theweaver2
10-08-2006, 09:45 PM
My doctor switched me from Oxycontin to Methadone. He said with my chronic 24 hour pain that methadone would stay in my system longer thus allowing more relief.
He also is allowing me to medicate 3x a day which is great. I can often space these three times out to address my pain when it is bad. Some days I need to do it after 4 hours, but this is good if I don't take my first one until late in the morning when I sleep in.
I like the idea of taking meds 3x a day.
However, the methadone seems to make me very groggy. I'm only using 5mg (or at times 1/2 that pill) which I assume is the smallest dose. Sometimes it doesnt cover the pain, other times 1/2 tablet is enough. Maybe its the way my body is metabolizing it, maybe its my pain breaking through.
All I know is that when taking Oxycontin I never had any grogginess. I am also trying to build up taking lyrica and am now at 50mg 3x a day which isn't much from what I hear.
I just know I HATE this braindeadness. I used to be able to think lol, even while I was on drugs. Now, I feel disconnected.
Not sure whether it is methadone or lyrica. Anyone out there have any feedback for me?
Barb
He also is allowing me to medicate 3x a day which is great. I can often space these three times out to address my pain when it is bad. Some days I need to do it after 4 hours, but this is good if I don't take my first one until late in the morning when I sleep in.
I like the idea of taking meds 3x a day.
However, the methadone seems to make me very groggy. I'm only using 5mg (or at times 1/2 that pill) which I assume is the smallest dose. Sometimes it doesnt cover the pain, other times 1/2 tablet is enough. Maybe its the way my body is metabolizing it, maybe its my pain breaking through.
All I know is that when taking Oxycontin I never had any grogginess. I am also trying to build up taking lyrica and am now at 50mg 3x a day which isn't much from what I hear.
I just know I HATE this braindeadness. I used to be able to think lol, even while I was on drugs. Now, I feel disconnected.
Not sure whether it is methadone or lyrica. Anyone out there have any feedback for me?
Barb
Sponsor
Kissa
10-09-2006, 02:09 PM
The reason you just described is why many people are not on Methadone.
I was put on it last year, 90mg because I was having severe nausea from the morphine. I was great the first week, I had no pain, but when week two hit I couldn't stay awake. I would fall asleep without notice. I couldn't even drive my car for fear of falling asleep. I was in a complete brain fog and my motor skills and speach were heavily impaired. I had a fairly large list of side effects as I actually tracked them to let the doctor know.
In addition to the groggyness, I had severe urinary retention. I have mild retention with Morphine, but the Methadone was horrendous, I was lucky to urinate a few times a day.
Chances are my dosage was too high to be started on but none the less the side effects were so severe I just couldn't handle it. It was fantastic for pain relief however.
It seems that about half of the individuals who try methadone have similiar experiences and can not tolerate it, while the other half do not have the problems at all which is great.
I would give it a few weeks at least to see if your side effects subside. You are on a fairly low dose. If the Methadone doesn't work out you could try Morphine if you haven't tried it yet. I find the biggest problem with the Morphine is nausea and constipation but medication for both have solved my problems. Another problem I have with it is that it causes severe insomnia at times. You can take morphine 3 times a day as well but of course the half life is no where near what methadone is.
Good luck!
Barbie
I was put on it last year, 90mg because I was having severe nausea from the morphine. I was great the first week, I had no pain, but when week two hit I couldn't stay awake. I would fall asleep without notice. I couldn't even drive my car for fear of falling asleep. I was in a complete brain fog and my motor skills and speach were heavily impaired. I had a fairly large list of side effects as I actually tracked them to let the doctor know.
In addition to the groggyness, I had severe urinary retention. I have mild retention with Morphine, but the Methadone was horrendous, I was lucky to urinate a few times a day.
Chances are my dosage was too high to be started on but none the less the side effects were so severe I just couldn't handle it. It was fantastic for pain relief however.
It seems that about half of the individuals who try methadone have similiar experiences and can not tolerate it, while the other half do not have the problems at all which is great.
I would give it a few weeks at least to see if your side effects subside. You are on a fairly low dose. If the Methadone doesn't work out you could try Morphine if you haven't tried it yet. I find the biggest problem with the Morphine is nausea and constipation but medication for both have solved my problems. Another problem I have with it is that it causes severe insomnia at times. You can take morphine 3 times a day as well but of course the half life is no where near what methadone is.
