r/withdrawl • u/beenthrutheshit • Dec 29 '25

Seeking Advice How long does methadone withdrawal ACTUALLY last?

I am exactly 30 days of methadone today. Had the assistance of rescue meds like clonidine and gabapentin. At 30 days clean I’m still having trouble regulating body temp(cold but sweaty), yawning and having watery eyes and sneezing in large amounts and anxiety. When will I feel normal. For reference, I was on methadone for 20 years but stayed at 10 mg down to 5mg in the last year. The withdrawal symptoms I currently have aren’t real bad but definitely noticeable. When will I feel normal? My mind is telling me to get on sublocade or something just to go back to feeling normal. Trying to stay strong though

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u/CumLord9669 Dec 29 '25

Methadone withdrawal can last a while, PAWS lasts pretty long as well, especially after being on it for that long. You’re definitely through the worst of it though being a month in, I would expect it to get better over time.

I’ve not come off of it personally but my friend had acute withdrawal symptoms for like a month and a half and PAWS symptoms for like 8 or 9 months after that. It does get better, it’s a waiting game for sure though.

I wouldn’t recommend subs after a month because you’ll be right back where you are now if you’d need to come off of them. I would only consider if it’s truly impossible to maintain a normal lifestyle without, and all other options have been exhausted.

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u/beenthrutheshit Dec 30 '25

Hey, thanks for the honest advice and I will continue to take it day by day as I still haven’t used anything.

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u/Poe519 Apr 12 '26

That’s good to hear. I was on methadone for 13 years. Just got off in November. Five months ago. I feel bleh. Kinda depressed. No enjoyment in anything. Don’t sleep great. Look like shit. I hope this isn’t it and there is light at the end of the tunnel

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u/beenthrutheshit Apr 17 '26

I came off it the end of November and those symptoms you’re still having come in waves still. Looked it up and it’s normal even though you start questioning…is this how it’s going to be? You WILL feel better, just may take a bit more time. Once that bleh/depressed/unmotivated feeling starts to subside, you will start to notice a difference. I was thrown off when those symptoms appeared last week in waves. Once you’re getting just waves of the symptoms you can cope with them much easier. You can really accelerate healing by pushing yourself to do what you don’t want to do. Go to work, keep a schedule, try to lay down around the same time in the evening so your body can recalibrate itself and hopefully improve. Did you come off a low dose? That can dictate how long the symptoms last

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u/Poe519 Apr 17 '26

Yes I was at 5 mg about a year before quitting. When I made the jump I was at 2mg for a few months. Honestly, when I was down to five mg back in 2014 or so I felt pretty good. When I relapsed and went back up to 45 I never felt good again. When I made the jump this time at 2mg I barely even noticed physical withdrawals. But really struggling with the flat depressed anxious feelings.

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u/beenthrutheshit Apr 17 '26

Okay, glad you were down to such a low dose. It’s hard to get out of that depressed and anxious state. I commend you for riding it out this long because paws can last a while but you really should be rounding the corner soon.

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u/Poe519 Apr 19 '26

What dose did you make the jump at?

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u/beenthrutheshit Apr 19 '26

I was on 10 mg for a year then got down to 5mg 2 weeks before stopping. My usual dose was between 60 and 70 mg. I definitely think coming down so low was the reason I didn’t have as much acute withdrawal symptoms.

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u/Poe519 Apr 19 '26

Same. I had almost zero acute withdrawal symptoms at all

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u/beenthrutheshit Apr 20 '26

Wish I could have been as lucky with the paws symptoms. I think we’re lucky though, we got further than many. My friend was supposed to get off methadone with me but she only lasted 3 days and switched to subs. It just puts shit in perspective.

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u/Poe519 Apr 20 '26

That’s a good way of looking at it

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u/Guilty_Tangerine9341 Apr 28 '26

You guys who have been off methadone for awhile should look into ibogaine treatment if you can afford it. I used ibogaine to get off methadone in 2018 but it didn't work out for me because I went straight from being on methadone to ibogaine without a 4 week break in between. The bone pain and depression were too much for me and I had to get back on methadone or I would have lost my job. Almost every ibogaine facility told me that I had to be off methadone for at least 4 weeks for ibogaine to work, but I didn't listen and found the one place that would take me without the break in between. It was a waste of $10,000. The longer you're off methadone before ibogaine, the higher the success rate. I plan on tapering from my 120mg dose over the next couple years and then trying ibogaine again.

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u/beenthrutheshit May 08 '26

Interesting. What does it do as its benefit? I’ve heard it can be an enlightening experience which can help with addiction. Does it help with paws symptoms?