How Can I STOP Taking Methadone?

For most people, methadone is a life-saving treatment for opioid addiction. Since its inception in the late 1960s, it has helped to save millions of people from succumbing to drugs.

However, for other people, methadone can be a curse. What once started out as a helpful treatment might have become an addiction of itself.

If you’re suffering from a methadone addiction, it’s important to realize that there is hope.

You are not alone and you have options.

There are many ways to that you can stop taking methadone. However, it’s important to act now before it’s too late – you don’t always get a second chance.

If you need immediate help with your methadone addiction, call 800-678-5931(Who Answers?) today.

Reasons to Stop Taking Methadone

If methadone isn’t aiding your recovery, discuss alternatives with your doctor.

Addiction isn’t the only reason you might want to stop taking methadone. There can be a number of other reasons, including:

Inability to follow your recommended treatment plan
Not progressing in your treatment goals
A decrease in the need for pain relief
Serious or adverse side effects
Lack of effectiveness

Whatever your reason, keep in mind that getting off of methadone is not life-threatening.

However, it may be an uncomfortable process, meaning you should talk to your doctor to find the best method of getting off methadone for you.

The best way to stop taking methadone is to taper off your dose slowly and carefully. Otherwise, the withdrawal symptoms will be too much to bear, and you’ll find yourself taking more methadone simply to feel better.

Where Can I Go to Detox From Methadone?

There are three main settings where you can detoxify. These include:

Inpatient facility – This will allow you to receive medical care to ensure your tapering goes as smoothly as possible.
Outpatient facility – This process is slower than an inpatient detox, but is much cheaper and lets you maintain your freedom.
Ultra-rapid detox – While this generally isn’t a recommended procedure, it’s an option. You’ll be put under anesthesia to help rid your body of all traces of methadone.

Recommended Method to Stop Taking Methadone

Once you’ve established where you’ll detox, it’s important to follow an established plan. By talking with your doctor, you’ll be able to determine how quickly or slowly you can wean off of methadone.

Generally, the longer you’ve been on methadone, the slower the tapering process will be.

For most people, however, the following plan works well to get methadone out of your system for good:

Start decreasing your daily methadone dose slowly, by about 20 to 50 percent each day until you reach 30 mg.
Next, start decreasing your methadone dose by 5 mg every three to five days until you get to a daily dose of 10 mg.
Finally, decrease your dose by 2.5 mg every three to five days until you are taking nothing at all.

Unfortunately, you may reach a period of plateau, meaning that no matter how slowly you reduce your dosing, you’ll still feel withdrawal effects.

This is normal, and while uncomfortable, is something that can easily be overcome.

3 Signs That Coming off Methadone is a Bad Idea

Coming off methadone before you’re ready can lead to relapse, making it imperative that you evaluate your current progress in treatment.

Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms

Since methadone is an opioid, it shares the share withdrawal symptoms as other opioids. These include:

Stomach cramps
Muscle pain
Nausea and vomiting
Trouble sleeping
Anxiety and agitation
Sweating, tearing, and yawning
Goose bumps
Intense cravings

Luckily, these symptoms can be mitigated with help from your doctor.

As you can see, getting off of methadone for good is definitely possible. If you’d like to learn more about how to create a tapering plan or where to find the best methadone withdrawal treatment centers in your area, call us now.

Call 800-678-5931(Who Answers?) today and take back control of your life.