Good luck!
Barbie
Director
10-09-2006, 04:18 PM
Hi Barbie: There are alot more people taking Methadone for CP than you probably realize. It is fast becoming the med to deal with CP (especially nerve pain) when the patient is going to be on medication for long periods of time. Doctors are starting to realize it isn't just a drug used for detoxing and is a valuable med for treating CP.
I think Barb's (Kissa) experience with Methadone was one of her doctor not knowing how to introduce her to the med. 90 mg a day of Meth to start is something I've never heard of, for even a patient such as myself. I was on high doses of other meds and my doctor started me at 10 mg. TID. The 90 mg would be approximately three times the normal starting dose for an opiate tolerant patient. I have become use to the drug and have titrated up to 180mg a day. It does take some time however. The reason Barb started having problems the second week, is that by the 5th day, the Methadone starts building up in your system and each day you will retain some of the med from prior days. This is due to the long half life of Methadone.
I have to tell you though, I still do suffer from a couple side effects from the med and I have been on it for over three years. Driving long distances is very difficult. You get the nods when you are doing non-stimulating activities. I also have problems reading and watching TV. As far as driving, if it a trip I have to drive, I will take a minimum dose (just enough to keep the withdrawals at bay) until we reach our destination. As far as the other side effects, I just live with them.
I hope this has answered some of your questions. Just remember, by the end of the 5th day, you no longer have 30 mgs. (or whatever your dose is) in your system, but the Meth starts to build on it's self and you have more than you take each day.
I think Barb's (Kissa) experience with Methadone was one of her doctor not knowing how to introduce her to the med. 90 mg a day of Meth to start is something I've never heard of, for even a patient such as myself. I was on high doses of other meds and my doctor started me at 10 mg. TID. The 90 mg would be approximately three times the normal starting dose for an opiate tolerant patient. I have become use to the drug and have titrated up to 180mg a day. It does take some time however. The reason Barb started having problems the second week, is that by the 5th day, the Methadone starts building up in your system and each day you will retain some of the med from prior days. This is due to the long half life of Methadone.
I have to tell you though, I still do suffer from a couple side effects from the med and I have been on it for over three years. Driving long distances is very difficult. You get the nods when you are doing non-stimulating activities. I also have problems reading and watching TV. As far as driving, if it a trip I have to drive, I will take a minimum dose (just enough to keep the withdrawals at bay) until we reach our destination. As far as the other side effects, I just live with them.
I hope this has answered some of your questions. Just remember, by the end of the 5th day, you no longer have 30 mgs. (or whatever your dose is) in your system, but the Meth starts to build on it's self and you have more than you take each day.
theweaver2
10-09-2006, 08:33 PM
Thanks for your replies guys !!!
Perhaps it is the meth making me groggy. I am having problems adjusting the dose between 2.5 mg and 5mg - some days I need the whole pill each dose, others I can get by with the 2.5... didn't realizle it took 5 days to reach its level. It's going to take some gettng used to I guess, but it does seem to work well as the type of pain I have mostly is nerve pain.
Combined with the Lyrica, which also causes dizziness and fatigue, maybe its just too much.
I'm going to ask doc if I can stop the Lyrica as Im only using 50mg 3x day and I know 300mg is the usual medicinal dose and I don't know if I can make it that high w/o going comotose lol
Thanks for your feedback.
barb
Perhaps it is the meth making me groggy. I am having problems adjusting the dose between 2.5 mg and 5mg - some days I need the whole pill each dose, others I can get by with the 2.5... didn't realizle it took 5 days to reach its level. It's going to take some gettng used to I guess, but it does seem to work well as the type of pain I have mostly is nerve pain.
Combined with the Lyrica, which also causes dizziness and fatigue, maybe its just too much.
