Does methadone make u gain weight

[MaraDnB]

I have heard from many people that methadone makes you gain weight.  the doctor at the clininc and my psychiatrist and my primary care doctor all insit that it doesnt... they say it makes you crave sugar and most people gain the weight because they werent eating right before they started the program, and the done makes you crave sugar.  I need an answer from someone who is actually in the program.  I dont want to hear he said she saids... i need the truth.  I spent 600 dollars on a personal trainer last month and lost 15 pounds and 6% body fat... i dont want that to come back.  HELP
-Mara

[LCBGEB]

That's funny! I've been on it for a year and have been walking or running about 4 or more miles a day and am continuously dieting.I have put on 30lbs.in spite of this. Of course ur eating better when ur not doing drugs,but everyone isn't lazy like ur saying. I mean commen  sense  tells u that if people who are using suboxone instead of opiotsarent gaining **** but everyone around u that is on methadone blows up like a house, gee why do you think that is???? My doctors tried to tell me the same thing,but they have to tell u that, they can't exactly say differently bc ALOT of people would then get off of it and end up where they were b4. Can u say lawsuit! I'm def.not saying its bad BC I prob.couldn't live without it,but don't keep raising ur dose like I did,BC the higher u go the more weight ur gonna gain. Try and stay on the lowest mg.that u can and u won't gain a lot.

[paulalynne2]

I have struggled with addiction for many years outs been an ugly battle. ..i was in methadone 12 years ago. .. did it cold turkey something I would never ever do again.. But sadly I've  relapsed 2 years ago got down to 8mls looKed great. .. relapsed now I'm 55 mls and I'm going to go down 2mls at a time. ...I hate methadone. .. the ONLY WAY TO LOSE THE WEIGHT IS TO GET OFF THE METHADONE COMPLETELY! !!! I've tried it all it's the only thing that works gals:(bestof luck. . God bless

[Charsbigsis]

Why would you act like you are right and everyone else is wrong..????  That is wonderful that you are doing well on it without any side effects, but there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of people who ARE experiencing a lot of weight gain as well as dental problems. I am finding that the dental problems are really from the dry mouth people get from taking methadone, and the bacteria one gets from dry mouth because of dry mouth.
But the weight gain IS real from taking methadone....What I am seeing from researching this is that the majority of the people who get the weight gain are on pill form methadone taken for pain...not liquid methadone taken for opiate addiction. Of course there are some people getting weight gain from the liquid form, but the main thing is that people are simply trying to see what they can do to lose it.
Personally, I have gained 50 lbs in the 7 years I have been on methadone for pain, and I have tried many ways to lose it but to no avail. I tried Nutri-system, Plexis, as well as some of the new fangled pills such as Garcinia Cambogia. I believe in my heart and soul that methadone screws with our metabolism, but I am not a doctor. But if you want to know the truth, doctors don't even know why this side effect does happen, but the tens of thousands of people complaining are NOT all wrong!  
So please, as the old saying goes....If you can't say anything nice, then don't say nothing at all.
It's nice to see that someone doesn't have these horrible side effects like others do. I wish we all could feel that way.
Bless You,
R

[staticanonymity]

actually ive been to many doctors and i was walking 10km a day and eating less calories then im supposed to in a day and gained 80lbs on methadone because it DOES slow your metabolism way down for some who already have a bad metabolism. I was discussing this with a doctor and he said there was no way i could have gained if it weren't for methadone in fact with my lack of money to only eat one meal a day and walk to the doctor for my chronic foot pain from walking and pharmacy on a daily basis which was a 3hr walk for only that never mind everything else i had to do in a day. So just saying you shouldn't jump to the conclusion that we are all lying pigs with bad eating habits and lazy behaviors.  Also, i am now on 9mg and have lost 40lbs and i have not changed how much i eat or what i eat and the more i lower the more i lose. In fact when i stay at a dose for a period of time because my body needs a break from lowering constantly my weight loss stops and i plateau until i lower again. Basically depending on your metabolic state to begin with it can make you gain weight. It truly depends on the person!

[jayeye]

Myth: Methadone makes you gain weight.

Reality: Not everyone gains weight when they go on methadone, but some do. This is usually because methadone improves your health and appetite, and so you eat more. If you’ve been using drugs for a long time, you may be underweight and need to gain a few pounds.

Even though the methadone drink is not “fattening” like sweets and fatty foods, methadone can slow your metabolism and cause water retention, which can lead to weight gain. You can control weight gain by choosing healthy foods that are high in fibre such as whole grains and fruits and vegetables, and by exercising regularly. If you nourish your body, you’ll keep the pounds off, and more important, you’ll feel good.

[jadestone55]

Well said :)