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Posted: January 31, 2016, 1:20 PM
Hello,
Ive been on methadone for 8years , my current does is 17mg, i havent taken any other drug in 4 plus years. I havent dropped down dosage cause of fear of being sick. i have really bad anexity altho i dont take anything for it. I need some helpfull tips ,because the methadone clinic i go to is goin to be shut down due to the dr. there and the owner , from the news selling sub scripts. They havent officaly said they are closing but the hearing for the dr. is in a week. i shall not lie and say that i am scared. i wish this was on my own terms. but i dont think its goin to be , i believe they are goin to just shut the place down , being it was raided by the FBI 3 months ago. i need some tips on how to handle or what to do if they just cut me off. i myself want off but i am afraid of the sickness , i read alot on here about using pepto for bathroom. what do i do about my bad panic attacks. TY WorriedDad | ||
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Posted: January 31, 2016, 3:10 PM
worry dad by no means an expert but I have been through it. I'm a father of two and I'm 53 years old. I was on methadone for 15 years given to me because of chronic pain. I tapared down to 20 milligrams at first I went 10 a week some weeks we're tough so sometimes I only tapered 5 mg that week. on Christmas day I was down to 20 milligrams. and went cold turkey. so this is what happened when I was going through withdrawals. the first three days wasnt too bad. and then it hit me. so because of the shelf life everyday only have the next day only half of that so and so on. you going to need to take a lot of hot baths. get a leg massager I bought one at Walmart with heat or use heating pads. get some imodium D for your stomach. I had to take it for about a week. and I also had to take some melatonin to help me rest at night. I think I took it for about 4 days. eat some comfrt food soups , white starchy foods , potatoes, sandwiches. things that are easy to prepare if you don't hav e help. hard things are worth doing. I a.m so happy that I went through it and did it. and if I can do it you can too . read other peoples post. and stay strong..
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Posts: 35
Joined: January 1, 2016
Posted: January 31, 2016, 7:04 PM
Daniel has great advice!
To add, my fiance' came off of methadone a day before Daniel did. Pepto is what my fiance used for upset tummy. First 3 days were OK, manageable without much needed to help. It didn't get too bad until probably day 7 or 8. Then after day 14, it progressively got better and easier as each day went on. Now at 36 or 37 days (I lost count), withdrawal is gone. Insomnia's still there some nights, but not as much. If you're thinking you're going to have to stop methadone abruptly, start a multivitamin now, it will help. Start taking magnesium/calcium/zinc now, it helps with any restless leg syndrome you may get from withdrawal (2100mg a day is what my fiance took and he swears it helped a ton!). You're concerned about anxiety. Can you see your primary care doctor now? There are antidepressants that help with anxiety. Given an antidepressant takes about 3 weeks to begin working, it could help to get onto it now and then if your clinic gets shut down, you've got a head start on the antidepressant. My fiance' was put on Zoloft by his doctor a couple weeks ago because it helps with his anxiety. You'd be wise to visit your primary care doctor regardless after you begin withdrawal to monitor your health. I know my fiance's had some issues with high blood pressure from the panic attacks and anxiety, which his doctor is hopeful once the antidepressant begins working well, it will settle the anxiety and he will have a more normal bood pressure, but if not, he'll have to explore other options to get his BP down. Good luck to you! -------------------- 14 Years with an addict... Click Here to Read My Story 
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Posted: January 31, 2016, 9:13 PM
Thank you all for showing me there is people who care about a total stranger. I will take all you suggestions , and any more, I must say my story is probly the same as everyone and so are my questions. i must admit ive been telling my self ive been ready to do this for awhile , but im terrified of getting sick. i havent been sic in 8 years since being on methadone. i pray that they stay open long enuff for me to dose down some more. today i only took half of my bottle , and i dont know if its all nerves but i feel all the pains that it masks, my chest is very tight, im always fearful of a heart attack. i know im a worry wort. i will post my updates as i go thru this. ty you for taking the time to read my worries.
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Posted: February 1, 2016, 11:43 AM
just checking in with you and see how you're doing.. something I did not mention in the letter before was be prepared to be hypersensitive. it took me about a month to get over those effects. smell taste nerves everything was terrible to me. I did some research on breathing techniques that help keep me calm and lower my blood pressure. there's a lot of research out on it it also helps with pain. you have to bring it in for 30 seconds and then exhale for 30 seconds and keep this up until you get a good rhythm and then keep going for about 5 minutes. it will help you with your anxiety in the tightening in your chest. it also makes b blood flow to your feet and hands which warms your body. it was another thing to help me through it. stay strong you can do this.
