Methadone Detox

[shaunckate]

I have read many of the posts about methadone detox but could not find any about those who have been put on Methadone as pain managment for chronic pain.  Up until 2 weeks ago I had been on Methadone for a little over a year.  I was not on a high does only 30-40mg a day.  It worked very well for the chronic pain caused by nerve damage.  When I was started on methadone I was told it was a very safe pain managment drug and better for me then oxycontin or other similar drugs.  At the start I told my pain mangament doctor I did not want a drug that I would be addictive.  I have a large pain tolerance since I usually only take motrin except for brake through pain.  Mostly because I dont like the high feeling drugs give me, I am also very sensitive to drugs.  Before being treated at this pain managment doctor I was scared of going after a bad first experience when I had a pain doctor want to do pain med injection in my neck and base of my head.  I have no skull back there and he did not care said that it would not be a problem.  The new doctor put me at ease and knew what my condition was.  But I was never told about the addictive nature of methadone.  I did know to taper off the drug but even after two weeks the pain is awful.  Not only do I have the chronic nerve pain but I also have the withdrawl pain.  I have motrin and oxycontin to use for the untolerable pain but what other options are there for the pain and other symptoms. I have froze my family out keeping my home at 68 to keep my pain and hot flashes in check.  I also am not able to do lots of exercise since I have limited mobility due to nerve damage.  Any help or suggestions would be great.  As I do not want to go to the ER because there answer is to just give me a injection of methadone and I will not take that anymore.  I dont want to end up back at square one.  I know this will not last forever though.  Also what other options are there for people like me who have chronic pain.  Without being put on anymore drugs that cause addiction.

[Mistressvintage]

Probably gonna get a lot of crap for this but the liquid and the pills are not the same in my experience, I need a lot less medicine when it comes to the pills, so I get it, the same exact thing happened to me, I was prescribed methadone bc I had cancer, and the amount of pills I was being prescribed bothered me, so they put me on methadone, I was only on 20mg a day and doing alright, little did I know, how utterly difficult it would be getting off of them, the pain clinic I went to got shut down, I have no idea what they were doing to get shut down but anyway, I ended up getting laid off from my job, cancer and all, and losing my insurance, luckily I have been in remission for 4 years but had to do something bc regular Drs wouldn't prescribe methadone for any reason, I was still sick after a month and ended up going to a methadone clinic, it wasn't fair, I was treated like scum and had to take double just to get it to last long enough bc they wouldn't split my dose, I hadn't done anything wrong other than trust a dr.. finally my regular Dr felt sorry for me and decided to help me taper, it's a lot faster than I would like and my battle hasn't even begun yet, I feel like I'm drowning bc I'm already feeling ****** and I'm not even done yet, in was fine in the beginning until I got down to 15mg and now I'm sick already, I have no idea if I will make it or not, but you can if you do this the right way, taper as slow as you can and get out of there, take as long as you need and don't let anyone, I mean anyone make you feel less than you are..try to find an understanding pain clinic if you have to

[gnarly_1]

HT Jason .....I was put on methadone for pain management also was given 10mg 3 times a day to start with  after a few months of being on it I refused to take anymore spinal shots and the doctor told me you ether do the whole program or none of it we had a falling out and I to wound up at the local methadone clinic....first off methadone is methadone it still works for pain the problem is you build up a tolerance to it like any other narcotic...mine went up to 150mg over 6 1/2 yrs then even that amount dident work so I said enough was enough and began weening down it was painfully slow 2 mg ever 2 weeks....I had take home privileges so I took it into my own hands and used a formula givin to me by a neo/natal nurse that brings babys off heroin methadone oxy ext and it worked well I was off in 8 1/2 months...just know im in less pain now then when I was on the narcotics...you can get off this stuff by tapering but the withdrawal is a slow process it took me 90 days after I quit to start to feel well again if you wasnt it bad enough it can be done we have several members here who have done it im sure more will post when thy see you post when your ready to come off this stuff let me know I well be more then happy to help you support you and only wish to see the chains of the liquid handcuffs broken we all want to see you get well keep posting ....good luck and Gos bless...just let us know when you want to start..........Gnarly

[jason9922]

I was on methadone for pain for 10 years for my back. My doctor passed away. I did not know how addicted I was until my pills ran out and I was dying, litteraly. I had to find a new dr that weined me down to 30mg and since he won't write it anymore cuz its illegal for federal clinics to write scedule 2's I have to go to a methadone clinic and be treated like a herroin addict every day just to feel normal. I was put on neurotin 4 days ago and it seems to make me feel a little better. Doctors are drug dealers and they ruin peoples lifes. Now I have to go to this nasty clinic where everyone has aids and hep b and C and they watch me pee 2 times a month like stand there and watch. I really don't know what to do like you. No doctors around my area will write methadone pills because of stupid people overdosing on them mixing them with bezos. At one time, my original doctor had me one this mixture of meds daily and this is no lie, i was on this for 8 years every day, 3 40 milligram methadose wafers, 4 loratab 10mg hydrocodone/650 tylenol, and 4mg of xanax. The xanax was to be taken with the loratab for break through pain in between the methadone wafers. I was on this for eight years. Doctor passes away. New doctor puts me on 4 methadone 10's a day. 4 loratabs and the 4 xanax. Cut it that much in a one month span. It was 8 months before I got used to it. Now, all he writes me is 3mg of xanax a day and I have to beg him for it, neurotin, which is new so I have no idea, took first pills today and I have to drive to a methadone clinic where they give me 120mg of liquid methadone every morning. Liquid methadone is not an analgesic so it has absolutely no pain relief.. Imagine how I'm feeling every day with 2 herniated discs and a ruputured disc all next to each other with nerve damage. I seriously don't know what to do. I want to be off the methadone so bad but the detox sickness is so long and terrible you can't function. I went 30 days one month trying to kick cold turkey (actually someone stole my pills, another story) and after a whole month I was still so sick I couldn't eat. All this started from a doctor overprescribing me methadone.....

[worried878]

I am a chronic pain patient as well..plates and crud in my neck..list goes on and on and i will not go there
Oxycontin is really more abused than methadone by far...it is time released tho but many addicts break the pill by chewing, snorting, shooting etc so oxy can be a dangerous drug...in reality a drug with a slow release is safer than a drug which peaks and goes away quickly like hydrocodone...the slow release causes less wd with quitting the drug

no fun at all to stop any narcotic after long term use..methadone has a long half life so wds will last a bit...up to 2-3 weeks and often do not start for a few days after the last dose...ur dose is relatively small and cutting back 5 mgs every 2 weeksmay be etter than turning to oxycontin which is one of the biggest drugs of abuse on the market

what is ur goal?  oxycontin can be stronger than methadone/but u didnt state the dose of oxy u r currently taking..oxycontin is not a good taper drug cos u can not break it in half etc due to the time release nature of the drug and if u break the pill, the whole amt hits u at once
if u plan to be narcotic free, things like stretching, massage, heat , ice,/on the med side, steroid injections, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers and nerve blockers like neurontin or lyrica can help

also..if u r not an addict and need help with pain relief..there is a great pain forum here on medhelp..keep posting here as well cos many of us are also pain patients