Trying to understand

[EdnVero]

My husband went today to a methadone clinic, how does it work? What does it do? Is it really worth it or is just another way to get high for free while pretending you are getting better??

[EdnVero]

My husband doesn't want to get help. There's nothing I can do to help and if i gave him an ulitamtum he will leave. I was told that wen I'm not in his life he getS worse with it. So what to do. I don't want to live this life, I don't!! I am so depress! I don't want him out cus I love him and I keep an eye on him wen he is home. I mean he doesn't act all crazy n sleeps all day. He actually acts "normal" and fun with the kids. That's how I am starting to look at things. It hurt when he said to me that me and his daughter come second to his drugs it broke my heart. But there's nothing I can do right now. I thank u all for ur replies I wish u all well and I congratulate all you who want and are trying to free yourselves. Really I can only imagine how happy your family and friends are that you are at least trying. God bless you all!!!!!!  

[kc156]

ALL the above info is absolutley correct.I have been on methadone for 4 years and am tapering .Now at a very low dose and will be off it in a month or so.He must want off everything real bad for ANY plan to work.There is NO way out with no pain,but there are ways out if you want it bad enough.
Look after yourself .                                         karl

[Mia Mia]

there are also meds your doc can prescribe to help with w/d... valium, chlonidine even tylenol helps...I am currently being weaned off and its hell..

[Mia Mia]

I was on methadone for 2 years and it NEVER got me high... I wish I never went on it.. it is helpful when you have no other alternatives but it is not solving the problem, just putting a band aid over it and substituting one drug for another.. it is more difficult to get off of than oxys or heroin... when you do decide you want off of it ...the withdrawals can last for months because (at least 2, usually way longer) because it is a long acting opiate. Try not to go too high of a dose. and try to wean off as soon as possible, assuming he would stop using any other drugs. if there are no other options tho, it can be very helpful. Try other things first..tapering, suboxone...(short term). Methadone I think is a last resort.

[avisg]

problem is there are not really anyways to get around some WD you have to pay the piper to some level and if he truly is serous and he wants to get clean its going to take more then a few days to get clean .Its also going to take a long term outpatient care program like aa/na ..Right now you really need to take care of you .One thing I will tell you about addicts we are great manipulators we will tell you whatever you want to hear it is means you will leave us alone .It not that he does not love you he just loves his drugs more right now that why it so important you find ALNON meetings for yourself .

[gnarly_1]

HI well theirs not much you can do if they wont take him....but going in for a pill addiction  unless it is really out of control is not recommended for methadone treatment
methadone is way harder to come off of then pills ...as for doing it painlessly I dont think thats possible...you could have him taper off one pill every 3 days till hes down to just 1 or 2 a day then jump off that would be the most painless way of coming off them but it comes with its own can of worms....you got to be disciplined or have someone dole
out the pills to you and you have to stick to the taper without cheating for it to work
so there are some curve balls ahead of you...but at least it beats jumping off C/T and going thew hard withdrawals....you could give it a try and see what happens if he cant do it then C/T is his only option if he truly wants to get clean...good luck and God bless......Gnarly  

[EdnVero]

Well he doesn't want to go away n he doesn't want to feel sick. If he can do it n not feel a thing he would do it. He wld go away only for a cpl of days not weeks. That's what he has said  

[avisg]

I would talk to the doctor that was willing to help him detox ...Again he has to be willing to go in do you think know he will  since he turned the doctor down ?  was willing to go to the methadone clinic? Has he told you why he does not want to do detox

[EdnVero]

I thank u all for ur answers n stories n inputs they are helping ME a lot. Anyhow we were told that they wouldn't treat him because he had a cpl seizures they told him he needs to see a neurologist which won't happen. I believe the seizures are all drug related but they need to know where they are coming from. I called sevaral doctors who were asking for over 400$ for the initial visit. Money is definetly an issue with his addiction. As he lost his job n I'm the only one working n paying bills as he spends most of his unemployment checks on pills. I want to give him an ultimatum but it's hard, he was worse when we were separated. Besides doing it cold turkey, is there any other type of clinic or way we (my husband) can detox??  

[tellit2her]

Hi there, I have been in methadone treatment for over 4 months now following a 23 year addiction to morphine and heroin. I balked to go into one for some time. I finally realized that this was a life death thing, so I really looked around and found a good clinic. I found a clinic that has therapy, groups, one on one, a doctor and a very strict and rigid methadone dispensing team. It takes quite a while before you are given take homes and it takes a whole year to get up to one week of take homes. I really think for the most that addicts with a long time track record that have a very hard time becoming abstinent should find an alternative. This was really a life and death matter for me, and I am thankful at this time to utilize this form along with aftercare. Good luck mike in nc

[Lisa0345]

I agree with mr lucky.  Methadone can be a good thing or a bad thing.  I am currently on methadone, but I am tapering off it now.  I only go to the clinic 3 days a week now because the methadone clinic gives clients random urine tests and when you have so many clean drug screens they will give clients what they call take home bottles.  With your husband, for the first 30 days or so they are going to get him to a stable dose.  What I mean by a stable dose is, they are going to keep increasing his dose by five or ten mgs per day until he is no longer showing or feeling any symptoms or signs of withdrawl.  Once your husband is at a stable dose, if he is at a good clinic, his counslor should start talking to him about what it is gonna take to get his life together.  It just depends on the patient and the clinic they are going to.  Some clinics do not really care, they do not offer anything but methadone, no aftercare, no counsleing, no help at all.  Some clinics do not even care if you have a dirty drug screen, they will still dose you as long as you are paying.  That is not the case at my clinic.  I have been on Methadone since March 11th 2009.  I started out at a clinic like that, but I switched clinics in December and it was the best move I ever made.  At my clinic you must go to group sessions every week and you must attend NA and if you have a dirt drug screen they will not dose you and they will take away your take outs.  It will also depend on your husband, if he is not ready to get clean, then yes it will be just another way for him to get high legally.  A lot of people do that.  To be honest with you I did not walk into the clinic looking for sobriety, I just did not want to be sick anymore.  Sobriety was just something that I found along the way through group, consuling and NA. If you are your husband have any other questions or if you just need some one to listen this is a great place.  We will all be here for yall with no judgement.
Good Luck and God Bless
Lisa
Jacksonville,FL

[mr.lucky66]

Methadone can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how it's used. It was originally used as a treatment of last resort for hard core heroin addicts and helped a lot of people. Now it's used too frequently for pain pill users who really didn't have fit the old criteria and these people are given as much methadone as they want. What happens with this is that these lighter addicts are now hooked on methadone instead of being hooked on vicodin . This can be very hard to get off and can take months. If methadone is used for the hard core addicts who lead high risk life styles, it can help stabalize them and can be the first step to recovery. so it depends on your husband and his motivations and his addiction. all the best

[avisg]

also look on the right where its say search this commuty put in addicted to methadone it will pull up alot of info on it

[avisg]

There are lot of people that are addicted to methadone hopfully they will post so you can understand it  bit more .

[vicki595]

Hi~~   I'm hoping this is a step in the right direction for him.  What I do know is that they'll interview him,decide an appropriate amt. for daily use and he'll need to go everyday to get it. They do urine tests to check for other drug use.
That's the extent of what I know.  
There are a few members who check the forum daily and they have a lot of experience
with this treatment. I'm sure you'll get some responses from them.
I do wish you the best...try to hang on. I hope he gets to an NA meeting as well.
Vicki