For All Who are Addicted to Opiates...

[i hate lortabs]

OK... for those of you addicted to opiates and can't seem to kick the habbit, you may want to consider a Methadone Clinic. Yes, you may hear evil things about them but the clinic may have very well saved my life... as well as my unborn baby! I can finally have a normal, healthy life. Methadone is safe to take long-term also, so you can take your time tapering off of them without having to worry about your liver exploding or whatnot.

This is a link for you to find a Methadone Clinic around your area. It goes by State, so it's really easy to find. Go to...

http://www.usnodrugs.com/rehabs.php/US/


Choose your state on the right-hand side, then click on "Methadone maintenance drug rehab treatment services (your state here)".

And this is a website for pregnant women who are on methadone or go to clinics. It is very helpful to be able to communicate with others in the same situation as you...


http://excoboard.com/exco/forum.php?forumid=85305

That should be it. If you have trouble with the links or websites let me know and I will re-check them. Please keep me posted...

-riki

[joe10jo]

If someone quits "cold-turkey" does it really effect the liver?  What does it do to the liver exactly?  Also, does methadone harm the liver?  I'm asking b/c my mom is in last stage liver disease & also on methadone right now.

[orangefyre]

Hey, I hope this helps...
Around 50%-60% of all heroin addicts and patients entering methadone treatment have biochemical evidence of chronic liver disease; over 50% of patients in chronic methadone treatment have persistent liver function test abnormalities (Table 2). 6, 7, 9 Nevertheless, in prospective and retrospective studies there has been no evidence of hepatotoxicity due to methadone. Patients with normal liver function at time of admission to methadone treatment do not develop abnormalities of liver function except in the setting of acute viral hepatitis or chronic alcohol abuse. Neither liver function tests nor clinical status were shown to deteriorate during methadone treatment in patients known to be alcohol abusers.
Laymans terms, nope.
~Lisa

[mema3]

HOLY COW!  Thank you for that website!!!  The one for moms on meth - that was amazing.  

I am still awaiting a response - but from what I read - I need to not worry about going c/t or tapering to nothing right now.  There was some GREAT info on there!  Thank you so much for finding those.

It really did take my mind off some of my worries.  Thank you so much!!!!!

[i hate lortabs]

No problem, that's what I'm here for.I found this site by searching and the people there pretty much guided me to do what I needed to do for my little one. I was VERY lucky to find this site and want to share it with anyone and everyone that it may help :) It makes me feel good to know that someone is getting something out of it. Let me know how things are progressing. And what is your name on the website? Mine is "Concerned Mom".

~Riki

[mema3]

I kept the name the same as on here - but I have not heard back from the moderator on that site...On vacation I think.  I emailed her directly (sharon) and her email rsvp'd saying she wouldn't be back until 1/6.

Oh well - so much for posting there.....But it is a great site for info!!!!  Thanks again!

[i hate lortabs]

Dont give up yet, post in the actual forums. Most (if not all) of us are mothers or mothers-to-be on Methadone. These women give very good advice and support. A woman named Sharon runs the Mothers On Methadone part of the site. Sharon is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, NAMA Certified Methadone Advocate and Lead Developer of the "Mother's On Methadone" (MOM) Program   at Kent Hospital in Rhode Island. Here's the direct link to the forum...

http://excoboard.com/exco/forum.php?forumid=85305

I hope this is useful to you :)


Sincerily,
~Riki

[RoseVilla]

I'd been addicted to Lortab several years ago, was taking 10/500 pills (15-20 per day!) and went through cold turkey withdrawal.  It was HELL...now here I am on norco, not abusing, but is this going to be addictive also?  I'm scared!  They don't give me a buzz at all - oh, like many of you, I truly have a painful medical problem, but I want OFF all narcotics!  I was on Darvocet, hated it and got off it with no trouble; I just started the norco 3 days ago, yes, have taken more than I should but they don't do anything for me...am I going to go through that awful withdrawal again?  Last time (I only detoxed once, just STUPIDLY started pills again) it took me to Day 12 to feel "normal".  I'm scared...is there any hope for me?? Please someone help me.  Currently I'm taking 4 pills per day, only supposed to take 3.  I feel nothing from them...what is wrong with me?  I really need a friend!

[ScotJoanOfArk]

im not sure about the pills you are taking just now, but i know a lot about addiction and w/ds. To be completely honest with you i am in a similar situation with pain meds, but i am also 28 days clean from a 13yr heroin habit that i used to control pain before i was diagnosed and given painkillers but myself and my husband suffered horrendous w/ds and i could have taken the pain meds but they were just going to lead to another addiction so decided to give them up too. They didnt do anything for me and i would advise you to stop taking them now as they are not helping with the pain and you are already taking more than you should so what is the point in taking them really, its not worth going through any type of w/ds. The body tricks us into wanting pain meds so it makes the pain worse so we will take them but i noticed after a couple of weeks that my pain wasnt as bad as i thought and nothing could be as bad as w/ds. I honestly think you should try and see if you can gey by without them, its really not worth it. I wish you well and hope everything turns out ok for you. You can pm me anytime you want , ill try and help if i can

[VicAddict26]

There is another side of the fence to this one, I have considered methadone treatment and what i have found i wouldn't recommend it, unless all else fails,, yes you can take methadone while you are pregnant but a baby born to a mother taking methadone is guaranteed to have w\d the hospital treats them for it as soon as they are born because they know it will,, while deemed "safe" for the baby, the baby will have to go through the hell you would if you went off of it, i have been in this position and taking a lighter form like hydro's or perk's and weaning them very slowly during the pregnancy is the safest method for mother and baby. As for adults methadone w\d is severely more difficult, because the drug absorbs into the bones and has to be drawn out, so you can imagine the pain of that one,, and then keep in mind that it takes up to 60 days for methadone to leave your system,, to me starting a methadone treatment plan is for someone not ready for sobriety that needs that opiate, but is willing to let someone else despense it... you still have to get to the other side of w\d and why make it harder than it has to be..

[ScotJoanOfArk]

I agree with you 100% on that one. I do not know 1 person who has went on a methadone programme ever to come off it. It does seep into your bones and has to come out which would be agony. I have also seen a baby born to a methadone addicted mother who lied about her intake so the baby got out of the hospital early. It was horrendous. I also know someone who told the truth about her intake and the hospital was ready for it and they treated the baby but she still cried and pulled her legs up in agony. The sight of these babies will never leave me I agree your method is better and also think that methadone is only dragging out the inevitable, I wish anyone who is on a methadone programme luck as what works for some might not work for others it just seems to me that it all takes too long so opiates are still running your life