Thank you Joey for your very informative answer! I appreciate you taking the time to write back to me.
Yes, my pain is chronic. Some of it should be alleviated with surgery, but the rest of it I believe I'm stuck with forever. No, I never tried yoga, and with the pain I'm in, I can't even imagine trying yoga now.
Yes, I realize how powerful and addictive methadone is, but I feel that I have little choice right now, and since you said it will control my pain, I'm leaning towards it very much now.
I know that I'll have to tell them I'm an addict and not tell them that I am there for pain management. That's what has held me back so far...I really don't want to tell them that, but I know it is the only way they'll let me into their program.
Thank you so much for your answer. It gave me what I needed to know.
Pete
The short answer is YES, Pete! Methadone is a very effective pain medication when used correctly. Beware though, it is very strong in comparison to Hydrocodone (Lortab/Norco), and somewhat more addictive. I'm not sure of your pain situation (chronic? will you suffer from this for life? ever try yoga?) but I find Methadone to be the most effective pain med I've ever used - the key is the longevity of methadone's action on pain. Whereas a Lortab or Vicodin would wear off for me in 2 hours, Methadone can last 3-4 x longer. PLEASE be aware of several things with Methadone - if you are unable to find a pain management doctor to prescribe you sufficient medication and you decide to go to a methadone clinic, you MUST tell them you are an addict, and not coming for pain management. If you even mention that you're using the clinic for pain, they will send you away. Just remember, methadone is very effective, but also very addictive! Good luck!