Sorry that you are going through that. It can be very hard for a non-addicted person to deal with the ups and downs of a person who is addicted. You might wish to understand their thoughts or behavior or want to learn to comfort them in some way. But really there is no comfort for withdraw. Having detoxed from every drug you can think of my self... I can tell you that methadone is one of the hardest. I have been clean 5 years now. Methadone withdraw is hard on the mind. I truly wondered if I was going crazy. Its very hard on the body as well. I am sure he has probably shared this with you. I guess you could do your best to stay out of his way and be there for him at the same time. I know that sounds like crummy advice but in all honesty that's what I would do... and have done many times. There is no easier way.... Depending on how much he normally takes you may need to watch him to make sure he doesn't need to go to the hospital at some point... And some relief or be evaluated

Thanks Jodileanne. I appreciate your advice on this matter. I was wondering if anyone was going to answer my question...I posted it last Friday and was waiting for someone to answer me!! I really needed the advice really quickly...and this is when I wis DS had a chat feature!!

Anyways, thanks again for the advice!! I guess I will just have to hang tough!

I quit 80 mg of methadone cold turkey and had NOTHING to help me thru the horrible withdrawals that last longer then any other opiate withdrawal then heroin, methadone is alot like heroin and withdrawal symptoms from methadone are just as bad as herion wiothdrawal. Do you have any neurontins? They will help him ALOT!! If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. I am in a methadone program now and have been for the past year. What program is he in?

This is not a message board that know much about methadone. Lot of opinions frequently little accuracy eventhough once in a while they may get a right hit. I suggest you contact the NAMA at http//www.methadone.org this are methadone patients who have studied this condition well. Also read the myth of methadone written by Dr. who is a congnitve behavioral therapy who worked at a methadone clinic in San Francisco. I think he is now at Tucson Arizona. Most clinics haven't the faintist idea how to detox a patient from methadone. I remember being sent off once on 35 mgs of methadone and being told I can detox from that amount. In 4 days I was dieing and going back to heroin. The next time I was taken down to 5 mgs and told I can go home. The truth is that methandone is a long acting opiate and it would take about a month before human body catches up to detoxification. SAMHSA publishes a lot of free documente on mehtadone and other drugs they are call TIPS Treament Improvement Protocols (you don't think that they call it treatment improvement because the clinics already know what they are doing do you? for the most part most clinics ignore those publications eventhough they have beenn told that if they want to continuo to be funded they most start Evidence Based Treatment. The mal practice by this clinics are herendous. But who cares about a junky anyway.
Most people have opinions for which they have no evidence. At least contact the people at NAMA they have possibly read every document and publication on methdone written by research scientist in the past 47 years.

Methadone detox can be done correctly, safely and with few side effects. but most clinics ingnor the practices and protocols writen for them by scientist and published through SAMHSA. I wish I could be a lot more positive, but I was on methadone for quite a few years and I was bamboozal by most clinicians and patients that had never read one study on methadone. Methadone is not my preferr maintains tools but a lot of patients sware by them as saving their lives. The evidence exist, people do not bother to read them. It is easier to have a hot air opinion than read 47 years of research or to read the review of the literature published by SAMHSA.

I can tell you with high degree of confidence, that there is a lot more recovery in methadone clinics than you will find anywhere else. but noone cares to look into it. They rather have their long held beloved opinion rather than read the science required to be informed.

By the way, he should have been advise that when he reached a low dose to shift to Suboxone. The withdrawl from suboxone is much easier. There still long withdrawl from methadone mainly body aches, but if detox correctly he souldn't have other symptoms such as barfing and the diahrreea that goes with heroin withdrawl. Like any medications there are accets and liabilities, but no one seem to want to learn about them before they get into the treatment they receive.
We seem to ask a lot more questions about a vacuume cleaner will be buying that on the health treatment that we are about to take.