How long does it take to get off methadone?
I just a few days ago was saved by the good lord…and by being saved he helped me realize my addiction to methadone was a bad thing and I should not take them anymore…I originally about Id say 2-3 years ago took methadone off and on…For about 2 months I was doing about a half a day (5mg) and I did not have a prescription…So I was forced when my hookup stopped answering my calls to go cold Turkey…I did it and felt bone pain for like 3-4 days then it went away…But then id say a good time later I found someone els who had a prescription…So I started to take them again because it was very easily assessable. I started out (5mg) a day and I eventually worked my way up to 3 pills (30mg) a day…I have been taking 30mg for about 8 months now..
When I decided enough was enough I told my self Id work my way down…So the first day I took 2 pills (20mg) and really didnt feal any bad symptoms coming about. So I thought Id just go cold turkey on day 2…im on day 4…3 days without any methadon at all. On day two of no methadon the symptoms of withdraw started to come at me. My bones felt like I was 80+ years old, my boul movements where very soft nasty looking…and I couldn’t sleep more than 2-3 interrupted hours that night….
Im on day 4 of detox and day 3 of total cold turkey, I have found that glucosamine helps relieve my pains to an extent for now.. I try to eat regularly and drink fluids to keep my body in good condition..and yes I almost have to force my self to eat these meals…My boul movements are still very uncountable.
I was wondering how long will these symptoms last? My attitude is very depressing but with the lords help I know he can get me through…Anyone have experience with this? Any help would be appreciated…
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Tagged with: 3 years • addiction • attitude • bone pain • bones • cold turkey • detox • els • extent • few days • glucosamine • good time • half a day • hookup • methadon • methadone • pills • sleep
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it’s a constant battle. the longer you stay off of it, the quicker your withdrawals will end.
Methadone is a very long acting drug and as a result the withdrawal symptoms last longer than they do for other, short acting opiates like oxycontin or vicodin. How long it lasts depends and it varies for everyone but it usually lasts for a few weeks. Some people have minor symptoms, like insomnia and anxiety, for months. You have been taking a fairly low dose so hopefully it shouldn’t be that bad. So far your symptoms sounds pretty mild. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. When it comes to methadone it can take 4-5 days or longer before the worst symptoms come. For some people it gets so bad that they think they are dying or wish they were. Others do okay. They feel bad but can function.
It’s important that you eat and drink well. Exercise can be very helpful. There are some herbal and OTC medications that can help. If you get diarrhea Imodium will work wonders. NSAIDS, like ibuprofen can help pain. Benadryl can help with sleep. If you feel you need more help you can go to your doctor and ask for a prescription for a drug called clonodine which is commonly used for withdrawal symptoms. Other things can help too.
If you can hack it I think you should continue what you’re doing. But chances are that the worst is still to come and if it gets too bad starting a methadone taper may be in order. Just because you didn’t feel bad going down from 30mg to 20mg doesn’t mean that you will be fine jumping off 20mg.
If there is a local methadone clinic you can turn to them to do a 3 week detox where they take you down little by little. Another option is to go to a suboxone doctor and start a suboxone detox. They would start you on suboxone which would relieve your withdrawal symptoms and then take you down gradually. It works very well.
The lord does not mind that you seek help for your physical symptoms. He wouldn’t want you to feel bad if you don’t have to.
Like I said, you were on a fairly low dose and have probably not been using long enough to damage your endorphin system so you may get through this with manageable symptoms in a reasonably short period of time. But if you don’t there is no shame in getting help.