Opioids Methadone and benzos

[dhcdavid]

Hiya OD peeps (and any other BL peeps visiting OD who could help me out here.....)

I'm rxed 75mg of methadone hcl daily for chronic artritic pain.

The last time I had benzos to mix with my methadone (that time, bromazepam, lorazepam and clonazepam) I had ablast but this time (5 months later, duing which time I haven't even touched any benzos but have continued with the methadone) I have a number of xanax 1mg tabs and clonazepam 2mg tabs.

I know there's alway a risk mixing benzos with methadone (and I definitely won't be bringing in booze to the mix) but could anyone out there currently reading this, with experience of mixing k'pins and xanax with the 'done, give me some pointers?

Is it safer to mix k'pins or xanax with methadone - or, indeed, is there no real difference?

Also, is the high worth it from mixing k'pins AND xanax with methadone or would it be a wasted high? Any experience from anyone?

Finally, if mixing anyone the aforementioend benzos (xanax and k'pins) with methadone would it be wise and reduce the doesages of the methadone and/or the doesages of k'pine and /or xanax?

Currently I'm on 110mg of methadone and 2mg xanx and starting to feel magic.

AMY thoughts, guidance or advice would be GREATLY appreceated as I love benzos and having taken so long to get hold of some again (they're super difficult to get hold of in the Uk without the aid of IOPs) and now finally have them in my hands I, not unsurprisingly, really want to get stuck in.

However. having only been on the methadone since Christmas 2007 - I'm still very much in the initail phase of lerning about the drug and how it works and its positive and negative interractions with ohter drugs: namely other opioids and benzos such as k'pins and xanx.

PLEASE folks, if you're reading this and think you know something that could help me have fun and stay alive then please do share it with me - all advice is greatly received.
]
None of these questions I feel comfortable asking my Doctor, or friends and I know there's just such a wealth of knowledge amonsgt the users on BL that I I hope maybe that someone reading this could offer me some expert advice to how to help me modify my behaviours and have fun and stay alive for many years to come.

Many thanks,

Peace,

David
David x

 

[DeadheadChemistry]

Makes sure you don't take more Xanax than normal when you are on Methadone, they don't mix well. It's a really good high, but the mixture of benzos and opiates are probably one of, if not THE riskiest combinations. I've OD'ed twice from that combination and both times I just fell asleep and didn't wake up till the ambulance narcon'ed me. To me it if you are on too much methadone it seems like a waste because I always just fall asleep after I take the xanax and don't even get to enjoy the high, but if you are out doing something and not staying still it can be very enjoyable and euphoric, however, know your limits. Pushing your limit to get a better high is the reason opiate users OD, eventually the only way to get high is to bring yourself to the brink of death and just hope you didn't take 1 xanax too many, or 10mg too much extra methadone.

 

[dhcdavid]

Mant thnaks DeadheadChemistry, I liked your line about "eventually, the only way to get high is to bring yourself to the brink of death and just hope you didn't take 1 xanax too many or 10mg too much extra methadone". Spot on. Spot on.

I actually scared the shit out of myself yesterday when I had 125mg methadone (I've had up to 150 in a day before) and for several hours I had real prblems breathing easily and I was trying really hard not panic - you know how it is, you HAVE to keep your fear and emotions in check at times like that but ic can be real tricky when you KNOW that you've taken enough of substance x to kill yourself on a bad day but yet the chacnes are you'll be OK but you can never be sure.

And I live in a rural area, a minimum hour's drive from the nearest ER dept.

But do I change my ways? Sadly no.

 

[bingey]

Yes methadone has some pretty bad respiratory depression on itself

id say never take more than half the usual dose of benzos

 

[pinpoint]

in the name of harm reduction, i cannot reccomend mixing any amount of methadone with any amount of benzos. it is a leading cause of death when it comes to polydrug use. so again, do not mix the two unless you are prescribed it under the care of a doctor who knows about all the medications you are on.

 

[Nickatina]

IME the best benzos to go with methadone are the ones with short half lives, so xanax is probably the better benzo over k-pins. However, the klonopin might be good to take with the xanax only because it does last longer and considering the long half-life of methadone it will keep you going for longer. As everyone else has said I cannot endorse this because it is so dangerous, but if you are going to do it anyway just start low on the methadone in proportion to your benzo dosages. You can always take more pills if you aren't twisted but you can't take less if you OD.

And don't get cocky, benzos can make you do that and can lead to bad decisions as far as dosing is concerned. I was on 70mg methadone and 4mg xanax for a while and it was good and decided to take a lot of benzos before I took the done. I ended up dosing over 200mg and about 20mg of xanax, by all accounts I should have been dead if I didn't puke all over my bathroom before it was too late. So lay out your dose before you get high and don't take more.

 

[browntar]

dhcdavid, is the dhc dihydrocodeine?

If you're on 75mg meth then your tolerance will be huge man. I was on 80mg & would regularly do many times that 'til I learned that it didn't make me 3* or 5* higher etc. Don't waste your methadone by dosing up.

