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Methadone is NOT a lifesaver people!!
I get so infuriated when I read a post by someone who is talking about trying to get off methadone and in comes a commenter who sings it's praises and acts like its holy water. Those are the ones who have obviously not had it affect their body negatively yet, or affect their life I a negative way. So let me tell you what you can expect, should you decide that methadone is going to save your life.....
When I was put on methadone 8 years ago, I too, thought it was a "wonder drug"....I didn't have to take much to be pain free, of course I knew nothing about a drugs half-life at that time either. (No wonder it worked so well at first...half-life of methadone, up to 60 hrs...half-life of Vicodin, approx. 4-5 hrs..) So I started out at 20 mgs a day and did fine...for about 3 months. Then it was increased. And again it only helped a few months and had to be increased...again and again.
During the time I was on it, I had chronic bronchitis, and pneumonia at least once a year (at the ripe old age of 32) and landed in the hospital for days with the pneumonia. I also suffered from double hernias, because I didn't realize how far I was pushing my body, so had surgery to repair those. Then a few years ago, became very ill with stomach issues. Ended up having exploratory surgery to find that I had a collapsed lung, peritonitis and that my appendix had ruptured. All for methadone. Great huh?? The surgeon told me that my colon was bigger than a softball, and normal size should be about the size of a tennis ball...another great effect of the opiate. He also told me if I stayed on the course I was on, that I would NOT live to 60. That absolutely scared the hell out of me...but yet I stayed on it another 3 years because I was afraid of living w/o it and afraid of the withdrawal. But let me say, the exploratory surgery recovery was far worse than I'm experiencing now.
Now lets talk about how it affects you mentally....at first, nothing can touch you...oh yeah, because it "saved your life"....but soon....very soon...it grabs ahold of all your emotions and feelings and hides them away to where YOU can't even find them. Then you start leaving the house less and less. But that's ok, still got the methadone right? THEN, you don't leave the house at all...unless you absolutely have to! You stay up all night and sleep til noon or later every day, then when you do roll yourself out of bed, you plop your a$$ in front of the tv all day, because surely the house will clean itself...but even if it doesn't, who cares?? Then your family starts to wonder what's happened to the person they once knew...and they start begging you to bring that person back...but once again, who cares?
And THEN, that moment of clarity...that moment when you realize how different things are than they were before the methadone...and how different they COULD be...that moment when you realize just how jealous you are of ppl who get out and live their lives to the fullest. And you know it's just within reach....but ohhhh the terrible withdrawals you would have to go thru to be like them.
I'm here to tell you, it's not as terrible as it sounds. Sure, everyone gets on here and moans n groans about the w/d's, but this is like our bit€hfest page...it makes some feel better to just SAY how bad they feel, but it really is like a bad case of the flu, an extended flu, but the flu! You sat in front of the tv all day while you were on methadone, why not sit there while you're getting off it and recover?
I know I tend to ramble, and write books, lol, but it really does irritate me when someone tries to push methadone here...this is for ppl wanting to get OFF the crap. It is not ok to sing praises of a "wonderful drug" to someone who is stating they want off drugs!! Sorry ppl...just had to vent!
When I was put on methadone 8 years ago, I too, thought it was a "wonder drug"....I didn't have to take much to be pain free, of course I knew nothing about a drugs half-life at that time either. (No wonder it worked so well at first...half-life of methadone, up to 60 hrs...half-life of Vicodin, approx. 4-5 hrs..) So I started out at 20 mgs a day and did fine...for about 3 months. Then it was increased. And again it only helped a few months and had to be increased...again and again.
During the time I was on it, I had chronic bronchitis, and pneumonia at least once a year (at the ripe old age of 32) and landed in the hospital for days with the pneumonia. I also suffered from double hernias, because I didn't realize how far I was pushing my body, so had surgery to repair those. Then a few years ago, became very ill with stomach issues. Ended up having exploratory surgery to find that I had a collapsed lung, peritonitis and that my appendix had ruptured. All for methadone. Great huh?? The surgeon told me that my colon was bigger than a softball, and normal size should be about the size of a tennis ball...another great effect of the opiate. He also told me if I stayed on the course I was on, that I would NOT live to 60. That absolutely scared the hell out of me...but yet I stayed on it another 3 years because I was afraid of living w/o it and afraid of the withdrawal. But let me say, the exploratory surgery recovery was far worse than I'm experiencing now.
Now lets talk about how it affects you mentally....at first, nothing can touch you...oh yeah, because it "saved your life"....but soon....very soon...it grabs ahold of all your emotions and feelings and hides them away to where YOU can't even find them. Then you start leaving the house less and less. But that's ok, still got the methadone right? THEN, you don't leave the house at all...unless you absolutely have to! You stay up all night and sleep til noon or later every day, then when you do roll yourself out of bed, you plop your a$$ in front of the tv all day, because surely the house will clean itself...but even if it doesn't, who cares?? Then your family starts to wonder what's happened to the person they once knew...and they start begging you to bring that person back...but once again, who cares?
