Methadone Withdrawal: Methadone Facts

Question: Methadone withdrawal --scared with no one else to get answers from?

(Posted by: Anna_a on 2008-10-21 14:31:13)

My dr put me on methadone for pain management about 2 years ago. I started out at 5 mg (total a day) and he eventually got me up to 40 mg (total a day). I had major hip surgery hence the methadone. So eventually, about 10 months ago we started to taper my methadone and things weren't a 'walk in the park' but for the most part things were going smoothly and he was easy to communicate with if I had any problems. All of a sudden my dr is gone; (this past april) I had called the clinic for a refill and was told my dr was no longer practicing at the clinic. I was anxious but to work that day on establishing a new internal medicine dr in the same clinic. The office made me an appt for 30 days later (may) and a day before the appt canceled it. So I tried to reschedule and they decided to schedule me with a different dr this time, which was fine with me. Same thing happened again, the appt was canceled last minute. And... get this... this happened a third time in June. So this whole time my medicine wasn't being tapered... I was at a constant 4 ml. I had to go to the hospital's Patient Advocacy office to finally get an appt that wouldn't be canceled last minute. So now I'm with a dr that has sped up my taper to an incredibly uncomfortable speed. More than twice the speed of the plan w/ my previous dr whom left his practice. So... my question: The day I picked up the my current prescription I told the receptionist that I need to talk to her, my dr, as soon as possible because I was so anxious and fearful about the current taper my dr wanted me at. So now it's 2 weeks later, she called me once and I wasn't at my phone so I'm waiting for another call. (I tried for a 2nd time today) And at this point I just want to see if I can handle the withdrawal myself. I feel like she invalidates how I tell her I'm feeling. When I tell her about my withdrawal symptoms, I feel like she doesn't believe me. So last Fri (17th Oct) I went from 4 ml a day (I had been on 4 ml a day for about 17 days.) That day I realized that she probably wasn't going to call me back in any timely manner; I felt like I was backed up into a corner. So the next day, Saturday the 18th I went to 2 ml a day, Sunday I went to 1 ml a day (half AM, half PM) and I've been on that dose since Sunday... so 2 and a half days. But tonights 'the big night'... tonight is my last dose and it will be exactly .4- .5 ml. What I;m trying desperately to figure out is how bad my withdrawals will be or if they will be bad at all. The last time I went through withdrawals was a long time ago and I was at 10 mg, so I know for a fact that the withdrawals won't be nearly as bad as they were then. But I know this won't be a walk in the park by any means, I just want to be prepared and have some sense of control over what I'm going to be feeling like for the next 2 weeks or however long they last. What's even worse is my mom is leaving in 2 days for a Napa Valley vacation and will be gone for 2 weeks so I'm going to be all by myself and I can honestly say I'm scared shi*less. Does anyone out there know what I'm going to be going through, symptoms- wise, in the next week or 2 weeks?? Any help, information, suggestions, or piece of mind is greatly appreciated... I have absolutely no one else to talk to about this. Thanks!

Posted by: dynodikk on 2008-10-21, 14:55:03

Look, I weaned off 200mg's of methadone a day as prescribed forpain on a one month supply with no advise. Send me a e-mail and I will talk to you on the phone.Or I will write you a long e-mail. And I am not glorifying myself as person that has never done this but I assure you I understand this drug tremendously. I am sick and tired of people thinking I am arrogant. But I assure you again, I fully and completely understand this drug and in a conversation I can get a detailed depiction of what is going on with you. Please contact me. I am really losing faith in this site but there are good people out there. And it won't be unbearable? Hmmmm. WHen I did it for the 4 months of weaning, I never slept, my legs felt like they were on fire and the ice/ hot sweats and total muscle pain was beyond anything anyone could ever imagine. I would sooner die than go through that again. BTW, there are all sorts of things I can advise you on, too much to write on here. I have to know exactly what is in you, last night etc. and keep your body moving? I got news for you, a 10mg cut of this stuff will render anyone completely useless. Just goes to show you, you never know till your there. Cheers, lou oh, and sorry, I got a doc's name you can e-mail too.

Posted by: kay_flood on 2008-10-21, 14:49:47

Think realistically about this. you remember what withdrawing from 10mls was like... cut that by about 80% and you will have a good idea of what may happen in the next week or so. I won't be pleasant, but it will by no means be unbearable. You need to keep your mind active and your body moving, drink tons of water and keep looking forward to the next day. Each day will be a little better than the last.

Posted by: Rachel T on 2008-10-21, 14:52:35

You are coming off a fairly significant dose very quickly. I was only on 15 mg per day for 4 days, and I had withdrawals when I switched back to the Oxycodone. I had nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea pretty bad for 3 days. You have been on this medication long enough to know that the half life of each dose is 24-36 hours. Coming off this fast is just going to make the withdrawals worse. But if you really want to be off, which is great, then expect the above along with sweating, anxiety, insomnia, and muscle pains and weakness. I have done my research, and these could last at least 2 weeks, sometimes more. Good luck. There is another person on this site that is so much more knowledgeable on Methadone that I am, and hopefully, he will respond to your question. Good luck and I hope you feel better quickly once you stop taking this medication. I think it is the "devil! "