getting off oxy with methadone

[mumblin]

hi i am 25 have been using narcotics since 15..got really hooked @17 18 on oxy80s and H...then kinda stopped when i went to college but eventually got the best of me and i had to leave. now, 5 yrs later, i have a bad back, bad discs, and an enormous amount of pain. i take a 2.5 fent patch and 3 oxy 40s a day. However , i have been known to use more than 3 a day causing me to run out before refills so i w/d. this time i got a bottle of done 5's and took 6 and it seems to keep me from w/d i just hear all the scary stories about done and dont want to add to my dependancy (which i am ok with ) rather than straight ADDICT (which i am, and trying to be OK with). anyone in similar situation please tell me...should i keep taking done for the next week til i get my script? ive been to inpatient over 3 times and i just cant kick. HELP!
mumblin' -MUMBLES

[liscamdave]

Methadone is not good. It is not something you want to get addicted too...stop while you can. Seriously..

[tret24]

i dont exactly agree with the above statement, I too was heavily addicted to heroin and oxycontin, which ever one was more readily available. they both gave me the warm blanket of bliss high the only difference was that the oxys I knew what quality, quantity I was getting, where as the H its hit or miss. I was snorting either or for almost 3 years and was taking way more than I could ever imagined, I needed at least two 80 mgs OC;'s up my nose or a half gram of good H or I would be extremelyu sick and the withdrawals would start up. They are a pure nightmare from the innermost depths of everything that is evil. After three years of  slaving over dope I decided with the help of my family to go into detox and treatment.. I went through a three day hell of a detox using at a hospital clonidine, lorazepam, immodium, ambien, and anti-nausea medicine. It sucked but on the third day I was given suboxone. It stopped the withdrawals 30 mintues after taking it and completely made me comfortable for two days. I was on 32 mgs of suboxone for almost 8 months and then borke my wrist and got abck to my addictiona dn decided I needed to try something different adn that was methadone. It has now been a little over twomonths and itwas the best decision of my life. regardless of what you sue as a treatment med you are going to have to slowly taper off of it and there willlstillbe some withdrawal, no matter if its suboxone, methadone, tramadol,etc..I would possibly give suboxone a try first and see if that works for you but if it doesnt then try going to a methadone treatment facility. It can save youre life and stop the slaving over the pills. it saved mylife and I am happier than I have ever been. youve taken a big step in admitting that you have a problem..now the next step is doing something about it...and we all here will be here to help..best of luck to you...if you ahve any other questiions about any treatment or anything at all let me know...

[cgmomma]

Welcome to the Forum!  I don't know much about methadone, but you should send "sadinmichigan" a message and read her journal entries.  She knows a whole lot about methadone.  Just wanted to welcome you though.  You will get lots of support here

[ochooked]

I agree with tret24 above -- about trying Suboxone - --- although they are all hard to kick, Sub was a wonderful way to avoid most of the pain of W/D's.   Just talking to other addicts and looking at all of the post for a long time on this site, I believe strongly that Sub is much better way to come off of the Oxy than Methadone ---   Almost all of the methadone users tell nightmare stories of trying to come off of it, whereas Sub seemed to be easier to W/D from.   At any rate, Mumblin, I admire your determination to get clear and wish you the best - -- it will be the single greatest thing you could possibly do for yourself -----what a gift to give yourself and your family.  All the best ----

[mr.lucky66]

I don't agree with telling someone to take ultram for these serious problems. It doesn't help much with pain and is a bear to get off. Sub isn't much good for pain either but better than ultram. I have spent many years on methadone and have been off for 5 years. It can be a mixed blessing. If someone can't stop then it could be a viable option while you get your life together. Too many addicts abuse meth though and take other drugs or drink but if used correctly can be a good tool. I always cringe when someone says methadone or sub saved their life. I don't believe in drug solutions for drug addiction. all the best

[addictedme]

Has anyone ever suggested fixing the discs or physical therapy? Thats alot of dope for bad discs. This looks like another case of a dr over prescribing and not fixing the problem

[kim715]

In reading through mr.lucky said just about everything I wanted to say.I'm coming up on 6 months clean from methadone.It took me about 6 weeks to feel normal again.I wish you all the best and please do read sainmichigans journal entry regarding methadone...Peace...Kim

[sadinmichigan]

from what I am reading of your question it doesn't sound like you want off the drugs..you just want to get till your next rx..?? I would not go the methadone route ever again. Your already on quite alot of stuff,so as far as w/ds..i think you'd have a heck of a time anyway..but i'll tell ya..methadone is straight up hard to come off of..not impossible but hard..and 99% of the people that are for methadone are still on it and haven't tried to come off..I went off at 65 mg..others at 30,10 even 1mg..and still had w/ds..I hope you try to cut your meds down..your so young and they are robbing you of so much. You may not realize it yet..you can quit..take care

[mumblin]

maybe i dont want off them - i just need to get it controlled so i dont over use. ive had phys therapy. 4 epiderals and my dr and my dr dr say i need medicine or surgery. i dont want surgery....they said wait til they come up with less evasive ones for what i have. thanks for all your support.
kind regards
mumbles

