I want to get off methadone. What is the best way to do it?
If you really must withdraw from methadone, it is best to do so very slowly. You should not withdraw from more than 10% of your dose per week at doses over 100 mg. That is, if you are on 150 mg, you could probably safely lower your dose to 135 mg. Once you get down to doses under 100 mg, you probably won’t want to drop more than 2 mg per week until you get down to 50 mg. Then I would say you should drop only 1 mg per week or 2 mg every other week. Of course, not everyone is the same, and some people can drop more quickly. Others might not be able to drop this fast. And by all means, if you put yourself on a schedule but find that you don’t feel well, stop dropping and stabilize until you feel better. You may even want to go up a few milligrams until your body adjusts. Don’t decide that you want to be completely off methadone by the next season coming up because your body might not listen to you. It might tell you that you shouldn’t be completely off until next year–or the year after.