And THEN, that moment of clarity...that moment when you realize how different things are than they were before the methadone...and how different they COULD be...that moment when you realize just how jealous you are of ppl who get out and live their lives to the fullest. And you know it's just within reach....but ohhhh the terrible withdrawals you would have to go thru to be like them.
I'm here to tell you, it's not as terrible as it sounds. Sure, everyone gets on here and moans n groans about the w/d's, but this is like our bit€hfest page...it makes some feel better to just SAY how bad they feel, but it really is like a bad case of the flu, an extended flu, but the flu! You sat in front of the tv all day while you were on methadone, why not sit there while you're getting off it and recover?
I know I tend to ramble, and write books, lol, but it really does irritate me when someone tries to push methadone here...this is for ppl wanting to get OFF the crap. It is not ok to sing praises of a "wonderful drug" to someone who is stating they want off drugs!! Sorry ppl...just had to vent!
It doesn't make sense, it makes dollars, lots of them. Once you are addicted to methadone, you dread the idea of a day without it. I think tobacco is the only drug that surpasses the job security of methadone, that's because it's legal. Not all clinics are in it for the wrong reasons, doctors either, but many of them are. I can't see any other logical reason that a person on weaker opiates would end up on higher doses. The other thing is methadone stops working after awhile, so many people want more. They are usually happy to "HELP," as long as you can afford it.
One thing I still don't understand is why when you go to the clinic, to say get over pills, why do they keep upping the dose? Instead of giving what makes you comfortable, and weaning you down from there?
Why does it turn into years? Thanks
Why does it turn into years? Thanks
The new Diagnostic Statistic Manual, DSM, is coming out in march. For the first time the word addiction will be used and it will officially be a medical condition. The whole world of recovery and drug prescriptions is going to change soon. I think that the nation will see what some of these drugs are costing in total cost, not just dollars.
I'm really sorry for your loss sweetness. I have 12 friends who have died from methadone. As you know, it almost killed me. I live in a town of 3000 and an average of 1 person a year dies from methadone, more than all other drugs combined, including other prescription opiates. I have the same passion for getting the word out as you do. Good for you.
I'm really sorry for your loss sweetness. I have 12 friends who have died from methadone. As you know, it almost killed me. I live in a town of 3000 and an average of 1 person a year dies from methadone, more than all other drugs combined, including other prescription opiates. I have the same passion for getting the word out as you do. Good for you.
Sweetness, thanks for your response to my long comment to your post. And Weaver for chiming in too.
I truly believe this post may help someone seek more info before blindly turning to methadone, as I would have, had it not been an everyday things.
Because as I stated above, I was under the impression it was a miracle fix for opiate addiction. And I had never tried to quit before. I had never experienced one day without the meds. So my fear came from reading about the mental aspect of stopping opiates. Not the physical. And I thought two weeks of methadone fixed all that.
And I'm sure I'm not the only naive person out there. So your post may just at least give someone pause to really research it out. I would not have, because I thought I knew.
Ironically I read today that in my state, methadone deaths have surpassed that of any other drug, illicit or prescribed. And it's being fed into the community via prescriptions for pain, the deaths are rarely traced back to clinic doses.
My questions were mainly about methadone for pain pill addiction. I know next to nothing about Heroin, and that maybe a whole different ball game I imagine.
Thanks again Sweetness! I just know this post is going to help someone out there.
I truly believe this post may help someone seek more info before blindly turning to methadone, as I would have, had it not been an everyday things.
Because as I stated above, I was under the impression it was a miracle fix for opiate addiction. And I had never tried to quit before. I had never experienced one day without the meds. So my fear came from reading about the mental aspect of stopping opiates. Not the physical. And I thought two weeks of methadone fixed all that.
And I'm sure I'm not the only naive person out there. So your post may just at least give someone pause to really research it out. I would not have, because I thought I knew.
Ironically I read today that in my state, methadone deaths have surpassed that of any other drug, illicit or prescribed. And it's being fed into the community via prescriptions for pain, the deaths are rarely traced back to clinic doses.
My questions were mainly about methadone for pain pill addiction. I know next to nothing about Heroin, and that maybe a whole different ball game I imagine.
Thanks again Sweetness! I just know this post is going to help someone out there.
No, they found her the next morning. She had a long life to live and it was cut short by her decision to experiment with methadone and Vicodin. It shouldn't be so easy to get your hands on, but as long as ppl are taking it, it will be available on the streets...unfortunately. It was a very sad situation and very few ppl even knew she was experimenting with it. I made my decision to get off of it about 5 days later. I don't even want it in my house for MY kids to get their hands on it! I don't need it that bad....
Effexor has really helped a lot of people, but no doubt it is one of the hardest to taper off. If you need it, you need it...and if it helps, that's great! Glad the appt went well.
100 years eh??? I LIKE your doctor! ;0) LOL
100 years eh??? I LIKE your doctor! ;0) LOL
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