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Julia are you there?
Can you please tell me more about naltrexone therapy. I'am coming off methadone after 8 years. I'am on day 22 and at risk of losing my job and my lively hood. Every night I suffer. There has been some improvement but everyday I wake up sick. I want sobriety soo bad but illness is breaking me down. Please tell me what to do. My husband can't keep taking care of me. My illness will break him too. He has been amazing but he has no experience, he cant understand. I'm scared. I'm really scared. I don't want to lose everything.
Let us know how it works out. I have sometimes found urgent care clinics can be much more obliging than PCPs, though they probably would not scrip benzos, even a very limited amount, which is something you can do under Thomas.
Too bad about being in a new city--it can be very tough sometimes to find doctors willing and able to take on new patients even if insurance isn't an issue.
I wish you the best of luck--you've been through the hardest part and it would be such a shame to relapse and have to do it all over again. It is so frustrating that there is such a lack of help out there in part because many doctors really know nothing about addiction medicine. Addiction is becoming such a common problem and can lead to so many other health issues you'd think PCPs would make a point of getting up to speed on it the way they do with diabetes and heart conditions.
Too bad about being in a new city--it can be very tough sometimes to find doctors willing and able to take on new patients even if insurance isn't an issue.
I wish you the best of luck--you've been through the hardest part and it would be such a shame to relapse and have to do it all over again. It is so frustrating that there is such a lack of help out there in part because many doctors really know nothing about addiction medicine. Addiction is becoming such a common problem and can lead to so many other health issues you'd think PCPs would make a point of getting up to speed on it the way they do with diabetes and heart conditions.
Thank you mariedc. My biggest issue is being in a new city I don't have a family Dr. Everyone keeps turning me away. But I have been attending a mediclinic. I will try what is suggested. Thank you so much for your reply.
The program Dr. Julia runs is expensive, but it does include a very complete and intensive detox. You've gone 22 days, an enormous feat for which you deserve huge credit.
Can you get your primary care doctor to help? Please look up the Thomas recipe--it has lots of tips, as well as suggestions for supplements and prescription drugs that help ease withdrawal. Perhaps your PCP can help out with the scrips. The other thing I would do is see if he/she is willing to start you on naltrexone. Any doctor can prescribe either the pills or the injections, if they are willing to do a little homework to make sure it won't induce a precipitated withdrawal.
The pills can be started at very low doses and they are cheap. The injections (Vivitrol) is more of a bother for the doctor, but he can prescribe. It can be quite expensive, but it is surer as the pills don't work if you don't take them. But you can try to make it work given you have a husband who seems motivated for you. The main thing is to have a guardian who makes sure you take the pill every day.
Good luck and I hope you feel better.
Can you get your primary care doctor to help? Please look up the Thomas recipe--it has lots of tips, as well as suggestions for supplements and prescription drugs that help ease withdrawal. Perhaps your PCP can help out with the scrips. The other thing I would do is see if he/she is willing to start you on naltrexone. Any doctor can prescribe either the pills or the injections, if they are willing to do a little homework to make sure it won't induce a precipitated withdrawal.
The pills can be started at very low doses and they are cheap. The injections (Vivitrol) is more of a bother for the doctor, but he can prescribe. It can be quite expensive, but it is surer as the pills don't work if you don't take them. But you can try to make it work given you have a husband who seems motivated for you. The main thing is to have a guardian who makes sure you take the pill every day.
Good luck and I hope you feel better.
Analog, lu ? Anyone? I went to where I was receiving treatment to seek counselling and they turned me away. I'am no longer a part of their program.
Dr Julia I saw your entry on naltrexone therapy and I know now that I can't afford it. I don't know that I'm going to be ok. I was 19 when they put me on methadone all I had to do was pee in a cup. I did'nt know. And now I don't know if I'm going to make. I don't feel strong enough. Everyday is so hard. They say to push through it but I can't. I'm sooo tired :'-(
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