Have to agree..
You can't quit Methadone cold-turkey and then say it gave you painful RLS either. The pain you are feeling, or more than likely from withdrawal. I have the same problem with pain, I know from going through Methadone withdrawal in the past. Even withdrawal from Hydrocodone at one time, gave me some aching legs, although ibuprofen took care of it.
You won't know if you actually have painful RLS until 2 or more weeks of being off Methadone and readjusting to life without it. Withdrawal is a painful process and its why people are weened off medicines.
I didn't catch this before, but if I had, I would have told you that you need to ween yourself if you want it to be any less rough on you.
I know its mentally hard to take only a little medication because then you're like "well if its not helping then why take it at all, if I'm not gonna take enough to help the symptoms".. But you need to give your body room to adjust.
Methadone Users
I am on the lowest dose possible at this point, only 5mg and I cut that in half to 2.5 already. Besides, I did research online and the withdrawals are the exact same whether you quit cold turkey off of 60mg or off of 1mg, they are the same according to studies on Pubmed. I talked to the pharmacist today and the taper will do me no good, it's not the dose that will hurt me it's the receptors in my brain that are jacked up from taking the methadone, no matter how low I go, I will still have a horrible detox no matter how I look at this situation it is a bad one either way. So for me there is no need to taper at all, and it would be a complete waste of time anyway, my dose of 2.5mg is very low.
The pulling pains in my arms last night was freaking unbearable, let me give birth 10 times over before I feel that pain again, it felt like rubber bands in my arms all night long being pulled every which way, I cried and I walked the streets all night long in my robe.....horrid, just freaking horrid, if you ask me, methadone should be banned for what it does to the body at such a low dose.........it's just scary coming off of this stuff, scary isn't even good enough to describe what I am going through, it's in insanity!
NEVER EVER EVER WILL I TAKE METHADONE AGAIN, I DESTROYED THE ENTIRE BOTTLE OF METHADONE TODAY! NOW I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FACE THE 2 TO 3 WEEKS OF PURE HELL I AM ABOUT TO GO THROUGH............I AM so F$%$CKING SCARED.
The pulling pains in my arms last night was freaking unbearable, let me give birth 10 times over before I feel that pain again, it felt like rubber bands in my arms all night long being pulled every which way, I cried and I walked the streets all night long in my robe.....horrid, just freaking horrid, if you ask me, methadone should be banned for what it does to the body at such a low dose.........it's just scary coming off of this stuff, scary isn't even good enough to describe what I am going through, it's in insanity!
NEVER EVER EVER WILL I TAKE METHADONE AGAIN, I DESTROYED THE ENTIRE BOTTLE OF METHADONE TODAY! NOW I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FACE THE 2 TO 3 WEEKS OF PURE HELL I AM ABOUT TO GO THROUGH............I AM so F$%$CKING SCARED.
bharrod wrote:rlsgirl, i cannot see getting off of one addictive drug and getting right back on another one, there are clinics out there to get people off the drug that you are taking. I am trying to get off the methadone because it messes up the HPA axis in the body, which is what all opiate type drugs do eventually do to those who take them. I just got my punishment quite early in the game. I am going to be trying some holistic type meds to calm the RLS, but until then I will need a lot of prayers to get through the withdrawals of the methadone, which I quit yesterday - wish me luck,
thanks
Mia
I didn't have any issues coming off of Subutex when I had to. I actually tapered down over a weeks time and I was off with no problems. Now my RLS kicked my butt but other than that I had no issues with any withdrawls from not taking it. I can actually forget to take it and the only way I know I forgot is my legs freak out. But I have never felt like poo from not taking it. When I had to come off of it until my dr. could figure things out for me I was off for about 2 weeks and never once did I have an issue other than my legs.
I wish you luck in what ever you do.
bharrod wrote:Thanks for the info Rlsgirl, but that drug just scares me.......have you ever been on methadone? What is the difference between that stuff you are on and methadone?
thanks
Mia
I have never been on methadone. Methadone actually scares the crap out of me. Subutex is a opiote blocker. If I were to take a pain pill right now it would have no effect on me at all. When I take subutex I feel no different other than the fact that I have NO rls at all anytime. Now I can say that I have alot more energy since i've been taking it and i seem to be more cheerful than i am normally. I'm always a happy person anyway but i am more so since i've been taking this medication.
