Methadone, Bupe and gasp Codeine!

[Stiffeno]

Just went and seen my GP and he gave me a Methadone treatment referral (even though i was already accepted on paper), and also got given a referral letter to a pain management clinic...horribly enough though its THE SAME clinic i was fucked over with last time (where the paperwork was screwed so i never got to see a doctor months ago!) i swear they better not screw me over again or im flat out never going back to my GP again!

I finally told my mother that im being put onto Methadone (she always calls those Methamphetamine users (you know the ones that are 20 and look 50 and have droppy faces!) "Methadone Junkies", she is very drug ignorant!)...my mother as very low respect for drug users (even though Methadone users are RECOVERING not just junkies) so hearing that im to be switched over to it she wasnt too pleased, but in the end she has accepted it. I explained to her that the amount of Bupe im on now is stupidly strong too, just i can take less equivilant drug (in Methadone as compared to Bupe) and get a better effect due to it being a Full agonist...i think she understood what i was sayin

Offtopic: Im also having a mole removed from my gut next week as it has a couple of dark brown/black spots on it (doesnt look fully cancerus but possibly turning)...i wanted the GP to remove it today but the bastard is lazy and said on Monday -_-!

 

[Stiffeno]

Yesterday was my "drug free day" in preparation for starting Methadone today. For the most part yesterday wasnt too bad, though at about 1pm i had to go lay down for 3 hours coz i got a massive backache which pulsated to my gut and made me feel so damn sick to my stomach! I was actually laying in the fetal position for quite a while. It subsided a few hours later which was good!

Ok today i went for my first dose of Methadone (30mg), i got there after walking in the sun for ages while traveling to the clinic! I got there and nearly collapsed from the heat! Anyways they asked if i could provide a urine sample to which i agreed. However after trying for about 10mins i couldnt go, due to the fact that i had went to the toilet before i left home...that and its hard to go when you know someone is watching you =/. Anyways they let me pass on the test due to a rule stating that a person i allowed to refuse the 1st test...though i didnt technically refuse i just physically couldnt go =/

So they told me tomorrow they are gunna do th test, so be prepared and try not to go to toilet before getting there...this is gunna be difficult though since it takes a good hour of travel to get to the clinic due to be taking public transport, so what i might do is see if my mum or nan can drive me to the clinic, so i dont piss myself on the way LOL.

Its been about 45mins since i took the Methadone but so far i cannot feel any effect (im sure it takes a while to kick in like the Bupe)...so ill see how i go today

Edit: When they gave me the cup of the Methadone there was such a small little amount of it lol, when i was on bupe dosing at my local chemist i seen the Methadone users come in and get like 1/3rd of a cup of the stuff, that must have been a huge bloody dose since my little 30mg looked pissant to it O_O

Edit 2: And the smell and taste of it was wierd, it sorta reminded me of something i smelt while working building pool tables, some kinda lacker or spirit mixed with the paint...cannot quite place my finger on it though =/

Edit 3: Just watched Trainspotting for the first time, great drug related movie :D, though the baby dying scene was kinda mentally scarring =/

Offtopic: Bloody cannot get the mole removed today coz i had to get my nan to drive me there, and she was busy so i had to change the appointment to 5:30pm, but the doctor doesnt do any surgeries after 5pm so now i gotta wait till tomorrow -_- ffs!

 

[Stiffeno]

Well its been about 8 hours and the Methadone didnt seem to do anything =/, maybe the dose is too low? I was expecting to feel...well anything =/

I mean ive heard so many different opinions about Methadone but i didnt think i would feel literally nothing lol

 

[Crankinit]

30m is a pretty mild dose, I would have been surprised if you felt much from it.

 

[Subtext]

If you don't feel sick then you're feeling something. Also sub has a long half life so there may still be some in your system.

 

[Stiffeno]

If you don't feel sick then you're feeling something. Also sub has a long half life so there may still be some in your system.

How long is the half-life of sub? coz on Saturday i took 32mg, then on Sunday i took nothing, then on Monday they started me on the Methadone.

Just got back from the clinic, my god i feel so disgusting and sweating coz its like a billion degrees outside...by the time i get to the clinic i feel horrible, clothes all sticking to my skin, feeling all icky....

