[soundquest]

This forum is a tremendous resource I have found -- I am grateful for the people that have contributed.

I have been on Methadone for the past year as part of a pain management regimen for my allodynia (severe nerve pain generated by my brain stem which is under attack by my immune system). I have tapered down over the past 2 months to 7.5 mg where I am currently at. IT HAS BEEN UTTER HELL these past 3 weeks. I have wanted to just die, disappear, cease to exist entirely it has been so bad at times.

The one thing that has helped a little bit is Tramadol. I am curious to know if anyone has used Tramadol specifically by itself to get off of Methadone completely and then tapered off of Tramadol completely after that?

I am considering doing this but will go the subutex or suboxone route if it does not work or is not recommended.

Thanks in advance.

Soundquest

[purpledog]

hi soundquest,
bummer bout how you have been feeling last few weeks, i have counted down off methadone a few years ago, only to be right back in there again years later, anyway main thing is i know how you are feeling, its horrible stuff to get off.
the reason tramadol will help is that is still a synthetic opiod, so it may get you thru it.
i moved to another country, im a kiwi, went to australia, after kind of jumping officially i had counted off the methadone, but really i was using on the side. so no contacts there, i used codeine, to slowly get round the methadone withdrawls. you might be able to use tramadol, good luck if you do go that way.
i am on subs right now, and for me, they are amazing. i was an iv user, and am clean in that respect for nearly 4 weeks now. so you are on a low enough dose of methadone, to jump over to subs, and count off that easier than the methadone.
hopefully, well no, robbo will read this, hes the expert on this and might have some better words of wisdom, i just know how you are feeling mate and wanted to let you know someone does.
keep posting tho, some other people have some awesome ideas, so hang in there you are way on the right track. good on ya
later
kiwi
purpledog

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by soundquest

This forum is a tremendous resource I have found -- I am grateful for the people that have contributed.

I have been on Methadone for the past year as part of a pain management regimen for my allodynia (severe nerve pain generated by my brain stem which is under attack by my immune system). I have tapered down over the past 2 months to 7.5 mg where I am currently at. IT HAS BEEN UTTER HELL these past 3 weeks. I have wanted to just die, disappear, cease to exist entirely it has been so bad at times.

The one thing that has helped a little bit is Tramadol. I am curious to know if anyone has used Tramadol specifically by itself to get off of Methadone completely and then tapered off of Tramadol completely after that?

I am considering doing this but will go the subutex or suboxone route if it does not work or is not recommended.

Thanks in advance.

Soundquest

I don't know anything about using tramadol to get off methadone. That one doesn't sound like a very solid way to stop methadone. If methadone is being used for pain management what is up with that? It's a serious pain medication. If you're in that much pain what are your plans for the pain when you stop the methadone? What will you use for pain management?

If you want to get off the methadone I can help you doing the suboxone/subutex route. You're at a low enough dose of methadone to make the switch if you do it the right way. I'm just trying to determine what you're wanting to do and what will replace the methadone for pain? Is the pain gone or are you going to just deal with it or plan on using the subs for pain management?

Please give me a little more info so I know what it is exactly that you want to do so that I give you the correct advice. God bless.

[soundquest]

Originally Posted by purpledog

hi soundquest,
bummer bout how you have been feeling last few weeks, i have counted down off methadone a few years ago, only to be right back in there again years later, anyway main thing is i know how you are feeling, its horrible stuff to get off.
the reason tramadol will help is that is still a synthetic opiod, so it may get you thru it.
i moved to another country, im a kiwi, went to australia, after kind of jumping officially i had counted off the methadone, but really i was using on the side. so no contacts there, i used codeine, to slowly get round the methadone withdrawls. you might be able to use tramadol, good luck if you do go that way.
i am on subs right now, and for me, they are amazing. i was an iv user, and am clean in that respect for nearly 4 weeks now. so you are on a low enough dose of methadone, to jump over to subs, and count off that easier than the methadone.
hopefully, well no, robbo will read this, hes the expert on this and might have some better words of wisdom, i just know how you are feeling mate and wanted to let you know someone does.
keep posting tho, some other people have some awesome ideas, so hang in there you are way on the right track. good on ya
later
kiwi
purpledog

Thanks for the advice Kiwi. I know you know what this is like; even years later I am sure it is firmly engrained in every fiber of your existence how completely horrific this experience is -- how truly difficult it is to conquer, to rule over the body and mind through quite possibly the most physically and mentally torturous endurance challenge one could ever imagine, by the same token the most worthy quest.

[soundquest]

Originally Posted by Robert_325

I don't know anything about using tramadol to get off methadone. That one doesn't sound like a very solid way to stop methadone. If methadone is being used for pain management what is up with that? It's a serious pain medication. If you're in that much pain what are your plans for the pain when you stop the methadone? What will you use for pain management?

If you want to get off the methadone I can help you doing the suboxone/subutex route. You're at a low enough dose of methadone to make the switch if you do it the right way. I'm just trying to determine what you're wanting to do and what will replace the methadone for pain? Is the pain gone or are you going to just deal with it or plan on using the subs for pain management?

Please give me a little more info so I know what it is exactly that you want to do so that I give you the correct advice. God bless.

Thanks for your help Robert; I have read many of your posts thus far and it is immediately apparent you have been through the crucible and come out on the other side with invaluable intel on how to weather it correctly.

I will try to answer your questions so you better understand my situation and so you can advise accordingly. I admit, my situation is somewhat unique, but the common thread here is I WANT OFF!

How will I manage my pain without any pain meds? You have to be pretty damn crazy to not take anything with the kind of pain I see on a day to day basis. I am crazy and so the answer to that question is I will not be taking any opiates once I am done tapering off everything. This is pretty damn foolish I realize, but I just can't stand putting this ******** in my body any longer -- it is killing who I am, does this resonate with anyone? My doctor wants to put me on an immune modulating drug that will hopefully stop my T-cells from destroying my brain stem which is the source and cause of my pain (allodynia, hyperalgesia).

I have read in a few different places that subs have been used off-label to treat allodynia. This encouraging to know after reading the posts here of how well you folks do on subs.

Let me tell you about my experience with Tramadol. When my body goes into WD, whether it be severe or moderate, the Tramadol goes to work within about 30 minutes and starts to take the edge off, and quite effectively. But it wears off rather abruptly in about 5 hours. So currently, I take 5mg of Methadone in pill form in the a.m. along with 50mg of tramadol. Then, another Tramadol in the early afternoon, 2.5 mg of Methadone in the evening along with another Tramadol, and then one last Tramadol before I go to bed to keep me from going into WD in my sleep. If I don't take that Tramadol before I go to bed, I wake up covered in sweat and hurting like a son of a beetch. We all know what this is like.

So to sum it up, I am going to try and get off all pain meds and see what my pain is doing, see if it is manageable without anything. I would prefer to do this with subs rather than Tramadol, but Tramadol is all I have right now so that is what I am using. I am planning to drop down to 5mg of methadone on Monday, will this then be too low to get started on Subs (even if I tell the doc don't initiate/titrate me to such a high dose)?

Thanks for your help Robert (and anyone else who responds)

I want to be a success story, I do not want to fail at this. Like many of you, I have a family, 4 kids, and a wife, a job I must keep. And it feels like everything is stacked against me -- this is the worst feeling.

[soundquest]

Ping! Anyone???