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methadone taper

7 Things You Need to Know About Tapering Off Methadone

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Over 2 million people in the U.S. abuse opioids. Methadone is used as a prescription drug to fight opioid addiction.

Methadone relieves pain and prevents opioid withdrawal symptoms. Most methadone treatment programs keep patients on the drug longterm. This is because research shows that patients on methadone are less likely to relapse.

But what if you’re ready for complete recovery?

Here are 7 things you need to know about tapering off methadone.

Process of Addiction

Pharmaceutical companies convinced doctors that addiction to opioid pain relievers was uncommon. This occurred in the 1990s. This led doctors to prescribe pain medication at greater rates than before.

This caused an uptick in the number of people using opioid medications. Unfortunately, patients with pain often become tolerant to normal doses of medication. They need higher doses of medication to stop the pain.

When their prescription runs out, many patients turn to illegal opioids for self-medication.

Opioids bind to receptors in the brain blocking pain and causing a dopamine rush. The dopamine rush is addictive because it causes pleasure and relaxation. Over time, brain chemistry alters and becomes damaged.

When it comes to weaning from the opioids, methadone is the drug of choice. It prevents withdrawal symptoms because its effects are slower than other painkillers. Weaning from methadone isn’t easy since it’s also an opioid.

Freedom of Choice

Many treatment programs never mention methadone weaning. They prefer indefinite treatment with methadone so patients avoid relapse. This means patients have no choice when it comes to their treatment plans.

That’s unfortunate since long-term methadone use has potential unhealthy side effects. Methadone is also sometimes fatal with thousands of deaths each year from an overdose.

In studies, methadone side effects show that it can affect both memory and learning. In rats, there were brain cell changes even after the methadone was no longer in the body. Attention spans were also shortened.

Tapering Off Methadone

If you’re ready to taper off methadone, what’s the best way?

Never stop methadone treatment cold turkey. Always taper under the supervision of a doctor.

Although methadone eases withdrawal symptoms from other opiates, it also has withdrawal symptoms.

Methadone withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Depression
  • Difficulty sleeping and insomnia
  • Agitation
  • Anxiety
  • Profuse sweating
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Shivering
  • Rhinorrhea (a runny nose)

Methadone withdrawal symptoms sometimes last longer than opioid withdrawal symptoms.

1. Find a Counselor

You’ll need a counselor or therapist. Many therapists specialize in addiction treatment. Meet with the counselor on a regular basis. If you don’t have the means for a counselor, get into an appropriate 12-step program.

You’ll need a good support system. Sometimes family members aren’t the best support and can even undermine your attempts at detox. Surround yourself with people who won’t sabotage your efforts.

2. Address Life Issues First

Reduce your stress before tapering.

Focus on life basics such as a job, a place to live, and marriage issues first. Work on healthy habits. Work through emotional triggers such as losses caused by opioid use.

Many drug abusers lose everything before getting off drugs and onto methadone maintenance. If these issues aren’t addressed first, opioid relapse is more likely after tapering.

Address the spiritual and emotional problems caused by drug addiction. Get your finances in order.

3. Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Make healthy lifestyle changes. Increase your exercise. Adopt a healthy eating plan with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein.

Stay hydrated by drinking at least half your body weight in water daily. If you weight 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water per day.

Take a multivitamin.

4. Be Patient

It could take a year or more when implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Be patient. Don’t begin tapering off methadone until you’re ready. Don’t rush the tapering process itself either.

Tapering off methadone takes about three months. To taper means cutting the dose down every week or every other week.

Overall, tapering from methadone has a success rate between 25-50%. The more prepared you are the more likely you’ll succeed.

If you’re taking 10 mg of methadone once per day, your dose is lowered to 8 mg at the end of week two of tapering. At the end of week four, the dosage is lowered to 6 mg.

The dose is lowered to 4 mg, then 2 mg, and then stopped. Most methadone tapers reduce the drug by about 20% every two weeks.

Research shows that slow tapering is more successful than tapering too fast. Remember that methadone stays in the body for as much as two weeks after the last dose.

The process of tapering may take a few months. But the process of being drug-free lasts a lifetime. Be patient with yourself.

5. Use an Experienced Doctor

Use a doctor with experience in addiction and drug withdrawal. You need a doctor who understands the treatment of withdrawal symptoms.

The doctor can prescribe other medications that help ease withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medications.

If you’re having nausea and vomiting, the doctor can prescribe anti-emetics. These drugs relieve nausea.

6. Decide Where You’ll Detox

You can detox at home or in a treatment center. There are benefits and risks with both options. The familiarity of home is nice.

But quick access to experienced doctors and nurses in a treatment center is a plus.

Talk to your counselor and doctor about what the best option is for you and your situation.

7. Consider Alternative Adjunct Treatments

Some withdrawal symptoms cause problems of their own. Some patients have trouble sleeping during or after methadone withdrawal.

Sleep deprivation causes its own set of problems. It also sets you up for a drug relapse.

If you’re having trouble with symptoms such as sleeplessness, consider alternatives to drugs. Meditation, prayers, and acupuncture are non-drug alternatives that work well for many patients.

In The End, You Must Persevere!

Detoxing from drugs is difficult. There are no easy solutions or magic pills. Coming off methadone is a process. Set yourself up for success before you start tapering.

Get a good addiction counselor. Address your most difficult life issues and triggers and adopt healthy lifestyle changes. Consider alternative treatments for issues that present during the tapering process.

Now that you’re drug-free, enjoy your life’s journey! Looking for more information about drug addiction and detox? Find more information about opioid addiction here.