I'm going to ask doc if I can stop the Lyrica as Im only using 50mg 3x day and I know 300mg is the usual medicinal dose and I don't know if I can make it that high w/o going comotose lol
Thanks for your feedback.
barb
mpvt
10-10-2006, 01:48 PM
Give the methadone time,once you get used to it you should be able to function quite well.I was on every opiate known for 22 years before I got on methadone 4 years ago.I take it for chronic pain and addiction.It has helped turn my life around.I could never get the pain control I needed as I would build tolerances so quickly to whatever I was taking that I would end up abusing it.When I started methadone I had been taking 3,000mgs of morphine a day.Talk about big time depression from all that morphine.The methadone took all the depression away,I put on some much needed weight and I have gone back to work part time.Up here in Canada it still isn't used much for chronic pain as the stigma keeps doctors from ordering it.I take 300mgs a day and I live as normal a life as I ever have.The big problem with methadone is ignorance.People don't understand how powerful it is and that it has a long half life.Because of the long half life you don't get that euphoric rush that alot of addicts look for so what happens is they take some more and so on and so on.They go to bed and end up dieing of respitory failure.The other problem is methadone and benzodiazepine do not mix well as they both can cause respitory failure.So there is a huge stigma that has to be overcome not only to the general public but to many doctors as well.If it's used properly it's a wonderful pain killer that is extremely hard to build a tolerance to.I have actually come down from 400 mgs to 300mgs/day in the last year......Hope that helps....Dave:)
theweaver2
10-10-2006, 08:27 PM
Thanks Dave,
I'm finding a lot of information on methadone. Seems like it does have a stigma, like most narcotics do...
It is working quite well for me on a 2.5/5mg dose 3x a day. I think I am just getting used to it as it has only been a week.
The thing with me is that my use is need for chronic pain. I really don't understand the HIGH people talk about when using narcotics such as oxycontin and methadone.
I have never felt eurphoic taking anything... I just want relief from pain. It's too bad that when someone is in chronic pain they cant just go to the doctor and get pain relief with narcotics if need be.
My pain may be Central Nervous System Pain Syndrome. Sooo, I am hoping that getting rid of my pain for several months will just allow my body's nervous system to "relax" and get normal again.
I feellike I will always need something, but it sure isnt to get the high feeling so many talk about.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. I learn a lot from this board. It's the people using the drugs and living the pain that always has the best information for me.
Barb
I'm finding a lot of information on methadone. Seems like it does have a stigma, like most narcotics do...
It is working quite well for me on a 2.5/5mg dose 3x a day. I think I am just getting used to it as it has only been a week.
The thing with me is that my use is need for chronic pain. I really don't understand the HIGH people talk about when using narcotics such as oxycontin and methadone.
I have never felt eurphoic taking anything... I just want relief from pain. It's too bad that when someone is in chronic pain they cant just go to the doctor and get pain relief with narcotics if need be.
My pain may be Central Nervous System Pain Syndrome. Sooo, I am hoping that getting rid of my pain for several months will just allow my body's nervous system to "relax" and get normal again.
I feellike I will always need something, but it sure isnt to get the high feeling so many talk about.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. I learn a lot from this board. It's the people using the drugs and living the pain that always has the best information for me.
Barb
CoyoteBound
10-11-2006, 01:56 AM
My Doctor had me on Hydrocodone for years and then he started doing injections in my back. Well after a while, he seen that the injections was not working. Well he put me on Methadone. All I would do id dit in my chair and go to sleep. After a while I started being mean to my Husband, son or just anybody that was round me. The next visit I made to my Doctor, my Husnamd went in the office with me and told the Doctor that the Methadone made me mean and for him not to give it to me again. So he didn't. He put me back on Hydrocodone and said that the only option I had then was a Morphine Pump. I never went back to that Doctor again because I was afraid of what it might do to me.
theweaver2
10-11-2006, 03:11 AM
everyone reacts differently to medications.
I'm very groggy right now. It's like sleepiness but I'm not tired. It's more like I'm half here and not quick witted.
It may be they lyrical also. They make me feel half stupid also and Im not taking that much.
I'm dealing with these drugs because my pain has been reduced almost completely. I still need to adjust.
Hope you find something that agrees with you.
Barb
I'm very groggy right now. It's like sleepiness but I'm not tired. It's more like I'm half here and not quick witted.
It may be they lyrical also. They make me feel half stupid also and Im not taking that much.
I'm dealing with these drugs because my pain has been reduced almost completely. I still need to adjust.
