Methadone anybody

Feed back good and bad. thanks

Razzle, I have just started taking methadone about 3 days ago. I had previously spoken with Gramps about all the meds I have tried in the past and we talked about methadone. My PM dr had mentioned it once before and I was nervous. The majority of the meds I take are what Anna Nicole took- so I was concerned. But, as Gramps stated a lot of it is in regards to bad press. I discussed this with my regular dr and he had nothing to say but good things about it. So, I talked to my PM dr and we agreed a 2 week trial- with no BT meds- only soma- to see how I react to it. The bottom line for me was all the ER meds and patches did nothing for me. I did have some success with MS contin- but wound up being allergic to it. (go figure) Now, I have been very sleepy- but I also worked about 50 hours this week- so I can't blame it on the methadone. I have stayed off my somas just to get a realistic feel for this med. I have had a few moments of feeling funny- but never that off in space feeling with the breakthrough meds. So we will see. Its all up to you and what you are willing to try. Just talk to your dr openly about things. I'll try about anything before resorting to a surgery that may only make things worse. He did start me with a 5 mg dose 3xs a day which is a very small dosage and said he would adjust it in 2 weeks if I decide to stay with this medicine.

Thank you Gramps- we had a long chat awhile ago in regards to how you never felt anything with morphine, and it helped me realize that there are just people who are like that. No matter what dosage they gave me. I like that I don't have that "fuzzy" feeling... though sometimes I find myself fighting the snooze feeling at work. :) I am going for my 2 week check-up on Thursday. The methadone was a trial run for 2 weeks to see how I react to it and then we decide if I need anything extra from there. I think I will still need something for BT pain, but otherwise I like the way I feel on it. Thanks for the support- talking with you made me feel a lot better about taking this med. Very glad I did now.

I haven't taken methadone and never will no matter how badly I'm hurting. I've seen too many people who were on it for a couple years or longer and what it did to them. They blew up hugely with retained water, and because of the dry mouth, they lost a whole lot of teeth. It's one of the worst drugs to get off of when you're ready to detox. Guess it all depends on how bad your pain is and if you're willing to take the risks.

I just read a recent article on Methadone and its effectiveness in pain relief. It scored very high in the group. But, again, its not a short acting medication to get on. The article says the Methadone gets in the bone marrow.

I tried Methadone but the side effects kicked my butt too bad.

Susie

Razzle, this is an intensely personal decision that you have to make. I, like Gramps, have been on methadone for about the same amount of time...approximately six years or so. In my honest opinion, it is the best long acting opiate for pain relief purposes. This drug has the longest half life of any opiate pain medication. By half life I mean the time that it takes for the drugs concentration in your blood to decrease by one half (50%). For pain relief purposes in the long term, this is a very good thing because the pain relieving effects are compounding each day that you take your regularly scheduled doses. So, you get a build up of medication in your blood stream. This is wonderful to me because it truly means that the medications pain relieving effects will last a full twenty four hour period, meaning that I can sleep though the night without having to get up to take a dose of a twelve hour medication like Oxycontin or Ms Contin (and I have tried both). The trouble with Oxycodone and Morphine is that they both have relatively short half lives. Meaning, the drop off in blood concentration is much steeper with Oxycontin and Ms Contin that for methadone. With these two, you better be able to take another tablet well before the last tablet dissipates in your blood or you will start to withdraw. Again, this is very personal. On the negative side, because of its long half life, it is very next to impossible to find medication to handle breakthrough pain episodes. Many of us that take methadone are limited to fentanyl short acting drugs like Actiq and Fentora. So, if you already have good breakthrough pain control with, say, Norco or Percocet, you might as well throw them away once you start methadone. They will be next to mostly inneffective, if not completely so. On the other hand, for financial reasons, methadone is extremely cheap. For me, a thirty day supply of 80 mg's a day costs 33 dollars. If you should lose your insurance or job, this could be really handy, especially because the extended release meds like ms contin and oxycontin, even the generics, can be quite costly. For side effects, a lot of stuff happens with methadone that happens with a lot of other drugs. Yes, your first few days on methadone could go one of two ways. 1) you will not notice a difference at all to begin with. 2) you will be completely stupified by the effects, and should not drive. Another benefit to methadone is that once you find your optimal dose, there is a good chance that you may never need an increase in dosage. Doctors love stability in their patients, so this is a good extra benefit. Particularly with methadone, because it is so strong, very vivid dreams happen quite frequently. Not for all people, granted, but I have them and so do a lot of other people. Also, I do have to say this for methadone: Once your body is accustomed to the chemistry of the drug, you will probably feel very little to no grogginess. It is a very good drug as far as you being able to operate your normal life on it, like driving, excercising, working, etc. It has been known to cause changes in hormones in men, ... I don't know if thats the same for women or not. I would strongly reccomend, however, that unless you have a long term chronic pain prognosis that you do not ask for this medication. The same effect that makes it work so well at relieving pain over a twenty four hour period also makes it EXTREMELY difficult to discontinue. As with all opiate medications, really, the same risks are involved. Some people have very good experiences, and others have very bad ones as I am sure that you have read above. This is true for all opiate medications! Like I began with, this is an intensely personal decision that you have to make, because in a lot of ways, it is a committment to pain relief, especially when everything else has failed. My best advice is to gather as much information as you can and be as well informed as you can before you talk to your doctor. Medical data is not enough alone, and anecdotal evidence should not be given too much weight because each persons reaction is different. ... Either way, let us know what you decide, okay? ~painKILLER

