Discussions that mention methadone

Hi, i am new to this board and have a improtant ?

I have been seeing a pain managment Dr. for multiple disks that are herniated in my back. He just switched my srcipt to Methadone.

Which is great because he does not know that i am a heroin addict and doing about 6 bags a day and want to get off of this.

What i am asking is how many of the Methadone pills do i take with a 6 bag habit? and also when do you take them? Is it once in the morning, once at night? or just once in the morning and that holds you to the next morning?

I do know someone who goes to a clinic to get his dose every morning, so i am assuming you take your one dose every morning and that's it?

What i am asking though is what would be a good start for a 6 bag a day habit? How many pills and when to take them. See, he gave me them for pain and want's me to take one every 4 hours, but i know for detoxing this is not the way it is done. Correct?

BTW - He gave me the 10mg. Methadone pills. Do you just stop the dope one day when you wake and start in with your dose, and than continue every morning? Which i am asking what would be a good start?

Any help anyone can give, i would greatly appreciate.

Thank you so much in advance,

Frankie

Hi Frankie-welcome to this board. I'm afraid my post will be a bit of a disappointment to you as I know nothing about heroin and methadone but you will get great advice from others here. My "area of expertise" is alcoholism and co-dependency!!!
What I did want to say to you, was that you should consider talking to your doc or if you are not comfortable with him/her, change doc. It's important with any medication that you can trust your doctor with your medical history, etc. Otherwise, how can he help you?!
Good luck and wait for the experts!

You really should not attempt to do this alone. Have you gaven the thought of talking to your Dr. about your addiction and trying to get Methadone for your addiction. I would discourage trying to attempt a do-it-yourself-detox-program, being that I am not only an addict but also a RN I would suggest to you not to do this. The majority of Doctor's are open to prescribing Methadone for addiction. I detoxed off Heroin a year ago, I was gaven the option of Methadone however, I thought that is was just prolonging my addiction. I wanted to get clean from all drugs. I am not saying I agree or disagree with Methadone, I am just saying it wasn't for me.

#1 your doctor should be made aware that you have a heroin habit.
#2 If you want to use methadone to detox off heroin, you need to go to a clinic and do it the right way.
#3 Being on 10mgs of methadone a day is not going to stop you from using heroin. In fact, methadone is prescribed because it is supposed to stop cravings for heroin, and it is supposed to stop you from getting high if you do use heroin. Problem with that, people have to use more heroin to get the high, (because their methadone dose isn't correct, and they are still craving) and end up od'ing. That is such a risk!
#4 Do not try and detox yourself using methadone without help from a doctor. Mixing methadone and heroin can be fatal. Methadone can definitley help get you off heroin if you do it the right way. Trying to do it on your own is VERY risky. Like I said, if you have a 6 bag a day habit, 10mgs of methadone is probably not going to stop you from using. (my b/f was on 100mgs of methadone a day, and he was still using heroin along with it) It will just make it worse for you. Please let your doctor know what is going on. I am not saying go to a clinic and get on a methadone program if you are not ready, but please don't do this without help. They say that the "normal" dose to stop cravings for most people on methadone is around 80mgs a day, so you can see what I am saying about the 10mgs thing. Please Please Please becareful. Check out some of the methadone sites to get more information! Good luck! :)

NO, NO. I don't plan on using the heroin and Methadone together. I want to wake up in the morning and not do anymore heroin and start my methadone.

Well i did my last bag last night and this morning am trying the methadone. I took 3 10mg. pills and do not feel to much better. I still have some of the withdrawl syptoms. Can i take more than 3?

I think what what Jroeglin is saying , and I may be wrong, is that the required amount of Methadone is not going to stop the intense cravings you will have when you start withdrawing and you will be tempted to do Heroin so, in fact, you will forced by physical need to mix Methadone and Heroin which could cause a overdose.I urge you not to do this and to go back to the Dr. and ask for the required amount of Methadone to come off Heroin UNDER DOCTORS SUPERVISION. There is a structured program designed to bring off Heroin in the safest possible way.