Hope you find something that agrees with you.
Barb
Sick of Hurting
10-11-2006, 09:53 AM
Hi Barbie,
My husband has been on methadone for about 4 months now. He was taking 180 mg of oxycotin a day and now he is taking 80 mg of methadone a day. He was started on 20 mg a day and increased every month. He had the same problem of being sleepy, he is also on lyrica 300 mg a day. He still get sleepy but not as bad, and the pain relief is so much better, his mood is better too.
I was wondering if you have ask your doctor about not taking the lyrica yet and if so what was the response?
Thanks,
Wife
My husband has been on methadone for about 4 months now. He was taking 180 mg of oxycotin a day and now he is taking 80 mg of methadone a day. He was started on 20 mg a day and increased every month. He had the same problem of being sleepy, he is also on lyrica 300 mg a day. He still get sleepy but not as bad, and the pain relief is so much better, his mood is better too.
I was wondering if you have ask your doctor about not taking the lyrica yet and if so what was the response?
Thanks,
Wife
theweaver2
10-11-2006, 12:02 PM
Hi Wife,
I'm glad your husband is getting some relief. Methadone has a history of being used to help street addicts withdraw. Not a good reputation... but none of the narcotics seem to have a good rep.
I have heard a lot of good things about Lyrica but its side effects are hard on people. The therapeutic dose starts at 300 I believe and I am only on 150 and fell like an airhead most of the time. Maybe it will pass.
The methadone is helping so much with my pain that I don't know how much the Lyrica is helping. My doctor also wants to start me on an antidepressant for pain and situational depression.
Although, if I feel less pain, I am a happy, functional person. I think the antideprssant is to help the pain...
I hope your husband continues to do well.
Barb (not the "ie" one lol)
I'm glad your husband is getting some relief. Methadone has a history of being used to help street addicts withdraw. Not a good reputation... but none of the narcotics seem to have a good rep.
I have heard a lot of good things about Lyrica but its side effects are hard on people. The therapeutic dose starts at 300 I believe and I am only on 150 and fell like an airhead most of the time. Maybe it will pass.
The methadone is helping so much with my pain that I don't know how much the Lyrica is helping. My doctor also wants to start me on an antidepressant for pain and situational depression.
Although, if I feel less pain, I am a happy, functional person. I think the antideprssant is to help the pain...
I hope your husband continues to do well.
Barb (not the "ie" one lol)
couchtator
10-12-2006, 07:36 PM
I have been on methadone for 10 years and was on other narcotics before then. Yes, you do get sleepy with methadone or at least I did but the side affects do get better. I still get drowsy but not like i used to. The pain relief is 80-100% most days for me. It has worked so well for that so I have tried to live with the drowsiness. Hope this helps.
theweaver2
10-13-2006, 01:29 PM
ty for reply couch... it has worked pretty well for me so far at the 5mg 3x day dose. I am hoping this isnt a drug you get used to easily.
I will also tolerate some of the sleepiness if it helps this much. I am also taking another drug that can cause sleepiness. Maybe the combo is too much for me.
I'm glad you are finding so much relief with the meth. So far, from what I've heard, it works well for many.
Barb
I will also tolerate some of the sleepiness if it helps this much. I am also taking another drug that can cause sleepiness. Maybe the combo is too much for me.
I'm glad you are finding so much relief with the meth. So far, from what I've heard, it works well for many.
Barb
redbullwings
10-13-2006, 02:12 PM
Hello I have been taking Methadone for 2 months now. my doctor started me out on 10 mg 3 times per day, but I couldn't stop throwing up when I took it .so my doctor droped it to 5 mg 3 times per day. I can say it has helped me with controling the pain for longer periods of time. As long as I take a pill before the pain is out of control. I also take percocet between. I was skeptical about taking Methadone when my doctor first persrcibed it to me.Because I had to take it on a schedual, and If I had take it 3 times per day, would I get addicted to it. Where the other pain pills I can take when I can't handle the pain, and they start working within 45 mins. Not Methadone if your already in alot of pain, then it is like eating candy. Does nothing to help. jen
BrittleBones
10-13-2006, 06:07 PM
One more vote for Methadone from me! I've been taking it for a little over a year now after having been on most of the other opioide drugs at some point in my pain history. It has been the only drug that has given me consistent relief without the "euphoria" that went along with the other narcotics that I had taken. The initial sleepiness and "nodding off" feelings have pretty much gone away, although I still have to pay extra attention when I'm driving long distances or while doing anything that is monotonous (watching TV..., reading, listening to my husband...just kidding). I still have 30mg. of oxycodone that I can take for breakthrough pain up to 4 pills per day. But I don't really have to reach for the oxy very often. So those are my thoughts about Methadone. I hope that you can stick with it a little longer to give it a real fair chance. It does take some time to get used to it. All the best - KathyMac:wave:
theweaver2
10-13-2006, 11:03 PM
Wow.... with all the "relief" stories I've seen posted here from people who are using meth and getting great results, I don't see why more don't use it.
