You might have started using methadone in an attempt to beat your addiction to a different opiate. Unfortunately, you may have found you traded one addiction in for another.
Detoxing from methadone is a long process, but it is absolutely possible with the right medical guidance. If you’re thinking about detoxing from methadone, it’s best to know all the potential methadone withdrawal and detox symptoms ahead of time.
Keep reading to learn what your methadone withdrawal and detox experience might be like and how to make it easier.
What Is Methadone?
Methadone is an opioid agonist that has been used for over 50 years to aid people who are addicted to other opiates in recovery. It acts on the same receptors as drugs like heroin. This means that people who are taking methadone are unable to experience the same kind of euphoria from heroin that they might otherwise have been able to.
Methadone can also produce some similar effects to other opiates in some people, such as:
- Sedation
- Drowsiness
- Euphoria
- Relaxation
This results in some people choosing to take methadone for these pleasant effects rather than to get off a different drug.
Even for those who take methadone as a recovery aid, the drug can become highly physically addictive. A tolerance can develop quickly, causing someone to need to take more to experience the same effects.
When the body becomes dependent on methadone to function normally, a physical addiction has set in. Unpleasant withdrawal symptoms will naturally occur as the body must learn to regulate itself without methadone again.
Methadone Withdrawal and Detox Symptoms
Methadone is, unfortunately, notorious for having the longest withdrawal of any of the opiates. This is due to methadone’s incredibly long half-life. It stays in your body for a long time, so it takes a long time for your body to start to feel the effects of missing it.
What exactly methadone withdrawal is like varies for each individual person based on the length and severity of their addiction. Personal factors like body chemistry and tolerance of withdrawal symptoms also play a role in how methadone withdrawal is experienced.
Methadone withdrawal symptoms are typically moderate, despite their extended duration. As with other opiates, withdrawal symptoms are flu-like. Some methadone withdrawal symptoms are:
- anxiety, irritability, and restlessness
- fever and chills
- rapid heartbeat
- nausea and vomiting
- stomach cramps
- muscle aches and pains
- watery eyes
- runny nose
- diarrhea
- insomnia
- night sweats
- cravings
- hallucinations
- depression
Methadone withdrawal symptoms are much more severe and difficult to tolerate if methadone is quit cold turkey. The difficulty of the withdrawal period also makes relapse more likely.
Methadone detox is easier when done by gradually lowering the dose of the medication given, or tapering off methadone. The best way to do this is in a supervised medical facility, like a treatment center.
How Long Will These Symptoms Last?
You can expect the detox process to last at least three to six weeks. If you quit methadone cold turkey, withdrawal symptoms will likely begin to set in within 30 hours. Due to the length of time the drug stays in your system, it could take anywhere from 15 to 60 hours for you to start experiencing symptoms.
The first symptoms you experience will most likely be physical ones, such as rapid heartbeat, muscle aches, fever, and chills.
Methadone withdrawal symptoms are typically the worst for the first seven to ten days. After you begin experiencing those first few symptoms, nausea will likely set in. So will some mental effects, such as insomnia, cravings, irritability, and anxiety.
When your symptoms peak, it will likely be marked by the onset of cramps, vomiting, and depression.
After this peak (likely somewhere between your seventh and tenth day of methadone withdrawal), many physical symptoms will start to subside. Irritability, potentially severe depression, and strong cravings will continue, along with ongoing digestive problems.
Around the third week, most withdrawal symptoms should start to dissipate. You will likely still be experiencing cravings, lower energy, depression, anxiety, and trouble sleeping for a few more weeks.
After the entire 3-6 week detox is over, you may still be experiencing some symptoms. These are known as post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS) and may last several more months and up to two years longer.
Common long-lasting symptoms are depression and anhedonia (an inability to feel pleasure), insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.
How to Ease the Detox Process
Although there is no way to guarantee an easy detox from methadone, choosing to detox under medical supervision can help make the experience much less painful than what was described above.
Medical detox will involve a taper off of methadone, so the detox will last longer than it would if you quit cold turkey, but the withdrawal symptoms will be significantly less severe. A doctor may also be able to prescribe you medication to help combat certain withdrawal symptoms.
You will receive a personalized treatment plan that physicians and therapists work on together to make sure your body and mind are getting the best possible support as you go through this challenging process.
You can choose to do a medical detox at an inpatient or residential program, or an outpatient one. It is typically recommended that anyone who has a moderate to severe methadone addiction or has not been treated for substance abuse seek inpatient care.
In a residential program, you will have access to 24-hour medical care and many therapy programs to support your recovery. This ensures that you have the best possible support to aid in your successful recovery.
Methadone Detox Options
Now you are aware of all the potential symptoms of methadone withdrawal and detox. If you are interested in seeking supportive, medical help through your recovery and detox process, please contact us today.