Opioids methadone question

[KidNapster]

hey guys, im in need of some advice. I've gotten some opinions already but this place is the best when it comes to these kind of questions so why not ask here as well. Im currently on Suboxone and i take 8mg a day. the problem is.. i relapse constantly on heroin. I usually do around a bundle a day (or at least whenever i can). Suboxone isnt getting rid of my cravings at all and i just don't have motivation in my life. Ive tried higher and lower doses of suboxone and still no good results. I have a friend who went on methadone recently and he just stopped a heavy dope habit and said he loves methadone and that its working great for him. Hes tried Subs before too and hates them and said id like methadone. Ive never tried methadone but ive read a lot about it on these forums. One last note on this is that i know methadone can be a long lasting program to go through which i have no problem staying on for years. Also the getting up in the morning early thing and going to a clinic every day doesnt bother me either. I need it in my life for a while since ive been hooked on drugs for so long. So do you think methadone will be good for me? Do you think i can get to a dose where i feel normal and content like heroin does for me?

 

[Wsolstice95]

All I can give you is my own experience, but I struggled with heroin IV and pretty much every prescription narc out there, and now I'BS been on 130mg Methadone for 5yrs. I put myself through college, work full-time and don't/rarely crave other opiates. Also, I only have to go to my clinic 1 time every 28 days, get doses, take a piss test and pick up 27 take-home doses (10mg/ML red liquid, un-diluted until I add water before drinking it). It's great and has improved my life considerably, but I do feel chained to it as I am still opiate addicted. It works better than any other method I've tried though. I admit taking psychedelics occasionally though, but they don't interfere with my life. Try Methadone. You can always stop if it doesn't work for you.

Oh, sorry for all the typos; I'm on my phone. And yes, you can stop craving dope, feel normal/good, + not have to go every day when you earn take-home doses.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

This is an extremely common question on here. Whether Suboxone or methadone would be best for someone really depends on the individual and there are a ton of different factors to consider. One important thing though, methadone doesn't magically remove all your cravings either. Your friend probably loves it because he is new to methadone. After a couple months at a stable dose you don't feel effects from the methadone anymore, it just keeps you from going into withdrawals.

Here is a thread with some detailed info to help one choose between methadone and Suboxone: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/...-what-a-choice!!?highlight=methadone+suboxone

One last note on this is that i know methadone can be a long lasting program to go through which i have no problem staying on for years.

Staying on methadone for years is not something you should take lightly. The longer you stay on it the harder it is to quit, the worse withdrawals and PAWS are, and the longer it takes your brain and body to recover. There are detrimental effects from being on methadone for years, such as mental issues, bone loss, digestive system problems, etc. The problem is that many people do require a fairly long time on maintenance to deal with their mental addiction and make changes in their lives. But please don't think it doesn't make any difference how long you are on it or that it will be easy to taper off when you've been on it for a long time.

Try Methadone. You can always stop if it doesn't work for you.

Not necessarily. If you go above 30mg methadone a day (which most people do) you can't just switch back to Suboxone, and switching from methadone to Suboxone requires that you go sick for a few days before you can start the Suboxone.

 

[projump2001]

I have been on the done for years.. i am writing this post for one reason.. because i stopped methadone 24 hours ago.. I feel great and i think after 10 days i should be back to normal.. now with that said, i will tell you how to do it.. for one, methadone will get you away from the H. and get you past the craving and friends that come with H. two, once you get used to the new life you will be ready to come down.. so if you are on 50mg just go down 5mg every month.. once down to 5mg you should be going to the clinic once per week and get take home bottles..

now here is the important part that the clinic= (cash cow) will not tell you or do for you.. they will only go down to 1mg , so what you need to do is actually use an eye dropper for example, i was on 2mg so that was 8 drops.. you just go down to 7 drops and down to 1 drop over a month..

once you get to one drop .25mg or 250ug. you will want to dilute that with some water soon after you can stop without any problem..

Now the issue with this, is that it will take perhaps 1 year start to finish, but that is what you will need anyway to get away from the life change.. and besides, you can go to a 90 day treatment center only to come out and jump back on H.. with the methadone you will have a better success rate IMO..

now, if you want to continue using you will probably just want to stick to the H.. the methadone seems to only be good if you want to be done with this stuff..

good luck, and if it helps if never was the type to go to meetings, never have and its just not for me.. i also noticed that many of the professionals are not really of any big help..

 

[KidNapster]

Thanks Wsolstice95 and SwimmingDancer. That thread you pointed me too is very helpful.
Wsolstice95, you def give me the help and motivation (not much since im physically not).

I think i might need the MMT since this bupe isnt cutting it for me. All i know is.. i cant keep going like this which is basically an ongoing process.
use suboxone, get paid/money, get dope, when out of dope repeat process.

 

[Znegative]

I am currently on methadone, after two + years of suboxone with many relapses. Methadone is nice in that it seems to hold me better. I can dose once a day and feel fine. However, is it a miracle drug? No, not by any means. A lot of people get on methadone thinking it means getting high legally, when that really isn't the case. After a while, tolerance builds up, and the buzz fades. People offten then raise their dose to try and get that glow back, but after a while, you just don't get stoned on the stuff anymore and your suddenly hooked on an unnecessarily high dosage.