You are correct in that it doesnt give the immediate relief some pain pills do, but the long term relief for people in 24 hour pain seems to be what it treats best.
I havne't had to use break thru meds at the 5mg 3x day dose. Perhaps I can see if I can take a little higher dose and make it work to where I only have to take it twice a day. Would make dosing a lot easier.
As for the sleepiness... I don't mind it as a trade-off for the high levels of pain I had. Fortunately, I don't work and I'm hoping I can adjust my meds so I won't feel this lethargic feeling. It's been nearly 2 weeks and I see my doctor next tuesday. I hope he lets me adjust a bit longer before adding anymore drugs to my system.
thanks for all the feedback about meth... I wish you all continued pain relief !!
Barb
You are correct in that it doesnt give the immediate relief some pain pills do, but the long term relief for people in 24 hour pain seems to be what it treats best.
I havne't had to use break thru meds at the 5mg 3x day dose. Perhaps I can see if I can take a little higher dose and make it work to where I only have to take it twice a day. Would make dosing a lot easier.
As for the sleepiness... I don't mind it as a trade-off for the high levels of pain I had. Fortunately, I don't work and I'm hoping I can adjust my meds so I won't feel this lethargic feeling. It's been nearly 2 weeks and I see my doctor next tuesday. I hope he lets me adjust a bit longer before adding anymore drugs to my system.
thanks for all the feedback about meth... I wish you all continued pain relief !!
Barb
Motoxtriplex
10-16-2006, 09:48 PM
I am going to start using methadone next week and I am an Lyrica 50mg 2x a day. The lyrica makes me like disconnected and drowsy at times its a godsend from neurontin which had terrible side effects for me compared to lyrica. I have major autonomic and peripheral neuropathy from toxic poisioning the only thing thats given me relief is lyrica so far. I have tried morphine and diludad and fentaynl which all seem not to work all. I have tried Demerol which seemed to work pretty good so I started doing some research and it seems demerol is a weak NMDA antagonist which is involved like more of the nerve pain regulator etc and wind up pain. So brings me to my next part methadone is the strongest of the opioids for NMDA antagonism which is why I am going to be starting it soon for my nerve pain. The doctors dont like it because they dont know enough about it and how to use it titrate it etc apparently a report I also read in the UK states the number 2 deaths from prescription meds was from methadone... but this maybe also flawed because they put Herion addicts on it. Hopefully it will work for me ill let you know.
theweaver2
10-18-2006, 12:12 AM
Moto, I hope the meth works for you. I saw my doc for the second time and he took me from 15mg to 20mg a day which gives me an xtra 5mg to "play" around with. I have found that if I "do" anything physical like laundry or just "life" lol... my pain increases. I pretty much do nothing but sleep right now and browse the net. I so wish I could get back into exercising like I was doing before this pain hit me 3 years ago.
I've only seen this PM twice and he really seems to be aware of "pain" and the many different levels. He isn't in a hurry to push many pharmeseuticals at me which is good.
When I asked him about the antidepressant and whether it should be for the pain or for the depression I have with the pain. His simple question was "are you depressed when you aren't in pain?"... My immediate response was NO !! So, he said then the antidepressant's goal should be pain relief.
However, I told him I am experiencing a lot of anxiety... and this was before the meth so I know it isn't a side effect. The anxiety comes from letting so many people down and feeling guilty that I don't have a proper diagnosis yet for my high levels of pain which are often one sided. He said later on he could perform more tests if need be. Right now he wants to get me leveled on one drug before prescribing another.
