Hellow to all my old and new friends.
It's been quite a while sinse I've posted here and I'm sorry for that> I even layed off posting in my main forum (prostate cancer) for a while, shame on me! There are plenty of reasons but no time to go into any of that, it wouldn't help anyone anyway (the main reason I post.) Anyway, I like Gramps and others have been taking methadone for a long time and after reading all your posts feel I must add my 1 cent. I can't afford two! I am a 55 year old man who was extreamly ignorant during most of my younger days and am paying dearly for it now. I'm sure you younger folks have heard it all before and have been lectured to death by geezers like me. I'm not here do do that. I broke so many bones I've lost count. Between the motor cycles, fast cars and the death wish I created for myself after my Father died of prostate cancer when I was 21. It's a toss up to which joint I'm going to have replaced 1st. The last time I saw an ortho, he wanted to put some kind of titanium cage in me to attach my hip bones (whats left of them) to my spine and hold the spine straight and togeather but he said that my neck was such a mess that we needed to fix that 1st or I just may end up in a chair. Then new hips and knees can wait untill after I recovered from the previous surgeries. That was about 5 years ago and I haven't been back to an ortho since. I know I'm not fooling anyone but myself and expect that some day I'll end up like the "blues mobile" did in front of the court house in the Blues Brothers movie. I do see a pain doc who dosen't seem to care about me fixing myself up and prescribes me pretty much what ever I want. Right now I am working between 50 and 55 hours a week (can't live w/o overtime!) and the only way I can do it is through use of this miracle drug, Methadone. As others have stated, this drug is not for someone who isnt going to be using it for a long time if not for the rest of their life. I too have tried many and none have been nearlly as effective in numbing my pain. I have tapered myself down to 30mg a day due to the fear of having to discontinue using it, but unlike someone else here stated, I do get breakthrough releif from another drug. I use between 45 & 60 mg Oxy or Roxy in the 15mg tabs. As far as working, I have dialed in to this combo and dosing which enables me to keep my mental edge to do my job . I need my brain when I work and try to walk that tightrope between the pain and controle of my senses which methadone allows me to do. I'm not trying to snow you all, there is pain, plenty but not enough to keep me bedridden or on crutches (where I was before methadone.) I am one of those knuckleheads who actually likes to work. I truly wish I didn't some times but after spending 9 months at home thinking I could never work again and consitering myself the cripple the dr's kept telling me I was I tried methadone and that was over six years ago. I guess what trying to say (which probably sounds pretty redundent by now) this drug is not for everyone. So think about it and weigh out the facts, if you do need it, by all means take it but if you are not sure, like the kids say "Don't Go There!!"
God bless all Y'all!
Your friend,
Pete