I had to stop taking it for a little over two weeks because i was not on it at first for the rls. I was taking it to get off of vicodine and happened to notice that it helped my rls. The dr. that I'm seeing is an addiction specialist and could not keep me on it at the time for rls. He has since found a way to do so and i'm now back on it thank god for that!
What I like the most about it is that I do not feel like I have taken anything when I take it. I feel like my normal self. I don't get tired, I don't feel like I don't want to eat, my eyes don't feel funky, and I don't feel high. It is actually very powerful. I can take 2 mgs (1 pill) a day split in half but I only take 1mg (2mg pill cut in half) at night and it lasts me all night into the next day. Usually I notice my legs feeling funky about 3pm. I get off work at 5pm and on my way home I put the pill under my tongue and let it disolve on my way home. Within 3 seconds of putting it in my mouth my legs are normal and stay that way till about 3pm the next day. I sleep all the way through the night with no problem. I don't even get up to pee anymore. Before I would get up 3 or 4 times a night just because my legs had me doing the worm!
I would not let it scare you. I know not many people know about it because its not used for RLS but i'm trying to change that with my dr. It has been a total mind saver for me and I have had no issues from it at all. Even when I came off of it I had no problems except for my rls coming back.
Its something to look into. Also, Zach may be able to chime in on this as well and break it down for you in a chemical way. he is good in that way but i'm just not good at it. I can tell you how it has effected me and my life.
Good luck!
Hey again.
This discussion is frankly fairly scary. My switch from Mirapex/Ambien to methadone has been going along okay – I’m trying to notice reactions and changes with the thought that if this isn’t for me, I’ll try something else. Now I’m wondering if I should rethink methadone entirely.
(regarding withdrawal: You may recall that I had only been on 10 mg. of methadone for a very few weeks when I had the untoward accidental weekend with no methadone. You all were terrifically supportive, and – in the event – I simply had mega-RLS symptoms with no withdrawal evident.)
Since January I have noticed the following:
I seem to be gaining weight - is metabolism affected by methadone?
I’m drowsy in the daytime quite frequently – I can nap anywhere, especially in the car!
I’ve begun waking at midnight – usually without RLS symptoms but more recently with breakthrough. A half an hour with a cup of tea and a puzzle seems to take care of it, although last night I slept very little and can’t account for this: no particular stress, no unusual diet or activity – except in an effort to kick my metabolism back up, I may be overdoing the cardio.
I’d hate to kcik up the dosage (still 10 mg per day) because of the drowsiness.
Any comments on these changes would be welcome!
A related problem: I have some scoliosis and degenerative disc disease in my lower back. It manifests as thigh pain particularly in the leg where I have a 2 year old total hip replacement. My surgeon confirms that the back is causing the pain, not the hip, and I am confident in this assessment. My question is, however, if one is taking methadone, does it mask the pain of inflammation? If so, when does one know when to take something in the NSAID family?
Mia, I'm sorry for your trouble with all this and hope you can sort out your own special needs. We are all so different in our reactions but all know that whatever our dilemmas they are more endurable when shared with others who’ve been there. Thank you all.
Maria
(regarding withdrawal: You may recall that I had only been on 10 mg. of methadone for a very few weeks when I had the untoward accidental weekend with no methadone. You all were terrifically supportive, and – in the event – I simply had mega-RLS symptoms with no withdrawal evident.)
Since January I have noticed the following:
I seem to be gaining weight - is metabolism affected by methadone?
I’m drowsy in the daytime quite frequently – I can nap anywhere, especially in the car!
I’ve begun waking at midnight – usually without RLS symptoms but more recently with breakthrough. A half an hour with a cup of tea and a puzzle seems to take care of it, although last night I slept very little and can’t account for this: no particular stress, no unusual diet or activity – except in an effort to kick my metabolism back up, I may be overdoing the cardio.
I’d hate to kcik up the dosage (still 10 mg per day) because of the drowsiness.
Any comments on these changes would be welcome!
A related problem: I have some scoliosis and degenerative disc disease in my lower back. It manifests as thigh pain particularly in the leg where I have a 2 year old total hip replacement. My surgeon confirms that the back is causing the pain, not the hip, and I am confident in this assessment. My question is, however, if one is taking methadone, does it mask the pain of inflammation? If so, when does one know when to take something in the NSAID family?