Lyrica is a powerfully tiring drug for me... even at 150mg a day. He suggested beginning again at 50mg and at night. Lyrica works really well I think for my burning, tingling pain and is a Godsend. I just can't spend 18 hours a day in bed and be so tired the other 6 I can't focus. The trade-off isn't worth it.
Wish me well in that Lyrica works at 50mg at night. I am happy that the Lyrica is working so well for you. Neurontin did a number on me also.
Thanks for your reply !!
I've only seen this PM twice and he really seems to be aware of "pain" and the many different levels. He isn't in a hurry to push many pharmeseuticals at me which is good.
When I asked him about the antidepressant and whether it should be for the pain or for the depression I have with the pain. His simple question was "are you depressed when you aren't in pain?"... My immediate response was NO !! So, he said then the antidepressant's goal should be pain relief.
However, I told him I am experiencing a lot of anxiety... and this was before the meth so I know it isn't a side effect. The anxiety comes from letting so many people down and feeling guilty that I don't have a proper diagnosis yet for my high levels of pain which are often one sided. He said later on he could perform more tests if need be. Right now he wants to get me leveled on one drug before prescribing another.
Lyrica is a powerfully tiring drug for me... even at 150mg a day. He suggested beginning again at 50mg and at night. Lyrica works really well I think for my burning, tingling pain and is a Godsend. I just can't spend 18 hours a day in bed and be so tired the other 6 I can't focus. The trade-off isn't worth it.
Wish me well in that Lyrica works at 50mg at night. I am happy that the Lyrica is working so well for you. Neurontin did a number on me also.
Thanks for your reply !!
stanleyguy2
10-22-2006, 02:58 PM
Another vote for methadone here. Works extremely well for nerve pain in my neck and face I get from constantly spasming muscles high up in my neck, and I can honsestly say it gave me my life back!!
Like so many others I was on so many other medications before switching to methadone and FINALLY I'm only in really bad pain maybe 3-4 days a month instead of 3-4 days every week!
Again like others have said if you do get breakthrough pain (depending on your condition) then taking extra methadone isn't going to help you, it's not a quick acting med that will take that extra pain away within 45 minutes, and will likely make you even sleepier.
It does take days to build up in your system, and to anyone here who started out taking 30mg per day or 90mg per day or anything like that I feel bad for you because not only is your doctor a borderline moron for starting you at that dose, that dose is so high you're almost guaranteed to get hit super hard with throwing up and being so sleepy you're a permanent couch potato, and you didn't even get to give the med a real chance at seeing if it can help you (Motox - let you doctors know this).
A good starting dose for meth is exactly like theweaver2 is on, 5mg 2-3x per day (and even a reduction of that if there's side effects). When I started out this was my starting dose and even AT THIS SMALL DOSE I still was throwing up, etc. so for the first couple of weeks I had to take a quarter of a 5mg tab 3 times per day. Yes, that means less than 2mg in each dose.
Then every week once a week increase your dose until you are up to 15mg-20mg per day and take it up from there if needed depending on your amount of pain relief. Dosing up in quick large increments is not recommended as every time you increase the dose it takes almost a week for the full effect of the new dose to add up over those days and then you see what you REALLY feel like on the new dosage, good effects and bad.
Side effects - I get bad constipation, numbness in my hands and feet, and reduced sex drive. For constipation you could try Dulcolax stool softener daily, this is better than taking a laxative from what I hear as it still lets you 'go on your own', and of course the laxative is always an option if you can't. For the numbness I don't mind as it lets me know the methadone is working. For reduced sex drive to each his own how to cope, but talk to your doctor if it comes up.
I do also get some mood swings. Even though the methadone builds up in your system you do begin to see an active cycle during the day as you use it, where if you take it every 8 hours it usually in the middle of that around hour 3 or 4 that it's effect is strongest, and when I can be the most irritable.
The worst side effect of all (potentially) is the one of withdrawal, and supposedly the side effects of withdrawing from methadone are worse than withdrawing from heroin. In fact average heroin detox is 2 weeks, methadone is 6-8 before side effects subside. I've read many a story on this board of people who were on up to 100mg a day or more of methadone and got it down to about 20mg a day but just couldn't get off the last 20mg because the side effects were so painful.