Today i had to give my urine sample since i couldnt go yesterday, anyways i wake up in the morning and im busting to go to the toilet...but i cant coz then i wouldnt be able to go at the clinic. So im about to leave when i realize ive got ZERO money for a train fare and my mum was at work so i couldnt borrow any! Also my train was due in the next 15mins...so i start panicking coz i feel like im gunna piss myself, and if i dont find cash by the time the train is due ima have to wait 20-30mins for the next one...all while nearly pissing myself!

Anyways i end up tearing my room apart in panic, i finally grab a couple of blu-ray movies so i could pawn them for train fare money. But before i left my sister gave me her keycard to borrow some cash (thank god). Well i managed to run non stop to the train station and got on the train JUST in time. 15min further walking and im at the clinic...one of the guys let me go before him coz he needed to do a urine test but still couldnt go, so he was drinking water and waiting! I get into the toilet and they open the little magicmirror window in the cubical and hand me the piss cup (they actually watch you go threw the magicmirror glass)....i pull down me pants and....NOTHING, i couldnt fucking piss knowing someone was watching me -_-.

After trying to piss for 5mins or so i desided to sit down and give it a go, it managed to un-tense my muscles and i was able to (barely) sqeeze out enough urine for the bloody test! I could not believe that while busting to do a piss i couldnt go...i was even forcing so hard i hurt my gizzards! Gave them the cup threw the window and left the toilet, got my dose and started the long HOT trip home!

 

[ayjay]

Edit: When they gave me the cup of the Methadone there was such a small little amount of it lol, when i was on bupe dosing at my local chemist i seen the Methadone users come in and get like 1/3rd of a cup of the stuff, that must have been a huge bloody dose since my little 30mg looked pissant to it O_O

Doses are usually diluted to 100ml or so. 30mg of methadone syrup or biodone is just 6ml (a bit more than 1 teaspoon).

 

[Stiffeno]

Doses are usually diluted to 100ml or so. 30mg of methadone syrup or biodone is just 6ml (a bit more than 1 teaspoon).

The guys who had the massive doses didnt have it mixed with anything, coz the colour was exactly like my Methadone...which i mix with a little bit of water

 

[Subtext]

How long is the half-life of sub? coz on Saturday i took 32mg, then on Sunday i took nothing, then on Monday they started me on the Methadone.

TBH I'm not totally sure but I think its 18hrs. There's a great graph somewhere on bluelight showing time vs amount of sub in your system but buggered if I remember where, and cos I'm on my phone I can't be arsed finding it - maybe a mod could help me here;-)

Ain't this heat a bitch? We should all move to Tassie where poppies grow in abundance!

 

[Stiffeno]

Today is the first day i have felt somewhat sick, it seems the sickness is starting to creep up on me. Woke up in the morning with a gut ache that felt kinda like hunger pains...but i wasnt actually hungry! This last a few hours but seems to be easing off a little now that i got my Methadone dose.

Thankfully tomorrow i get to see my doctor and i can explain this stuff to him. Im wondering though, should i go and get my dose BEFORE seeing the doctor? or should i not take it till after i see him incase he up's the dose? My appointment is at 3pm and i think they close the clinic at 3:30 or 4...not sure exactly!

 

[Stiffeno]

Woke up sick again today -_-, i see my doctor in a couple of hours so i will speak to him about it!

 

[Stiffeno]

Well just seen my doctor for all the good it did, i was certain he was gunna up my dose so it would actually work but no....due to me being "a young man with his life ahead of him" they are going to stabilize me on 30mg of Methadone...yes thats right they are NEVER going to up my dose. And no i didnt actually ask to be upped, but given how im feeling i thought they would. I explained to the doctor how for the last few days ive been getting sicker and sicker, to which he said "You were on the maximum dose of Bupe, you will be getting some sickness symptoms over the next 2-4 weeks while the methadone takes affect!"....err how am i gunna get stable on 30mg when its not even enough to cover the bupe i was taking before.

The doctor actually said to me "32mg of bupe is equal to 30mg of Methadone".....err why do i have a feeling he just flat out lied to me? If the dose was equal i wouldnt be getting sick...

I nearly wanted to smack the doctor in the face coz he kept mentioning me age and being "a young man"....im 5 years from 30....i aint THAT fucking young ffs!