One thing I learned with benzos is that they're the easist thing to do too much of coz the high isn't really a high it's more of a state. So don't start chasing a high that's at the end of a rainbow. Benzos and methadone aren't a speedball.

 

[clonazepom]

I know methadone and bupre/subuxone isnt the same thing (even close?) anyway, I took my first opiate (1-2mg) subuxone on top of 1000mg+ lyrica and 12mg clonazepam... not long after I had snorted the subuxone line I fell a sleep and woke up 6 hours later vomiting (but managed to fall back sleep before actually vomiting) then later the next day I just kept passing out and feel like throwing up everytime I get up. its now finally getting better.

Did I have close call or just plain too much subuxone without danger?

 

[Naptown Wicked]

the high isn't really a high it's more of a state.

QFT. dunno how many times I've taken A LOT of xannies thinking I wasn't "high" then just past out and missed the whole party or whatever was going on at the time, then the next day I'm all bummed out that I missed everything!!

 

[DeadheadChemistry]

I know methadone and bupre/subuxone isnt the same thing (even close?) anyway, I took my first opiate (1-2mg) subuxone on top of 1000mg+ lyrica and 12mg clonazepam... not long after I had snorted the subuxone line I fell a sleep and woke up 6 hours later vomiting (but managed to fall back sleep before actually vomiting) then later the next day I just kept passing out and feel like throwing up everytime I get up. its now finally getting better.

Did I have close call or just plain too much subuxone without danger?

No they really aren't even close except that they are both used for opiate addiction. Methadone is far more harmful, addictive, and powerful than suboxone. Having been prescribed both for my addiction, I can say that with suboxone no matter how much I took I couldn't get that floating in the clouds opiate feeling, but with Methadone I was able to get there for about a year before I was on 100mg a day and could double or triple my dose and still feel nothing, just fall asleep. I gave my friend a very small amount of Suboxone one time and he had the same reaction as you, but he turned really pale and had to go to the emergency room. Suboxone can definently be dangerous, as you obviously found out yourself, you definently OD'ed, adding the benzos on top of it certainly added to it. If that was your first experience with opiates and you combined with that dose of benzos you're lucky you woke up at all.

 

[phatass]

start low on the benzos, then work your way up, at some point you'll start to just get tired when u combine the two, thats imo when you've taken too much benzos with ur done...

 

[ranunky]

If you're going to take either, go with the Xanax, it's shorter half life makes the dosing a little easier to control. And as phatass said, take the xanax in small increments until you feel good.

 

[DCBAe]

Hiya OD peeps (and any other BL peeps visiting OD who could help me out here.....)

I'm rxed 75mg of methadone hcl daily for chronic artritic pain.

...
David x

I also have been diagnosed with chronic artitic pain and i have pain all over my body joints..
I'm prescribed 130mgs of methadone for heroin addiction, should i convince my doc to change my dose or take it 2 or 3 times instead of just 1 time daily?

Did you take other things before methadone? How were you put on methadone and does it really help? for me it only helps for about 6 to 8 hours ..

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I know methadone and bupre/subuxone isnt the same thing (even close?) anyway, I took my first opiate (1-2mg) subuxone on top of 1000mg+ lyrica and 12mg clonazepam... not long after I had snorted the subuxone line I fell a sleep and woke up 6 hours later vomiting (but managed to fall back sleep before actually vomiting) then later the next day I just kept passing out and feel like throwing up everytime I get up. its now finally getting better.

Did I have close call or just plain too much subuxone without danger?

You took 12mg clonazepam and took suboxone. That's your problem. You cannot take a lot of benzos + suboxone and expect to be OK. You need to heed warnings people give you.

If you didn't do any research before just randomly downing drugs, maybe you needed a wake up call like this.

If that was your first experience with opiates and you combined with that dose of benzos you're lucky you woke up at all.

 

[Mickey Munday]

Not sure why anyone would want to ruin a great Opiate buzz with sleepy benzos. I have mixed them in the past and I never really found it to be that enjoyable, unless simply falling into a very deep deep sleep is your iea of enjoyable.

My advice is stick with one or the other, especially in light of the adverse respiratory effects associated with both groups.

Just my 2 cents ...

 

[thelung]

Just like everyone else said be really careful and don't take too high of a dose of benzo.

Methadone + Benzo use is huge @ my MMT clinic - i'd say 75% of the patients regularly consume benzos along with their daily MMT dose. It is a very dangerous situation and can be a deadly one if you aren't cautious.

 

[dhcdavid]

I also have been diagnosed with chronic artitic pain and i have pain all over my body joints..
I'm prescribed 130mgs of methadone for heroin addiction, should i convince my doc to change my dose or take it 2 or 3 times instead of just 1 time daily?

Did you take other things before methadone? How were you put on methadone and does it really help? for me it only helps for about 6 to 8 hours ..

Firstly then, I extend my profound sympathy for your arthritic pain - IME most folk (including doctors) are far more likely to underestimate/ undervalue the levels of pain you're in and that it's by no means a simple disease to treat.......especially if you're under 45 years old.

