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Posted by: SleepingFox on 2010-07-12, 14:50:13
Was this a planned weaning through an MMT clinic, or was this an administrative detox? Typically, the highest rate of success results when a client is weaned on a weekly basis, 2-3mg cut per week, until they get down to about 20mg~ at that point, the best bet is a detox. Detoxes legally are not permitted to treat clients who are detoxing from methadone they've obtained illegally- this is meant to prevent those who abuse other meds on MMT and then get administrative detoxes from assuming they can be "fixed " there. However, a clinic supervised detox and weaning is permissible, and in most cases, your clinic should have a familial relationship with an area detox that will be able to see you through the last few weeks of the acute withdrawal. Treatment varies with the individual detox, and will be based on a mutually agreed course of medications that the MMT Clinic and Detox facility feel works best. It will be based on a number of factors, including but not limited to the individuals Original stabilization dose, the cut dose each week; the length of the weaning process, the current mg you're at when admitted to the detox, your body weight, height, metabolism, etc. Typically, ultram, vistaril, trazadone, and the usual suspects are used, but they may choose to initiate other meds if the case deems it needed. Suboxone can only be used if the methadone client has gone without methadone for a minimum of 3 days, as it works a little like Narcan, and cause severe withdrawal symptoms if there is still methadone in your system when you first take it. Because Methadone is a time released medication, it has a half life that is much longer than heroin and other opiates~ where you might expect the worst of the acute physical withdrawal symptoms to abate by 5-7 days, it can take up to 4 weeks with methadone. The first initial feeling of withdrawal are most likely related to those first, initial decreases in dose, and not the current ones~ you are feeling the residual serum levels leave your body as you adjust to the lower dosage. Withdrawal from opiates- or Methadone, an opioid agonist- is not life threatening (though it may feel like it)- and as a result, most hospitals will not be willing to treat those symptoms. The caveat being if you have a pre-existing condition, that the withdrawal can exacerbate; in which case, you should go to the ER if you are no longer going to your MMT clinic. They can at minimum, monitor your symptoms and be ready in the event a severe risk is brought about from it. My suggestion to you would be to contact your MT clinic, and try to get lined up with a detox. If you have trouble with this, feel free to email me and I will try to get you some regional contact info that will help get you situated with one. Best of luck. |
