Is methadone right for me

[kar84]

I am very serious on starting methadone, would like to hear from people about the pros and cons

[Enslo]

Hi, my name is Matt. I seen one of your posts saying methadone just prolongs quiting. I have been doing oxy for 5 years, about 400-700mgs a day.  How did you quit? Did u use anything or just cold turkey. Sorry to just randomly message you I'm just so lost these days and don't really know what to do. I just need to get my life together.

Thanks.

[jimgreg]

DONT DO IT...U WILL COME OFF 1 DAY..IM DETOXING NOW JUST FROM, 10 MGS PURE HELL;  DOWN TO 2.5....I WONT EVER TAKE THIS DRUG...PLEASE THANK REAL HARD LOOK AT LINKS ABOUT IT..NO DOUBT ITS GREAT FOR ADDICTS BUT PAIN YES AND NO,,I TOOK 160 MGS FOR 2 YRS,,DETXOED THAT ,,THEN THEY WANTED ME BACK ON 10 ONLY BEN ON IT 1 YR,,ONLY I KNOW WHAT UR SAYING JUST 10 MGS..2 MGS IS NO DIFFT  THAN 50 MGS...THIS IS WHAT THE CONS ARE ABOUT..ITS A LONG ACTING OPIATE  BUT 1 DAY YOU WILL HAVE TO WITHDRAW  THEN  HELL SETS IN..IF YOU DO TAKE IT PLEASE START LOWER AND HOLD IT TILL YOU CANT FEEL IT ANYMORE..WE BUILD A TOLERANCE TO METHADONE FAST ABOUT 2 WEEKS..TAKES 3-5 DAYS TO FEEL THE SEVRE WITH DRAWS..MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE PLEASE I BEG OF U..LOOK AROUND HERE AND TALK TO ALOT OF PEOPLE                THANKS    JAMES  

[mr.lucky66]

Kar, it's hard to say. Methadone was originally used for maintenence for only the toughest cases with muliple treatment failures and as a treatment of last resort or "harm reduction". Now it used too early and for the wrong kind of addicts, like vicodin users with little addiction history. It can be an effective treatment if used on the right person, like the ones that have tried everything else or are taking serious risks everyday to get drugs. It can help somebody or be a disaster depending on how it's used and who it's being used on. all the best

[tellit2her]

Good day Kar, this is a tough question to ask as Methadone has recieved quite a bad rap lately so you are going to hear quite a bit of negative and positive. Myself, I have been an opiate addict for 23 years. I just started Methadone 3 weeks ago as my alternatives to a full recovery have ran out. I was clean for almost 2 years,but I had post acute withdrawal symptom very bad, especially the cravings. Been in and out of detox's several times, accupuncture,hyponosis, meetings, IOP, spirtituallity and so much more. Going on day 46 and just left a rehab center and had a heart to heart talk with a doctor who told me that long term opiate abusers have a very little success rate at around 3 percent out of 100. He suggested that I should try methadone along with intensive therapy, intensive outpatient therapy and group therapy all at the same place where I recieve my methadone. I am not here to recommend this type of treatment to anyone, but to tell you that so far it works well for me. I am able to function normally without cravings and to live a normal life style. I just wanted my life back and I'm also saving a lot of money as my habit ran upwards to 150.00 a day and my treatment is only 6.00 a day, and that pays for therapy sessions and doctor visits.  It does bother me when you have people that have never been on this type of treatment or are big followers of "hearsay" and really give this type of treatment some negative feedback. But I just wanted to let you know that it is working well for me and its better than being a dying, and a full blown theif of an addict.
God Bless and Good luck, Mike in NC

[chemister]

I had used both methadone and Subutex. I was clean for 5 year before I start with heroine again, and I start then with Subutex. I have many friend who use Subutex, and all of them look clean, start school, work....I also start with Subutex, but after a while I want to try methadone so I change to methadone and all my new friend look at me and I understand that I not look normal, but more like when I used drugs. Libido and school went also bad on methadone, so after 1/2 year and change back to Subutex, and also went ill when I stop with methadone. I would try Subutex, all my friend on Subutex looks great, and many of them who use methadone don’t look so great, and also take another drugs much more than them on Subutex/Suboxone.

Personally I feel best clean, but the heroine is not far away, then a substitute is better.
After a while you can taper down and stop with all after you have stabile your life.

Best clean, but better with Subutex than drugs, also methadone. You can always stop......

[OIFMc09]

I've kicked pills cold turkey and I've used methadone to get off em.  If you use methadone for no more than 1 or 2 weeks it can spare you A LOT of pain and suffering, but if you use it unwisely I think it's a big mistake like gnarly was saying.

[gnarly_1]

hey girlee...I spent 6 1/2 yrs on methadone and would run the other way if someone was
to offer it to me again...I was originally put on it for pain management but after a falling out with the dr wound up at a methadone clinic...I went from a moderate dose all the way up to 150ml as I built up a tolerance to the drug ..at first it managed my pain
but then it quit working and left me with a huge addiction to feed ...I finely said enough is enough and decided to get off...when I went to the clinic they said they would do a medicaly supervises withdrawal it would be 2 ml every 2 weeks...had I did it that way I would still be on it...I had 2 week take homes so I started to taper myself off...it took 8 1/2 mo to get off the stuff and to say the least it was extremely difficult today I have 92 days clean it has been a ruff recovery and im now just starting to feel better its a long recovery...If I where you I would taper off what your already on
it will be a much eazer withdrawal in the long run...methadone should only be used in a worst case senero like heroin addiction its not ment for pill addictions you would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire ...trading a worst addiction  for the one yup all ready have...think long and hard about this decision I wouldn't recommend it to an enemy let alone a friend its not worth the end result..good luck with what ever you decide but methadone is no answer good luck and god bless Gnarly          

[guv338]

Based on your dosage, from your original post dated 1-12-09, I would do my best to just quit the drugs, unless there is some really bad underlying pain issues.  But take it from a much heavier Oxy user, you can quit.  In addition, once you are off the opiates, the pain levels are not nearly as bad as you might think.  Of course the pain is there, but the opiates over time, begin to trick your body into hurting more so you'll take more.  Sounds real crazy I know, but it is a fact.  If you would have told me this time last year that I could go a week without the Oxy, I would have aurgued you down.  Today at day 360 without any pain meds, I live and function and endure the pain that is there and am very happy to do so.  Life will be so much better once you get the opiates out of your system for good.  It will be a fight, so dont take it for granted, but you must do it for yourself.  The Methadone is just a synthetic opiate that will only prolong your battle and will be even harder to conquer in the end.  I hope this helps you make a good decision.  I came off of 600-700 mgs a day.  Best of luck in your decision.  This is just my humble opinion.
May God bless you and keep you in your future struggle with this issue.  guv

[Prospero73]

The pros and cons depend on what you're trying to accomplish.  As this is a substance abuse forum, it is more appropriate to an effort to recover from methadone addiction, so you might want to refer it to a pain management forum, assuming you're dealing with chronic pain.

if you're interested in a methadone maintenance program for recovery from addiction to heroin or other opiates, there are people here who could probably advise you about that.