My Methadone Detox Journey

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Can anyone tell me how long withdrawls last and how fast I should detox? I need to get off this stuff but I'm actually scared of how i will feel. Can anyone help? Advise me on the best way to do this...no matter how long it takes. I'm not worried about detoxing quickly, just want to detox!

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1

Have you considered seeking medical assistance with it?

The reason I ask is because Methadone is known to cause severe withdrawals and have a very long detoxification period. That's why so many people end up on a lifetime maintenance dose of it and few end up ever stopping it entirely.

Learn more Methadone details here.

How much do you take daily?

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2

I am down to 55 mgs daily. I have considered this but not sure as to how to go about finding a doctor who would help me with this. The lifetime of maintenance dose is exactly what i'm afraid of

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3

i am off methadone it is day one my body hurts i came down down 5mgs a week it isnt bad most of it is in your head my legs hurt and my head and body but it will be over soon and all will be worth it just stay strong. i did this cause what methadone causes to your body teeth and mind i was sick of living in fear and if i wouldnt wake up on day...

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4

Getting off methadone is a personal decision. But please stop perpetuating the myths of bone and tooth decay. It simply isn't true. As a medical professional in the field of addiction, I can prove you dead wrong. It's wrong to comment on a subject of which you are clearly ignorant.

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5

My dentist said the methadone did too decay my perfect teeth I had going into the clinic.. Young peoplein the clinic that hhave been on it over a year are loosing one tooth after the other. I now wear false teeth..

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6

Thank you, Sam. I've been on methadone for over five years and as a patient liaison I hear this a lot. It's frustrating trying to stop the propagation of myth as truth.

To those of you who're trying to detox or get off methadone, of which I'm also on this journey currently, I've found that dropping my dose by one to two milligrams every few days has been bearable. I'm also taking a daily multivitamin, watching what I eat very carefully, taking a bit extra calcium, and engaging in yoga and meditation before bed. I've found that working with my treatment team closely during this period has been highly beneficial. I've had to stop my taper completely twice thus far, but having them behind me made it easier to both stop and resume when everything settled down again.

This isn't something that you really want to do alone. Also, having a good support network is invaluable during this time. If I didn't have good friends (I have no family, sadly) whom I could talk with when it gets rough, it would be a lot more difficult and I might not have made the same decision.

Also, if you haven't started detoxing/tapering and are considering it, do your homework before you dive into it. Being in a stable place in your life is imperative, or it has been for me, to successfully detoxing/tapering. Everyone is different, but every time I've been in a chaotic situation and tried to taper/detox it was a failure or worse.

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7

Hi. I noticed your message about tapering down off of methadone is several years old now, I hope you will still read this lol. Are you off methadone now? And how was going off it? I am currently on 66mgs, I am down from my 2 year 86mg maintenance dose. I was going down 2mgs per week and stopped for a few weeks to stabilize but I want to start going down again. I need to get off it but I want to do it right. I also need to start working but I am afraid to start a job and then end up not able to work when I do actually get down enough to stop. At the rate I am going it will be a while but I just want to know what to expect. I also have great support at the Clinic and outside of it, friends and other people in recovery and family. Methadone saved my life but is also making me very depressed and keeping me from really functioning. I was totally clean for over a year before relapsing and ending up on the clinic and was feeling really good finally, if I could go back in time I would never pick up that day. I just want my life back.

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8

I had 1 cavity when i started methadone maintenance & within 2 years half of my teeth were crumbling out of my mouth at 35 years old. I've always had perfect teeth, never any problems. Never used any heavy drugs, never used a needle or abused any substance in my life. I took pain medication orally, only percocet, tramadol, oxycodone from a head on car accident. The person was drunk & under the influence.

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