Aa
ok, methadone, any success out there???
i am at the brink of making a decision that could help or harm me...i have heard the horror stories, is anyone out there had a good experience....it will only be taken as food for thought. i know some people that were very successful, then there are the people i know, who sold methadone for heroin , coke, whatever and they didnt make it. i am lost, and completely torn. my dr brought up the meth program and i REFUSE to say yes or no til i hear it from the experts, people who have been there...thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond
thank you all, i appreciate everyone of your posts...the good, the bad, the ugly, i guess to get into reasons why i was steered in this direction by a dr is so long and complicated, i do not want to trade one for another, but i need to be kept on track, having any pills in my house doesnt work, i am working with numerous therapists, AA, support groups, Drs, psychologists so i have that covered, problem is...i have so many years lost to addiction i havent quite mastered any coping skills at all, this is my chance to use my resources i mentioned above, and perhaps find something to help me while i learn what and why i keep running. it is very complicated. someone had posted maybe i have OCD, i think that is true, well, at least with the pills, i wake up and count in my head over and over, its sick...anyway, i have found some really good advice thanks to all of you, and have met a few people who have made it. i never knew how bad it could be, but then again, i know those who have gotten clean....so confusing...i figure from here, i will wait to consult with this dr on thurs, and if it doesnt feel right, not gonna happen. last thing i want is ANOTHER monkey on my back. thanks to all,, you guys are so wonderful for tkaing the time to help others...
Hey, if you've found this forum, you're NOT lost OR alone. I'm new to it, but have found these people so helpful, supportive and willing to share their own experience and advice without judgment. I don't know what you're considering methadone for (heroin, pills, etc.) All I can share is that I had recent, short-term success with suboxone for the past 3 days. I have to say here that we have no pain management or recovery doctor. We did everything street level. My husband and I started playing with Lortab and Percs 2 years ago, and by last week were snorting up to 10 30 mg oxycodones per day, drowning in debt and shame, spending the whole day looking for the next batch, and skipping travel since we couldn't afford enough pills to last the week. A supportive friend gave us each 3 8 mg suboxones. We did our last roxi friday night, waited for the w/ds to start saturday afternoon, then took half a sub in the afternoon, another half at night. Then a sub on Sunday and our last one on Monday. We felt great, compared to the usual withdrawal misery. Tomorrow will be day 4 without roxis and the first day without suboxones. I had heard horror stories of extended suboxone dependency and long-term w/ds, so we're hoping 3 days of it wasn't enough to cause suboxone w/ds. Day 4 without roxi or sub tomorrow could be uncomfortable, but we're hoping we're thru the worst of it. You may want to ask your doc about suboxone for the short term. So far, it's worked miracles for us, because the other times we tried to quit the roxis cold turkey, the withdrawals were too bad and sent us running to the phone to find more. I should add that before our last roxi on Friday night, we had tapered down from 8 per day to about 3 for the final three days.
Again, this was all done without doctors or clinics, all street level stuff. so we were feeling our way. I'll let you know tomorrow how things are without the subs or oxy. But so far, the subs have gotten us further than we've ever come on our own. Good luck with your decision. I have no experience with methadone. But again, good luck, and remember you're not LOST or ALONE if you've found this forum. These folks are up all night willing to listen and help.
Again, this was all done without doctors or clinics, all street level stuff. so we were feeling our way. I'll let you know tomorrow how things are without the subs or oxy. But so far, the subs have gotten us further than we've ever come on our own. Good luck with your decision. I have no experience with methadone. But again, good luck, and remember you're not LOST or ALONE if you've found this forum. These folks are up all night willing to listen and help.
I have read success stories here, just alot more folks on sub than methadone that come here. I have heard tons of horror stories bout sub...to me a success story is told years later when a person remains clean
I have been on the forum for several years and have seen a few folks post here all the way to being clean from methadone. They tapered very slowly, some who went slow enough felt practically nothing. Methadone is just another narcotic and is not near as strong per mg as sub...not by a long shot. I have taken it for pain before and had no issues getting off, but it was only 10-20 mgs a day for a short time.
