Drug Rehab Options Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

I've tapered down from 16mg to about 1mg of suboxone per day. All went well, felt great, until got below 2mg. I'm struggling to keep the dose less than 1mg; managed .75 one day, next day had to take an additional .5 to be able to stay at work.

I usually take half my daily dose in the morning when I wake up, then the rest around noon or 1 (whenever I start feeling a little unwell). After dropping below 1mg, I started having the restless feeling hit, trouble sleeping at night (RLS type symptoms), sneezing and yawning during the day.

To those who have been through this, did they find that the fairly mild w/d symptoms (especially as it's holiday time, so I have a lot of time off work) went away fairly quickly, or did you stabilize on the last dosage (for me, 1mg) before dropping the dose again?

If I choose to drop the dose despite not being stabilized, will the w/d symptoms get much worse? For me, my worst w/d symptoms is the restlessness and later the lethary. Even when I kicked methadone in the past, the body aches and chills were less an issue for me than the restlessness and extreme lethargy, insomnia. Cold sweats are a problem but I haven't hit that point yet, or the diarrhea, so my whining is relative.

In other words, my w/d isn't all that bad, definitely tolerable, but if they get worse, it might be difficult to work/function, and I may go running back to sub dr for another prescription (I have 6mg left right now). I have a handful of days off (4 1/2) for New Year weekend, but last time I quit c/t, I wasn't feeling any better by day 5. Maybe I should schedule another day or two off to use this time as my jumping off point? If I suffer through dropping the dose as scheduled in the next couple days, I'll be jumping off from .5 or .25. I'm curious as to others' experience regarding the jumping off phase and the very end of the detox.

At this point, no cravings, even on this low dose. I don't want to let myself get in a bad spot during a holiday weekend.

Any words of wisdom, advice, from anyone especially those who've been through this sub detox?

I mentioned in another post my sister and the rest of the family is dealing with our grandmother passing away. Funeral is Tues.
The good news is her doctor agreed to give her two days worth of methadone "carries" while she is out of town. If she tests clean again on Wed she'll get two more for Xmas and Boxing Day. Then it's back to the routine weekly sessions and taking her methadone daily at the pharamacy. The doctor told her she was pleased with her progress, but its still too early for too many carries.
So a bit of positive news on the getting clean side of things, but still so many frustrating incidents of her being childish and selfish. One example: Her and her bf are in a tough financial spot, with her not bringing in much money at the moment. She's being haphazard about paying the bills. He suggested cancelling cable and internet, and she blew up that he was punishing her "for just missing paying one bill" (we suspect whatever money she makes is paying off drug and other debts...which is fine if she'd just be honest that's where her money is going...but she still tries to hide it).
Soooo....a mixed bag of progress. Better on the addiction side, depressingly slow on the mental/maturity side. Still 30 going on 13.

I know there's currently another thread on drugs for withdrawal, but I need to know specifically about Methadone. I have a very close friend who is in the program. We both have have been clean about one year, and we both share the same sponsor. This person confided to me last week that they have been on Methadone for several months, prescribed by the psychiatrist they're going to for withdrawal, primarily from hydrocodone. The reason they told me about it was that their one-year birthday is this month and they wanted to know if I thought they should pick up a medallion at our group's birthday meeting next Saturday.

Well, my first reaction was total shock because honestly I don't feel that they have been clean at all. I told them, because I knew how fragile they are, that of course they should pick up a chip since this was prescribed by a doctor. Of course I was totally lying because I don't consider them as being clean at all.

To further complicate the matter is the fact that we both have the same sponsor and they asked me to promise that I won't tell the sponsor, which I realize means that they know they are just deluding their self.

My questions are:
1. Does anyone agree with me that this is not being "clean"
2. Is it wrong that I lied to them?
3. How do I handle not telling my sponsor - who I've of course always been
nothing but honest with?

I would sure appreciate any input because this is eating my lunch.

