Methadone Detox while still using Oxy for Pain?

[Dave W.]

Hi everyone,just got super scared the other day,when I received
an answer from a counselor at a detox center.

My inquerie to the person was:I've quit a 4 year 80mg/day Methadone maintenance program cold turkey,but was using the oxy
I still need for pain management and to help with my withdrawls
from the Methadone also.At day 7,clean of Methadone,the person
said that I'm still at day 1,because my brain doesn't know the
difference,from one opiate to the other.

Is this counselor just trying to scare me into her $3,000 detox
facility,or is she somewhat correct? I'm at day 12 now,with just
about all my Methadone withdrawls over.I surely don't have any
money for any program,that's why I did the detox myself. Was she
just flat out lying to me,or am I in deep ????. Please somebody
with good knowledge of detoxing from Methadone and the use of
other opiates,give me some type of truth to this issue I'm faced
with now. I'm so scared,since most of us know,what kind of torture I faced rescently,and can't imagine going through this
again when I wean myself off the oxy's. Thanks to all in advance.
God Bless everyone in Need.

[lucyred68]

I am so sorry to hear that you are in so much pain.  I have beeb blessed to find that the pain that was still bad while i was on the norco and methadone, actually will respond to ibuprophen.  i think it was the tolerance thing, and ibu is totally different and non addictive.  maybe give it a try wit a little food if you can keep any down.  for some reason the pain meds just made me able to ignore the pain that was alwys nagging at me (  degenerative spine, arthritis).  i am a very spiritual person who loves God with all my heart, and am trusting Him to heal my back.  it seems a lot better, so i believe He has touched me.  Faith in God got me through the wd's and will get me through the healing process.  13 days out from no meds!!!!  yeah!!!!

Lucy

[Dave W.]

It's the next morning after my post. I do appreciate the help for everyone.
I knida knew I was in trouble,but like you guys said,the oxy may not be as
bad as the Methadone.I was on both meds for about 4 years at the same time.
I truely beleive that the M was stopping the Oxy from doing it's job,helping my
pain.Maybe I'm in denial with how bad my oxy addiction really is,it's bad.
My month's supply of oxy only lasts a few weeks,at the most. I've built up a
tolerance to them,that just one of my "normal" doses would kill the avaerage
person,ten times over.

O.K. here's what really happened. I was out of my months supply of oxy and
running very low on my methadone.I was in the "It's time to just end  this
damn addiction thing ,now".,but I'm was in pain.Pain can make us do things
that we wouldn't normally do.I  was looking for anything,even if it didn't help
my pain,maybe just get my mind off everything .I obviiously was really screwed
up at the time.I'm saying to myself,what is stronger than the oxy that's I'm
popping like candy and will at least do something to change my mindframe.
Well after making most of my M disappear,got enough dough to get my hands
on my all time DOC,snow.Well after that lasted for a week and still taking about 40mg of the done,I just went into an eating binge,like I always used to.
Tapered the Methadone over the weekend to finally 10mg on Monday and just
stopped cold turkey.I also must have been going through oxy withdrawls at
the same time,until the first hospital visit a few days later,which calmed me
down with a shot only for about an hour,then right back into full blown w/d's.
The pain just got too bad for me to handle,(my hip pain) not the w/d's.Went
back to my PM Dr. after a week of unbeleivable w/d's to get my oxy's and not
the Methadone.I'm truely proud of myself for stopping the M,and it's given me
the faith,along with everyone's support on this forum,to now start my new
battle with the oxy. Sorry for the rambling and God Bless all that are there
for me and all in this time of desperation.Peace.

[lucyred68]

Hi Dave.  I'm afraid the counselr is probably right.  but a very slow taper off the oxy shouldn't be nearly as hard as the methadone.  you have already kicked the hardest of all.  don't give up now.  maybe wait a month or so and take a long taper off to miss out on the worst of the wd's.  You can do it!  I've never taken oxy, the strongest i took was methadone and norco.  from what i hear, oxy's are stronger than norco, thus more addictve.  the oxy doesn't take as long if the posts i'm reading in here are true, and there's no reason to think they are not.  be strong. you can make it.

Lucy

[grievingwidow]

sorry, but I am totally thinking they are basically the same drugs, they are opiates.  I agree with the above poster - maybe withdrawal symptoms will not be as severe but you are still going to have them.  I have always had the understanding that even though methadone may have a slightly different chemical makeup than most opiates, it is still an opiate just like hydrocodone, percocet, oxycontin, etc. etc.  I hope I am wrong but I have a feeling I am not.  Sorry.

Love, Cindy

[hellc@mst]

id have 2 agree with yr counselor(sort of).If u stopped the mdone by using the equivalent dose of another opioid,u really havent done nething.Look,i could give up mdone easy if i could replace it with heroin or morphine.Now i dont really know the full story.How much OC r u taking?.Were u taking it regularly while u were on the mdone?.Im inclined to think that,since u were in WDs,u hav lowered yr tolerance.Ne opiate if dosed sufficiently will relieve,delay,postpone wds as long as u take it.
regards J

[pacnwgrl]

  From what I've read, they are in the same family of morphine-type meds, but the effects on each one of us is different.  You will still have to w/d, but maybe not as severe.   But,  no, when you go off the meds, it will have  some effect.  Not to scare, just don't  give up,  and  don't  be like me  and use it  to rationalize going 'back'.  I'm good at rationalizing.  
  good luck.