methadone

[johnnyv987]

What should I do, I am in pain management as of right now and are prescribed to percocet. I don’t want to be on pain pills the rest of my life and don’t want to mess my liver up. I deal with chronic pain, I am wondering what to do, should I ask my doctor for methadone because its used for chronic pain and doesn’t abuse the liver like opiates do. I think if I were on 40mgs and took it as a split dose, where i took 20mgs in the morning and 20mgs in the evening would work. With opiates, you build up a tolerance and soon the perks wont work. Whereas methadone you don’t build a tolerance for it and it helps with pain. I’m going to have pain for the rest of my life and I am only 25, already had surgery, which helped with the nerve pain but now i just have chronic pain and aches. My doctor even said that I wouldn’t be fully pain-free. What’s wrong with being on methadone instead of opiates especially if it helps with pain? I am at a crossroads because I was addicted to opiates before my surgery because of self-medicating due to back pain. I rather take methadone than having to keep upping my dose of percocet or even having to take something more potent than percocet.

[Punkinhead75]

Hi johnny,

Have you ever heard of IDD therapy?  I've had in the past a herniated disc at L4-L5 and a spondylolisthesis of the L4 vertebrea (that is a shifting of the vertebrea).  I did this therapy and it fised the herniation and drastically helped the spondy.  That was about 6yrs ago.  I now have a herniation at L5-S1 and the spondy has returned.  I am going through the therapy again hopeful that it will fix the herniated disc.  I may need surgery on the spondy but we'll see what happens when the therapy is done.  

The IDD therapy is a type of decompression therapy that allow the disc to expand and get back to its normal shape.  This along with regular core exercise has really helped me out.  As far as pain management goes I only take advil or tylenol.  Sometimes (very rarely) I have to take a muscle relaxer but I have my neighbor hold them for me.  Once I take one I want them all.  I also use ice and stretch regularly.  Good luck!!

[johnnyv987]

Thanks for all the feedback everybody. This site is really helping me out on my decision. For as where my pain comes from, it comes from my lower back where I have three bulging discs (already had surgery on one of them) and also have spinal stenosis(narrowing in the spinal column), not to mention all of the scaring tissue from surgery and weak muscles. Doc said that he could try an epidural shot, but I don’t know because I had that before I decided to have surgery, because I tried everything that I could before I chose surgery. Surgery was the last resort, I went through PT (physical therapy) cortisone shots etc. So you think I should stay in pain management and try to find something that isnt so harsh on the liver? What should I ask my doctor to do? And what kinds of meds arent harsh on the liver? Thanks

[kimbo546]

I totally disagree about not building a tolerance to methadone. Also for me the methadone has been much harder to kick than Cold turking the pills. I wish you luck with your choice. I too suffer from chronic back pain and fibromyalgia. There are other alternatives besides narcotics. I hope you find something that works for you that is a healthier alternative. Kim

[keith600]

You havent said where your pain comes from. Many,many people have chronic pain,understand that its a lifetime deal and start exploring other options for the pain rather then narcotics. Not that you wont need a strong pain killer from time to time but to resolve yourself (at your young age) that pain medication on a continual lifetime basis is the only answer may not be the best choice. Have you tried the pain management forums? There are many ways to get temporary relief and people living with chronic pain will take relief in any amount they can get. Its also about being in acceptance that there will always be a certain amount of pain but personnaly the pain of being in active addiction plus the chronic  pain is far greater then dealing with the chronic pain without the addiction problems. Also,I would listen to gnarly,,there"s nothing batter then hearing from experiance. G L to ya whatever way you choose

[johnnyv987]

i started methadone treatment because of my addiction, but once i realized how much it has helped me with my pain I have now started to use the methadone to treat my pain.but i dont want to be a the methadone clinic all my life. and I think pain management will help me more . But i dont want to take pain pills because of the affect it has on my body is worse than the methadone. so thats why i think if i could get methadone from my pain management doctor that would work better for me since methadone isnt so harsh on the body.if i am going to have pain forever then i want the best thing for me. i mean if you had to choose methadone or oxys wouldnt you choose methadone because its less damaging on your body. but im affraid to even talk about methadone with my doctor,because how bad of a rap it gets, that i dont know what to do.

[hellc@mst]

Hi there. If you have a doctor who believes you require indefinate treatment for a pain condition that will never be resolved, then i think under these circumstances you may qualify for longterm methadone treatment. Personally if i had a doctor who was prepared to write prescriptions for shorter acting opiate medications, i would be taking that route rather than methadone. I have seen all to often on this forum where well intentioned pain management doctors dump their methadone addicted patients and leave them to the mercy of the "clinic"trap.

I see you had managed for 2 years on 25 mgs of methadone which has mistakenly lead you to believe that people do not develop a tolerance to it. I suspect that this 25mg dose was for treatmnent of an addiction problem and not a pain issue. I am afraid that you may well find that 25mgs will gradually stop being as effective as it once was for treating your pain requiring regular adjustments of your dose. It may be that you have a unique physiology which makes you immune from developing a tolerance to methadone but im afraid that this is a rare( previously unheard of) condition.

I sincerely wish you all the best and hope you are able to find some resolution for a pain condition that is obviously affecting your quality of life.

All the best Regards Jeremy.

[johnnyv987]

so what do i do for my pain. do I stay on opiates such as oc's or perks, or do i go to methadone since im going to need something forever. you know, with my its like a catch 22. it *****

[johnnyv987]

i know its an opiate and no you dont build a tolerance, because i was on methadone for two years and was only on 25 mgs. that seemed to work until later in the evening. but if i need pain pills the rest of my life then why would i need to break free from methadone because im going to need something for the rest of my life any way

[gnarly_1]

HI...you do build up a tolerence to methadone also it is an opiate I was put on it for pain management went  from 30 mg to 150ml over a 6yr period then it quit working all together
leaving me with a huge addiction to break free from.....hands down methadone is the worst of the narcotics to break free from the withdrawals last for months not weeks I would run the other way if I was ever offered it again do yourself a favor and stay away from this drug
good luck and God bless......Gnarly