Methadone Detox
People who contact us about methadone are often no longer living the life they were when the prescription began.
01438 583222
What a methadone detox involves here
Methadone detox means gradually reducing a prescribed dose until it can be stopped.
this is provided as part of a residential stay where our prescriber considers it clinically appropriate. We don’t offer detox as a standalone service.
is one part of treatment. The rest of the stay looks at what life will be like without the prescription and what support will need to replace the structure it provided.
a short admission for the physical detox, Abbington House won’t be the right service. We’ll tell you that during the first conversation.
Coming off methadone isn’t the same as coming off heroin
Heroin may have caused obvious harm. Methadone may have helped reduce that harm and made other parts of life more stable.That can make the decision to stop more complicated.
People around you may see the prescription as something that’s keeping you safe. Your drug service may be cautious about changing a treatment that has helped you remain stable. You may also have more to protect now than you did when the prescription began.
Methadone may have done the job it was prescribed to do. You’re now looking for help to come off it and continue your recovery without a substitute opioid.
The question is whether a reduction is appropriate for you now and what needs to be in place around it.Our opioid withdrawal guide explains what happens when the body adjusts to a lower opioid dose.
Would you be off methadoneby the end of the stay?
The prescriber then decides whether detox is appropriate and how the reduction should be managed. There isn’t one schedule used for everybody, and a dose won’t be worked out from information submitted through the website.
Your response is reviewed during the stay. If the reduction isn’t going as expected, the plan needs to be reconsidered rather than pushed forward unchanged.
Keep taking methadone as prescribed unless the clinician responsible for your prescription tells you otherwise. Don’t reduce it yourself or save doses to prepare for admission.
Our admissions page explains how assessment and admission work.
Can you come off methadoneat home?
If you’re currently on a script
Being prescribed methadone doesn’t rule you out.
We need to understand the prescription before deciding whether Abbington House can offer treatment. Tell us your current dose, how it’s dispensed, when you last collected or took it and what you want the reduction to achieve.
Abbington House provides abstinence-based treatment. The clinical team therefore needs to decide whether completing the reduction within an appropriate residential stay is realistic.
Tell us about the prescription during the first conversation. It shouldn’t be left until the day you arrive.
If you’re using heroin or other opioids on top
Using on top of a methadone prescription doesn’t automatically prevent admission, but it changes the assessment and the clinical risks.
Tell us what you’ve taken, how much and when you last used it. This includes heroin, non-prescribed methadone, painkillers and any other opioids.
If you’ve used on the day you contact us or expect to use before admission, say so. The team needs an accurate account to decide whether treatment can be provided safely and when admission may be possible.
Where heroin use has continued alongside the prescription, our heroin rehab page explains what treatment involves.
What happens when the dose reaches zero?
Reaching zero isn’t the end of methadone detox.
The body still needs time to adjust. Sleep, mood, energy and cravings may continue to be difficult after the final dose, so support doesn’t stop at that point.
Opioid tolerance also falls during and after detox. Returning to a dose someone previously used can cause an overdose because the body can no longer tolerate the same amount.
This is one reason the rest of the residential stay matters.
Treatment continues alongside the reduction
The prescription may have brought structure to your week for years. The pharmacy knew you. Your drug service knew where you were, and collection gave certain days a fixed purpose.
Coming off methadone removes that structure as well as the medication.
At Abbington House, the reduction and the wider treatment happen in the same place. You don’t complete a detox and then have to find therapy somewhere else.
Treatment includes CBT, DBT, trauma-informed therapy and a 12-step structure. Family members can access 16 weeks of support, and the stay includes one year of structured aftercare.
Our residential rehab page explains what the wider stay involves.
If opioid use sits alongside anxiety, low mood, trauma or another mental health difficulty, that needs to be understood as part of the same treatment. You can read more on our dual diagnosis page.
Common questions about methadone detox
01 : What if I’m taking buprenorphine rather than methadone?
Tell us during the first conversation.
Buprenorphine is a different medication, so the clinical team needs to assess it separately. We’ll ask about your dose, dispensing arrangements, how long you’ve taken it and any other substance use.
02 : What if I’ve reduced before and gone back up?
Going back up doesn’t show that you’re incapable of coming off methadone.
The pace may have been too fast, withdrawal may have become difficult, other drug use may have returned or the rest of your life may not have been stable enough to support another reduction.
Tell us what happened and where the dose changed. That information helps the team assess what would need to be different this time.
03 : Do I need to speak to my drug service before contacting Abbington House?
You can make the first call to us before speaking to your drug service.
If treatment appears appropriate, communication with your current prescriber and pharmacy may be needed before admission. We’ll explain what information is required and when.
04 : What does methadone detox cost?
Detox is included within the fixed fee for the residential stay where it’s clinically needed.
We don’t price methadone detox separately because we don’t provide detox-only admissions. Our rehab costs page sets out what the fee covers.
Speak to us about methadone detox
Tell us what you’re prescribed, how long you’ve been taking it, whether you’ve tried reducing before and where the reduction became difficult.
You don’t need to change your dose before calling. You also don’t need to decide what the reduction should look like.
The conversation is for working out whether a residential methadone detox at Abbington House may be appropriate now. Sometimes it won’t be, or the timing won’t be right. We’ll tell you.
01438 583222