Discussions that mention methadone

my reduction has stopped at 50mg. i began at 140mg and have come down to 50mg. coming down 3mg every 3 days. i had no problem at any point in the withdrawal. it makes me feel good to know that i was successful in what i wanted to do. the reason i havent continued to come all the way off is because i dont feel confident in my support right now. i do not want to risk a relapse by withdrawing too soon. i want to keep working on things like relapse prevention skills and new relationships from NA meetings. i have just begun school again for the first time in ten years. taking three college courses this semester. intro to psychology, spanish I and college survival skills. im basically trying to live a different life now. in due time i will someday come off methadone but not until i feel more confident in my ability to handle the temptations and pitfalls that inevitably will come.

Quote from rockingham:

my reduction has stopped at 50mg. i began at 140mg and have come down to 50mg. coming down 3mg every 3 days. i had no problem at any point in the withdrawal. it makes me feel good to know that i was successful in what i wanted to do. the reason i havent continued to come all the way off is because i dont feel confident in my support right now. i do not want to risk a relapse by withdrawing too soon. i want to keep working on things like relapse prevention skills and new relationships from NA meetings. i have just begun school again for the first time in ten years. taking three college courses this semester. intro to psychology, spanish I and college survival skills. im basically trying to live a different life now. in due time i will someday come off methadone but not until i feel more confident in my ability to handle the temptations and pitfalls that inevitably will come.

Are you under a doctors care for the methadone?

I started at 80mg which I thought was kinda high! (you actually took
140mg a day??).

i am now at 50mg. a day
but, I am under a drs. care
and he is weaning me off of them.

I go for another appt. on the 9th
and I am sure that the dr. will take
me down to 40mg
a day, and so on and so on.

If you are not under a drs. care,
then may I ask you how you
are getting the methadone,
and how is it that you choose
your dosage and how long you are
going to stay at that dosage?
I am just curious.
thanks
julie

hi julie

i am in a methadone program. there is a doctor in charge of it. i began at 30mg and eventually moved up to 140mg in 5-10mg increases to combat withdrawal and cravings. i plan on staying at 50mg for a while so i can just keep on working on my recovery. i could come off it if i chose to but do not wish to.

its important to make it[reduction] as smooth a transition as possible. dropping 10mg at a time is a larger drop but you should be able to manage it. it just could be done in an even slower fashion which is always your best bet with methadone. i would break your tablets in half and drop 5mg each time instead of 10mg. talk to your doctor about it. ill answer any question you have julie if i can.

Hi Rockingham,

I don't know if you remember me, but back in early June I made my first post here (was having life-ending thoughts while caught up in the mad, mad world of vicodin addiction), and you wrote me back that you thought I'd be an excellent candidate for methadone and that you'd answer any questions I might have...well, here I am!?!

I kept in touch with the board off and on as I poured over all the info I could find on both the meth and the sub (never could do c/t or taper, so I gave up on that), and now I find myself entering my 7th week of methadone maintenance therapy (the sub was waaaay too costly). I started at 30 mgs., and now I am at 105 mgs., but I think I need to go up a bit more. I do find at this dose range (upper 90 to the low 100 mg. area), that an increase of 5 mgs. alone can make a world of difference.

Tomorrow I am going in to talk to the doctor and see about going up to 110 as I've had some of what I call "breakthru" withdrawals. Like it feels like the dose isn't lasting a full 24 hrs., and my newfound sleeping through the night changes, or I get those "crawling skin" sensations. I was at 100 mgs. for 10 days, then went up to 105 and have been there for a week and felt fine like I did in the beginning, but it just seems like I haven't hit whatever my "stable" dose is quite yet, do you know what I mean?

Do you mind if I ask how you knew when you were at the right dose? Like what changes in you occured at the 140 mg. level that made you feel that you were where you needed to be? A lot of wonderful things have happened since I started the methadone...I got a full-time job and am still there! I no longer spend money I don't have, I have a different perception of everything and everyone around me, I haven't told a lie about anything since I started, and for the first time in 20+ years I am taking care of myself and paying attention to my health. Now I'm anxious to find a group as I know that will be key not only when (or if) it comes time to taper off the meth, but just liking and staying with the "new me" instead of ever thinking of going back to all that craziness. The dr. at the clinic (which thankfully is only a little over a mile from my house) said that since it took me so long to get to this point in my addiction, I shouldn't expect things to happen overnight, and to just not expect too much too soon nor to beat myself up over it if it turns out I'm on the meth for an extended period of time. What he said does make sense, but some takehomes would be nice :) I have only had one UA so far and it was clean...yay!

