Opioids Does the high/glow from Methadone go away after a while on MMT?

[crestfallen]

I'm on suboxone right now and bc of the high cost, my dr recommended going on methadone (he thought there was a free clinic around, but there isn't). Anyways, I read a bunch of experience reports of ppl who took Methadone and had positive experiences. Because it's a full agonist, it would produce a "high" similar to other opiates like Vicodin, Percocet etc...right? I have a few questions though:

1) Does the opiated feeling go away after a while (how long)
2) Is it worth it to switch from Suboxone (which I get monthly scripts for) to Methadone, which I will have to get up at 5am and drive 30 minutes away to get a single dose everyday?

When I first started on subs, I got this mood lift that wasn't euphoric, just a nice change from my usual depressed mood (which anti depressant meds don't help). It lasted for 2-3 months and then it went away. Now that I have a job where physical work is involved as well as talking to customers, I feel that Methadone can help with that as well as keep my cravings at bay (which are high right now due to tapering off suboxone).

My family thinks that Methadone is the devil, but the examples they have seen are people who become junkies off/from methadone. There is no convincing them, just convincing myself that it will be worth it. Is it?

 

[Keif' Richards]

You really should've used the search engine, this question is so common. The answer to your question is yes, the high from the methadone will go away quickly. 2-3 months max, and I mean at 3 months you're probably not gonna feel shit. Methadone will not give you a mood lift. It is not an anti-depressant. Any high that you experience throughout your treatment would clinically be considered a mistake. I would recommend staying on suboxone.

Case in point: Yes, Methadone will probably get you high for a few weeks when you start, but it will fade very quickly. MMT is not for people who want to keep getting high, its for people who want to get sober. Obviously this is dependent on your definition of sobriety. Going to the clinic everyday is a bitch. With that in mind though, as long long as you don't use any other illegal drugs (yes, cannabis included), you will be eligible for take homes in a matter of weeks or months depending on how strict regulations are on Methadone in your area. In New Hampshire, where I live, it's kind of a bitch. You basically need to have 9 months of perfect behavior before you will be considered.

Methadone often gets a bad rap. People who don't know a lot about it, often demonize it for a variety of reasons. First of all, a lot of people who go to the clinic are not in any way serious about sobriety. They just get to come collect a dose of opiates to go in tandem with whatever other drugs they are using at the time. Those who respect the process, take it seriously, and are totally dedicated to sobriety tend to benefit greatly from MMT. Since starting MMT, NA/AA, and working my program, my life has changed in so many fantastic ways. Food for thought. I hope everything works out for you man.

 

[doppelganga196]

Maaaan when i first started it in april i was high as a motherfucker once they raised me from 25mg - still in wd, 35 - still in wd, 45 - nodding hard & feeling alot of love. Then I made the mistake of asking for another 10mg increase; at which point i told the nurses i wanted to go down again. The clinic fucked this up after i'd been on 55 for two weeks & put me up to 65 - which ive been on for two weeks now also. I no longer feel any high just mild sedation, very effective anxiolysis & slight mood lift.

However i soon regreted going on meth instead of sub 'cos i knew subs make people 'jittery' & being on a diazepam taper i can do without that so i went with methadone which i knew to be sedating. I now need to taper by 5/10mg every two weeks until i'm down to 30 so i can switch to subutex, not suboxone, i can do without that 'precipitated withdrawal' shite i hear about from those on suboxone.

Also it is such balls having to go to the clinic daily. You feel degraded. There's this really cute pharmacist that was quite flirty with me when i used to go in the chemist to pick up my valium script. Now when i go in there & knock back my tumbler of methadone i catch her looking at me like i just kicked a kitten at a baby. I wish i could just get 1 weeks worth to take home at a time but i have to wait ages for that.

One way i can get a mild buzz off methadone is by drinking copious amounts of strong coffee. Also if i take a dose of diazepam like 5mg before i take the methadone i can get an opioid feeling from it that i cant get any other way.

I noticed some people when they go in for their methadone get breathalized so i thought hey, maybe a beer before or after the meth gets you high. It doesnt.

I know this is wrong of me to talk this way about methadone when i'm trying to abstain from opiates but i have chronic pain, precribed painkillers abused then moved onto heroin for a breif period which is what led me to seeking help. I know i shouldnt try & get a buzz off it but hey, i'm an addict. I rarely ever smoke pot anymore, rarely ever drink & no other drugs do i use.

In summary, stick to subs. I wish i had.

 

[crestfallen]

Thanks man, that actually really helped me out. I feel like I would do the same thing by trying to chase the feeling by asking to up the methadone dose (hey, were addicts no suprise there lol jk). The nearest methadone clinic was busting my balls about getting into their program (meanwhile I am puking in the bathroom). They wanted a note from my sub doctor (who won't prescribe subutex of course) on letterhead and when I got to the doctors office, they didn't have anymore paper with the letterhead so they told me "If there is any trouble tell them to call us". The next day I go into the clinic and the nurse starts bitching about the letter not being on letterhead....long story short, it didn't happen and I refuse to go back to that clinic. Aren't they supposed to HELP those in need of relief? Not make patients in w/d jump through hoops to get it

 

[Znegative]

Maaaan when i first started it in april i was high as a motherfucker once they raised me from 25mg - still in wd, 35 - still in wd, 45 - nodding hard & feeling alot of love. Then I made the mistake of asking for another 10mg increase; at which point i told the nurses i wanted to go down again. The clinic fucked this up after i'd been on 55 for two weeks & put me up to 65 - which ive been on for two weeks now also. I no longer feel any high just mild sedation, very effective anxiolysis & slight mood lift.