Mia, I'm sorry for your trouble with all this and hope you can sort out your own special needs. We are all so different in our reactions but all know that whatever our dilemmas they are more endurable when shared with others who’ve been there. Thank you all.
Maria
-
ViewsAskew
- Moderator
- Posts: 16581
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
- Location: Los Angeles
Hi Maria,
I wish I could come out and say something that would completely ease your mind. But, truth be told, there are NO medications that are prescribed for RLS that don't cause difficulties...for at least some of us. None.
This all comes down to, I think, our quality of life and how we want to achieve it. If I spent much time thinking about these drugs, I'd potentially freak out. So, I don't. I think about what I'd lost when I didn't have an effective treatment vs what I've gained with an effective treatment, then factor in what I've lost with my effective treatment.
Even with the problems I have, I'm in the black.
I have gained weight, too, but I don't think it's the methadone, I think it's that even without the methadone our brain chemistry is screwed up. Add the methadone (or ANY drug for RLS) and it screws it up more. I gained weight with dopamine agonists and anti-seizure meds, too. When you change brain chemistry, it can affect how your brain feels about food. Recently, without changing anything, I've lost weight. Who knows.
Over the four years I've been on methadone, I've struggled with feeling tired during the day, but was never drowsy. More like lethargic and that my brain wouldn't engage. But, I realized it really was bad when I hurt my knee and I couldn't exercise anymore - the rest of the time it was not nearly as bad. It's as if I have no endorphins or happy brain chemistry without it. I MUST exercise quite a bit while on the methadone. I've also realized that I need to exercise more than I did before I was on it in order not to feel tired/lethargic. That said, about once a week I still need about 12 hours of sleep. Now that I'm getting in several miles of walking or an hour at the gym, I am happy getting up after 8 or 9 hours most days, something I can't do when I'm not getting enough exercise.
I started at 10 mg and within 6 months had breakthrough. I went to 15. Then about 18 months later, I went to 20 mg. I was very worried I'd keep increasing. So far, about two years, I've been OK here.
But, even if I have to increase it again, what are my options if I decide I don't want to? The list of what I lost when I had uncontrolled RLS is immense. My quality of life was lost. Completely, including not being able to work. I can work now. I have a good life, a happy life. I don't have everything I wish I did, but without it? I have nothing. And, I have few options. With the exception of two or three other high potency opioids, no other class of RLS drug has worked for me. Now, I could try them all again and potentially lost sleep and get to the point I couldn't work again, but I do NOT want that to happen!
I feel badly for Mia. I hope she finds a solution that she feels she can live with and that helps her resolve her problems. In no way minimizing her situation, I do feel that it's helpful to remember that this is her situation. Could it become ours? Certainly. But I must look at the odds and what I'd go through without this drug - what I'd lose. Would my daytime tiredness go away? Not a chance! I'd be exhausted because I couldn't sleep at all!
In terms of the odds, there are many RLS doctors who use opioids, particularly methadone. In talking with them, I've not heard any of them say that many people have insurmountable difficulties using this drug. Sure, some do. In one long term study, they found that in a seven year period, the majority of people were fine. Most stayed at the same dose (since I needed two increases, that freaked me out) and most stayed on the therapy, only a few quitting because of problems. Mia is one of those few.
Is this rationalization? Maybe. But, I will not go back to the life I had prior to this drug. I'll happily switch to another drug when one becomes available that will help me. I'd switch to another opioid if the doctor felt it would help in some way. But, none of the problems I had taking it come close to the problems I had before I started taking it. Not close at all.
I wish I could come out and say something that would completely ease your mind. But, truth be told, there are NO medications that are prescribed for RLS that don't cause difficulties...for at least some of us. None.
This all comes down to, I think, our quality of life and how we want to achieve it. If I spent much time thinking about these drugs, I'd potentially freak out. So, I don't. I think about what I'd lost when I didn't have an effective treatment vs what I've gained with an effective treatment, then factor in what I've lost with my effective treatment.
Even with the problems I have, I'm in the black.
I have gained weight, too, but I don't think it's the methadone, I think it's that even without the methadone our brain chemistry is screwed up. Add the methadone (or ANY drug for RLS) and it screws it up more. I gained weight with dopamine agonists and anti-seizure meds, too. When you change brain chemistry, it can affect how your brain feels about food. Recently, without changing anything, I've lost weight. Who knows.