I'm sooo stupid. I read the damn book. Used to be on this forum all the time, so shoulda known better.

My daughter got outta rehab 1 year ago...she was soo skinny, down and out, so I let her and her boyfriend move in for 1 mth until they could get their s*#t together.

So they've been living with me, doin methadone, and I thought in recovery. On the 15th, the boyfriend and I got into a huge fight, and he called me every name in the book. He told me he had been miserable the whole year he'd been here. They were paying me $300/mth at first nothing for food....I drove them almost every day to the methadone clinic. So I told him to get the hell out.

Well, the fight was on...my daughter of course took the boyfriends side...even though I had been protecting her son from a tirade of his. She also called me every name in the book.

Sooo, he's been in the homeless shelters, he took my daughter's phone that I had bought and pay the bill on because she's not workin,...I know....but I had bought it originally because she was on the street and I wanted my grandson to be able to talk with his mom...after she had been missing all those mths.

Anyway...make a long story short...I stopped service today...and he called and left a looooong message on my phone....not threatening...again, just callin me names....and my daughter after hearing the messages...started yelling at me about how dare I disconnect her phone. Anyway...I'm here waiting for the police to call me back...just wanna get it on record.

Christmas is really gonna suck here. My grandson is turning 14...that lovely age when they're starting to talk back. And he is so sarcastic with me. My daughter just drips venom when she speaks to me.

I'm just beyond devastated. just soooo upset...I've cried for 3 days because of everything my daughter has said and done. And believe it or not...she's clean.... on methadone....and acts like this. Ohhhh, I thought I was doing such a great thing letting them live with me. My grandson got to be with his mom. My daughter was safe.....when I think of 2006 and all the praying that my daughter would come back to me....

I guess I just had to vent. As usual SR...thanks for being here.

My sister is in very early days of her latest attempt at rehab from oxys..maybe 5 weeks or so in an outpatient program where luckily she gets counselling as well as methadone.
Its baby steps out of the pit she's dug herself of using, owing so much money to so many shady people, lost friends and all the guilt from her behaviour during all that time. I go with her to each session with the doctor (mostly just sit in the waiting room) so despite all the other chaos in the her life I know she's faithfully making her appointments.
As hard as getting clean in her situation would be for anyone, life sure has thrown her some extra burdens on top of it.
*She is 3 months pregnant with a bf who has had the patience of a saint but is really struggling with untangling years of lies, thefts and the stuff we all know about. The family doesn't know whether to be happy she's expecting or dreading what could happen.
*Our dad is in the later stages of prostate cancer, and despite all the crap she's pulled over the years, even on him, she's still daddy's girl and she doesn't have the emotional tools at all yet to cope with his being ill.
*and tonight our grandmother died. again tough for all of us at Xmas time but one more mental blow I'm not sure she can deal with.
I just hope she can stick with her rehab through this and come out the other side.

I'm detoxing from opioids tomorrow. I'm incredibly scared, overwhelmed and anxious. I am going to an NA meeting tonight for the first time with my mom. I know this is the right thing to do but since I have tried suboxone and methadone to get off and never worked I'm really apprehensive about quitting cold turkey. I know as long as I have support of my family, my boyfriend, hopefully this board and maybe a few new friends I might meet tonight I know I can do this. I'm not looking forward to the withdrawls. I just need you alls love :) Im 22 I have a long road ahead of me, i have a promising future and i loved to party a little too much. I am so not optimistic right now, I get panic attacks/anxiety so I'm completely thinking the worst about my situation. I think Ive already made a bad choice by deciding I was going to go all out today. I'm not going to overdose, ive given all my money to my mom so i wont be buying more and I didnt get a lot to begin with but Ive definitely taken quite a bit today and im afraid im going to definitely feel the effects tomorrow. do you all suggest I try to sleep it out tomorrow?

