How Long Does It Take to Taper Off of Methadone Safely?
Question by Jen: How long does it take to taper off of Methadone safely?
I’ve been on it since February (not really by choice) but strictly for pain control. Never been a drug user. I’m in the hospital and wanna know how long it’ll take to taper off so I’m not throwing my guts up!
Best answer:
Answer by Sharin
I am was also Ono methadone for pain control. For neuropathy. Meaning nerve damage in my arms,legs, hands, and feet.
You want to go SLOW on this drug. Your doc may or may not understand this.
This is not like other opiates.
If you are taking several time a day, I would cut just one dose down a little bit at a time, don’t cut all three doses at once.
If your taking 30 mg, 3 times A day, then just cut your middle dose down, if your pills, you will have to do it vu breaking them into tiny bit, or just even licking off of it several time. But keep you others 2 doses the same. Keep doing that until you can eliminate the middle dose. It could take you weeks or months to do this.
Don’t beat yourself up, ok?
Or which ever dose you decide to cut on.
I would NOT do the night dose, becasue you will definitely notice it, you may not sleep as well.
BY MORNING YOU WILL BE REALLY HURTING, and that’s not conducive to getting off this medication.
Just do it like this until until YOU feel comfortable enough to get off it. Take as long as you need.
The half likfof ,ethadsone, is unlike any other pain medication out there.
The withdrawal, ifyou were to just go cold turkey is horrible horrible horrible. If you are doing this by choice, then it doesn’t have to be a race. You don’t have to hurry.
Take your time. You don’t have to suffer.
I do want to say this, IF you are in chronic pain, you don’t owe it to ANYONE to suffer.
If this medicine helps you, helps you have a life, get around, then there is no need to get off of it.
Do not let others guilt trip you into getting off this medicine.
If you are abusing then get the help you need.
But that being said, I would be very hesitant to tell your doctor that you are abusing you medication.
It is RARE doctor that understands addictions, and compulsion behind it.
Go to AA or NA or a private therapist and do what I told you.
If you are getting dosed and a clinic on a daily basis, then tell them you want o go down about 1 mg a every week or two, you may have to level out at a 2 mg reductn for a while, if that seem to mich, then at the next reductn, go down only 1 mg agin Sometimes becasue methaodne can stay in your system, you may just feel fine the first 3 days or even week that your reducing, them WAM it hits you like a truck. I mean it.
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