Hi, ive been reading through different posts of peoples experiences, either completely going cold-turkey off the methadone, or tapering down their dose so and so far, then jumping to cold turkey... Ive just seriously grown to hate taking it. I cant leave town, i cant go camping, i have to stay here. Take my dose every day. And i pretty much feel like im slowly paying the government for a new addiction...a new addiction from which ive read, and heard has the longest most brutal withdrawls. I dont want to go thru that but at the same time i dont want to keep digging myself deeper and my body to keep needing this drug.
So since i started the clinic, i started at 30 mgs liquid methadone. And have stayed at that dose for the last 7 months. My councelour told me that from 30 mgs to taper down the "medically advised way" would take a year and a half.....my jaw litteraly dropped. And she told me this, 3 months in. So what would that make closer to 2 years total?? On 30 mgs????? Im just so confused. I know part of that is just so they can keep making money off me, but realisticly, how fast can i taper down, with out having the s***e side effects of just not dosing at all?
I have been a heroin addict for 5 years now but ive been clean since starting the methadone.
Any advice or recomendations is greatly appreciated. Thank you :)
A couple things jump out at me from your post. You say that you have been clean since starting methadone, yet you are still having to go every day to dose and hence can't do things like go camping etc. If you have been clean and in program compliance, you most certainly should have take-home doses and the freedom that comes with it.
Methadone is not meant to be a quick taper detox drug. You have only been on it eight months and at a very low dose. Are you comfortable at that dose? Are you having cravings or withdrawal symptoms? The reason I ask is that most medical professionals and current research say that "most" people need to be at a dose of at least 60mg and usually between 60-120 for the medication to control withdrawal symptoms, cravings and to have cross-tolerance (what some people mistakenly refer to as a "blocking dose")
There is absolutely no reason to suffer when tapering down on methadone. Done correctly and very slowly, you will be most comfortable. The clinic is NOT telling you this because they "want your money". If you leave, there are plenty of people who will be all too happy to take your place! They tell you this because it is the best chance you have at not having withdraal symptoms and not relapsing.
Remember, that done properly, with not only the medication, but counseling and perhaps group dsupport and a comprehensive recovery plan, Mediction-assisted treatment is the most effective treatment for SUD (substance use disorder). All of these tools must be used together...medication alone will not work long term.
I think 8 months is very quick to stop treatment. I would continue until you have all the other recovery puzzle pieces in place. That includes therapy, suport, a job/school and stable relationships and housing.
If you are dead set on tapering, go slow. If you go down a milligram every week or two, it will take a while, but it will be comfortable. Remeber, you are on a very low dose, so dropping faster will all but guarentee a nasty withdrawal. If the medication is keeping you clean, why are you so quick to stop it? Remember, you are having success because of the medication...if you stop it to soon or too abruptly, you will be in for a miserable time and it does not have to be that way!
Do not focus on how long it takes. You said you were addicted to heroin for five years...it will take more than 8 months to find a stable recovery!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do. I suggest you read posts by "overfifty" who did a slow and painless withdrawal from methadone!
Methadone is not meant to be a quick taper detox drug. You have only been on it eight months and at a very low dose. Are you comfortable at that dose? Are you having cravings or withdrawal symptoms? The reason I ask is that most medical professionals and current research say that "most" people need to be at a dose of at least 60mg and usually between 60-120 for the medication to control withdrawal symptoms, cravings and to have cross-tolerance (what some people mistakenly refer to as a "blocking dose")
There is absolutely no reason to suffer when tapering down on methadone. Done correctly and very slowly, you will be most comfortable. The clinic is NOT telling you this because they "want your money". If you leave, there are plenty of people who will be all too happy to take your place! They tell you this because it is the best chance you have at not having withdraal symptoms and not relapsing.
Remember, that done properly, with not only the medication, but counseling and perhaps group dsupport and a comprehensive recovery plan, Mediction-assisted treatment is the most effective treatment for SUD (substance use disorder). All of these tools must be used together...medication alone will not work long term.
I think 8 months is very quick to stop treatment. I would continue until you have all the other recovery puzzle pieces in place. That includes therapy, suport, a job/school and stable relationships and housing.
If you are dead set on tapering, go slow. If you go down a milligram every week or two, it will take a while, but it will be comfortable. Remeber, you are on a very low dose, so dropping faster will all but guarentee a nasty withdrawal. If the medication is keeping you clean, why are you so quick to stop it? Remember, you are having success because of the medication...if you stop it to soon or too abruptly, you will be in for a miserable time and it does not have to be that way!
Do not focus on how long it takes. You said you were addicted to heroin for five years...it will take more than 8 months to find a stable recovery!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do. I suggest you read posts by "overfifty" who did a slow and painless withdrawal from methadone!
The way our take home system works is we start out always getting sunday take-homes. Then every 3 months if you have had a counceling apt. Every month then you get one more day take home. So next we would get saturday and sunday take homes. Three months later you would get friday saturday and sunday. So now that its been 8 months, i have had a steady clean record of pee tests. Just havent gone to my counceling things regularly.
And i dont know. The more ive thought about it i guess i can just stay at this 30 mgs and see what my councelor has to say. But i dont see her till the end of may. I also know that our facility wont let you have take homes if you begin to taper.
And i dont know. The more ive thought about it i guess i can just stay at this 30 mgs and see what my councelor has to say. But i dont see her till the end of may. I also know that our facility wont let you have take homes if you begin to taper.
And to answer your question, no i havent had any daily cravings. Some post acute withdrawl symptoms at times. When i am on my period i will get some slight cravings and some gnarly dreams where im just slamming and slamming heroin. And thats about the only time i will ever miss it while on this steady dose of 30 mgs.
I have been thinking about it a lot since yesterday and I think my plan is to just stay on this dose for now and keep going till i can talk to my councelour about it when i see her at the end of may, and not do anything drastic...like you say; its been a lot better on the methadone then off of it.
I have been thinking about it a lot since yesterday and I think my plan is to just stay on this dose for now and keep going till i can talk to my councelour about it when i see her at the end of may, and not do anything drastic...like you say; its been a lot better on the methadone then off of it.
Just wanted to say you have gotten great advice so far:) Hope your doing well.........peace