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Posted: February 1, 2016, 1:25 PM
Daniel45 I will try the breathing tech next time it happens. i informed the clinic today to drop my does down by 2.5 which will take me to 15 mgs cause i dont believe they do .5. im currently on 17 the decrease will happen on friday , cause i get take home bottles till then. Im just mentally struggling with the fact that i have led a normal life on methadone for 8 years , i never abused it never used any other drugs. but around here you are a bad person for goin to the clinic. you cant find a good job or a job period for that matter soon as they see you attend there. ive been wanting free of the chain that keeps me down for so long. does anyone know of any natural rem. to take for anexiety. my friend recomended some kind of root for sleeping, has anyone heard or tried that. good luck everyone .
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Posted: February 1, 2016, 3:45 PM
worried dad
I know what you're going through. I was so scared to take that first step. I did not start abusing methadone until I took a new job that demanded I stand up 14 hours a day 6 days a week. and when I took my yearly vacationI took my son on a vacation to Atlanta Georgia and then to Disneyland. on the way to Disneyland my medication got washed in the ocean. 2 days later I started going through withdraws. needless to say we never made it to Disneyland I had to turn around and go back home. I think that was my turning point I never wanted my son to see me like that again. 3 months later Christmas day I stoped. I still have chronic pain. but I'm dealing with it. anyways that's my story. I wanted to mention make sure you start taking a multivitamin. it has to do with the receptors in your brain firing other information I found told me to take up coloring or some form of art. again it has to do with the receptors in your brain firing and getting back to being normal. just to let you know I didn't care for coloring so I took up the guitar at age 53. I've never played a musical instrument in my life but I'm actually getting where I can play now. I'm telling you this just to show you you can do anything if you set your mind to it. stay strong.. if I can do it you can too. | ||
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Posted: February 1, 2016, 6:24 PM
worried dad
I just saw your notes on another page and I wanted to answer few questions. I really did it by myself. Christmas day I wanted to give myself a present so I gave what medicine I had to my daughter and told her to keep it. I was there celebrating Christmas with her and her family. the next day I drove home to my house and lock myself away for the first week. I'm not going to tell you it wasn't tough because it was. at any time I could have had her deliver that to me. now that friend showed up the door thinking I needed some. but I stay determined and today I'm so happy that I did it. there's no way I can prepare you for what you're really going to go through. one reason because everybody's different. I will tell you go that proper planning makes good performance. and that's something that I did not do that I wish I would have done. after you start your withdrawals the first week is the hardest. I think that has to do with how much body fat you have because I heard someone say that's where it stored. I wasn't able to do much I can hardly get up and cook for myself. I lost 20 pounds in weight. which now I'm really happy about... make sure you have plenty to drink. energy drinks , protein shakes, milk.. have easy to cook foods.. until you get back on your feet.. if you have family that can help you it's a good time for it. as for myself I wouldn't have been able to make sure your child could get to school or be able to meet their needs for about the first two weeks. after that my sleep was coming back and I was starting to feel better. again this is really doable start planning ahead have someone check on you if you can. remember I did this lots of other people have done this to, and so can you... this bulletin board was wonderful help to me. it let me find advice , to vent , but most of all to have someone to talk to. | ||
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Posted: February 4, 2016, 12:14 PM
Well tomorrow i should be dropping down to 15, as long as the clinic put my request in, i went and bought a daily vitamin and have started taking it, i also bought magnessium , and meltonin.
i scheduled a appt with a therapist to talk bout my panic attacks. I just keep trying to tell myself that this is all for the good of my life. we will see how tomorrow goes. How you doin Daniel45. any troubles after 4 weeks. ive watched all these videos on youtube, of ppl coming off 100 or more, and it looks like hell , is there any diff from 100 to 15 , in sense of the withdrawls. | ||
Posts: 1906
Joined: October 23, 2011
Posted: February 4, 2016, 3:42 PM
Narcotics Anonymous/Alcoholics Anonymous helps me and millions of other folks get and stay clean/sober.
