Methadone Rehabilitation

Question by meeeeeelee: What is the normal dosage of methadone for someone coming off opiates. Is 10 mil once a day considered normald?
I just need the info for myself. Plwease help me out with what you know…..Whats normal, 5 mg, 10mg, 50?mg, daily, and do you just use it once in the morning. I need some yah-help.

Best answer:

Answer by NY_Woman2009
This is a question you should be asking your doctor. Methadone is prescribed differently for everyone and it has to be based on your own personal needs. No one can or should tell you without seeing your past and present medical history. To advise you without having that information could have dire effects. If you haven’t already done so, you need to get into some sort of program to come off the opiates in a healthy way. Good luck!

Answer by qtpie20121
It sounds as if you are wanting to try to use illegally obtained Methadone to treat your addiction at home. This is dangerous and will not work. I am not being judgmental, I tried it. You need to enter a Methadone program. If you cannot do this due to cost check to see if they offer assistance. It varies by state. Check the clinic locator to find out at…
http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/
The reason it is so dangerous is because of how methadone works. It lasts 24 to 36 hours which is long after you feel the effects. So if you take an additional dose when it wears off or before it is accumulating in your body until finally you can overdose. The first dose given at a methadone clinic would vary but it doesn’t vary as much as people think. The federal regulation guidelines state the following…
“The first dose of any opioid treatment medication should be low if a patient’s opioid tolerance is believed to be low, the history of opioid use is uncertain, or no signs of opioid withdrawal are evident. Regulations stipulate that the initial dose of methadone should not exceed 30 mg. The physician considers carefully the reasons for exceeding an initial dose of 30 mg and documents these reasons in the clinical record.” See Page 33 (2) Maintenance Therapy (c)
http://www.dpt.samhsa.gov/pdf/OTPAccredGuidelines-2007.pdf
Many clinics “blind dose” the first week meaning you don’t know what you are receiving but I know now that 20mg is the starting point for most everyone at my clinic with an increase 5mg. every other day until the withdrawal is gone, cravings subside and vitals stabilize. The average for opiate addicts is 80-120mg. Now does this mean you should go ahead and take 30 mg on your own and increase it in a couple of days? No! The clinics use a scale called a COWS scale to judge the amount of withdrawal you are in, they require a positive urine test for opiates but they do look at levels to guide them as to whether the amount you say you take is what you have in your urine, the evaluate other attempts at rehab, your health is taken into account, blood is drawn, and many other factors are considered. Plus you have counseling and you take the medication (in the beginning) in front of a nurse! Face it as addicts we need that watchful eye at first to succeed. If we have a bottle of anything that makes us feel better we don’t stop till that bottle is gone. After you have been taking the methadone for about 3 months your “thinking” has changed somewhat and you can have a take home dose (one dose). You didn’t become an addict in a week and you won’t fix this in a week. It is a disease with no cure. But it is treatable. methadone is one treatment. It can be life saving if taken correctly but fatal if used the wrong way. Be safe.