Lots will depend on ur dose, how fast u taper off, how long u have been on it, and how bad u want off. Aftercare helps as well...and a plan, and a back up plan too.
There is a great article in the health pages about a methadone taper...read it if u can
and u can do this!
I have been on the forum for several years and have seen a few folks post here all the way to being clean from methadone. They tapered very slowly, some who went slow enough felt practically nothing. Methadone is just another narcotic and is not near as strong per mg as sub...not by a long shot. I have taken it for pain before and had no issues getting off, but it was only 10-20 mgs a day for a short time.
Lots will depend on ur dose, how fast u taper off, how long u have been on it, and how bad u want off. Aftercare helps as well...and a plan, and a back up plan too.
There is a great article in the health pages about a methadone taper...read it if u can
and u can do this!
I guess there aren't any success stories ! I'm sure there are but those folks may not come to the forum.
I really can appreciate your trying to weigh it all out. It's a big decision and you need to be smart.
Over the months, I can't recall a very positive story here. I have read many Sub success stories,though.
Either way, it's replacing one drug with another. What would turn me off about Methadone
is that you need to go every day to get your dose, among other things... Unless your doctor is going to prescribe it. In any case, the drug alone won't work,it will only help you by taking away the withdrawals so you can be productive, you still need a very strong recovery program tailored to your needs and issues.
Good luck!
I really can appreciate your trying to weigh it all out. It's a big decision and you need to be smart.
Over the months, I can't recall a very positive story here. I have read many Sub success stories,though.
Either way, it's replacing one drug with another. What would turn me off about Methadone
is that you need to go every day to get your dose, among other things... Unless your doctor is going to prescribe it. In any case, the drug alone won't work,it will only help you by taking away the withdrawals so you can be productive, you still need a very strong recovery program tailored to your needs and issues.
Good luck!
yes i have posted before on this topic, but not what i am asking now....i have spoken with people here who didnt do well with the methadone, now i am asking for people who perhaps did succeed....just trying to do a "pros and cons" list so i am prepared for my Dr appt on Thurs. thanks for your response
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1st time- I was 24, hooked on heroin and pregnant. I got on methadone- back then pregnant ladies were kept on minimum dosage so I was only on 30mg. Delivered a healthy baby, tapered off, and within 5 months after having my son I was completely drug free, I went to NA meetings and counseling and stayed clean/sober for 7 years (funny, I always thought it was 9 years but I just realized it was only 7!). It took me a while to feel "normal" after getting off the clinic- the moodiness and lack of motivation were the worst parts. I had no problems physically, probably cuz of the low dose and slow taper. OK, so that's the "ideal" way to use methadone to get clean. But I HAD to get off methadone- my husband was dead set against it and I was scared that he would relapse if I didn't get off. I really didn't want to detox at the time, but it worked out well. Within a year, I felt better than I ever had before.
2nd time- After staying clean for 7 years, I had stopped going to meetings and was feeling kinda "restless". I was getting very wrapped up in my ego- my husband and I split up and I found it hard to be single and clean. I wanted to have fun, go out and be young and "cool" again instead of being a boring suburban mommy. I was struggling to find a balance when my life fell apart- my kids dad OD'd and died. To bury the pain, I remarried quickly, started drinking again, got divorced and ended up hooked on pills. By then I had 2 kids who were 8 and 5 and owned a house- I had a lot to lose. I just couldn't seem to kick at home and was too ashamed to go to detox. But I was getting tired of being a maniac- the bars were getting boring and none of my relationships seemed real, and I was terrified of losing my kids. And I knew that eventually I would go back to shooting dope if I didn't get off the pills- I was using Oxy's, Percocet and morphine and my habit was getting huge. Then I met a great guy who was on methadone and was very happy with his life. That did it- getting on methadone seemed to be my best option. I got on the clinic again, this time on 70mg.
I have now been on the clinic since March of 2004. I would like to get off someday because it makes me tired and I think it drains my motivation to a point, and I wonder if being on methadone is what God wants for me. I fear looking back someday and regretting it. But, there are benefits too. Here are the pros/cons.
