poster said, but why should I?
I love to read, I sew, I cook, I garden ,I grow fruits and veggies, mow our lawn, I am involved in my grandkids high school activities, we go on vacations, I am an animal activist, I have 2 parrots, one is a macaw which is like having a 5 yr old child 24-7 (and dogs and cats). I even volunteer at our clinic. The days seem to run together for me anymore I am so busy some days.
Sitting still isn't my idea of living. I certainly don't blame methadone for my life. I thank methadone for allowing me to live and not be addicted to heroin anymore.
Maybe the dose is too high for that person?? 200mgs and above??? THAT is a lot of methadone.
granny