Unfortunately, I had a recent 5-day relapse, so I have no idea what might happen with the next random UA, but I can say I got quickly back on track so hopefully all will be good. It was yucky, and it made me feel like I could have undone all the good that has come my way since starting this program. I know now that I don't ever want to do these things anymore! I so want this program to work, and I look at the relapse as a motivation (trying to find something good out of something bad.)

One thing that is frequently on my mind as I try and figure all of this out, is how (or if)I will recognize when I am "stablized"--the magic word at this clinic--I suppose it will be when I am in no danger of a relapse because I'm too busy living my life, and that is how I felt for a full four weeks at the beginning. That relapse is why I'm thinking I need to up my dose.

One concern is the tiredness side effect. Did you ever have that--the "nodding" off as they call it? It was really hard on me when I first started the meth...couldn't keep my eyes open and wondered how in the world I would keep my job, but after awhile it did stop. I've heard that increasing your dose can both either decrease and increase the sleepiness?

Sorry for the long post, and I don't think I ever thanked you back in June, so let this be a message of thanks as well as me taking you up on your offer to answer any questions I may have...

All my best to you, it sounds like you are doing wonderful and working on it at your own pace,

Take care,
Dallas Alice

Hi Rockingham:

Thank you so much for sharing your methadone journey and taper plan with us. I have been on methadone maintenance for a while now, and my life has done a 180. I was a chronic relapser, even after every recovery treatment known to mankind, including rehabs. I was convinced I was destined for a life of addiction until I was told about methadone from the med staff at one of the rehabs I was in. I felt like it was my only and last option at staying clean. It has worked like a charm........yes, it took me a while before I was stabilized, which is not uncommon. I still am amazed at times that I do not crave, or even think about narcotics. We've all heard the debate over "trading one drug for another", but certainly this drug called methadone has never done anything but IMPROVE my life. The "other" drug, my drug of choice....never did anything but DESTROY my life. No debate here. But we all need to find and determine what recovery treatment/process will work best for each and every one of us. We can only hope that when we make that choice, we will have a network of people offering their love, understanding, and support. For some, the only people around them are the people on this board.

I am grateful for people like you, who share their triumphs as well as their pitfalls.....we can learn from both...but sometimes the triumphs are not celebrated enough! I wish you the very best in your continued methadone maintenance treatment. Don't rush into anything...you know yourself better than anyone, if you don't feel ready to get off of it completely, then don't. Just enjoy life as it is......the time will come. Fondly ~ Jen

Quote from rockingham:

hi julie

i am in a methadone program. there is a doctor in charge of it. i began at 30mg and eventually moved up to 140mg in 5-10mg increases to combat withdrawal and cravings. i plan on staying at 50mg for a while so i can just keep on working on my recovery. i could come off it if i chose to but do not wish to.

its important to make it[reduction] as smooth a transition as possible. dropping 10mg at a time is a larger drop but you should be able to manage it. it just could be done in an even slower fashion which is always your best bet with methadone. i would break your tablets in half and drop 5mg each time instead of 10mg. talk to your doctor about it. ill answer any question you have julie if i can.

Instead of starting low and working up like you did,then back down again,
my dr. started me high (80mg a day) and is weaning me
off of it.
I wonder why some drs. do it differently?????

julie,

i have a few questions for you.

what kind of doctor is your doctor...family practice or ???

how did you come to visit this particular doctor? i was curious if he was specifically treating you for addiction or prescribing methadone for pain. ive gathered its for addiction but was not totally certain because ive been under the impression that it wasnt possible for doctors to treat addiction with methadone...only for pain.

you mentioned a appt on the 9th. i was wondering how long you were taking a certain dose before dropping to the next level???

one thing i wanted to tell you about in my treatment program. i take my dose at the same time every morning. at about 9am in the morning.

do you take a 10mg pill several times a day or take your dose at one time?

:) curious bout another methadone patient:)

sorry for the barrage...hehe :bouncing:

Hi again Rockingham,

Just curious if you saw my post to you above on this thread (more like my loooong diatribe, I should say)? If so and you don't have time to reply, I surely understand...but if you did have time to read it, I would really appreciate your input on my current methadone maintenance program (after all, you were the first to mention it to me way back in June when I made my first post here :)).

