Switch to methadone?

[Lemmyhellcat]

Hi I have been weaned off my pain meds Kadian from 80mg to 20. My pain is so bad my quality of life is almost non existent. I have to see fam dr monthly to renew prescriptions. I have really been firm about not cutting again, he suggested methadone.  Is methadone more politically correct than morphine? I am confused by this suggestion I have breast cancer reconstruction, severe osteoporosis, arthritis along with chronic pain so 30+ years I have been on meds? 
 

Any information welcome! 
 

Happy Festivus ️

 

[LunaLovegood]

I don’t know about methadone for pain(I’m on it for SUD), but most people with experience seem to recommend heavily against switching to methadone from other opiates. Methadone will give you a massive opioid tolerance(such that taking other opiates will be pointless), but even worse the incredibly long half life makes it extremely difficult to get off of. I’m by no means anti-methadone(it saved my life), but it’s something you should think long and hard about.
 

On the other hand, possibly the long half life makes it more effective for pain management? I wouldn’t know. If it is more politically correct than morphine, that’s really fuckin’ stupid. I’ve heard people say you can’t get high from it.... ahahaha

 

[never2many]

@Lemmyhellcat I'd be finding another Doctor, like yesterday. 

 

[Lemmyhellcat]

It took me more than a year to get a family doctor to accept me as a patient! I had 3 tell me, NO your on morphine I don’t believe in that.? I finally found a dr because one of the girls at my old dr told me this dr will take pain patients. My dr is super nice and friendly but early 30s so he went thru med school in the opiod hysteria. I have to submit to random drug tests to prove I’m not selling my meds! How fucked up?

If methadone would manage my pain I would consider it, but not if they are just trying to get me off all meds. 

 

[never2many]

@Lemmyhellcat Every doctor I have been to does drug testing at some level to make sure the drugs prescribed are being consumed and to test for other elicit drugs. That's very common and I would imagine required at some level. 

I have a great friend who has been on methadone for years for pain management and it works great for her. I personally have been afraid to make that transition because of everything I've read in trying to come off of it. 

Wishing you the best of luck and keep us updated!

Happy New Year!

 

[Lemmyhellcat]

My dr also just mentioned suboxone last week? I will be starting a pain mgmt class next week my doctor wants me to see the pain specialist dr and see his opinion. I would be willing to switch if they helped my pain, but I don’t like being forced into it because it’s more acceptable than opiates. I have a feeling the owner of suboxone helped create opiod hysteria because so much untrue information is out there! Thanks for replying

 

[aintnouse]

I was on Subs for about 8 months but it wasnt for pain management.   I was/am a dope fiend and that was the only thing I could take to get off the regular opiates I was ingesting daily.  I did a lot of research on the subject and learned that bupe (the opiate in the subs)  is actually a very effective pain reliever.  I would certainly go that route before methadone.  Everything I read about methadone is that kicking that is a nightmare.  Getting off the subs was pretty easy for me after a long taper but if you are taking them for pain relief then you dont have to worry about that.  Bupe is a fairly strong opiate and if I remember correctly it is a lot stronger than morphine.  Morphine is not nearly as strong as people think it is and is not that great of a pain reliever.    Go with subs before methadone.  Methadone withdrawal is an absolute nightmare and is long, painful and not an easy one to kick.   Im surprised he offered that as a solution because I have never heard of that as a pain reliever.  Ive always read articles about it regarding opiate addiction and its still one of the main things we use to get off drugs even though it is nearly impossible to get off that substance when you are ready to quit.   Read about the pain relieving affects of subs and I think you will be surprised to see how strong it actually is.    I took the sub mixed with naloxone so I completely lost my desire for oceeeeez but since Ive been off subs, I am back on the oceeeee train.  Oh well, life goes on and Im happy so screw it. 

 

[LunaLovegood]

@aintnouse Can confirm this. I am on methadone, and when I told my counselor I thought I was ready to get off it, and she instead suggested(in so many words) that I should just stay on it. Forever. There are definitely worse things, though. I would rather stay on it for the time being than lose a couple years of my life to post-acute withdrawal depression. And I would vastly rather stay on it than go back to street opiates. As it is I am tapering at a glacial pace.

 

[aintnouse]

@LunaLovegood   I am sorry to hear that.  I am glad you arent on street drugs anymore but when I was contemplating cleaning up and then doing it and then falling off the wagon.  All I read was horror stories from people on Methadone.   The things that scared me the most was people describing the pain in their bones.   I guess, from what I read, that it actually goes everywhere in your body and when it leaves your bones, the pain is excruciating.   I had not trouble with subs at all and when I got off those I did a very slow taper and then jumped off at like .25 and it was not bad at all.   My only problem was sleep but the Doc gave me something non addictive and non fun for that. I stayed clean for almost a year and then.....well I am back on the forum lol....I dont really care anymore.  Everyone has problems.....some worse than others and some not bad at all.  My problem just happens to be pills but I am a functioning dope fiend.   I own my own biz and I work my ass off.   I regret it or feel guilty about it sometimes but unfortunately it is about the only thing that makes me happy.  Some may call it sad that I need pills to be happy but the world is a better place when you look at it slightly skewed with a shit eating grin on your face    Good Luck all 

 

[LunaLovegood]

@aintnouse Exactly. I’ve been clean off #4 for several years, and I’m relatively functional(getting a degree in philosophy; there’s no way I would be in college if I hadn’t gotten on methadone), and I still do feel high off my doses. If I never get off methadone, I’ll make my peace with that. 
 

