Aa
Permanently altered brain chemistry???
Doc/Everyone
Do you think by taking narcotics for a prolonged period of time, the brain's chemistry (endorphins..seretonin uptake... all that lingo) is altered permanently or is it reversable?
I have been on and off narcotics for 12 years. I know withdrawl gets tougher phsycholgically but what about physically? Can I ever hope for normal pain/pleasure receptors...etc.. ?
Is that what also makes withdrawls so much harder (the brains inability to respond to pain normally)?
I hope you can make sense of this.
Thanks
Do you think by taking narcotics for a prolonged period of time, the brain's chemistry (endorphins..seretonin uptake... all that lingo) is altered permanently or is it reversable?
I have been on and off narcotics for 12 years. I know withdrawl gets tougher phsycholgically but what about physically? Can I ever hope for normal pain/pleasure receptors...etc.. ?
Is that what also makes withdrawls so much harder (the brains inability to respond to pain normally)?
I hope you can make sense of this.
Thanks
Hi,
What happened to me and my g/f was that we were a bit naive with the methadone clinic and I partly blame us for not researching methadone more and I also blame the clinic (but perhaps because it was a private institution (made money only by it's clients) maybe that's why they didn't inform us of how difficult it is to get off).
Mrmichael67, please don't get me wrong. I do fully understand that for some it is the best answer. It's just that after what i went thru with her trying to detox from that stuff, I just really want to let people know that side of it. Because we didn't know that and I think perhaps if we did we would have explored some other options. We thought it (and it was presented to us that way) was a nice little detox program, the answer to our prayers. But we later found out it was also a severe addiction, ever bigger than the pain pills. Trading a monkey for a gorilla so to speak. Getting to the clinc put a huge strain on our lives, esp with her 3 young children. You can't miss your doses. But yea, later you get more take home privelages, that's good I guess, but that doesn't help the matter that you would like to eventually get free of it.
It's funny, when I speak of methadone that way people on it often tell me "no, it's totally possible to detox from it". I wish they would go to that watchdog site and tell that in the forums there. Because there they tell people not to even try to go off it. And that sux for people who go there that are seeking support in their effort to taper. Telling them it is possible and providing proof, while it may **** off some of the regulars, it would be very inspirational to others.
Cheers mate,
Thomas050
What happened to me and my g/f was that we were a bit naive with the methadone clinic and I partly blame us for not researching methadone more and I also blame the clinic (but perhaps because it was a private institution (made money only by it's clients) maybe that's why they didn't inform us of how difficult it is to get off).
Mrmichael67, please don't get me wrong. I do fully understand that for some it is the best answer. It's just that after what i went thru with her trying to detox from that stuff, I just really want to let people know that side of it. Because we didn't know that and I think perhaps if we did we would have explored some other options. We thought it (and it was presented to us that way) was a nice little detox program, the answer to our prayers. But we later found out it was also a severe addiction, ever bigger than the pain pills. Trading a monkey for a gorilla so to speak. Getting to the clinc put a huge strain on our lives, esp with her 3 young children. You can't miss your doses. But yea, later you get more take home privelages, that's good I guess, but that doesn't help the matter that you would like to eventually get free of it.
It's funny, when I speak of methadone that way people on it often tell me "no, it's totally possible to detox from it". I wish they would go to that watchdog site and tell that in the forums there. Because there they tell people not to even try to go off it. And that sux for people who go there that are seeking support in their effort to taper. Telling them it is possible and providing proof, while it may **** off some of the regulars, it would be very inspirational to others.
Cheers mate,
Thomas050
I also think in this day and age, it is not necessary to suffer through a detox. With buprenorphine or methadone, it can be made much easier. Fear is the only thing stopping people from using methadone to detox. And, that fear is from statements made all over the place. How it "gets in the bones". "You can't taper any lower than 40mg on it" (have NO idea where that came from. I know a few currently on lower). And, many more where they came from. I have also seen some comments from someone in this thread that are absolutely absurd (no thomas 050, it wasn't you). If it is used for a very short period of time (a few weeks), methadone can be used safely to detox. So long as the person's head is right and they stay focused, they can have a much more comfortable detox with the two meds I mentioned. No detox is without any discomfort, but hellish? I am sure there are cases, but I have seen otherwise. Not as hellish as cold turkey. Thomas 050, I want to comment on your statements about getting off of methadone because I think you are right. I firmly believe a person can detox and get off of methadone. Or, use it to get off of another opiate or opioid. If someone makes a decision to stay on it for the remainder of their life, that is fine and dandy. But, they shouldn't encourage others to stay on it. I just think people shouldn't generalize it because of something that might have happened to them. Because of a bad experience, it is the methadone that did it. Because it is in a bad part of town, it is the methadone that is bad. My clinic isn't in a bad part of town. And, all of it feeds into the fear that is completely unfounded.
Sorry Thomas03 if I misled you, I wasn't planning on c/t but more on the lines of skipping todays dose and start lowering my doses tomorrow as I have only been on methadone for about 2 weeks. Methadone stays in my system longer that any other narcotic that I have used and I feel that I could go a day without dosing, w/o getting sick. I know tapering from from opiates stronger than oxy are brutal for me, let alone c/t. I can take the physical part of the detox but the mind games are relentless. The lack of sleep turns seconds into hours, and hours into days. Thank you both for your response..mrmichael67 I will be e-mailing you, I have alot of questions for you. And Thomas03, DrRock will talk to you soon. Thanks again..afriend
I dunno....its all so rational and I have never been 100% rational.
Thanks for all that responded to my neverending question. All I can say is I DID kick heroin & meth after and stayed clesn 7.5 years. Now i'm at 25mgs of meth due to a percocet plunge and its easy...it holds me for the most part and I am treated well by my doc...I walk up to my local pharmacy and am treated with respect. No problem there. Its all about being at peace with it and obviously I am not. I am also really not up to withdrawls after 17 years of fighting with an abusive brain. Guess I'll have to gear up for the next fight and forge ahead sooner or later. I'm sick of this war.
Good luck to all
Thanks for all that responded to my neverending question. All I can say is I DID kick heroin & meth after and stayed clesn 7.5 years. Now i'm at 25mgs of meth due to a percocet plunge and its easy...it holds me for the most part and I am treated well by my doc...I walk up to my local pharmacy and am treated with respect. No problem there. Its all about being at peace with it and obviously I am not. I am also really not up to withdrawls after 17 years of fighting with an abusive brain. Guess I'll have to gear up for the next fight and forge ahead sooner or later. I'm sick of this war.
Good luck to all
are you kidding? Take it! Never cold turkey off methadone. One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread, some methadone patients taper down to 30 mgs or so, then transition to some form of buprenorphine, probably suboxone. Apparently, a slow taper off bup is much easier than going to nil with methadone.
Thomas
Thomas
I have been on (clinic) m/done for aprox 2 weeks (50 mgs) and its awesome not to wake up with that dope sick feeling. After hearing all the horror storys about detox from m/done I am having 2nd thoughts!!!Yes, went from oxys to herion. I've detoxed from herion and it was bad, detoxed from oxys and it was BRUTAL. To hear m/done is just about impossible, already has depression/anxiety setting in. I feel now that I have made a hasty decision. I didn't plan to use methadone for life. This subject, I know, is very complicated because there are so many factors to consider. I have my Sunday carry from the clinic sitting right here next to me (50 mgs), wondering wether I should drink it or not? What do you guys think?
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