[drkneenie]

if you dont want off the pills and you are just looking to control you usage a little better than i would definitely recommend methadone. if you are truely looking to get clean from everything then i would use suboxone.  i was a heroin addict and used methadone to get it under control and then slowly tappered the heroin and raised my methadone dose til i was clean from heroin and at a 200mg/day methadone dose.  its gonna be tricky to do the methadone and still pop ur pills because the meth clinic is going to want you off the pills just as they wanted me off the heroin. every clinic has regulation they have to go by but at the same time i have noticed big differences between clinics as to their tolerance of how you want to control your treatment. some wont give you any control and they will want you on "their" plan.  luckily i finally found one that left my treatment entirely in my hands and i had great success getting my heroin use under control and then finally stopping the heroin without them giving me a hard time about using both which most clinics wouldnt tolerate.  methadone can be a great tool to help you with your addiction but at the same time i dont know of anything that is harder to withdraw off of than methadone is so make sure that is really what you want to do because once you start it you will probably be on it for years.  it took me 15 months to withdraw off of 200mg/day and that was still too fast for me because even after my last dose of only 2mg/day i was still feeling like **** and went back to heroin after 3 years clean.  methadone is definitely a very long term choice so just ask a lot of questions here and know what you are getting into.  good luck with it!

[drkneenie]

tret24 said about methadone:
"It can save youre life and stop the slaving over the pills. it saved mylife and I am happier than I have ever been. youve taken a big step in admitting that you have a problem..now the next step is doing something about it"

i thought the same thing 2 months into my methadone treatment.  let me know if you still feel that way 2 years into your methadone treatment.  you dont realize it at first cause u feel as if you have a new lease on life but eventually you will feel the reality that you are just a slave to the methadone now instead of your other drug of choice.
dont get me wrong, the best i have ever felt in the past 12 years of addiction were the couple of years i was taking 200mg/day of methadone but finally realized i just traded my illegal high for a legal one.  it took me 15 month to tapper down and withdraw from that high of a dose and when i was done i went right back to heroin, doh!

[mr.lucky66]

Many of us are looking for drug solutions for our drug addiciton. methadone sub etc. I tried it all and methadone did help for the first 2 years and then turned on me. These drugs are tools not lifesavers.

[kim715]

I was referred to the methadone clinic by a 'friend' or former 'drug buddy',I should say.I did no research on it,knew noone who had ever successfully come off ot it.Most of the people I knew who had ever used it did so 'recreationally' or they went back to using their original DOC and got kicked out of the methadone clinic.At the time I started going to the methadone clinic I wanted to be done with the pills so bad that I would have eaten kitty litter if someone told me that it would make me stop wanting and feeling I needed the pills and that I wouldn't be sick.At first I thought it was a 'miracle drug'.I could go every morning and take the methadone and I didn't want the pills and I wasn't sick at all.I only realized what I had gotten myself into the first time I had an emergency in my family and was unable to get to the clinic for 2 days.I was NEVER so sick in my whole entire life.I was up to taking 20  7.5 vicodin a day before the methadone and a day of feeling sick without them wasn't even in the same ballpark as a day of feeling sick without the methadone.I wasn't on what most would consider a high dose.My daily dose was 30 mg.I totally understand how the people who have just started it or who are still taking it feel.I once felt that way also.It was only when I wanted to stop taking it that I realized what a hold it had on me,and that freeing myself from addiction was not going to happen without paying a price.There is no easy way out.There are no miracle drugs.As mr.lucky said there are tools but not lifesavers.I would never recommend methadone to anyone trying to overcome a pill addiction.Thats my personal opinion.I know some will disagree and although I respect everyones right to an opinion,I stand firm on my belief.Regardless for those who are going to consider taking the methadone route my best advice to them is to read,ask questions,gather all the information you can,be absolutely certain that you know what you're putting into your body.Make an informed decision,don't be like me.I was so desperate to free myself from those pills without suffering at all that I blindly jumped from the frying pan into the fire and got burned.There is no miracle drug,no miracle solution.I wish you all the best...Peace....Kim

[sadinmichigan]

do you have somebody that you trust that could hold your meds for you? It takes alot of self control to stick to what is prescribed,especially once you have crossed that line..

[mr.lucky66]

I know people who are hooked on hydro don't like to hear it but this is another example of using gasoline to put out a fire. When you are hooked on hydro it's a b$5ch but not even close to kicking the done. That's why I cringe when vicodin addicts go on methadone or long term sub. They can morph their addcition ro the next level or so. I have seen this happen many times and it pains me.

[mumblin]

thanks to all who responded i really needed to hear that and now have a new :appreciation: for the subconciously dangers of getting involved with methadone. im back on my patches and im going to try not to take anymore. i took 3 5's today after none yesterday (but 2 40s)
My gf is willing to try to help hold on to the meds...she is tired of me getting sick and her having to take care of me....if this doesnt work i think she will leave me so i pray it does. i know i can do it.
thanks for all your help and know i now have a place to come looking for advice in the future.
peace, love, and kind regards,
mumbles