Methadone Detox / Taper Regimen

[Chip (OP)]

Sitting on 12.5 mg and no hassle ... will try 10 mg in a few days.

Getting my passport ready for when I am no longer dependant.

With 300 mg stashed away, I can detox myself and save on clinic fees.

[Z]

Travelling with methadone isn't that bad.  Here you can get a month worth, and they usually give pills instead of liquid.  You can get a special form from the government if your doctor is willing to do the legwork, and it makes customs pretty much a passport stamping affair.

I guess it depends where you go, but look into it before you rule out the possibility.  I go on vacation most years.

[DirtyJerzy]

Good shit chipper. And while 300 mgs ain't shit when your taking 120+mgs a day, when your at 5mgs or less a day, you'll be able to do as long and as gradual a taper as you feel the need to. Always good to have them over prescribe and be able to stash a bit, for a rainy day, a self taper, or just a vacation from the clinic.

When I was on done they made me go every day except Sunday, cuz I never gave clean piss. But the sub clinic was giving me weekly take homes after the first month, and they thought I was taking 16mgs a day, so I was able to stock pile a bit during that time. They've been gone for over a year now though, and I've been buying my subutex off the streets......but I just got insurance so I'm about to go get back on them, not to be on sub Maintainance, but so I can stockpile and have, as opposed to having to buy.

Good luck with the rest though chipper, you got this shit bro.

[Chip (OP)]

... yeah, I was going well until I started shooting again. Really, never again ... plus i used up almost all of my reserves.

Back to 20 again. Try again. Repeat until it works. Dammit.

I will get there. I need to be off this. Thanks for the support.

[Chip (OP)]

Travelling with methadone isn't that bad.  Here you can get a month worth, and they usually give pills instead of liquid.  You can get a special form from the government if your doctor is willing to do the legwork, and it makes customs pretty much a passport stamping affair.

I guess it depends where you go, but look into it before you rule out the possibility.  I go on vacation most years.

This is true. I may just need to take your advice and check out travelling with Physeptone.

[Griffin]

Hey chip, and any other mmt users. I was wondering if you had any trouble with weight gain while on done and/or if you had trouble losing weight while on it. I am hoping that I can taper to a lower dose and be able to lose weight because right now it's impossible! I am currently on 90 mgs, and have been dieting and exercising but haven't been able to lose any weight, when I was off methadone for 4 months I lost 30lbs and have been able to stay 40lbs under my highest wait from when I was on 280mg.

When I was on 280, I worked manual labor 40 hours a week walked almost 10 miles a day, and ate decent but I gained 100lbs in less then one year and kept gaining it until I went to jail and got off for 4 months. I have been 135lbs my entire life and jumped up to 225 within a year of being on 280mgs. I was off opiates for 4 months I lost 30 lbs without trying and have been able to stay at 185 since getting back on it, but no matter what I do or try I can't lose any weight.

My hopes are that if I get down to a lower dose I will be able to lose weight if I am healthy, it seems that the higher dose for me the more weight I gain, I have noticed it in some other people as well but everyone varies a ton. I am just wondering if anyone has noticed any difference in weight, energy, motivation, and that stuff since tapering and if so at what point did you notice, because I can't deal with it anymore.

I am thinking about trying subs again because even though I was using while on it, I didn't gain any weight on it. I am hoping that it works better for me now because before it didn't help at all with cravings, and depression and all the other symptoms but since I will be 3 years clean in Nov. and have a much lower tolerance then when on it before I am hoping that it will work for me this time, and help me lose weight. It seems impossible too and on top of it doesn't take the depression that it used to away from me, and I am getting really bad off.

I got some bad news last week and got denied financial aid so I can't finish school and it seems that was all it took for me to lose my shit, and I am struggling to not break. I need a change and I am praying that they let me off probation this month because if they don't i am completely fucked and more than likely will be homeless until they do i have months left, i just have to make it to Jan. 7th and I will have my freedom I am praying the fucking cops stay away from me and let me have it, I can't take this shit anymore.

Anyways sorry for rambling just wanted to know about your taper and if its help with any side effects and weight issues for you or anyone whose tapered or is on a low dose? How long did it take you to get where you were and what were the hardest parts about getting there? How do you feel right now?

