I Would Like to Compare Notes With Others Who Are on Methadone Maintence. I Was Addicted to Pills.?
Question by vinny: I would like to compare notes with others who are on Methadone Maintence. I was addicted to Pills.?
I have had many side effects, some that worry me.I would like to hear your story.Vinny
Best answer:
Answer by Greg
I was addicted to pills too. I got on a methadone maintenance program (MMP) at the suggestion of my counselor. He told me to get on a MMP so that I would be able to get as much medicine as I needed without any problem. I got on MMP before pain management clinics became popular. I would tell anyone that has an addiction problem or anyone that cannot find a doctor to give them enough pain medicine to relieve their pain to go to a MMP. The clinic rules where I live were very strict and not designed for convenience. In the beginning it was necessary to go to the clinic every single day of the year except for a couple of major holidays when we got take home doses. I can only say that the MMP made such a wonderful improvement in my life that going there every single day was an inconvenience that I was willing to live with.
You mentioned side effects in your question. I wish you had been more specific but I will try to tell you what my experience has been. The biggest problem for me is constipation. As long as I remember to eat plenty of fresh fruit I am not bothered with constipation. Some people are bothered with profuse sweating. That side effect is usually worse in the beginning of treatment and gets better as time goes on. If you are nodding out (falling asleep) at red lights when you are stopped or in the middle of a sentence when talking, there is a good possibility that your dose is too high (or you may be unwittingly taking another medication that potentiates the methadone which can be life threatening.) Some of my friends (on MMP too) say that they have wierd dreams from taking methadone. I usually go right to sleep but my sleep isn’t restfull. I no longer go to a MMP. Instead, I go to a private physician at a pain management clinic. He continues to give me methadone, but he dislikes using high doses and would prefer that I switch to something else. I keep telling him, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” He says that people on MMP’s usually have what he calls “wet brain.” He says they can’t remember crap and it is because of long term, high dose methadone therapy. I reminded him that most patients at a MMP have abused all sorts of drugs from the street. Those street drugs aren’t cut with pharmaceutical grade cut or is it done under sterile conditions. There are numerous reasons, besides high dose methadone, that could be causing “wet brain” or the inability to remember. I am currently taking 100mg every six hours (400mg/day) and I usually have tolerable levels of pain. One other thing that I just remembered is how methadone and hepatitis C interact. If you have or have had hepatitis C you may find that your methadone dose doesn’t last for 24 hours and you may start having withdrawal symptoms. There is a wonderful site on the internet that has an article about how the hepatitis C “eats” methadone and may actually increase a persons methadone requirements. The site is Addiction Treatment Forum (www.atforum.com). They also publish a quarterly paper that they will send to you free of charge. I hope this answered some of your questions. If it didn’t please feel free to write me about any other concerns that you have. Greg.
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