Squirrel, you were right on what I was saying. The 10mgs he is prescribed are not going to take away the cravings, and when those cravings hit, he will have to use more heroin to feel better. And, taking 3 more at a time, or 2 more at a time, is just asking for it. Methadone and heroin mixed can be deadly, period. If coming off heroin was that easy, nobody would be addicted. I hope to God that a doctor gets involved. :)

Frankie, if you are not taking any heroin right now, then good for you. The problem is, coming off methadone can be worse then coming off heroin. How many mgs of meth are you taking a day? You can od on meth just like heroin, so please becareful. And, if you do start craving, please don't use heroin on top of it. I think that when you finish your meth prescription, you are going to need to tell your doctor because you are either going to go into meth withdrawals, or you are going to start using again. Methadone is not easy to get off once your on it. Good luck to ya! :)

Good for you Frankie. Methadone can be a wonderful thing! I hope all goes well for you! Good luck! :)

Well, guess who i got a call from today after 6 days w/o dope. Yes!

My dealer called me and asked me where have i been and am i coming in today to see him. In a way i didn't want to say @#$% you, because if you relapse you still want a connection, and i don't know, maybe i should not even be thinking about relapsing but i cant help it. It's just there, in the back of my head. So anyway i did tell him no i wont be coming in, and he just responded, "ok, i'll talk to ya later", and that was it.

I don't know if i should or shouldn't be thinking this way, but i just am. It's only been 6 days so maybe my mind will differ with time. Thank gosh for the methadone. I took my dose this morning so i'm not craving at the moment. That was a big help in saying NO. I'm babbling and venting again! Stop me! LOL. Well thanks for listening,

Frankie

Frankie, how do the other people at the NA/AA meetings act when they find out that you are on methadone? From what you have said, it sounds like they are pretty cool about it. I have heard terrible stories from people on methadone who say that they are sometimes not welcome at meetings because people think they are just exchanging one drug for another and are not really clean. I am not knocking meetings at ALL, in fact I have been to a few myself. I was just wondering what your experiences have been. CONGRATS on staying clean! Good for you! I gotta tell ya, when I read your first post about being prescribed methadone, I didn't think you were going to beable to do it. But, you proved me wrong, and I am very happy about that! Good for you!

I believe that NA/AA meetings can definitely be good for people that need them. Just like I believe methadone can be good for people that need that. I guess it all depends on the person. Either way, as long as you stay away from your poison, that is all that matters. I think that all the people on this board that are staying clean are such an inspiration. As you all probably know, Iam not an addict, but living with someone who is, you feel hopeless and worthless at the same time. When I read all of your stories about your pasts, and your addictions, and what you are doing to overcome them, and HOW you have continued to overcome them, it makes me feel so much better. Last year, I thought of an addict as someone with no will power. I thought they were just lazy and didn't really want to quit. I have a COMPLETELY different opinion now. I feel for those that don't understand addiction. Not that I know what it's like to be addicted to heroin, but I definitely have a better understanding of it now. I mean, my boyfriend is in prison because of it. PRISON! That's how insane and completely devastating it is. But, like I said, all of your stories have given me the hope and the courage that I need to continue to stand by him through this. Maybe I should have made this a new topic- a THANKYOU topic. I dunno. I just hope some of you get to know how much I appreciate you, (I know how long this whole topic is!) Anyways. Have a good clean day! Peace

[i have been using methadone for about 4 years. I obtain the drug illegally and my family has not clue. I currently take 50 mg a day and had no idea i was HOOKED. i tried to go cold turkey recently and the pain was unbearable. i am scared to death, i woke up and realize I AM an addict. I refuse to go to a methadone clinic because they do nothing but hook you for life. i have a child and must get free of this horrible addiction before my family is destroyed. I have no insurance and all of the in house treatment centers are very expensive. I cannot go cold turkey and need to be slowly weened off of this junk. I understand it takes 30 days. This is for real, I NEED HELP