However i soon regreted going on meth instead of sub 'cos i knew subs make people 'jittery' & being on a diazepam taper i can do without that so i went with methadone which i knew to be sedating. I now need to taper by 5/10mg every two weeks until i'm down to 30 so i can switch to subutex, not suboxone, i can do without that 'precipitated withdrawal' shite i hear about from those on suboxone.

Not to dissapoint you, but it's actually the buprenorphine that causes the precipitated withdrawals, so it doesn't matter whether they transition you in subutex or suboxone, either way, if you dose too soon, you run the risk of withdrawals. However I have heard many people have a very easy transition at that dose, so I wouldn't worry about that, I just wanted to clarify the point for others as well.

I think that trying to attain a full on buzz while n methadone maintenance is a futile task, and raising your dose higher and higher is probably the worst thing you can do if you want to still get some euphoria out of methadone (or any other opiate for that fact). I know for myself, at 30-40 mg a day, I can still get buzzed off of other opiates, and if I take extra methadone (which I don't recomend at all), I can also get high. However, once you're at a dose above 60mg IME it becomes impossible to catch an opiate high, and even the maintenance dose does not give the same euphoria that lower dosages do. The best thing to do is to get on just enough methadone that you feel stabalized (I.E. it holds you a whole 24 hours) and then stick with that. For some people that can be as little as 20mg, and for others it will be way more.

I think it's just important to note that past a certain point raising your dose will do nothing but increase your tolerance, and block other opiates.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Yes, the glowy feeling does go away quite quickly and then you will be feeling nothing other than it alleviating withdrawal symptoms. That's a big part of why so many people continue to use other drugs while on methadone, they aren't ready to feel "normal" and want to get high, or they still haven't dealt with their mental addiction. Methadone can be a tool but you still have to put in the work.

so i can switch to subutex, not suboxone, i can do without that 'precipitated withdrawal' shite i hear about from those on suboxone.

It's not the naloxone in Suboxone that will give you precip WDs if you switch from methadone to Subs without a few days in between, it's the buprenorphine, so Subutex will do it too. You have to get down to under 30mg of methadone a day because bupe has a ceiling effect and if you are on above 30mg of methadone a day then the bupe won't be strong enough to keep you out of withdrawals.

 

[DooMMooD]

...so i can switch to subutex, not suboxone, i can do without that 'precipitated withdrawal' shite i hear about from those on suboxone...

Just wanna point out subutex AND suboxone can give Precipitated withdrawals. Dont think you're safe b/c its subutex. Theyre effectively the same thing.

And yes the "high" goes away from methadone, pretty fast after you get stabilized.

Do i think its worth to wake up at 5AM every day and drive that much just to feel the same normal as suboxone (after that first week or two or w/e)? Absolutely not. Why would you inconvenience yourself like that for the same exact thing, that if anything is a bit harder to get off (heard m-done w/d are worse than suboxone, but I wouldn't know, just what i've heard)?

 

[needrelief]

Wow, I am considering going off fentenyl patch and vicodin because due to new legislation my pain clinic is reducing my med from 100 mcg to 25. I am so depressed just thinking about going back to being in pain and in bed. However, I had no idea I would have to go everyday. Does everyone on methadone have to do that? I currently get 2 months prescs cannot deal with going everyday?

 

[speedballs_over]

needrelief - what general area are you living in? US, UK, EU...? In the US unless it's state specific there shouldn't be any legislation that is pushing your doses down. Hydrocodone has been rescheduled, but fentanyl hasn't changed one bit, that I'm aware of... I'm just trying to keep up with the crack downs on prescribing practices as I see it a threat to HR practices, e.g., people with legit pain that switch to street scoring opioids.

Thanks, no need to be more specific than country or state if possible.

 

[Madars]

In denver for the weekend pm me please need help

 

[Cliffy78]

Wow, I am considering going off fentenyl patch and vicodin because due to new legislation my pain clinic is reducing my med from 100 mcg to 25. I am so depressed just thinking about going back to being in pain and in bed. However, I had no idea I would have to go everyday. Does everyone on methadone have to do that? I currently get 2 months prescs cannot deal with going everyday?

I think ur dr might be telling u in a backwards way that your getting phased outta treatment like many others ATM. There's no legislation that orders that certain patients should have their meds cut, not that I've heard of anyways. I've heard all the excuses from drs, "the dea is giving me a hard time"etc. IMO it's bullshit. Drs are worried about all the legislation being passed all over but they are in no way mandates to cut people's scripts that I know of. I could be wrong on this so don't quote me or anything but I've been a pain patient for a long time and been receiving opiates for a long time and this is pretty common dr bullshit that I definitely recognize.

 

[tacodude]

There's barely a high 2-6 hours in and after a week it is gone. I am at 30 after one day at 20 and noticed no big difference in the dose change and don't dare increase chasing the dragon only to end up blocking and super dependent.... 1 month of 2 mg levorphanol 2x a day with 5-6 4 mg dose leading to worse w/d than even 60 mg daily opana and 120 mg oxycotin daily.... I fear methadone w/d, which is a like compound compared with levorphanol.