Methadone Drug Addiction .com

It is highly advisable to wean off Methadone under a doctors supervision.
Symptoms of withdrawal include:

Abdominal pain
Agitation
Diarrhea
Dilated pupils
Goose bumps
Nausea
Runny nose
Sweating
Vomiting
Bone Pain
Methadone withdrawal can span anywhere from two weeks to six months.Sudden withdrawal from some synthetic opiates such as methadone can be fatal.

2008-08-15 12:31:01 by fiboab

Weening down on painkillers. The battle continues but I will win. Thanks for all the emails and comments guys keep them coming. Feedback/Ratings ...

I am 125 lbs and was put on way to much methadone wasn'ttreated well and they wouldn't lower my dose ,so I just stopped.It's awful I am taking clonidine.

Where is your clinic? This is illegal. Cold Turkey withdrawaluse death. Read the following article...
http://www.medicalassistedtreatment.org/ 474928/471119.html?*session*id*key*=*ses sion*id*val*
Although there are many suggestions as to detoxing from methadone there is one thing they all agree on...It should be done slowly. Here is an exerpt from an article about detox...
The usual detox program for methadone requires that
the patient use it as a tapering dose for 21 to 30 days.
During induction, the doctor determines the right dose to
overcome withdrawal. Afterward, the dose you take
gradually becomes smaller, until you no longer need
the methadone. The medical and counseling staff in
your program can help you develop a plan for further
treatment if you need it, and will guide you through
the physical changes you experience during the
detox period.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/abo utmethadone.pdf
Good Luck!

2008-10-30 10:17:07 by sallyandseal

I have a theory and was wondering if it would work. Methadone withdrawal is mainly caused from the body producing too much norepinephrine because opiate cause your body to not make as much and it has to kick up the production when you get addicted to opiates, which is why withdrawals happens. If someone were to take pseudoephedrine for a long while before stopping methadone cold turkey and then stop taking the pseudoephedrine too, would this help the body to not produce so much norepinephrine? Since sudafed (norepinephrine) causes an increase in norepinephrine, it would seem that one would go through a withdrawal from it constiting of too little norepinephrine and maybe the two would counteract each other, or at least make the methadone withdrawals a little easier as they are impossible for me at this time. What do you guys and girls think?
Hey Tim L....

I know for a fact that pseudoephedrine works by stimulating release of norepinephrine from the neuro-endocrine system. Also, a significant part of methadone withdrawal is cause from the body producing too much norepinephrine, which is why clonidine is sometimes prescribed to help withdrawals. Read up on your medical info or ask a doctor before assuming you are right. I've done a lot of research, believe me!

Psuedoephedrine is NOT norepinephrine nor does it cause an increase in norepineprine. Methadone withdrawal is NOT caused by excessive production of norepinephrine. Every part of this theory is wrong.

UPDATE:

It's not clear why you would ask a question if you only intend to reject the answer, so I'll make these my last comments:

Saying you "know for a fact" does not make you claims true, nor more credible. If any of this theory were supported by evidence you could have easily cited references, but you have not.

Methadone is actually a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, which means it *increases* the activity of norpinephrine systems. Sympathetic amine activity of some opioids is a common topic in pain research.

Removing methadone after chronic administration ends the norepinephrine reuptake blockade, which, if anything, risks *decreasing* adrenal system activity. Generalized adrenal stimulation from opiate withdrawal may counteract this, but the main point is that norepinephrine is not particularly relevant to methadone withdrawal, nor is it generally the cause of opiate withdrawal symptoms. It is at most one part of a cascade of neurochemical changes during withdrawal, and it’s quite possibly only secondary to the actual causes of symptoms.

It's harder to analyze your claims about sudafed because you've gone from claiming that it *is* norepinephrine to claiming that it only stimulates release of norepinephrine. Sudafed most certainly is not norepinephrine, and while it can precipitate the release of epinephrine and other sympathetic amines, its main action is to mimic the action of sympathetic amines (like norepinephrine). The following abstract cited below, just as an example, discusses both actions.

Although clonidine as some effects on epinephrine and norephinephrine levels, it is useful during withdrawal because it is an alpha-2 agonist which helps reduce sweating, shaking, high blood pressure, etc. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are part of the story of how alpha-2 agonists work, but “decreasing norepinephrine” is not what makes clonidine helpful for withdrawal.

2006-10-27 02:19:45 by Jordan M

I quit cold turkey after 100mg daily (Stupid, I Know), And All I keep thinking about is how A DRUG will make me feel back to normal again. My brains begging me to take it, but I'm not!!

