Goodbye Methadone for Good!!!! It feels so good to say that, albeit the 'Mighty Done' has been replaced with the Fentanyl pain patch and it's been the best trade I could have made. I am sure stopping the Fentanyl the way I did the Methadone would produce a similar hell as the Methadone did but I don't plan on stopping the patch anyway.
The Fentanyl has really given me back a big piece of my life that I felt I'd lost for ever. I can now work a 10-11 hour day and I'm not a wreck at the end of it like I used to be.
I am not pain free by any means but I have significantly better pain control than I can ever remember. I have stolen a piece of my life back form the monster we all wrestle with in 'chronic debilitating pain'. Sure, some days are still tough, but by and large they are the exception to the rule which was the exact opposite of what I face before starting Fentanyl.
The only downside to it is quite a bit of sweating but I'll live with that to get pain control.
I went for a couple of months with no 'big dog' med and tried to return to work with only Oxycodone 10/325 1 x every 8 hours. It was very discouraging to say the least, I just wanted to see if I could return to my job WITHOUT the 'big dogs' on my side. I did feel defeated and down when I realized I couldn't maintain with out the med.
Many friends and good people on here asked me why I chose to suffer without the med to help me but I just had to try and see if I could do it on my own, Tuckamore,MollyRae,Nick30 and Sandee........You were ALL right in your advice to me, why suffer when you don't have to??????  I think each one of us holds onto that thread of hope that we have the power to beat whatever ailment we have and that we don't need a prescription pad to help us along.
I'm in a much better place now and can honestly say that I've made piece with the fact that I'll always need these med's unless a miracle cure comes along for chronic pain, let's not hold our breath on that one though eh?
Hope everyone has a great  labor day weekdend surrounded by loved ones and friends.
Blessings.
Brian.

Well my friends here I am now 98 days out from taking off the liquid handcuffs!! It seems such a long time ago but then I get a small subtle reminder that this drug hasn't totally 'loosed' it's grip on my mind and body. It blows my mind that after over 3 months being off of it I still experience W/Ds but nowhere near as major as it was in the first month. I have extreme fatigue and constant yawning with my right eye constantly tearing up. As for the fatigue that could also because I'm transitioning back into to my job and I know that is sucking the life out of me, it's the first time I've worked without Methadone in over two years.
All I can about this drug is that to me it is 'HORRIBLE'. I know many have seen Methadone as a life saver and that's how I felt for a while also. I am by no means judging anyone who takes it. Now I'm off it, I can truly see what kind of a person it made me and the 'constant brain fog' I was in every day. It was a real battle for me to stop taking it, it took me three attempts to finally beat it, albeit with the little reminders that I'm still getting at 98 days. It was an intimidating place for me to be, always thinking I could stop it whenever I needed to, then finding out I couldn't. The fear and anxiety of the failed attempts at stopping it, the emotions of thinking I was addicted, but thankfully coming to the realization that it was a physical dependency to help treat my chronic condition. I can honestly say I never abused it, never taking more than the prescribed dose.
I just think that Dr's should have a bigger responsibilty to their patients to fully explain what these drugs do to us. That being said, we as patients also have a responsibilty to ourselves to do our own research before putting any substance into our body. I'm starting the Fentanyl patch next week and have really appreciated the advice I have received on this website.
I cringe when I read posts about people who are considering taking Methadone for pain relief. After my research I firmly believe there are many better other options out there. I cannot speak to it's use to combat heroin addiction although many feel it has saved their lifes.
So I move on one day at a time, enjoying and cherishing the good days(less pain) that I am blessed with having. Being more thankful for the positive things in my life. And always remembering that in the times when I'm struggling or having a bad day if you will, that there is always someone out there with much bigger problems than me.

Well here I am at day 43 from my last 10mg pill of Methadone. How do I feel????? Small strides, little by little, one step and one day at a time. Got back from Mexico on March 15th and either brought back a bug or picked up the good ol Washington flu on my return, kinda felt like starting the W/Ds all over again. My energy levels are pretty good at this point. My sleep is pretty much back to normal again although I can only sleep 6-7 hours maximum on any given night but do usually wake up a few times due to serious pain. I'll take the 6 or 7 hours though being that I went through a good solid three weeks of serious insomnia which for me was without doubt the hardest thing to deal with. I was lucky to get 1 hour of broken sleep each night and came very close to using a couple of times. I just want to thank all the people on MH who helped and encouraged me through this and the countless others who encouraged me just by me simply reading their posts. We are NOT alone that's for sure. I am still taking the odd Endocet at night to treat my pain and I'm planning on going back to work April 6th so that will be the big test for me and my pain.
Does anyone have any recommendations of an RX I can use to treat serious chronic pain?
I have tried Vics,Percs,Dilaudid,Ultram and of course the MIGHTY METHADONE which I truly thought of as a miracle drug the first few years, ended up being on it for over 2 years. My Dr wants me to go back on it but I refuse. He conveniently reminded me of the "miracle drug" comment I made to him nearly 2 years ago and still doesn't understand why I went off it. I know my Endocet 10/325mg is short acting and I need something slow release and or long acting. Any ideas anyone???????

Well I've hit day 35 and it gets a little easier each day. Had an interesting Dr's appt today, he actually wanted to put me BACK ON Methadone!!!!!!! I about swallowed my teeth (they're not false!!!)....... Anyway, he had wanted me to titrate down 25% through the pain management clinic and I decided I was going off it altogether. I do take Endocet as well for chronic pain and was telling him I'm needing more because I'm off Methadone. He actually told me Endocet is worse for me than Methadone....(Not what I've always been told though).
I told him I need Endocet every 6 hours to treat my chronic pain but he said "you'll be here next month asking for a higher dose that's why I had you on Methadone" He was an absolute jerk, refused to fill out my papers for my salary continuation through UNUM provident cos there is basically nothing else he can do for me. I told him I didn't appreciate him talking to me that way and that it's not my fault the insurance company needs the papers filled out. He put me in a bad spot, and I said, I'm the patient and you are my Doctor and I need this done so I can get paid. He said he had to leave the room to go calm down............ I told him if he had a problem he needs to call UNUM and tell them he doesn't want to fill out the papaerwork and not take it out on me.
Long story short, he prescibes me 10/325 Endocet tells me its the strongest Endocet out there (I was on 7.5/500?? 60 per month) I guess the new one has less tylenol and more narcotic in it? Anyway, he gives me only 90 for the month and tells me that's it and that he'll never prescribe higher, AND SAYS...... "You BETTER only take 3 a DAY!!!!!!! I still can't believe it happened to be honest, I've been with him for years, was feeling good about quitting Methadone at the third attempt but still need something for long term chronic pain control. Does anyone know of the best pain med to be on long term? I know they all have side effects but what is the best out there and longest acting? Please don't say Methadone either!!! I'm not going back on it under any circumstances. One Doc suggested OC which I didn't think was a good idea. Anyway, off to the Seatttle Sounders Inaugural game tonight at Qwest Field so probably gonna freeze my arse off I'm sure. Thanks for allowing me to rant!!!!! Stay strong everyone.
Peace.
Brian.