Swim is nearly their off the Methadone & starting to struggle!

[Highland.habit]

Hi all, SWIM has been a reader of the board for quiet a while but this is SWIM's 1st post.( as i'm sure you can see)

Anyways, SWIMS story is, He has been using all kinds of drugs for 25 odd yrs, starting with Cannabis & Alcohol when 12.

He was later into the rave scene and all the drugs that went with that, however still never got into opiates then(except the odd 'smacky' E).

He 1st tried H about 11yrs ago, and it was a one off, he never used again for another 5 yrs, then it was 1 yr later, then 6mnths later till just over 3 yrs ago, SWIM was going through a hard time & had a ready supply withing touching distance, so SWIM went down the H route to forget. Anyways, he took H constantly for 18mnths, mostly smoking, but on a handfull of occasions through IV.

SWIM decided he was ruining his life & could now cope without about 16mnths ago & went to see his Dr, who after the initial tests coming back positive prescribed SWIM Methadone(against SWIMS will as he wanted subutex or Lofexidine). SWIM initially did not take his juice as was not ready and was swapping it for powder.

SWIM ended up peaking at 70ml of the green poison, as at 1st he was not ready & mostly swapped this for the H at first. Now when SWIM decided enough was enough about 6months ago, he started taking his doze of Meth, and kept of the H, initially he would have a bag here & their every 3 weeks or so, along with his green juice, but for the last 4mnths, has not gone near it, has moved away from old surroundings, and kept away from the opiate 'friends' he acquired aliong the way. To go back to his old friends(the one's who were left)& try to beat this.

He was on 38ml on the 26th Nov, & then went for it, he has been coming down sometimes fast, sometimes slow since then, and now finds hiself at around the 7ml a day mark(baby habit now i know). He has been taking interest in this page, expecially the stickies at the top, as their are some excellent advice on their & SWIM is shocked as he was doing certain things of their hiself, before reading that, ie-eating hot chilli peppers, regular exercise, Lots of comedy for the endorphins etc.

SWIM is glad he is in the UK & Scotland due to free prescriptions here, and v glad he is not stateside, as, if he was in this position stateside, currently, could not afford any treatements.

He is looking to go cold turkey after take hiself down rapid in the next few weeks, and go for it, taking some pain, as his Dr is not v forthcoming on prescribing anything else & thinks SWIM should keep on going the way he has been. He has bought his self a supply of Vit C and is looking to start taking about 3000mg of that daily, as well as his usual mutli vitamins, cod liver oil & 2 weeks on 2 weeks off of Eccanachea(sp).

SWIM would like to know if this is a realistic goal he is setting hiself? as the more he reads, the more he thinks he is being un-realistic. He was a white collar worker till just before his opiates addiction started & is looking to get clean & back into society, instead of being locked away on the rattle for a length of time.

SWIM was never put to a councillor or any other drug programme from his Dr, just prescribed & sent on his way monthly, usually asked if he wanted to up his dose rather than reduce. SWIM reduced of his own back & shocked his Dr with this. SWIM called a drug councillor service just the other day & is now on a waiting list for councilling but in all honesty, expects(once again, mibbe unrealistically)to be clean by the time they have a place.

SWIM usues Diazapam to help & the odd J of the herb. He was looking into the Ibogaine way, as knows a few people who have used this, but due to new euro laws, it is becoming harder to get iboga treatment over this way. A few yrs ago, SWIM could have gone to london & had this treatment, but the powers that be have shut down that avenue.

I know that this is a long way for SWIM to ask, but i thought i would share SWIM's story, & any positive or neg comments will be helpfull, as SWIM has never felt stronger & more determined in his life to do something, as he is right now, but like us all, he has good days & has bad days.




Highland.habit added 15 Minutes and 51 Seconds later...

Swim would like to add, he is one stubborn bastard when he gets something into his head!

Highland.habit added 76 Minutes and 29 Seconds later...

Swim would like to add again, the more SWIM reads, the more he think's it would be best to just go CT at this level.

He has done a CT of H before without too much trouble but the more he reads about Methadone withdrawal the more worried he become's.