No way in hell am i gunna be able to last 2-4 weeks of this, getting worse and worse each day...hell at least the Bupe actually stopped the sickness aspect of it. REALLY losing patience with this new doctor!

 

[footscrazy]

Maintenance opies def aren't my main area of knowledge but I don't think you're going to get worse and worse each day for another 2-4 weeks. I don't think it's a matter of 'waiting til the methadone takes effect' but rather, waiting til your tolerance has dropped and is stable with a lower level of opiates. I don't know how long that'll take, but regardless, you're not going to experience the full force of withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can clear all that up.

It's a pity you've seen this doc second because he sounds a lot more rational than your bupe doc, but it's come too late. If only you'd been started on a reasonable dose this pain and suffering could have been avoided (or, even better, you'd been supported in getting off the far milder codeine). Really, you should be angry at the first doc for helping you get into this mess to begin with.

 

[Christ!]

Hold out Stiffeno! Adjusting to methadone takes some time coming from bupe. Just give it a few weeks Keep seeing your doc and be honest with him. The methadone will slowly be building up in your system day after day....it might get a little worse for a while, but then you'll find it gets better and better everyday.

This new doctor sounds great, and he's doing you a huge favour. He's right you're still a young man (same age as me) we still have heaps of life in front of us. Way too much to get caught up in this BS opiate addictions.

All you can do is try your best to manage, the main thing would be to at least give it a go...your doctor probably wants to see this. If you're in horrendous agony and can't stand it anymore 2 weeks from now, go tell your doc you think you need a bump.

Sound do-able? Or not?

Things will be easier when you have a lower tolerance. You'll have more options...for example if you get in a car accident and need pain relief badly - you'll actually be able to get it. While on 32mg of bupe your chances of adequate pain management after a serious accident would be very low.

Something tells me you've got some other stuff to work out as well. Maybe see a good therapist if you haven't already? Your story seems to roughly like this - got a small codeine addiction, you broke up with your GF, you got on huge amount of bupe, and now you don't mind being an opiate addict? I know pain issues are mixed in there but not sure how strongly.

Thanks for continuing to post your trials and tribulations.

 

[Stiffeno]

Well so far the sickness ive gotten is tolerable, and i will try my hardest to stay on track and follow the doctors directions. The doctor also said that once i see someone from the pain clinic, that if they suggest a treatment/med to go on, that they will switch me off Methadone onto the new treatment (if there is one). Doctor said that he is not willing to let me stay on Methadone for life, and that he will allow 6-12 months of Methadone scripts to get my issues sorted. Ive told him my plans to go back to TAFE and study computer hardware engineering (building and repairing pcs) at the start of next year...i actually looked into it a few months back but all courses were closed till next year.

In the next few days im going to call the pain clinic and setup the interview and take my referral letter from my GP. Im a little worried though coz this clinic is the very same one where i was screwed over months ago and never got to see anyone due to paperwork fuckups (exact same doctor too!)...so im a little worried!

As you said if i get extremely sick i will tell my doctor that i might need a bump in dosage. I can manage right now, but if it does indeed get worse over the coming weeks as it has the last few days, ill defo be suggesting a bump up!

I will as always continue to post all the details of my situation to possibly help someone else in the future . Heck ill even post the results of the mole biopsy next Wednesday (hopefully its not cancerous). I actualy have a few black (small) freckles that need removing from my back...these ones (while more then likely not cancerous due to such small size) worry me coz if they were...say...Melanoma it would explain my constant back pain, though im pretty sure they are benign!

Edit: The pain issue definitely is mixed in there, in fact it is what started my entire downward spiral. I got hooked on drugs to stop the pain, lost my gf due to the drugs...and so forth! If the pain can be managed or possibly even eliminated that would be the best thing ever...as it is the root of the entire problem . Its been so long that ive lived with the pain so im not sure if it can be eliminated entirely, or weather i have to manage it for life....

Offtopic: These damn stitches in my gut are itching like mad lol, 6 days till i can get em out!