Sources

[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2017, January). What Is Addiction? Retrieved from American Psychiatric Association: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction/what-is-addiction

[2] Medical News Today. (2011, March 24). Possible Harmful Effects From Prolonged Use of Methadone. Retrieved from Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/220086.php

[3] U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2019, January 22). What Is The U.S. Opioid Epidemic? Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html

Detoxing from Methadone at home

How to Perform Methadone Detox at Home

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Methadone detox can be a scary but necessary step in your recovery. Did you know that you can do methadone detox at home?

For many opioid addicts, methadone treatment is crucial for recovery. However, eventually, you’ll need to detox from methadone. This is often done in rehab clinics, but in certain situations, detoxing at home can be a much better choice.

If you’re afraid to go to rehab, don’t have the money, or don’t have a clinic in your area, methadone detox at home may be the answer.

In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to detox in the comfort of your own home. Keep reading to learn more.

What is Methadone?

Methadone is an opioid, but surprisingly, it can actually help people recover from opioid addiction by helping them through the withdrawal process.

The creation of methadone treatment took place during World War II to help patients get through intense pain. Today, it’s still in the category of opioid painkillers that are often prescribed for serious pain. However, it’s also given as a part of treatment for addiction to heroin and related drugs. It’s helpful to understand more about this drug before you try methadone detox at home.

Methadone is only available by prescription and comes in powder, pill, or liquid form. Like many prescription drugs, it can also be abused, and it’s important to only take it as directed by a doctor. The good news is that among narcotics, methadone is a very safe choice – so safe that you can use it at your own house.

How Does Methadone Work?

Methadone offers pain relief by changing how your central nervous system and brain react to pain. Although it’s similar to other painkillers like morphine, it doesn’t work as quickly.

Interestingly, methadone also inhibits the effects of other drugs. You won’t be able to feel codeine, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, or morphine while you’re on methadone. This is part of what makes it such a great treatment for addiction.

Methadone feels similar to these other opioids, but can’t be combined with them, and combats the symptoms of withdrawal. Sometimes, methadone treatment is also called “replacement therapy.” The methadone mechanism of action works to “replace” the drug you’re addicted to, but has softer effects, helping you wean yourself off of the addiction.

Duration and Side Effects of Methadone Detox

Most experts agree that a year, or even more, of methadone treatment is needed to fight addiction. A doctor will measure how your body responds to the treatment, and make adjustments as needed. Even when you do methadone detox at home, you’ll need to have a doctor to prescribe the treatment and check in with you regularly to make sure it’s working.

Once the treatment is complete, your doctor can also help you slowly wind down your dosage, so you don’t go into methadone withdrawal.

Side effects of methadone include slowed breathing, restlessness, itchiness, profuse sweating, sexual issues, and constipation.

In rare cases, serious side effects can happen that require medical treatment. However, most people never have these problems. You’ll need to call your doctor if you start feeling faint or lightheaded, having difficulty breathing, break out in a rash, hallucinate, or have chest pains.

Doing Methadone Detox at Home

Now that you know how methadone works, you can safely detox from methadone at home. Here’s how to do it.

1. Decide How Quickly You’ll Quit

Some people decide to go completely cold-turkey from methadone once they feel that they’ve recovered fully. Others gradually wean themselves off, which helps you avoid withdrawal.

If you plan to detox gradually, you’ll probably need about 200 mg of methadone with you. This should be enough for your home detox.

2. Take Some Time Off

It will take you about a week to detox completely. During this time, you’ll need to gradually reduce how much methadone you take every day. You won’t be getting much sleep during this time, and you’ll probably have cramps and nausea.

Your body will desire the methadone that you’ve taken away from it, so it’s good to have a friend or health care worker around who can give you the doses, so you aren’t tempted to take more than you should.

3. Get Through the Worst

You’ll have about two or three bad days of withdrawal, so prepare to push through it.

Your worst days will be more intense if you quit cold-turkey. If you gradually reduce your dosage, you might find that the experience really isn’t all that bad. However, either method works.

Although detox can be unpleasant, it’s not fatal. If you are making the decision to stop using the drug, methadone withdrawal is safe to do at home.

4. Stock Up on Supplies

Stock up on broth and liquids so you stay hydrated during this time. Pick up plenty of drinks that have electrolytes, since you’ll need to replace fluids fast. Buy herbal teas and other comforting drinks to help get you through the bad days.

Crackers and bread can also help stave off hunger without making nausea work. Think of all the things that you like to have on hand when you’re sick – those are the things you’ll want to stock up on.

5. Get Support

It’s a great idea to have a friend or loved one to help you through this process. However, it’s also valuable to seek out the support of fellow former addicts who understand what you’re going through.

Your physical cravings will be powerful for a matter of days. Your psychological cravings, however, will linger for months or years after the detox is over. Having support can help you fight against them.

In addition to getting a good support system, it’s a good idea to get therapy and outpatient treatment to help you stay on track, so you’ll never need to do a methadone detox again.

Looking for Methadone Centers Near You?

In order to do a methadone detox, you’ll need a source of methadone.

When you’re ready to find a methadone center near you, contact us at (855) 976-2092, we can help you find what you need.

Sources

[1] CRC Health. (n.d.). Soldiers, Hippies and Richard Nixon – An American History of Methadone | CRC Health Group. Retrieved from https://www.crchealth.com/addiction/heroin-addiction-treatment/heroin-detox/history_methadone/

[2] Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009. 4, Withdrawal Management. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310652/