guy im seeing goes to a methadone clinic.

[justcrystal]

I just have questions...is it easy for one to forget ?   is paranoya a big role in taking? methadone? is the self esteem effected? I feel bad bc I can see some side effects, makes me sad..bc honestly some of the symptoms drive me crazy! I wont give up on him! iv delt with some mountains and I can take this.. He is the sweetest guy.. but 2 weeks ago like a light he flipped.. so down on himself and we almost broke up bc he thinks im to good for him! since I told him I have never went out with a guy who had to basically rehab..im non judgemental.. I wanna be the one next to him when he is off of this methadone and smile at him and tell him I wanted to stand by him through his trials..im his mate and ill stand behind him if he thinks he is gonna fall or thinks he isnt good enough.. ohh yeah I got frieghtful when he fell sleep or even nodded at the wheel:) I am a very good lady:) I dont talk often about me.im humble and kind..I want to know how to tactfully reasure him im here.. his kids and my kids love eachother ( brady bunch:)... I am 110% on board with him..

[gnarly_1]

Hi well it sounds to me he is taking a high dose....I use to ''nod'' off at the most inappropriate times but it was the methadone it is real ez to fall into the trap they are looking for life time costumer's and will keep razing your dose every time you say it is not enough and you wind up going from 40mg to the hundreds as addicts we are all to gullable to get as much as possible methadone has other side effect your sex life will come to a end you loose the desire as well as the ability to even do it...it is also dangerous to mix other drugs with it I got up to 150mg and decided enough was enough it took me 8 1/2 mo to get off the stuff and the recovery time was around 90 days for me just know it is possible to get off the stuff but it takes work you may want to tell him to check out our forum it will help him keep posting for support ...........Gnarly

[weaver71]

Being an addict And having felt what he does, I would think his paranoia and self doubt are from cheating on his program. Falling asleep at the wheel is another sign he is using more than methadone, though Mdone will make you nod in too high a dose. On the other hand, I have seen clinics refuse to lower dosage, even if it was high enough to get a person high. When one first takes it, it can cause those highs as well. Again, just knowing myself, I would think he is using other drugs, which would cause guilt, shame, low esteem, especially when his woman is treating him so kind. It wasn't until my wife stopped trying to help me that I actually got it together. The above questions would help us help you. My response could be totally wrong, that is simply my first guess with not enough info.

[EvolverU]

Hi there & Welcome :)

It would be helpful if you gave us a little more info. Like:

1) How long has he been on Methadone?
2) At what dose?
3) Is he tapering/detoxing at the moment?
4) Is he on other meds or drugs.
5) What were his past drug issues (i.e. what drugs did he do?)

The answers to these questions will help us to better support & answer you.

It's not so much that Methadone itself affects self-esteem but being prescribed it/on a clinic & being a drug addict certainly affect self-esteem. Many folks who turn to addiction have self-esteem issues to begin with & the drugs just make it worse & worse.

Paranoia is not one of the recognized effects of M'done (quite the opposite in fact). It is however, a side-effect of meth, coke, crack & benzos to name a few. If he is withdrawing though, paranoia is possible. When you say that he was nodding out at the wheel, I was concerned as this would indicate that he is on either too high a dose or he's taking benzos, drinking or mixing the M'done with another opiate. It's also (obviously) dangerous!

Have you talked to him about what triggered this episode a couple of weeks ago?

If you want to work through this with him there's one really important thing to understand up front. (& this is [unfortunately] the plain, simple Truth of the matter) No matter how much you Love & Care for him, getting clean is something he must Truly want & pursue for himself. I know it's painful but you can't do it for him. I think it would be a good idea for you to educate yourself as much as possible about addiction so that you can understand what you're both dealing with & to see healthy ways that you can support him. Local support groups (as well as MH) are a good place to start.

Wishing you Clarity, Strength & Peace. :)

[msdelight]

Methadone is a very hard detox. Just keep doing what you're doing and tell him what you told us. Visit the "living with an addict forum", go to al anon and encourage him to attend NA/AA. Good luck dear.