Well, my AS is living in a shelter in NYC,getting by on 65 mgs. of methadone. This is after a relapse from 9 months clean in an. Oxford House, where he then disappeared in NYC for couple of months.

He was on methadone before he detoxed and went to Oxford House. He says he went back to it so he could stop using heroin.

Now he says he wants to switch to a methadone clinic in Philadelphia, Pa, get a room, job and start some classes in a college. Says he's afraid right now to get off of methadone. Of course he's looking for some help from me and I always said I'd help him move in positive efforts.

So I'm confused - do I help with this, do I set conditions such as "wean off methadone" then i'll help, or wean off onto suboxone then i'll help. or do Nothing. Damn....it's so hard. Some people do live meaningful lives on methadone or suboxone...

thanks...

Hello all. I have a question. The one time I tried to get clean (off heroin) with buprenorphine the detox place I was at tested me for methadone and there was some in my system but they said it was not enough for the bup. to make me sick. It had been about two weeks since I'd last took some. Long story short it did make me very, very, very sick. My question is: if I want to take buprenorphine how long do I have to wait for the methadone to be out of my system so I don't have a reoccurence of that horrible first time?? Also would there be a difference if I took the other kind?? i.e. Maybe they gave me suboxone and I needed to take subutex or visa versa. Please help. I want to get clean but I don't think I can take another situation like the first. Thanx.
:wtf2

I am have been clean for 1 year from opiates and I'm personally doing pretty good, but my fiance, the man who helped me get clean, is an alcoholic. He won't admit it, and he doesn't want to quit. He moved me out of state to get away from the drugs and without him I probably never would have got clean if it wasn't for him and I want to support him and be there for him like he was me. I wouldn't mind his excessive drinking but when he drinks he becomes a completely different person. He's short tempered, easily offended, and just altogether mean. He is the manager at a liquor store and comes home with a different kind of beer every night. He won't quit his job to get away from the alcohol because the money's too good. He says if he wanted to quit he would. I think deep down he knows he has a problem, he admitted to me once but later denied it. I know whether he drinks or not isn't up to me, and I know he has to want it, but I don't know how much longer I can deal with this. He was there for me when I needed him and he never gave up on me. When i'd wake up at 4 am crying for a pill and he had to get up for work at 6, he'd stay up with me. He spent $3,000 on methadone. I can't give up on him. Any advice on convincing he has a problem, or even just how to tolerate it better? I've started going to bed earlier when he drinks so I'm not awake to see him that way, but there has to be another answer. Any advice??

Hi Friends:

I jumped in yesterday for the first time, and was grateful for the support and feedback I received. I've decided I will enter in-residence treatment for alcoho (DOC) and narcos (which I've been increasingly prescribed over the past 4 years--was taking a total of 140 mg. of oxycodone/daily).

As I stated yesterday, I'm wayyyy more fearful of the oxy withdrawal than the alcohol (even though the later would be more likely to kill me if I weren't in a hospital detox room). I have to work with my professional realities, which means that I will not be checking in until around December 14, but I'm going to do everything possible to arrange to do so even earlier. (At that time I will have at least 30 days to devote.)

I have started (today) to wean myself back on my oxy intake. My feeling is that it could only make detox that much better (so to speak). I am confident that I should be able to cut my usage (if I remain serious, focused, and continue to read these threads and gather all the information I can from what to expect) in half before I check in (roughtly 70-80 mg./day. I'm hoping to do the same with alcohol.

Based on information I've picked up from reading through a number of posts, I've also begun taking a daily regimen of: a multi-vitamin, super B-complex, zinc, and magnesium.

Since I have two and a half weeks until I check-in, I'm wondering what advice you could share with me about other things I should be doing.

BTW: I never heard of suboxone until yesterday. I'm wondering if they use it in detox. Also, I recall at one point my pain doctor having mentioned putting me on methadone. From what I've read in posts the past 24 hours about getting off that, I'm very grateful I never went on it.

Thanks in advance.