please help

[Tony BWFC]

I have been cutting down on methadone for some time now, I got down from 100ml to 60ml quite easy, mainly due to the fact I have a loving partner who is very supportive,
although being stable on 60ml  any measure below this and everything goes wrong, I get very moody and some times quite aggressive I lose all interest in going out and often
say nasty hurtful things to my partner who has done nothing but help and support me, I feel like I'm losing my mind. Is their anything my doctor could prescribe to help with  this and all the other symptoms that come with coming of opiates.

Thanks Tony 

[manicstreetpriestess]

Hi there,

I sympathise.  When I got below the 60 mark, I began to get bitchy and anxious.  How much are you coming down? and how often? 

I found that benzos helped calm my moods and did a lot to treat the anxiety, and "talking without thinking" stuff (which became uncontrollable at one point!).

Hope you find a solution that works for you,
Lydia.

[simon]

Tony, please just leave the dose alone for a while, maybe you've reduced too quickly. If you are still as nasty as a bag of rats ask to increase a bit. When you feel 100% that you are ready to go down again remember you don't have to reduce by 5 ml or 10 ml just 2 ml is still a reduction.

[znagemq]

A doctor would be very reluctant to prescribe benzo's due to the associated harms but you wont loose anything by asking him next time for something else which may help. If your symptoms are unbearable then slowing down the reduction is one good option. Another is holistic therapies such as massage, acupuncture, meditation techniques etc but these don't suit everyone. Also there are diversion techniques  IE going for a walk when you are really wound up or something that will take you away from the situation you don't want to be in and this may help to lessen the anxiety. The fact remains that you are going to feel uncomfortable at some point in the reduction, nothing will take this away you just have to find ways to make it bearable.

[manicstreetpriestess]

Mmmmm... meds should always be taken as prescribed, and benzos and methadone are not advised unless strictly adhered to by doctors orders (which is hard when you're hanging, so probably not a good idea to give yourself the temptation, because you might end up getting addicted to the benzos, which you certainly don't want!). 

Lydia.

[Tony BWFC]

I've been on some sort of drug since I was 11, I'm now 27 and during those yrs I spent a lot of time eating benzo's like they were sweets and believe me I got in to a lot of trouble and lost a lot of friends/family/respect, etc etc etc, as for the rattle there isnt a word to describe such hell  I feel like I've got a lot of lost yrs because of them blue days, even now with a clear/ish mind I still cant peace together many yrs so it's a big NO to benzo's.   

[steve]

if i may give you my 2 pence worth why dont you sit tight on a dose that you feel cool on then give it some time then try reducing again but i think it would be a bad move to start going down the benzo route if things are good with your relationship then stay with the meth and only the meth and i know for a fact life will be much better

[manicstreetpriestess]

I totally agree... if you have had a prob with benzos, definitely don't try them; i didn't realise that was the case. My partner was on 90ml, dropped to 60ml quite easily but only came down to 40ml on a reduction of 1ml per month; and when he got to 40ml, he had to stay there for a long time to stabilise himself.  I didn't have have a benzo addiction previous to my methadone usage.  I would definitely not advise taking them considering what you have said about your benzo blues.  It's bloody hard coming off the m-done though.  Nothing is easy.  It has such a long afterlife, and it affects all sorts of physical and mental aspects.  Even when I was completely off the m-done, my bones ached for two months and I was weak.  I felt like I was hanging out for weeks despite I was off itl.

Good luck,
Lydia.

[Tonylee]

Hi Tony

I had the same problem earlier this year got down to a certain dose and then everything collapsed, well mate no other drug is going to help with this one because I found it was more a mental thing rather than a physical, what I did was stablelised on a dose that was comfortable thenwaited a month, all the time preparing myself for the date I would start reduction again, guess what I still felt bad but not so bad so my dr recommended that I go on a blind reduction, that way I didn't know how much I was reducing althought he promised never to go above five mils and belive me mate it help so much because it took the anxiaty away, now I'm down to 30mils and nearly ready to move over to subutex.
anyway that was just one way off trying, but please don.t give up and the best off luck to ya mate
Tony Lee

[simon]

Tony,
Do you think it will help swapping to Subutex?

[Tonylee]

Thats a tough one as subutex isn't for everybody pluss you have to stop all methadon for at least 36hrs and more depending how quick you flush opiates from your system.
This is just my own personal view but if methadone isn't working for you then give it a try it also helps if you haven't been on Heroin for to long.
There is also Suboxone which is very similar to Subutex but has Naltrexone in it.
And if you have a Dr that will listen and cares a bit he should help you through the couple of days you have to stop using for usually lofexadine.
Do some research about the above, find out the induction regime and waiting period and have a chat with your GP.

All the best

Tony Lee

[steve]

I know that it would help you like i said to sit tight on a dose that your comfortable on then bide your time and with the rest of your life in order you will have the strength then to drop bit by bit,but like i said keep away from any other shit like benzos ect.,theres no reason why you cant attain your goals you sound like you have some in place already.

[mikey]

When I was recovering myself , because I blamed the lost years on drug taking I expected things to change dramatically when I didn’t do it anymore but things didn’t. It took a long time for the vacuum left by my ceasing those activities to be filled leaving me frustrated and angry that I still couldn’t get on and do stuff like those around me and I hated them for being able to do so – after all where was my excuse now? Things did get better bit by bit but sometimes it was on a knife’s edge e.g. I was seemingly Mr Active but then the slightest setback or feeling under the weather that most people would shrug off turned me back into Mr UnableToDoAnything again and that really pissed me off. The point I am making is the balance is sometimes very critical. It is a massive thing you are doing -regaining your life and to battle on all fronts at once is often too much. Substitute prescribing is there to halt the battle with heroin whilst you catch your breath and get all the other stuff sorted. Reduction is not the measure of your recovery although many look at it like that. My advice is get on the dose that allows you to function well and spend as much time as you need getting the other stuff right because in the long run that other stuff is the most important. 
And avoid benzos like the plague.

[1lucky1]

I know a lot if not all of you will probably hate what I'm about to say but when I was on 60ml and so sick and tired of waking up like a zombie and driving to my chemist. Feeling tired all the time. So I just stopped. I had 6 days of hell ( the last 2 anyway). But I knew that I'd be o.k sooner or later.
Or the second time I did a 2 week 'crash detox' on the old subbies.
I know some of you have been on Methadone for years and it can be dangerous to just stop but it can work if your willing to be very rough for a week or so.
Methadone is really hard to come off I know.....It's as if it soaks into your bones and everywhere.
I use Oxycontin, Oxynorm and the odd Valium to feel sound these days.
With Meth being the hardest (in my opinion) to come off. Why not try and swith to Morphine and then steadily come of that instead.....I did it and it worked well.
All just ideas, I know but all the best with whatever you decide to do.

[froude]

Tony,Ian frm wilts here.

I reduced from 100mil to 55mil,i know how it feels,and i was really anxious and angry(still am),it does go believe me ,YOU WILL GET THERE.Have a word with your key worker or whoever you see,im sure you can get through this with the help of your loving partner.Im really stable now on 55mil,so i know you can do it,if i can believe.Maybe lydia is right,you may need to see your doctor, its you who is the only one who knows best,whatever happens i wish you the best,and promise you it gets better.ian frm wilts.