I appreciate all your responses . Has anybody had sweats as a side effects. I cant take another night in a river . So I called Dr. today and he said need to wean off. Have appt with him next week and we will discuss something else . Boo hoo it sure helped with the pain .

I am new here, actually I think I used to visit here and post in the past under a different userid, but I am back. I am a 36y/o Male RN,BSN who has had Chronic pain for 14yrs now. Was rear-ended the summer before my last semester in nursing school. I have DDD, 3 Herniated Discs L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1. I have had everything except surgery. I was one the first 1000 to have the IDET, which worked for about 1 yr. I started taking 6 vicoden ES a day to all the way to 120mg Oxycontin 3xday , 12 Norco a day, Soma 3xday , 1000 Nuerontin 4xday, Vioxx (Which was helped tremendously). I have had a total of 3 pain docs over the 14 years. The first treated me and weaned me from Norco after IDET. I ended up moving to Austin from East Tex at that time. about 6 months later I ended back at Finding New Pain Doc, this was early 2000, when they were prescribing Oxycontin/Norco like candy, It was that Pain Management doc's PA's and Nurse Practicioners that built me up from no meds to the above High doses of meds over 4 yrs. It did treat my pain, I worked as a normal human, I was able to spend quality time with my wife, I still hurt, even with those meds, but I dealt, them meds helped. I hated the Side-Effect maily W/D symptoms every 4hrs. The W/D's got so bad that I flushed my Oxy/Norco about 3yrs after being on them. I spent 5 days in hell, mainly weak, and constant Diarhhea along with hot cold flashes, but I had Hot/Cold flashes every 4hrs with them meds, so I was used to it. After 8 Days I went and fessed up to my doctor and they started me back on the meds at 2/3rd the Oxy/Norc as before. about 1yr after that I finally broke down and decided to go ahead and have surgery. The problem was that the Surgeon, supposudly one of the best in Texas would not touch me because of the amount of meds I was on, He said that he would not be able to control my pain post surgery. So I continued the meds. about 1yr later, I got layed off d/t cutbacks, (BTW I was not working in Nursing, I retired my license d/t ethical reasons, it would not be ethical to stay on meds and work as Nurse) I worked in Technology feild. So we move up near dallas about 2 yrs ago and go back to Pain Management Doc that gave me my Epidurals 12yrs earlier after car accident. This PM Doc would not prescribe Soma, Norco, or Oxycontin. The only use Methadone and other non-narcotic meds...Soma is considered semi-narcotic to them d/t side effects, eventhough it is not a Narcotic. So I am now off the OXY/Norco/Soma. My current meds are 30mg Methadone 2/day , 800mg Nuerontin 3xday, Skelaxin 3xday, Celebrex 200mg 1/day. I am in pretty much constant pain, I have been through 6 jobs in 2 yrs d/t pain and my wife is so frustrated she could scream because I am pretty much housebound d/t pain except for work. There is a positive with Methadone and that is No Hot/Cold Flashes and that is a huge positive. However, I feel crumby all the time, I feel worn down, no energy and yes male hormones fall down to nothing almost. I basically went into male menopause, at least that is what I call it, but my Testosterone was a low normal when on Oxy/Norco. But I am now taking a shot once a week and my Testoterone is rising. I tried Testerone Gel that absorbed almost immedialty when applied but I hated it, and I don't mind needles. So I opted to take the shot once a week. It is not like an insulin/diabetic shot, it is a 1 1/2inch needle in hip, but again it is once a week compared to a daily gel rub. Anyway, One of the reason's I am posting is that I am looking for a New Doc in Dallas,Tx that might be able to give me my life back again. I have found a couple that say the prescribe Oxycontin, Norco and Soma to patients, but I was hoping someone here might be in the area and point me in the right direction. I am tired of not being able to keep a job because of my pain, and letting my wife down because I can't go out with her on the weekends. I am very scared though of getting back on those meds and off the Methadone. Then methadone has always helped some, but not enough, maybe I need higher dose, however my doc won't up it either, my doc is very strict. I am a big man though 6'4" and 310lbs. My main prob is that I am having to supplement my other meds with Tylenol and Ibuprofen 3xday as well, but luckily my Kidneys and Liver and in the green still. They wont stay that way much longer on the amount of OTC meds I have to take in addition to my pain meds, Anti-depressants, Bloodpressure & Allergy meds.
I am a NURSE and I know better, but I have been in almost constant pain since I was 22 and and I am 36 now. The Career I went to school for and Have outstanding loans for I can not even do because of my pain. So If anyone knows a good PM MD in DALLAS please reply.
As Far as METHADONE it has it good points and probably is a godsend for many, but for me it is not working, and I have given it 2 long hard years putting off changing docs, because I did not want it to appear I was Doc Shopping. Also another good point of Methadone is you do not get the RUSH/HIGH from it as other opiates cause, however after going cold turkey off of Norco/OXycontin 2 times, and am very fearful of DETOXing Methadone because I hear it is far worse, and the Oxy/Hydrocodone were bad enough. I hope I gave some insight between Methadone and other Opiates. As another Wise Poster to the forum said it is a very personal decision. The Hot/Cold flashes went away about 4-6 months into the Methadone.

