How and why you want to detox and what you expect at
the end are things well worth talking over, at length, with
your drug worker and/or doctor.
Most people find it takes about four days to get over the
worst of the withdrawals when they first drop to a lower
dose, but it can take up to 14 days. After any opiate detox
poor sleep and feeling low can last for months the causes
may not all be chemical - talking to your doctor/drug worker
may help.
If you use heroin during a detox your chances of
staying drug free afterwards are not good.
If you
want to get off heroin stop using at the start of the script or
detox - if that isn't the right time it will be hard to find a better
one.
Each time you take a drop in dose on a long detox or
throughout a quick one, there are several
things you can
do to help make the adjustment easier:
·
If you can, plan to take it easy for a few days
after each drop
·
Keep things as stress-free as you can
· Look after yourself - stay warm, eat well and
drink plenty of alcohol-free fluids
· To be sure you are getting an accurate dose
when you need to measure small amounts, ask your
pharmacist for an oral syringe
· Don't keep an emergency supply because if
you do you'll only find emergencies!
Detoxing isn't just about withdrawals. You will probably be
wondering what life will be like without methadone.
There
will be changes - methadone tends to flatten out highs
and lows in life so you will probably find that feelings are
more intense than you've been used to. It can feel strange
not having it there as things crop up and you will probably
find yourself wondering how you'll cope.
people
rarely end a detox as a completely different n - it is
still the same you underneath! Great are possible but they
involve more than ing taking methadone. Detoxing isn't the
end staying off is harder than getting off.