Try it your way and if you find you need help you can try it our way. All the best. Bob R -------------------- Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Free copy of AA's Big Book on-line: http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/alcoh...olics-anonymous Free copy of NA's Big Book on-line: Copy & Paste coastalcarolinaarea.org/literature/books/b_t.pdf AA's HOW IT WORKS: Copy & paste www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-10_howitworks.pdf NA's HOW IT WORKS: http://www.na.org/admin/include/spa...0it%20Works.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity. ---there are those too who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. ... I need AA more than it needs me. --- I fight recovery tooth and nail.... I'm not used to being sane, it just doesn't seem natural. ...... According to the great spiritual teachers, ignorance does not result from what we don’t know; ignorance results from what we think we do know. ---Some think that 2+2=5 and believe it. Some know that 2+2=4 and can't stand it. --- I didn't have a very happy childhood but I sure am having a long one ! ---Dry since 1989 working daily on getting/staying SOBER. ---If you want to drink, that's your business ...If you want to quit, that's AA's business. ... Tell me, I'll forget; ... Show me, I'll remember; ... Engage me, I'll understand. ---Most problems are psychological. Most solutions are spiritual . "If we try to change our ego with the help of our ego, we only have a better-disguised ego." --Richard Rohr WWBWD (What Would Bill W. Do) | ||
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Posted: February 4, 2016, 5:03 PM
Worried dad, your friend might be talking about Valerian root. You get it alone, or mixed with other herbal supplements as well. My first day off, I made mistake of watching YouTube vids..yeah they are scary!! There is one guy though that I think documented very well and found inspiring. In a rush right now, but will try to find later..gave me hope! (Only vid I found that did!)
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Posted: February 4, 2016, 6:45 PM
Ty you mary and i have a real close friend who does aa/na i talked to him today, he is ready to help me with support.
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Posted: February 4, 2016, 10:00 PM
worry dad I'm checking in with you to see how you're doing.. I'm glad you're getting prepared for it.. don't forget some imodium D for your stomach. and if you can get some protein shakes all the better. and a heating pad or massage for your legs.. and lots of hot bath it helps for a couple of reasons. I seem to sweat out a lot of the methadone and it helped with the leg pain. stay strong
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Posted: February 5, 2016, 11:20 AM
Update well went to the clinic today and they didnt take me down, they said they cant cause there is no doctor to do that, i was so set for the decrease mentally,that was such a let down , it just brought on more anxiety , thinking they are goin to just slam the doors shut. They told me a new doctor is scheduled to start today friday, they told me if i want to drop down in dose wait till monday. Ugh this metal game of not knowing is getting the best of me. Ive read alot that having a written plan is better then having one in your head so today , im goin to write this all down.
I did get imodium , i got the walmart brand, is there something diff between imodium and imodium D, i havent picked up any protein shakes or drinks yet. Thanks for checking in with me daniel. i was trying to drop down to atleast 15 or lower to start this process. | ||
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Posted: February 5, 2016, 12:17 PM
worried dad go here and read
http://www.addictionrecoveryguide.o...ST&f=28&t=75602 also gaba and L-Theanine will help with anxiety , the body turns l-theanine into gaba , a couple of good sources of l-theanine is banana's and almonds im sure there are others but that's the ones I can think of off the top of my head, also valerian root I believe the root extract works best . and if you want to taper with out the doctor why not go every other day. This post has been edited by heretohelp2 on February 5, 2016, 12:29 PM | ||
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Posted: February 5, 2016, 4:32 PM
heretohelp i could do that i get take home bottles, i wanted the clinic to take me down as low as i could get before i started, i read your post such a great success story and full of info. I just thought that skipping days then taking a full does would just make it worse , as my body would still be getting the same amt on the days i take it. My friend actually has the valerian root , he takes it for sleep, i read it is good for anxiety , i have really bad nerves , panic attacks daily i dont take anything for them. i did schedule a appt to talk with a therapist to naturally help me cope with them, that happens on monday.
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Posts: 1906
Joined: October 23, 2011
Posted: February 5, 2016, 5:31 PM
Anxiety and panic attacks are symptoms. I had them for years before recovery.
