oxycotin detox and methadone maitnance

[hippy]

i have a neice who is 19 and has been hooked on oxycotin
for about 2 years,in the philadelphia area the neww solution
for young people to get off it is methadone maitnance for
a one year program, that cost 100 dollas a week.
with all my experence with drugs , useing them and getting clean
she asked me what i thought,it was drastic but probley safer.
my question is , im i crazy but woulden't a 30 day detox/rehab
be smarter then getting locked into a year long metadone program.i would think as a society we could offer young people
a better solution,my neice has told me she has more then a few
friends who are now involved with the methadone program due
to oxy addiction, all being under 21. due they have shorter
methadone programs, she also said they want cash and you can try to get your ins to reinburse you.
i have no experence with these programs.
any input  would help.
thanks --------------hippy

[Expillman]

Debbie, congratulations on your success!  Please be aware that Methadone (Dolophine) is an opiod just like heroin or Oxycontin.  One of the properties of Methadone is that it has a long half-life and can accumulate in your system.  You CAN'T stay on it for a long period of time safely.  Make your goals incremental, but please consider the goal of becoming opiate free.  Please write me if you have questions, I worked in pain management for 20 years.

[Debbie33]

hi guys.......im having trouble here, i cant find the message i posted yesturday and i cant see if anyone responded to it  : (  is there anyway one of you could email me at ***@**** and explain to me how i can find my post and how to check if there are any responses?  thank you so much!  im not sure if it even posted or if this one will either  :(     thanks in advance to anyone who can help me    :)
Debbie

[Debbie33]

Hi everyone, i am new here and this is my first time posting anything although i have been doing a lot of reading on this site.  I do have a commment to post but first i wanted to say thank you to all of you because although you dont realize it, you all saved my life.  I have been addicted to oxycontin, percocet, vicodin, fent. patches etc... for over 3 years and had a pretty hefty habit.  I had NO IDEA there was any help out there for someone addicted to oxy's!  ( oxy's were the "main" problem or D.O.C. )  i was sitting here balling my eyes out one morning saying to myself "how the hell am i going to get myself out of this mess??"  i came online and put in "oxycontin withdrawel" and found this message board.  I began reading and could not believe there were other people that were going threw the same thing as me and that there was help!!!!  I may be niave but honestly, id heard of "detox's" for heroin etc... but was unaware of how closely related oxy's were to heroin and that you could recieve the same rehab treatment.  So THANK YOU!! each and every one of you for being here and for saving my life, i have 3 children whom im sure are very grateful to you all as well :)  Okay, now for my comment....I agree with some of you how you say it depends on the persons state of mind to determine which route is best for them.  For me personally, methadone is the only thing that helps me.  I took the 9 day Detox route, the detox i chose used methadone to help with the withdrawel symptoms.  While i was at the detox i did not have any cravings for drugs AT ALL!  first time in a long time for that!!  The problem with this was since your only there for 9 days the methadone taper is rather rapid and when i left the detox i went right back to using, :(   i lasted only 2 hours.  I was so depressed and disappointed in myself but i remembered how i felt on the methadone.  You do not feel "high" but at the same time you do not feel sick.....no leg cramps, hand cramps, stomach pains, headaches,and most important ( to me anyways ) NO CRAVINGS!  I got a referal from the detox center for the methadone clinic here in my town.  I couldnt get in for a week and "used" the entire week :(  But i started the methadone dosing on wednesday, today is friday.....i havent touched a thing for the past 3 days and have no desire to what so ever!!!  Personally i think methadone gets a bad rap.  To me its like a miracle drug.  Its giving me my life back.  I do not understand exactly how it works although im learning more and more each day as ive collected much literature on it, but i do know it blocks something in your brain and keeps the cravings away and since it is a pain killing medicine i suffer no physical painful withdrawel symptoms and NO DEPRESSION!!!!    My depression when i would try to quit C.T. was a really big problem for me, i would get it really really bad and contemplate suicide as my only means "out".....i have no depression, no cravings and no body pains.....i love it.  I realize methadone is a touchy subject and views differ strongly, almost as strongly as the abortion issue, but for me personally, i think it is wonderful and would recommend it highly to anyone who would like to have the easiest possible withdrawel process.  Im unsure if im going to stay on methadone for the rest of my life or if i will begin a taper in 6 months.  Personally, ill probably stay on it for life because i have zero willpower.  I know people refer to it as "liquid handcuffs" but when i think of all i went threw on a daily basis to get the oxy's i can deal with a trip to the clinic every morning, plus you can earn "take homes" and recive a weeks worth at a time so you dont have to go every single day.  If anyone would like to talk to me about any of this or anything at all please feel free to email me at ***@**** in the subject line "message board" so i will know who you are and not delete you by mistake lol.  I wish everyone the best of luck in their journy for their sobriety!!!!!  God Bless you all!  and again, thank you for saving my life!!!!!   :)

[mrmichael67]

Please email me at ***@****.  I am a chronic pain patient from two spinal fusions.  I am fused from L4-S1.  I am on methadone maintenance for pain and will be the rest of my life.  Methadone can be a touchy subject around here and I would feel more comfortable helping you on the side.  I have also been on almost every pain med under the sun at one point or another.  Please, do contact me.

[MethMan]

Hello!
I wish I could provide what you are looking for.  I do have a few suggestions for you though.

Please try to post higher up in the threads here. You'll get more feedback.  Also, address your post to "MrMichael".  On almost every single point you made, he has commented on it in the past.  He's a wealth of information and you'd be well served by asking for some of it.

I wish you the best.
Methman

[NoTriplicates]

Writer's first posting to this forum. Have had a long protracted history suffering from the ravages of acute meningoencephalitis or "Mollaret's Meningitis" of viral etiology and for which there is no known cure. Treatment consists of saline drip and IM injections of meperidine HCL (Demerol), morphine sulfate, or equivalent. Accumulation of two dozen plus lumbar puncture procedures (spinal taps) since first diagnosis approx 23+ yrs ago has left the dura mater severely compromised and the L3/4/5
discs in the lower vertebrae have become herniated to the point where writer is now all but forced to take oxycontin otherwise
same will become terminally bedridden. MD now suggesting we try dolophine (Methadone) as I've lost 35+ pounds in a little more than three months. Anyone out there on methadone maintainence please advise. Thanks.