My advice, if you're going to go the methadone route, is to not raise your dosage above sixty milligrams. Honestly 30 mg can hold most people and in my experience you get more of a lift on lower dosages than you do on higher ones.

 

[projump2001]

its been 48 hours since my last dose, i feel ok.. just a bit of cold and warm flashes, but nothing that bad.. so far this is working out great.. methadone is only good if you want to circumvent major withdraws by way of going down over time..

 

[KidNapster]

Sounds good. I think i got the great info I need to make my decision which is to go on methadone. You guys have been helpful like hearing experiences that are very similar to mine like relapsing with subs and selling them jus for dope because the subs aren't cutting it and aren't helping cravings at all which leads me to wanting to try methadone. I feel I'll have more structure in my life having to wake up in the AM like a decent human being and having a drug that seems it'll suit me much better than Suboxone

 

[projump2001]

i went with methadone only because it has a long history of human use.. Buprenorphine has history too, but not anywhere near that of methadone..

 

[projump2001]

might i add.. i have been off the methadone for 60 hours give or take.. anyway, i feel fine.. i do get tired mid day and have to take a nap.. I don't feel depressed, however i do have a loss of energy, but it seems like life is more clear.. in a weird way, the natural brain chemicals cause a more vivid view of the word.. greens are more green and the sky is more blue.. Something very different is happening.. The point is that, while drugs might make you feel good, nothing can be as good as the natural chemicals that evolution has created.. do yourself a favor, start going down on the dose asap.. even if its just 1mg per month.. always be going down.. remember that.. always be going down..

 

[KidNapster]

projumper, have you been weened off by the clinic completely? basically meaning have you completed the treatment and no longer going to be getting methadone? i agree with what you are saying btw especially about its history since the 60's

 

[projump2001]

yes, i am done with the clinic.. i handed my bottles in and walked out.. i am free of all opiates at this point, i'm sure the methadone will stay in my system for 3 more days, but this is the only time in the last 7 years that i have been off methadone..

the clinic will only go as low as 1mg.. i prefer going down to .25 mg so that would have to be done on your own.. its easy because once you get take home bottles just save a small amount for future..

 

[Fire&Water]

Years ago (before I was on constant chronic pain meds') the first time I used methadone (20mg) for pain relief, I think the 'buzz'
took my mind off the pain more than anything & the lingering effects were unpleasant to say the least, (it was not too much), that was not the problem. During the same year my Doctor (when vacationing in Mexico) talked me into trying 1-2 (0.25 mg IM injections of buprenorphine, It took away the pain, boosted my spirit and did not have any ill effects whatsoever.
If I only needed occasional pain relief the choice would be undeniable.

 

[adder]

Well. I tried both drugs for maintenance and buprenorphine wasn't enough to stop all symptoms when I started tapering it down. I would have to take relatively very high doses of buprenorphine to feel all right. I earlier took methadone so I knew it helps me. I switched from bupe to methadone and I'm on methadone until now. But the problem is when I want to taper off it after using it for quite a long time. It's like I'm feeling every 1mg reduced. I would love to have stayed on buprenorphine, I wouldn't have such a hard ride now quitting totally. But I couldn't get on the program so it'd be like I would have to get both drugs from the street and buprenorphine was much more expensive.

 

[Fire&Water]

I have read in a few different places that Bupe' (treats) more successfully for patients with full pain agonist (pill) addictions
compared to diamorphine & (large) poppy pod tea addictions

 

[Znegative]

I have read in a few different places that Bupe' (treats) more successfully for patients with full pain agonist (pill) addictions
compared to diamorphine & (large) poppy pod tea addictions

I've read similar things about bupe being better for pills, but it really doesnt make sense that suboxone/subutex would work worse for diamorphine. Heroin is really not that strong of an opiate compared to drugs like oxymorphone or fentanyl. If people that are shooting dilaudid can feel reliefe from bupe, than most heroin users should too. The only case in which bupe would be innefective would be when someone has such a huge habit for heroin (or a different, more potent opioid), that suboxone's peak agonist effect would not be nearly enough to relieve withdrawals. I've had heroin habits which I would consider relatively large and suboxone would always get me straight. The only time where I felt that methadone would have been a better option was when I was shooting oxymorphone-I actually tried to get on a methadone program when I ran out, but I had to wait a day to get dosed which was something I was not willing to do, since I was completely broke. I ended up using the suboxone and I found that it relieved only 25% of the withdrawal symptoms and was in utter missery for about ten days.

 

[Fire&Water]

I agree... It does not make sense in alot of cases.
Many times the term 'intravenous' has been included in the statements of people claiming bupe' has little relief effect

 

[projump2001]

i was paying $35 per week for the methadone.. however at 2mg per bottle, i was paying to much.. a week ago they gave me a letter that said i would need to update them on my income level.. i was so worried about paying $90 per week i just said F*(* it.. its now or never, so i sucked it up and went down to .25 and stopped.. today i am ok, i am sweating, i dont feel great, my back aches.. but i love that i am not on this stuff.. I actually like it, in a sick twisted way..

 

[Fire&Water]

Wow, that is high !!
Capitalism at its worst ?

 

[sl1p609]

i was on 30 mgs and i was using 2 bundles a day, now they tapered me down to 15mgs / 17.5 and its still working they taper me off 2.5mgs every 15 days so i know you can do it if i was so dope sick i couldn't get out of bed. try to excersie get those endorphins up yo

sl1p609

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