Over the four years I've been on methadone, I've struggled with feeling tired during the day, but was never drowsy. More like lethargic and that my brain wouldn't engage. But, I realized it really was bad when I hurt my knee and I couldn't exercise anymore - the rest of the time it was not nearly as bad. It's as if I have no endorphins or happy brain chemistry without it. I MUST exercise quite a bit while on the methadone. I've also realized that I need to exercise more than I did before I was on it in order not to feel tired/lethargic. That said, about once a week I still need about 12 hours of sleep. Now that I'm getting in several miles of walking or an hour at the gym, I am happy getting up after 8 or 9 hours most days, something I can't do when I'm not getting enough exercise.
I started at 10 mg and within 6 months had breakthrough. I went to 15. Then about 18 months later, I went to 20 mg. I was very worried I'd keep increasing. So far, about two years, I've been OK here.
But, even if I have to increase it again, what are my options if I decide I don't want to? The list of what I lost when I had uncontrolled RLS is immense. My quality of life was lost. Completely, including not being able to work. I can work now. I have a good life, a happy life. I don't have everything I wish I did, but without it? I have nothing. And, I have few options. With the exception of two or three other high potency opioids, no other class of RLS drug has worked for me. Now, I could try them all again and potentially lost sleep and get to the point I couldn't work again, but I do NOT want that to happen!
I feel badly for Mia. I hope she finds a solution that she feels she can live with and that helps her resolve her problems. In no way minimizing her situation, I do feel that it's helpful to remember that this is her situation. Could it become ours? Certainly. But I must look at the odds and what I'd go through without this drug - what I'd lose. Would my daytime tiredness go away? Not a chance! I'd be exhausted because I couldn't sleep at all!
In terms of the odds, there are many RLS doctors who use opioids, particularly methadone. In talking with them, I've not heard any of them say that many people have insurmountable difficulties using this drug. Sure, some do. In one long term study, they found that in a seven year period, the majority of people were fine. Most stayed at the same dose (since I needed two increases, that freaked me out) and most stayed on the therapy, only a few quitting because of problems. Mia is one of those few.
Is this rationalization? Maybe. But, I will not go back to the life I had prior to this drug. I'll happily switch to another drug when one becomes available that will help me. I'd switch to another opioid if the doctor felt it would help in some way. But, none of the problems I had taking it come close to the problems I had before I started taking it. Not close at all.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Yes, the fatigue on Methadone is unbearable for me to handle at times. I can sleep anytime anywhere, and that is not good since I have 2 small children here to raise. I am SO excited to have my life back again after the withdrawals are over. I will find another way to treat my RLS, or just deal with it like i did for many years before. I had much more energy "just dealing" with my RLS with no drugs than I do now, and I consider my form a bad one. My mother and my twin sister have mild RLS, mine is pretty bad, but I will do as I did before, take burning hot baths and deal with it. My health is not worth what this drug is doing to my body and my mind. The more I read about the long term side effects the more I know that it is the methadone causing all of this for me. My adrenal glands have completely stopped working in the past year since I have been on methadone, that is just scary. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but I think there should be clear warnings on this drug stating that it can majorly disrupt your endocrine system among other things. Also, it DOES disrupt my sleep. Prior to being on Methadone I do not remember waking up all throughout the night like I do now, my sleep is worse on Methadone.
Sorry for venting, but I am just so angry that I ever asked to be put on this damn drug. I look forward to the end of all this withdrawal crap so that I can get on with my life again.
thanks for letting me vent.
PS, Maria, I talked to a doctor who specializes in methadone withdrawal and he told me that the withdrawal is 10 times worse then coming off of heroin because heroin has a shorter half life than methadone, also he said that the withdrawal from methadone is horrid no matter what dose you are on 1mg or 65mg, doesn't matter, either way you are screwed he said. It's 2 to 6 weeks of pure hell coming off of methadone. If there are any others on here that disagree with that, then show me the proof please.
Mia
Mia
Sorry for venting, but I am just so angry that I ever asked to be put on this damn drug. I look forward to the end of all this withdrawal crap so that I can get on with my life again.
thanks for letting me vent.
PS, Maria, I talked to a doctor who specializes in methadone withdrawal and he told me that the withdrawal is 10 times worse then coming off of heroin because heroin has a shorter half life than methadone, also he said that the withdrawal from methadone is horrid no matter what dose you are on 1mg or 65mg, doesn't matter, either way you are screwed he said. It's 2 to 6 weeks of pure hell coming off of methadone. If there are any others on here that disagree with that, then show me the proof please.