Thanks for any info you can give me...particularly on that word "stablized."

Best wishes,

Dallas Alice

P.S. Hey Jen...Nice to see you again! I'm so glad you've become more open to the idea of sharing your story and your trials and tribulations with the new, and old, folks on the board. It did wonders for me to hear a success story about this way of getting off the pills...the methadone way. Clearly, after assessing all the parts of my situation, from cost to my current state of health and mind, I have no doubt it was the best choice for me. You are in my thoughts every time I pull into the clinic! Thanks again for all you do for everyone on here...

Always,
Dallas

for Alice

it really makes me happy to see how pleased you are with methadone treatment. when you posted your story i just felt methadone would have a major impact on your quality of life if you gave it an opportunity. too many people concern themselves with trivial matters like is it trading one addiction for another or driving to the clinic everday when their current state of affairs is completely out of control and resembling a train wreck with no prospects at all for improvement. its painful for me to watch others turn their back on MMT and choose to continue in active addiction for the reasons just mentioned.

it sounds like one of your bigger questions is about reaching a point where you are on a stable dose. to me you are progressing well. what youve experienced so far is exactly what MMT patients go thru. after the initial induction period it is up to you along with your counselors experience and input in regard to how you feel in determining where your dose will end up being. its a steady process. the most important thing is that you keep in mind that there is no high or low dose in MMT. only the right dose for you, however many milligrams that may end up being.

you will know you are stable when you are able to sleep thru the night without interruption, go all day and evening without the little indications of early withdrawal. some of these may be hot flashes, chills, excessive sweating or skin crawling sensations and the like. you will know when you are not feeling well. finally, an important issue with MMT is controlling cravings. Methadone treatment will eliminate your cravings for opiates when you are stable so its important to work with the nurses and your counselor so they know how you are feeling and can adjust your dose accordingly. remember about there not being such a thing as a high or low dose, only what is right for you so if you are craving or dont feel well let them know.

nodding out a little in the beginning seems like it is part of MMT and the vast majority of patients do experience this when in the initial stages of treatment. it goes away as patients progress.

i want to mention something important here. in due time you will likely receive take-home doses. these usually require clean UAs. most clinics give one after 30 days and more as time goes by depending on the clinic. in a couple weeks ill celebrate my year anniversary and will get my 4th TH. ill only have to travel three times a week. risking your THs for a relapse is not worth it! you will only regret it afterwards. this is a good spot to urge you to try using NA in your recovery too. i didnt at first but now i go to meetings. i got a relapse prevention workbook from my counselor and its a big help to me.

:)it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see how you are doing Alice:)

Quote from rockingham:

julie,

i have a few questions for you.

what kind of doctor is your doctor...family practice or ???

how did you come to visit this particular doctor? i was curious if he was specifically treating you for addiction or prescribing methadone for pain. ive gathered its for addiction but was not totally certain because ive been under the impression that it wasnt possible for doctors to treat addiction with methadone...only for pain.

you mentioned a appt on the 9th. i was wondering how long you were taking a certain dose before dropping to the next level???

one thing i wanted to tell you about in my treatment program. i take my dose at the same time every morning. at about 9am in the morning.

do you take a 10mg pill several times a day or take your dose at one time?

:) curious bout another methadone patient:)

sorry for the barrage...hehe :bouncing:

HI Yes, my dr. is a regular md. family practice.

He treats me for withdrawl only, not pain.
I have read on the internet that it is okay
now for regular md's to prescribe methadone
for withdrawl.

My best friend found this dr.
she made a few phone calls, and that is all it took.

I take my methadone in doses in the morn. and afternoon;
so I am doing without in the evening.

I dont take my doses all at the same time;
do you think that is best?
My dr. said that maybe I should string out
my doses becuase I am used to taking so
many hydros throught the day..........

right now I am taking 5 a day.
I am positive that on thursday
he will drop me down to 4 a day.
With me knowing that is coming;
I think that I will start taking 4 a day starting tomorrow or the next day?
My husband keeps ahold of my bottle of pills
and gives them to me in the mornings.

by the way, he has been having me stay on the same
doses for 2 weeks at a time;
he tells me he is going to take this very slow............
i hope he is doing this right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!