Methadone Rehabilitation

Question by ming ming: How bad is Methadone detox going to be if I’m tapered down to ZERO from 100mg in just a matter of months?
The time has come where I say goodbye to my loyal friend, Methadone. I laugh when I’m scared and smile when I’m nervous. And yes you better believe that I’m like the god damn Joker from Batman right now, laughing till I cry and grinning from ear to ear. I fear the unknown, and hate the idea of change.

If I had boots on, I’d be shaking in them but I’m not because its like 70 million degrees kelvin outside and I just ain’t that darn crazy. Oohh, please don’t get me wrong… I am most certainly crazy, it’s just that I’m that different kind of “crazy”. Not the kind of “crazy” you see at your local Stop and Shop. That “crazy” will most likely be wearing a dirty white sweatshirt with an ironed-on photo that at one time, possibly at the creation of the hideous fashion no-no, had a portrait of a colored family on it, dating back circa 1984. But now, sadly, that sweatshirt looks like that colored family has had enough and killed each other off selflessly. Oh, and due to the amount of cat hair clinging to this sweatshirt and the demonstration by the lovely store cleark, you soon realize that this “white” sweatshirt is in fact BLACK and that the cat is in fact WHITE. Yuck. And yes, the reason for your double take was true. That was her featured on last night’s episode of Hoarders on A&E. So you see..? 2 totally different types of crazys.

Anyway, I’m so scared of how severe these withdrawals are going to be. I am currently at 100 mg/ml. I’m pretty sure I will be slowly tapered down, possibly 2-5 mg/ml every few days. I’ve been on the meth for 6 months now and haven’t used drugs at all. Not even as much as a craving or thought. Truly a miracle drug. I’ve been through heroin withdrawals more times than I’d like to remember. I’ve been told that methadone detox is much more severe than heroin. Either way, I’m going to do it and succeed. Not only did I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I can still feel the warmth from that light. Basically what I am trying to say is that no matter what, NO MATTER WHAT, I will not throw away all that I have worked hard for. I’m just so scared. This has been my security blanket since the beginning of my sobriety, since day one! Maybe it’s because this is the first time since I turned my life around that I will be doing this all by myself, without the methadone. Although I’ve learned over time that no matter how many years, months, weeks, or days I put between the drugs and myself… I learned that I will ALWAYS, no matter what, be just an arm’s length or a footstep away. I feel like the methadone was an elongated stilt connected to my arm’s and feet, giving me that extra support. Without my meth, I feel like I’m a character from SNL Kristen Wiig plays that has little plastic doll arms and legs. It sounds awfully stupid and dumb but it’s the only way I can describe in words what’s going on in my head.

I don’t need want info copied right from some website. I’d appreciate some real life experiences, as well as some “go get ’em tiger” type of encouragement. Morale booster are greatly appreciated too.

Best answer:

Answer by Kaviani999
FYI, there are many different types of crazy.

Fear is understandable. Opiates work on the “comfort” feel good receptors (endorphin), and panic/terrors are routine in withdrawal…even the specter of withdrawal will send some addicts reeling. Chances are, though, as you say that they are going to taper you down miligram by miligram, so you will probably just feel that “creeping” sort of anxiety rather than a full blown attack.

It’s not remotely fun, but workable. They will probably prescribe you an anxiolytic med, which is good considering your present dosage (you definitely dwarf any of my old habits).

THere is a methadone alternate, but you don’t seem interested in such a thing, which is good. You know what you want and should follow through.

Answer by no.one
I was prescribed methadone for pain a couple years ago. The withdrawls sucked. You get cranky, you feel hot and cold at the same time, you sweat like no tomorrow and you can’t sleep. But it passes! I was twelve and on high doses of morphine because of health problems. I only weighed sixty pounds and i was fairly tall so they put me on methadone. It wasn’t nearly as bad getting off of as morphine after. Sucked but tolerable!
You can do it! I would listen to music a lot and just get lost in it. Use distractions, it works!