Mia
Mia
-
ViewsAskew
- Moderator
- Posts: 16581
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
- Location: Los Angeles
bharrod wrote:My health is not worth what this drug is doing to my body and my mind. The more I read about the long term side effects the more I know that it is the methadone causing all of this for me.
If there are any others on here that disagree with that, then show me the proof please.
Mia
Mia
Mia, I am not asking you to reconsider stopping this drug, but to reconsider not treating your RLS. Recent studies are finding that RLS, untreated, is bad for your health. The lack of sleep causes many problems from depression to mood swings to problems with driving and falling asleep to issues with hormones related to making us feel hungry and satiated (grehlin and leptin). The movements during sleep cause problems. These are serious ones such as high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack.
It's just not so simple to say it's better to have untreated RLS - I wish it was.
Also, we have had people, members of this board, who have stopped methadone and have had NO problems. I don't know what the truth is, but I have a feeling that it's somewhere in between. Since people have posted here, clearly, that they have has NO problems, it certainly is possible that some people have no problems. Someone posted within the last couple months - he or she took it for quite awhile and stopped easily. Since one of our RLS experts who prescribes this drug has not had many problems, the only logical conclusion is that at least some people, and potentially quite a few, do not have difficulty.
That said, you are clearly having problems. And your specialist has seen people have problems. So, some people do have them.
Little about RLS is easy. And there is no question that none of the drugs we can take are without risk and that some of us will have more problems than others. But having severe RLS and not treating it is also a potential risk and something that is not good for you. I don't know the solution and only you can decide what is best for you.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
-
ViewsAskew
- Moderator
- Posts: 16581
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
- Location: Los Angeles
Mia, is there any reason you can't you use suboxone or clonidine to help with the withdrawals? Both are approved and many clinics use them. I imagine that every doctor has preferences and I certainly haven't looked at the research, but enough clinics use them that I'd guess they have merit.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
I'm reluctant to enter this debate since I know that many members of this forum use methadone to control their RLS and it's the most recommended opiate for RLS according to Dr. B.
However, my doctor refuses to put me on methadone for all the reasons that Mia and others have documented - weight gain, plays with your mind, drowsiness during the day, etc. He simply won't prescribe it for my RLS and after lots of research on my part, I concur.
What you might consider Mia, is switching to a short acting opiate (oxycodone) at a higher dose, getting stable and then doing a slow taper from it. You might find that a low dose of short acting opiate is helpful for your RLS and it doesn't cause the other problems you're facing.
Like Mia, I'd like to know who has had NO problems getting off methadone? Dr. B is constantly saying (on his site) that he has patients who come off methadone all the time without problems. I'd like to know who these people are. I don't believe it for a minute, yet it's constantly told to methadone users: " don't worry, you'll be able to quit at any time". That's hogwash, in my opinion. Methadone is the hardest of all to quit - from all reports.
Mia, I suggest you visit www.heroin-detox.com a wonderfully compassionate site that, despite its name, has a whole section on detoxing from pain medications and especially methadone. There you will find hundreds of people who, like you, went down the methadone path only to find out there are in a worse prison than they ever were with RLS. I encourage you to visit, if only to get more information about what you are up against.
And I, too, would like to hear from former methadone users who didn't have any problems coming off of methadone.
ts
However, my doctor refuses to put me on methadone for all the reasons that Mia and others have documented - weight gain, plays with your mind, drowsiness during the day, etc. He simply won't prescribe it for my RLS and after lots of research on my part, I concur.
What you might consider Mia, is switching to a short acting opiate (oxycodone) at a higher dose, getting stable and then doing a slow taper from it. You might find that a low dose of short acting opiate is helpful for your RLS and it doesn't cause the other problems you're facing.
Like Mia, I'd like to know who has had NO problems getting off methadone? Dr. B is constantly saying (on his site) that he has patients who come off methadone all the time without problems. I'd like to know who these people are. I don't believe it for a minute, yet it's constantly told to methadone users: " don't worry, you'll be able to quit at any time". That's hogwash, in my opinion. Methadone is the hardest of all to quit - from all reports.
