Methadone Withdrawal: Methadone Facts

Question: Can you die from methadone withdrawal?

(Posted by: LMB23 on 2008-10-12 09:14:32)

My ex partner and father of my teenage son has been prescribed methadone for over ten years. He has not taken Heroin for many years now and throughout his addiction has worked. He has decided to try and detox and is currently waiting to be referred to a detox unit but it is taking months. He has been on a high dose for the last four years - 150mg. He has other illnesses, he has high blood pressure for which he takes three types of medication and he has Hepatitus C. Aside from that, until the last year (due to a change in circumstances resulting in the onset of depression) he was pretty active and has generally ate reasonably well. Over the past few months due to a change in his clinic and his behaviour, there has been a number of times when he has not had his dose for up to three days. I have always thought that you cannot die from opiate withdrawel, however it's been indicated to him that due to the size of his dose and high blood pressure that that for him to go 'cold turkey' i.e. stop taking methadone suddenly could indeed be dangerous indeed fatal. I would be grateful for any informed advice, as some members of his family are suggesting that this is what he should do if he was serious about being drug free.

Posted by: Stuart M on 2008-10-12, 09:24:01

It's definitely not advised. Methadone is a substitute for many drugs and is a lot less addictive, however it still has the physiological effects. It is not recommended to go cold turkey if you have other symptoms such as high blood pressure, as withdrawal from methadone has certain contraindications, such as elevated blood pressure which can cause problems in some cases if bp is already high. There are cognitive side effects and you're right in thinking that depression is one of them. Ultimately if he has taken advice from any medical authority be it a clinic or a doctor then they will give the correct advice on an individual basis. If he hasn't, then make sure that he does before cutting it out all together. I wish him luck and admire his bravery.

Posted by: Aunty on 2008-10-12, 09:29:27

Such a long addiction with health problems really needs monitoring. Not only are there physical dangers involved suddenly going cold turkey can be extremely difficult. He needs to come off gradually and with supervision. Once completely off he will need counselling as depression can set in. This can be due to the fact that it can take over a year for the body to start producing it´s own happy hormones after relying on drugs for so long. I was watching a funny movie with someone who had been off drugs for 4 months and he was laughing so much and said that he had been unable to laugh for so long that it was great and like a new experience. I did see a tv programe a while back where they were experimenting with some sort of box that is used when coming off drugs that makes your body produce the happy hormones within a short time rather than up to a year or more but don´t know much more about it. Many users go back to drugs as they feel so crap without them, they don´t even feel normal like everyone else, they are not looking to get high, just to feel normal.

Posted by: Julie S on 2008-10-12, 09:51:39

150mg a day for 10 yrs? That is a joke--he is a junkie, and wants to stay on it. cold turkey on heroin is not fatal--you will think it is , but it is not. drop him to 75mg per day--watch, he won,t do it. Watch the movie RAY--that is shake and bake--high blood pressure?? so what--that is why hes on pills for that Excuses--that is all it is 10 yrs tells you that

Posted by: qtpie20121 on 2008-10-13, 16:00:06

Yes you can die from methadone withdrawal...See this article... medicalassistedtreatment.com/ 95211/ 471119.html?*session*id*key*= *session*id*val* I would be especially concerned with the fact that he has depression now because in addition to the two cases in the article I referenced above there have been other cases where people have died from Methadone withdrawal by committing suicide. See... thestar.com/ News/ article/ 229028 The distress from this type of withdrawal can lead someone to suicide to end the pain but depression will double the risk of that. Why does he feel like he should come off the MMT? If it ain't broke then don't fix it. It may even be that he needs an increase. After all these years his body may be tolerant to this dose and this could also be contributing to the depression. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about Methadone Maintenance Therapy. His family should know that there is a 90% relapse rate for those going off MMT and especially cold turkey. Would you encourage him to stop his blood pressure meds? Of course not. Methadone treats addiction which is a chronic disease. Just like Insulin treats diabetes which is a chronic disease. Also, the fact that he has been able to go 3 days without severe withdrawal means nothing because of the length of time the drug stays in your system and the high dose coupled with the length of time he has been on it. It can take 3-5 days for withdrawal to set in for some. I have HCV, am on 85mg's, and I can easily go 3 days without symptoms. If he is absolutely set on stopping Methadone the best way is to allow the doctor to wean him slowly off of them. The slower he comes off the medication the better. Just because he is on MMT though does not mean he is not a recovering addict.