I don't care how much it's going to hurt, because im not doing it. I've already been off 5 days, I refuse to be on this shit for the rest of my life. I just need to know how long will the withdrawals last? Also, will I ever be happy again? I feel like this shit messed up my whole brain chemistry, but as long as this goes away eventually, I'll be fine. Anyone know how long exactly? Months, Years, ect..?
* I Just CAN'T WAIT for the day I'll wake up and feel normal without A DRUG to take everyday.* No More "Done Clinics" For Me, Im done being another LEGAL dope fein.

I'm really sorry you have to suffer like this. Unfortunately with Methadone, the only ways to quit it without going through hell are:

1) Very slow taper (dropping 10mg a week until you hit 60mg. Then drop 5mg a week until you hit 30mg. Then drop 2mg a week until 10mg. Finally 1mg a week until you are over and done with it

2) Taper down to 40-50mg. Switch to Buprenorphine (Subutex). You may require a full 16mg dosage. Rule of thumb is that if you don't feel relief from 4mg, it is pointless to raise the dose of Buprenorphine.

3) Ride it out. This is often the worst ,ethod. Methadone withdrawals will last several months since you were on a high dose. It depends how long you were on this dose of course. In general, it will take a few months.

4) Substitution: This is not a very viable option due to one issue: Methadone's long half-life. You could easily substitute with a weaker opioid or herb (like Mitragyna Speciosa) and then taper. However, given that Methadone is long-acting, it may require a very long substitution process and before you know it, you will end up addicted to the substitute and then have to repeat the process again.

I still recommend that you get back on Methadone and slowly taper it down. Don't put yourself through this kind of hell! I feel for what you are going through. I know you want to get off of it completely and I completely respect that. But please do it slower. Your body will thank you later. Drop me a line if you need to talk. All the best & God bless.

EDIT:
Please do NOT use Salvia Divinorum during your withdrawals. It is very irresponsible to even suggest such a thing. Salvia binds to the kappa receptor. Whilst it may provide slight pain relief in this context of methadone withdrawals, the hallucinations and dysphoria will make you feel 100s of times worse during a methadone withdrawal!
Besides, it is the mu-receptor and to a lesser extent, the delta receptors responsible for maintaining addiction. Salvia does not touch either of these receptors or splices.

EDIT2:
1) Salvia is individualized. It may have worked for your brother but it may not work for someone else. You cannot make generalizations about psychedelic drugs like Salvia.
2) Methadone is not heroin. You are dealing with a very long-acting drug. Salvia, even if it was a mu-agonist, is too short-acting. You cannot afford to keep redosing 10 times a day. It's just not healthy.
3) There is still so much unknown about this drug. Whilst I am very open to using herbs to counteract withdrawals, I believe that this approach is not viable for treating Methadone withdrawals (with the exception of Tabernanthe Iboga / Ibogaine.)
4) Salvia may actually be useful at the later stages, but not during the acute stage.

EDIT 3: To the poster below who said that Methadone withdrawals are not as bad as Oxycodone.....I agree. The withdrawals are far WORSE!!

2008-04-20 18:34:43 by Jamie Z

How long would it take till I felt normal again after consistantly taking 100mgs of methadone daily, stopping cold turkey?Please dont insult or give stupid answers. I really need some meaningful help. I've had all the insults and suggestions and I'm not an idiot. If anyone knows or has experience, let me know.

OK. First thing I want to say is whoever told you you'll be physically sick for a week and mentally for longer. Don't listen that's wrong. I have been on methadone for 1 1/2 years. In the past when I was on it years ago I had to go cold turkey and a month later I was still very sick. Being on 100mg to nothing you'll probably be pretty sick for a month or two. After that you'll feel better but not 100%. You will still have anxiety, goosebumps, sneezing, sleeplessnees(for at least 6 months) and other annoying but manageable symptoms. I have seen my husband go cold turkey off a high amt ( alomst 200 mg) He was in jail for a month and a half and when he got out he was still too weak to even walk more than a couple steps, still had diarrea, vomiting, muscle aches, etc.

I'd highly recommend, from experience, to SLOWLY taper off if you can. Like a couple mgs a week. If you are not already at a clinic you should get into one they will help you with a comfortable detox.

Good Luck!
If you have any questions or need any more specific info just let me know

Melissa

2008-01-12 08:59:59 by Carl Ray