And I have other vices that I enjoy(hence why I’m here ). I can’t seem to eliminate my love of psychoactives, but I try to keep it manageable by keeping away from harder stuff -especially anything with high addiction potential. Unfortunately, even the “softer” substances can burn you if used to excess. My(very) excessive love of psychedelics has come back to bite me in the form of HPPD. It turns out that all the fearmongering talk about how you can become “permafried” from LSD actually has some basis in fact. Now I see acid visuals all the time, and am mentally stuck in a trip I never come down from. And I just feel “fried” all the time. Anyway, sorry, I digress. 
 

Whether for addiction or chronic illness, it’s all about living as happy and functional a life as you can. For some of us, that’s always going to include some substances. And that’s ok. 

 

[aintnouse]

@LunaLovegood   I gave up on Psychedelics in my late 20s.  I had one summer of fun with exxxtttaaaaceeeee but I dont consider that a psychedelic.  I got to a point where I figured if I had not had a a bad trip in all my years of playing around, I would eventually and that was something I did not want to deal with.  I also figured out that the older I got, the more garbage I had in my brain hence the percentages of a bad trip went up exponentially.   I used to look at it like a mental enema.   Just take a dose and all the crap in your head would works its way out, sleep for a day and things would begin anew.   Then once the thought of too much info entered my brain, I quit completely.  I figured if I had a single thought of negativity, it would lead me down a hole I was not prepared to deal with.  I did do mescaline one time and I would probably do that again.  The visuals from that were truly mind boggling yet safe and amazing.  Watching people play pool looked and the pool cues looked like light sabers lol......it was a fun and magical night but that was many moons ago.   I know me, my brain and what I can handle and thats just one thing I dont want to do battle with anymore.  My last trip was in 1994 at a Grateful Dead show in Atlanta Ga.  We had some pretty good blotter but tripped the last 3 nights so its effectiveness was almost non existent.  I took 4 tabs, got off a little and said goodbye to tripping forever.  I had a good run and wanted to keep it that way.   

Your last paragraph was perfect.   Some people like wine....I think alcoholics are the worst.  Some people smoke weed and some people (like me) pop pills.  Oh well.....its what I do and it makes me happy mostly.   I have never stuck a needle in my arm and I dont fault those who do, its just not for me.  And I think I would absolutely love it and  that would be the end of me so I just stick with the simple things.......Pop a pill, drink a beer once a month or so , and do a bump when I have the chance.....The rest of the time it is work, being a dad and doing chores.     

 

[wolverine]

Methadone for pain can be great for some people and useless to others. Us folks on Mmt or methadone maintenance and on high doses after a couple years it’s useless for pain and it does up your tolerance but more than that it bi D’s so tightly to your opioid receptors that no other opioids can bind on for breakthrough dosing. The exception is Fent which can if you can get a doc to give you sublingual tabs or sucker. 

 

[Lemmyhellcat]

Hi I have been weaned off my pain meds Kadian from 80mg to 20. My pain is so bad my quality of life is almost non existent. I have to see fam dr monthly to renew prescriptions. I have really been firm about not cutting again, he suggested methadone.  Is methadone more politically correct than morphine? I am confused by this suggestion I have breast cancer reconstruction, severe osteoporosis, arthritis along with chronic pain so 30+ years I have been on meds? 
 

Any information welcome! 
 

Happy Festivus ️

Quick update. I'm working with Pain clinic and I was referred to their head pharmacist. She went through my entire history and medications and really asked me a million questions regarding my pain issues etc. I saw my family dr yesterday and he received the pharmacist recommendations. He was totally impressed with all the recommendations she suggested. 

She said that I had no history of drugs abuse and said that the kadian (24hr morphine) i# a good drug for pain management. She didn't think methadone or suboxone were better for pain mgmt and also said suboxone has major interactions with a lot of meds.  She' also suggested a cream with lidocaine/capsaicin/ketamine to help numb the pain. It's expensive but worth it. Also going to start back at anesthesiologist pain specialist to give me lidocaine drips nerve blocks etc.

just wanted to let people know that they should talk to a pharmacist if you are having trouble with medications etc and how much pharmacist can advise doctor on new things to try? 



So we have made a few changes and