 

Post Edited (HephaistionRNBSN) : 10/4/2007 5:11:25 AM (GMT-6)

Wow This forum was not helpful for me at all. I could not get one reply thanks for the help anyway.. Gezz.

heavenleey, don't give up on us posting... sometimes it takes awhile for people to respond. this is a fantastic place to just get things out, and people will relate to you. as far as having RA- is that rheumatoid arthritis? i'm being tested for that right now. i have had some massive swelling in my feet especially, but also my hands. i'm waiting on a blood test. as far as methadone, most of the people on this forum have been through all kinds of pills. i know percocets are not my favorite- they make me almost "buzz" like a bee. i don't react well to them and find myself "wanting" more. i have been on ER opiods and even patches. what works for one, may not work for another. i tried methadone because i had zero luck with everything else, you should talk to Gramps- he is a fantastic source of knowledge with medications. he's been through everything. anyhow, i took mine as a 30 day trial, and like i mentioned above it did help- but, they would only give me soma (muscle relaxers) and no BT (break through) pain meds. I couldn't deal with it. They switched me to my old cocktail, oxycontin, soma, norco, neurontin and i am on other things as well. i think because i switched to another form of an opiod i didn't feel a "withdrawl" of any sorts. i have to say the cramping dosen't sound good. i know too much of certain medications are not good and can cause liver damage. are you seeing a pain management dr or a regular physician? i'm sorry i am not an abudant wealth of knowledge in what you are asking about- i do have a friend who is my age (30) and she has r.a. (arthritis) i can ask her what she takes if you would like. like i said above, if you aren't getting a response to what you would like to know, post a new thread... you will eventually get some responses back. i have made posts before and given up and 2 weeks later, i get a response.... is there anything else going on with you other than the RA? well, good luck.... hope i helped some. -Shan

I can't take methadone,I just can't function on it so I had to come off of it.

now dr. is trying me on Opana . But it was not the ER  kind. It set me in a fog and terrible headaches . Hope he will prescribe the Opana ER. He stated he made a mistake and so I am out $40 .

I had a sixteen week extended withdrawl from metadone. Oxy and Morph are 3-5 days. They all carry a double edge sword. Thy ease your pain however just hope that your prescriber dosn't die or have a change of heart or, it's welcome to perdition.
Reallity is hard,
Good luck with that one,
Pincushion1