Don't treat the symptoms - treat the root cause and the symptoms disappear. Most folks at the meetings suffered from "bad nerves" (Well described in AA's Big Book) You will find that The 12 Steps treat all the ISMs of our disease if you let them. Good luck. Bob R -------------------- Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. Free copy of AA's Big Book on-line: http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/alcoh...olics-anonymous Free copy of NA's Big Book on-line: Copy & Paste coastalcarolinaarea.org/literature/books/b_t.pdf AA's HOW IT WORKS: Copy & paste www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-10_howitworks.pdf NA's HOW IT WORKS: http://www.na.org/admin/include/spa...0it%20Works.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity. ---there are those too who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. ... I need AA more than it needs me. --- I fight recovery tooth and nail.... I'm not used to being sane, it just doesn't seem natural. ...... According to the great spiritual teachers, ignorance does not result from what we don’t know; ignorance results from what we think we do know. ---Some think that 2+2=5 and believe it. Some know that 2+2=4 and can't stand it. --- I didn't have a very happy childhood but I sure am having a long one ! ---Dry since 1989 working daily on getting/staying SOBER. ---If you want to drink, that's your business ...If you want to quit, that's AA's business. ... Tell me, I'll forget; ... Show me, I'll remember; ... Engage me, I'll understand. ---Most problems are psychological. Most solutions are spiritual . "If we try to change our ego with the help of our ego, we only have a better-disguised ego." --Richard Rohr WWBWD (What Would Bill W. Do) | ||
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Posted: February 5, 2016, 5:40 PM
worry dad
it's good to hear from you and that you're planning ahead. I really don't think the generic brand is any differen than imodium D.. I think I have used it about 4 days. after that my stomach got a little better and I went to a anti-gas pill which I need for a couple of weeks. if you're taking home your bottles 10 milliliters equal 10 milligrams most pharmacy will give you one of those child dos spoons that has milliliters on the side so if you didn't want to wait until Monday you can start tapering now. I hope you the best stay strong | ||
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Posted: March 24, 2016, 12:31 AM
I have read what feels like a ton of good advice from all the methadone forums and I feel like I need to share my story and ask for advice. I fell 20' over 10 years ago. Had crushed foot, ankle and knees. I am almost 40 years old now and 36% lower body permanent disabled. Surgery healed the bones but not pain. Finally after 3 years of hurt I was allowed to seek pain management. Dr was a very smart and observant man. I really trusted and liked him. He tried multiple meds to try to get my pain under control so that's how I started on methadone. It took a long time for my body to allow this in my system without making me sick. (I was not on any prescriptions or illegal drugs at that time.) I finally was able to start living my life "normally" again once meds were balanced and steady. Life has been grand from that point on. I followed exactly what the dr said and all was fine. My dr was a solo group and had no partners so I get a call one day that the dr is sick and in hospital and it does not look good for his outcome. I hoped for the best and he died several days later. Now I am with no dr, prescriptions are slowly running out. I have detoxed every pill out of my system (mainly cause I ran out) except for methadone. Frankly I am scared out of my wits. I am still on the 15mg dose per 8 hrs as he had me on for all these years. What has me scared also is that the scripts are now expired and if work gives me a drug test I no longer have a prescription for the pills I am still taking. I have tried to locate a pain management dr to continue my regimen and found none will perscribe methadone. They want to use another med. it was hard as can be to get on this drug and gonna be harder to get off and now they want me to start another drug?? I have not signed with another pain management dr yet and I don't know what to do. Should I try to get this out of my system on my own or attempt to switch over to another drug? I have never abused any prescription drugs or used any illegal drugs in my life. I am not an addict but a dependant on methadone. All the hydrocodone, lexipro, blah blah blah I have had out of my system for over a month and a half. From what I have read here that methadone has a long half life and it's gonna be hard as hell to detox out of it. I don't know lots about drugs only what I have read on the information packet when you get the drugs filled at the RX. Does anyone know what a pain management dr would likely use to switch from methadone for chronic pain as in my case?
I want to thank you for posting and allowing me to read your experience. I don't want to scare my wife with all the bad detox symptoms I have found and this allows me to speak freely and open with people who can help answer some questions I have. Thank you all. D.R. | ||
Posts: 74
Joined: September 17, 2014
Posted: March 25, 2016, 1:14 PM
hardliving im by no stretch a professional, but i was informed by my therapist that has taken and succesfuly detoxed off of methadone, that is doable by a slow detox, yes there will be some wds, but not as much as if you just cold turkey it from a higher dose, Now i dont know how true this is , everyone is a bit different, i myself have been tapering down from 17mgs, now ive been on it for 8 years,im now at 10mgs, and feeling off and dizzy , but so far so good.IF you cant find a pain management dr. then maybe try to find a methadone clinic for MMT.
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