[Dopeless Hopefiend]

@Griffin I gained an obscene amount of weight on MMT. Like 150lbs total over 8.5 years. I was way too skinny when I got on, so the first 50 was actually good. But then I just kept piling it on. I've been off for 70ish days & have already lost a little more than 20lbs. I still have a lot to lose, but while I was on MMT it seemed like no matter what I did it didn't matter. Now it's much easier.

[Griffin]

That's awesome dopeless hopefiend, are you dieting right now and trying to lose weight or did you lose it from being off methadone, you are on subs now right? That is good to hear that if I can get by on subs that there is a chance at me losing this weight because I have been skinny my whole life and now nothing I do works its so aggravating, I think the loneliness is starting to get to me. It was stupid I was eating horribly not exercising at all and went from 225 to 180 in a little over 4 months only difference was no methadone, now I can get under 180 to save my life.

[Chip (OP)]

Yep, I did gain weight but a lot of it was retained water.

I still have some weight to lose and am about 80 Kg at the moment. That's just under 180 lbs.

I have become quite sedentary of late.

I remember craving sweet stuff on higher doses.

[Chip (OP)]

Dropped to 10 mg. and will try to see it out for a miserable whole week. Gotta do this, gotta do it.

Dropping the needle has made it easier now. HIV and HCV results came back negative and I feel like I dodged a bullet ... not bad for close to 4 decades of injecting.

I am determined to get unhooked from opiates and antipsychotics. I plan to just to get by on stimulants and the odd downer, here and there, opiates included.

I'm just so looking forward to no physical addiction whatsoever ... i want it so bad.

[dougrounds]

thats awesome, chipper.

i remember kicking methadone plus healthy IV heroin habit when i got busted a while back.. no fun.

Keep the taper slow and smooth, brother. if youre down to 10mg, id suggest going no faster than down 1mg per week...

maybe drop .5mg a week, does the clinic offer half mgs? otherwise id say down 1mg every 1-2 weeks depending on how you feel.

[dougrounds]

ugh reading this thread gives me the jitters. i remember kicking 75mg daily 'done in county jail... getting out after a month and a half.. and still feeling short of 100%

hang in there, bro. methadone is nasty stuff. taper slow and get settled in, its gonna take a while before you feel back to normal

[Chip (OP)]

I am being deliberately aggressive in my dose reduction.

The clinic only offer a minimum of 2.5 mg dose changes.

I plan to get down to 5 mg and then leave the clinic as I have saved up enough to see me through.

Really wanting it takes away the fear of withdrawal and that makes it easier to cope.

It's going to also save me $132 a fortnight so that's another carrot for me - more money for extra tweak

This is my 4th and final taper so I am well prepared for it ... at this dose the side-effects are virtually eliminated so that keeps me motivated too.

What always fucked me up was injecting it and now that's history so I am confident.

I also plan to use oral Morphine once or twice a month for pure pleasure so that's the final reward -- i want to live up to my handle.

I know your advice is cautious and wise but I am on a roll ... if it gets too uncomfortable then I can steal a few mgs from my reserves.

Thank you for your input.

[Thoms]

God that is a strong man to get that low in and of itself!! When it comes to chipping (chipper, how rad ironic!!) you obviously need to be beyond fucking careful not to get sucked back in. I would give that all the thought that's possible before you use even once. Now with that out of the way, should you decide to use some morphine you should plug it. That will double the bio availability. It is still  only 60 % but that's better than 30 % oral.

[Chip (OP)]

Great advice ! I won't get sucked back in because I couldn't even access more Morphine than once in a blue moon even if I wanted to ... and I am well and truly over it. It doesn't hold the appeal that it had, I'm just so much further down the line now.

Tweak's my main thing anyhow.

I'm just sick to death of being dependant.

Plugging is a great idea and will definitely try it now that you reminded me.

[Chip (OP)]

been on 10 mg for a while now and getting ready to drop to 7.5.

I don't get nearly as anxious before my dose like I used to ... small amounts feel so much easier all around.

not long now...