Edit: Oh the doctor weighed me today too, and i came in at 76.6 kilo...though i was wearing shoes and had keys, ipod touch, wallet and change in my pocket (and was a little wet from rain) and take maybe 1.6 kilo off for all that stuff? and im at 75 kilo, which is good coz last i check a month ago i was 72 kilo, so once again ive gained more weight :D...which is a good thing coz for 6 years straight i was 62-64 kilo. Got onto Suboxone and flew up to 71-72 kilo...now im 75 (76.6 with clothes an shit) :D

 

[Stiffeno]

Just had my 5th dose, today i woke up not really feeling all that sick..though as the day went on a got a bit sick in my gut but its nothing too bad, nothing i cant handle . Also for the first time in years i actually caught the bus home, was sooo damn relaxing, beats walking in the sun for 40mins. Though i must admit when the bus took a detour into an area id never been in before i got a little worried thinking i got on the wrong bus...but turns out it was just part of the route . It dropped me off at a bus stop RIGHT up the ally from my place, literally a 30 second walk away haha it was awesome

 

[Stiffeno]

I dunno how much longer im going to stay with this new doctor and Methadone, ive been thinking a lot and im just really unhappy with the situation. I was under the impression that i would be switched onto Methadone...over a week or 2 my dose would be raised/lowered/altered until i was on a comfortable dose, but as it is my doctor is basically just going to keep me on only 30mg...and just make me sicker and sicker until my tolerance lowers, and im just not willing to deal with it.

Im sick every day, im still getting cravings and im frustrated ALL the time, and the fact that my doctor is unwilling to alter my dose EVER, im just not willing to put up with this lousy 30mg. At least with the Bupe i wasnt getting sick, ive been worse since starting on Methadone! I feel shit all the time and pissed off all the time!

I obviously cant go back onto Codeine coz my tolerance is super high now, so ill probably just take something else...

Ive been miserable since switching onto Methadone, 30mg is NOT enough!

Edit: Also its clear that due to my age they are just going to screw me over, they should have looked past my age and given me the treatment i need. Now thanks to them im going back on some other drug again...
I dont know what im going to take, but im gunna find something that helps with my pain and just keep taking it while it helps, these doctors are a waste of my time!

Edit 2: My sisters bf knows a guy who works in a chemist, he use to hook me up with large amounts of Panafen Plus pills, i think i might speak to him and see if he can get somthing like Hyrocodone or Oxy....then just stop the Methadone...wait till the Withdrawals are getting bad and just use the Oxy or something...

 

[Subtext]

I started on 30mg of 'done for a H habit which kept me comfy but unfortunately 32mg of bupe afaik does not equal 30 of done. I went from 30 of done to 12 of bupe so you do prob need more to feel good right now however if you can just be strong and do as your doc says 30mg will be ok soon. Maybe say 'can I just increase it to 37?' if things become unbearable.

Don't start taking other opiates, you'll just compound your problems.

Anyway I really hope you get to a place where you're comfortable on prescribed opiates soon Stiffeno!

 

[Stiffeno]

I started on 30mg of 'done for a H habit which kept me comfy but unfortunately 32mg of bupe afaik does not equal 30 of done. I went from 30 of done to 12 of bupe so you do prob need more to feel good right now however if you can just be strong and do as your doc says 30mg will be ok soon. Maybe say 'can I just increase it to 37?' if things become unbearable.

Don't start taking other opiates, you'll just compound your problems.

Anyway I really hope you get to a place where you're comfortable on prescribed opiates soon Stiffeno!

Just told my mother that im getting off the Methadone and just gunna get what my sisters bg's mates can get for me. She is pissed off, even suggesting that i "go back on Suboxone" but i told her at this point i need something that will work. I explained to her that while Methadone and Suboxone are "prescribed" they are still dangerous and addictive...and the doctors arent willing to comprimise in terms of my dose!

Actually my mother has said if i do take the new stuff she is kicking me out but i honestly dont give a fuck about her threats, if i can stop taking the Meth, wait till im withdrawing and start taking Oxycodone or something then it will help my pain.

Edit: But im not going to stop the Methadone till i know i can get a supply naturally...

Edit 2: Im just sick of going to the various clinics, and getting urine tested to prove myself "worthy" of their service...that might be true if i was actually getting what i needed! But as is its a farse!

 

[footscrazy]

How do you suppose you're going to be able to support an oxy or smack habit?