Mia, I suggest you visit www.heroin-detox.com a wonderfully compassionate site that, despite its name, has a whole section on detoxing from pain medications and especially methadone. There you will find hundreds of people who, like you, went down the methadone path only to find out there are in a worse prison than they ever were with RLS. I encourage you to visit, if only to get more information about what you are up against.
And I, too, would like to hear from former methadone users who didn't have any problems coming off of methadone.
ts
-
ViewsAskew
- Moderator
- Posts: 16581
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
- Location: Los Angeles
Guys - do a search - I'd do it for you, but I'm swamped today. The most recent post was within the last month or two (but since times flies, it could be longer). I am NOT lying and I can't imagine that the person who posted was lying either.
It's hard to see that something might not be hard when you've only seen hard. And, vice versa. But, it does happen!
It's hard to see that something might not be hard when you've only seen hard. And, vice versa. But, it does happen!
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
Managing Your RLS
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.
TS, your post brought real tears to my eyes...........you see I have been led to believe that methadone is not the cause of all of my problems, yet my soul of souls knows otherwise. The ups and downs that this drug causes are horrific and to think that my life was heaven before I found this drug is an understatement, my RLS was not ruining my life the way that this drug is doing now. I am still in the midst of withdrawals, but through tons of positive thinking and prayer, I have managed to avoid any major withdrawals, other then sleepless nights, which too will pass.
thanks for all the info and support.
Mia
thanks for all the info and support.
Mia
tunesmith wrote:I'm reluctant to enter this debate since I know that many members of this forum use methadone to control their RLS and it's the most recommended opiate for RLS according to Dr. B.
However, my doctor refuses to put me on methadone for all the reasons that Mia and others have documented - weight gain, plays with your mind, drowsiness during the day, etc. He simply won't prescribe it for my RLS and after lots of research on my part, I concur.
What you might consider Mia, is switching to a short acting opiate (oxycodone) at a higher dose, getting stable and then doing a slow taper from it. You might find that a low dose of short acting opiate is helpful for your RLS and it doesn't cause the other problems you're facing.
Like Mia, I'd like to know who has had NO problems getting off methadone? Dr. B is constantly saying (on his site) that he has patients who come off methadone all the time without problems. I'd like to know who these people are. I don't believe it for a minute, yet it's constantly told to methadone users: " don't worry, you'll be able to quit at any time". That's hogwash, in my opinion. Methadone is the hardest of all to quit - from all reports.
Mia, I suggest you visit www.heroin-detox.com a wonderfully compassionate site that, despite its name, has a whole section on detoxing from pain medications and especially methadone. There you will find hundreds of people who, like you, went down the methadone path only to find out there are in a worse prison than they ever were with RLS. I encourage you to visit, if only to get more information about what you are up against.
And I, too, would like to hear from former methadone users who didn't have any problems coming off of methadone.
ts
Bless you, Mia. I'm glad the ODR (Opiate Detox Recovery) site has been helpful. The participants there, like this site, are compassionate and loving people. Stay the course. You have made a big decision and, although it may take time, it is the right one for you.
Take hot baths and use immodium if you need to. Look at the stickies on the top of the discussion boards at ODR - they will help you deal with the day by day. And rest assured, someone will respond to your questions.
My prayers and thoughts are with you.
TS
Take hot baths and use immodium if you need to. Look at the stickies on the top of the discussion boards at ODR - they will help you deal with the day by day. And rest assured, someone will respond to your questions.
My prayers and thoughts are with you.
TS
Oh the HOT baths, I take many of them per day now, they are the only way to relieve the pain and cramping. I get 5 of them per day or more, but mainly in the middle of the night while others are sleeping, that is when it hurts the most. I will also need to get the immodium AD, I never knew that coming off methadone could cause such horrific diarhea, good thing I don't have a job to go to everyday, or I would get fired for staying in the bathroom all day. I keep telling myself, this too shall pass, this will pass, but while in the midst of it, it seems so huge.
thanks, I did post on that website and I'm hoping for some wisdom and advice from them there.
PS - your doctor is one amazing man/woman for telling you NO to the methadone, thank him/her next time you see them. I wish my doctor would have been so steadfast.
Mia
thanks, I did post on that website and I'm hoping for some wisdom and advice from them there.
PS - your doctor is one amazing man/woman for telling you NO to the methadone, thank him/her next time you see them. I wish my doctor would have been so steadfast.
Mia