Something to think about in the course of treatment, and another reason why methadone is for long term use when all other meds have failed, it is worth a shot if your pain is unbearable and you feel like you just 'want your life back'. Good luck!!
Like so many others I was on so many other medications before switching to methadone and FINALLY I'm only in really bad pain maybe 3-4 days a month instead of 3-4 days every week!
Again like others have said if you do get breakthrough pain (depending on your condition) then taking extra methadone isn't going to help you, it's not a quick acting med that will take that extra pain away within 45 minutes, and will likely make you even sleepier.
It does take days to build up in your system, and to anyone here who started out taking 30mg per day or 90mg per day or anything like that I feel bad for you because not only is your doctor a borderline moron for starting you at that dose, that dose is so high you're almost guaranteed to get hit super hard with throwing up and being so sleepy you're a permanent couch potato, and you didn't even get to give the med a real chance at seeing if it can help you (Motox - let you doctors know this).
A good starting dose for meth is exactly like theweaver2 is on, 5mg 2-3x per day (and even a reduction of that if there's side effects). When I started out this was my starting dose and even AT THIS SMALL DOSE I still was throwing up, etc. so for the first couple of weeks I had to take a quarter of a 5mg tab 3 times per day. Yes, that means less than 2mg in each dose.
Then every week once a week increase your dose until you are up to 15mg-20mg per day and take it up from there if needed depending on your amount of pain relief. Dosing up in quick large increments is not recommended as every time you increase the dose it takes almost a week for the full effect of the new dose to add up over those days and then you see what you REALLY feel like on the new dosage, good effects and bad.
Side effects - I get bad constipation, numbness in my hands and feet, and reduced sex drive. For constipation you could try Dulcolax stool softener daily, this is better than taking a laxative from what I hear as it still lets you 'go on your own', and of course the laxative is always an option if you can't. For the numbness I don't mind as it lets me know the methadone is working. For reduced sex drive to each his own how to cope, but talk to your doctor if it comes up.
I do also get some mood swings. Even though the methadone builds up in your system you do begin to see an active cycle during the day as you use it, where if you take it every 8 hours it usually in the middle of that around hour 3 or 4 that it's effect is strongest, and when I can be the most irritable.
The worst side effect of all (potentially) is the one of withdrawal, and supposedly the side effects of withdrawing from methadone are worse than withdrawing from heroin. In fact average heroin detox is 2 weeks, methadone is 6-8 before side effects subside. I've read many a story on this board of people who were on up to 100mg a day or more of methadone and got it down to about 20mg a day but just couldn't get off the last 20mg because the side effects were so painful.
Something to think about in the course of treatment, and another reason why methadone is for long term use when all other meds have failed, it is worth a shot if your pain is unbearable and you feel like you just 'want your life back'. Good luck!!
theweaver2
10-22-2006, 04:25 PM
Stanley,
Thanks for your informative post. No, methadone isn't good for that "fast-acting" relief, however, I do get relief within an hour.
I have the 20mg to "play" around with. I try to stay on a 5mg/6hour schedule. But, should my pain hit very hard before then, I have vicodin ES as breakthrough.
I have only been taking this med 6 weeks. So far, no nausea that is very bad. I take other things that can make me queasy, so hard to blame the meth.
I liked the oxycontin better because it was only medicating twice a day, but I don't mind taking the time for an extra dose if it is going to help.
Thanks again for your positive post. Don't see many of those on this board. Maybe more of them should try methadone? loll
Barb
Thanks for your informative post. No, methadone isn't good for that "fast-acting" relief, however, I do get relief within an hour.
I have the 20mg to "play" around with. I try to stay on a 5mg/6hour schedule. But, should my pain hit very hard before then, I have vicodin ES as breakthrough.
I have only been taking this med 6 weeks. So far, no nausea that is very bad. I take other things that can make me queasy, so hard to blame the meth.
I liked the oxycontin better because it was only medicating twice a day, but I don't mind taking the time for an extra dose if it is going to help.
Thanks again for your positive post. Don't see many of those on this board. Maybe more of them should try methadone? loll
Barb