Pros-
1) Was able to quit smoking after being on methadone for 4 months- I could NEVER quit before even when clean for 7 years.
2) Methadone seems to give me a calm that I didn't have before- that wildness, that urge to "break loose" and drink and use, go tearing outta the house to the bars, lose my temper, f*ck up my life- that has been dulled significantly.
3) I'm a much better parent because I'm not so driven by addiction. My kids are teenagers now and I'm able to prresent a good, nonsmoking, nondrinking, illegal drug free example. When they p*ss me off I can generally keep my cool. I'm a good listener and I keep my promises to them. They are the central focus of my life- not me, my looks, my men, my pills, my booze like before.
4) The urge to use is gone- even drinking doesn't appeal. I've tried to have a drink at Christmas parties/swap meets, maybe a total of 3-4 times, and couldn't even finish one- just lost its appeal. Using opiates, like Oxy's, would be pointless- I wouldn;t feel them and if I got a dirty drug test at the clinic, I would lose my takehomes. I have 6 takehomes and only have to go into the clinic once a week.
5) Basically, I have learned to live a good, happy, healthy life. I can hold a job, maintain a marriage and a house, pay my bills- all the things that active addiction makes impossible.
Cons
1) Methadone definitely makes me more tired than I used to get. I need plenty of sleep- I used to be able to function fine on about 5-6 hrs of sleep- now I can easily sleep for 10 hrs a night and still have trouble getting up. I also seem to get stuff done more slowly than before- it's like I'm a tape recorder with low batteries sometimes.
2) I've gained weight- it's VERY difficult to stay thin now. The sweets cravings are brutal- at night, all I want to do is gobble down junk food. I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and was still skinny and toned- now it's a real struggle to stay at a normal weight. Methadone also causes water retention so I have cellulite even when my weight is normal- I hate wearing shorts now.
3) My teeth have gotten horrible. The counselots at the clinic claim methadone doesn;t hurt your teeth, but I think that's bullsh$t. So many ppl lose their teeth on the clinic! It defintely causes dry mouth, which promotes tooth decay, but I think it does something else to the system. I have lose most of my molar- my front teeth still look good, but I live in fear of them just suddenly falling out.
4) It is an uneasy feeling to have this "secret"- I feel like if anyone in my town or at my job found out I'm on methadone, they would think badly of me. I was especially nervous about that when I worked in the health field- so many people think of depraved, untrustworthy "junkies" when they hear methadone. I want to become a nurse or a paramedic, but I'm afraid I will always feel like I'm gonna get "caught" and my world will crumble.
So that's the real deal with methadone from my perspective. It's not all bad or all good, but it's not something to be taken lightly. I think too many people get on it thinking it will be a breeze to get off it, and end up feeling trapped and deceived. But, it is DEFININTELY preferable to the hell of active addiction. I really believe that if my kids father had gotten on methadone, he might still be alive. But he bought into the myth that people on methadone aren't really clean. I don't think I'm clean in the same way I was when I had NO drugs whatsoever in my body, but my lifestyle is clean. Sometimes, the "ideal" situation of being totally free of chemicals of any kind doesn't work for someone. We either simply get too depressed without drugs or have too much stress in our lives or the receptors in our brains are actually damaged- I do believe that happens.
Methadone is not a miracle drug. It's not fun- it doesn't get you high the way ther opiates do. It gives you a mild sense of wellbeing and comfort at the most. But it doesn't turn people into unfeeling zombies, or at least it didn;t do that to me. It can help an addict live a good life free of the endless cycle of tement that using drugs brings. But it needs to be REALLY thought about before it's started- once you're on, there's so no easy way off. So there it is. Sorry this was SOOO LOOONG- I wanted to tell my full story and real feelings.
Lostand alone, I wish you the very best. You will find your way to get clean- it might not be methadone, or it might be, I hope this helps a bit. No matter what, you will be so much happier when you get clean. You will be in my prayers :) .