If you were getting prescribed methadone for chronic pain then you'd almost definitely be prescribed it to be taken 3 to 4 times daily for the simple reason that methadone's analgesic (painkilling) properties only actually last 6 to 8 hours max........ despite the fact that due to its ridiculously long length of action for other things (such as staving off opioid withdrawals) methadone is easily "active" in one's body for anywhere from 24 up to 48, even 72 hours in some folks......... which is the main reason why it kills so many people and why doctors are usually somewhat reluctant to prescribe it to chronic pain patients: the truth being that other drugs such as fentanyl in duragesic patches are just as effective as analgesic drugs for chronic pain patients, only need to be applied once every 72 hours and - here thinking specifically about Duragesic "DTrans" Matrix Patches - are far less abusable than methadone hcl in 5mg or 10mg tablet from which is how chronic pain patients get methadone given to them..... none of this drinking your dose at a clinic BS.

As for your other questions, of course I was on other things before and during my period of being prescribed methadone: I'd been seeing doctors for 10 years before I was put on methadone and during that time I went from paracetamol and ibuprofen for the pain to low dose codeine and paracetamol, then pure codeine 30mg tabs, then ever increasing amounts of dihydrocodeine (both instant release and extended release tabs), then tramadol, then tramadol and dihydrocodeine, eventually after 9 years I was placed on low dose fentanyl (12.5mcg/hr), then slightly higher dose fentanyl (25mcg/hr patches) and then I was sent to see the Pain Managent Consultant by my GP who was scared about prescribed fentanyl to such a young man (I was 30 then).

And in addition to painkillers, during the course of my treatment for ankylosing spondilitis (my particualr strain of arthritis) I've taken daily doses - and stilll do - of NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) whichare always prescribed in conjunction with classic painkillers, of the non-opioid and opioid ones alike. Here are the ones I remember: naproxyn, meloxican, vioxx, indomethacin and these days I take etoricoxcib.

Of course, daily intake of high dose NSAIDS cause no ends of gastric problems (including stomach ulcers, dreadful heartburn and, if one is really unlucky, liver disease and death) so I have also been taking omeprazole to help with any stomach probs caused by the delightfully useless NSAIDs.

That Pain Consultant was a massive fan of methadone for chronic pain
(due to its phenomenally good painkilling properties), its bargain-basement price and its fairly low profile for abuse. Before you know where I was I was on 75mg daily, split into 3 doses.

Cutting a long story short, unless you have been being treated for your arthritis specifically (and have X-Rays, MRIs, CAT Scans etc) for a long time and have shown a clear willingness to try ALL non-opioid pain relieving techniques and medications (including all those NSAIDs I listed - although that list is nowhere near exhaustive - but also massage, physiotherapy, your own daily regime of exercises, along with regular exercise such as swimming and walking) then it is highly unlikely that your Doctor will allow you to take your daily methadone dose in 3 lots, whic would almost definitely mean you'd then need it in pill form and be trusted with 2 weeks or a months worth at a time.

The words "narcotic addict" on your medical records will likely make it very difficult to receive adequate analgesic medical care for your arthritis and I really do wish you luck.

Apols for the length of this post but it's 5.30am and I have sever iritis in my left eye and so can't sleep. Happy days all round folks, eh?

 

[NJDOKE]

I go to a methadone clinic in new jersey. im on 120mg everyday. Im 30 years old now and have been using H and going to clinics for about as long as Ive been legal. I go to the clinic once a month and pick up my monthly methadone in one shot. I recently went to see a doctor and was talking to him about taking xanax for legit reasons. I am going to talk to my counceler before taking but wanted to throw the question out there. If a Dr prescribes me xanax can I take them and still have no problems at the clinic. PS im not going to abuse them just take them as prescribed.

 

[punchednthenose]

sereiously just take kpins. IT IS A MUCH MILDER BUZZ AND WON'T KNOCK YOU OUT!!!

 

[mzjralynn]

i've been on methadone for a year now, I hade a HUGE Vicodin problem. Anywhere from 30 to 60 a day for 5 years. So there is no mistaking I AM A PILL POPPER, but hey, it is what it is. Just recently though I started mixing benzos with it. Anything VALIUJM, KOLNOPIN, MOSTLY XANAX THOUGH. sO i DOSE THE METHADONE IN THE MORNING AND START "RELAXING" AT ABOU 12 NOON so by one oclock I'm pretty mellow with 1 mg on board. Couple hours later I'll pop maybe another 1mg, and then around 8 or 9 pop another 1 to 2 mg. So far my experience has been lovely. No anxiety, no yelling and frusttraion. No picky or demanding or tears. So to the original post I think if you take it easy and pace yourself you might b OK but I am no doctor and as I said from the beg. I AM A PILL POPPER. Not proud just not in denial. Good luck. mostly I tell people, like a hypocrite...STICK TO THE GREEN NATURAL STUFF.