Hints to ease WITHDRAWAL

[farmboy7]

Hello,
I am currently doing a taper off of methadone and am looking for hints to make it easier. Please post all suggestions that have helped you. Maybe if we get enough information on here the mods will make it a "sticky" because I know it's a hot subject.

Foods and supplements that help or that should be avoided? For some reason I think about orange juice and chocolate.

Exercise. walking, yoga, swimming are some of the things I try.

Brain. What tricks do you have to keep your mind busy and off the symptoms?

Sleep. Withdrawal definitly disrupts your sleep patterns, how do you deal with it.

Dosing. If you are tapering, when are the best times to take your medicine and how do you time the reductions?

Other. I like to wash my face with hot water and it also feels good to put the hot washcloth on th back of my neck.

That's all I can think of for now. Please send any and all suggestions. We need help! Thanks.

farmboy

[DannDees]

Good luck with that! I did not taper as I was only on 10mg. a day but I was on that for 2 years. Well I can tell you something to keep in your mind when It gets really rough once you do stop.
Know that you really are not dieing you only feel like it.
Know that a skinny weak girl like me did it so you can too.

I requested so many things that sent my husband to the store often, I will try to remember them all
1- heating pad
2- four extra pillows
3-bath pillow
4-x tra soft tissue, nose was raw from sneezing so much
5-benadryl
6-bottle water
7-epsom salt
8- funny as it sounds I had him buyme one of those pool noodle things to put under my lower back
9-chocolate is suppose to have same endorphins as opiates? didn't help me, I tried
10-I played so many mind games with myself. The best was pretending I was on fear factor and if I took pill I lost!
11- I gave my pills to my husband since I know he loves me. Told him you give me one when you think I can not handle anymore.When I was real bad I would look at him and say " you think I can handle this?" He would say "ya"Him believing in me made me believe in myself.
also, I think the thing that helped me the most was a journal. Even when my arms were flapping like a retarded pidgeon I wrote in my journal what I was feeling. The bath tub and I became pretty good friends! how long do you plan to taper/ let me know your final day of pills.

[herbal]

For sleep difficulties, you can buy an over the counter sleep aid that has diphenhydramine as the active ingredient. It is the exact same thing as plain ol' Bennadryl.

I bought a box of 24, 25mg tablets at the Dollar General one time because I could not sleep, period! You take two tablets, and about 30 mins later, you're head will be hitting the pillow. Haha.

Unisom is a well known brand that you might be able to find.

I also suggest Melatonin. Because it is safe, and impossible to overdose on. Usually, each Melatonin tablet is 300mcg (.3mg). I usually take 8 tablets of that. Which equals 2.4mg. When Melatonin kicks in, it isn't a drugged up feeling, but rather just a normal sleepiness. You can find Melatonin in the vitamin section almost anywhere.

[no patience]

fb7 i think danndees and herbal covered alot of what you need to know one thing that helped me was taking baths and hot showeres cause it's suppose to get the methadone out of your system faster and i think its quinine water that's suppose to help with leg twitching benedryl also helped me with the sneezing part because i sneezed so my much i hurt my back worse i took trazadone for sleep i know there are some that disagree with it but let me tell i never had a night i didn't sleep and clonodine from a doc will help ease the anxiety from it unfortunatly i could'nt take it cause my blood pressure is to low the only that made me feel better was fudgsicles i wish you alot of luck on this and don't forget that heating pad my thoughts are with you kelleigh

[no patience]

one more thing make sure you have some one to talk to through it all that helped me alot my whole family was awesome i talked them to death and they still kept listening and sending me cards and stuff like that talking about your accomplishments really helps and knowing people support you helps in the relapse department again my heart and thoughts are with you kelleigh