Eva 33
Bluelighter
For chronic pain, my pain doc is currently prescribing me 64 mg. Exalgo (long-acting dilaudid) per day. I could go even higher, but I choose to keep it at 64 mg., due to side effects. I know that 64 mg. Exalgo is a pretty high dose, but that's what it takes to get my severe pain under control.
As an experiment, my pain doc asked me to try methadone. Actually, I was the one who asked my doc, due to financial reasons, and methadone is very cheap.
I wondered what the comparable methadone dose is to 64 mg. Exalgo might be? I've also been on 360 mg. Avinza (long-acting morphine) if that might be an easier conversion.
I tried to look up the opioid conversion chart, but they've taken down the conversion to methadone, claiming that methadone is really different from other opioids and therefore cannot be included in the conversion chart. My pain doc said something similar.
I am really curious to know at least approximately how much methadone I would need to convert from 64 mg. Exalgo or 360 mg. morphine daily. If anyone can help me with this, thanks in advance.
Yes, the mod was correct that I had no reason to fear methadone, with my tolerance to opiates. He was also correct that the dose was so low it was kind of ridiculous, given my tolerance to opiates. My doc prescribed a maximum of 30 mg. methadone per day, which is not cutting my pain hardly at all. I don't know if my doc is starting slow and steady or what. I don't see my doc for another 8 weeks. I'm not totally suffering, though, because I'm allowed to take my Exalgo along with the methadone.
If I do end up having to switch to methadone, I want to make sure that my pain relief doesn't get short-changed. My pain doc has always been very sympathetic to my pain, but perhaps he's being extra cautious with methadone, due to the warnings and the stigma. It would be very helpful to have some sort of a conversion number in my head when I next see my doc. Thanks again!
As an experiment, my pain doc asked me to try methadone. Actually, I was the one who asked my doc, due to financial reasons, and methadone is very cheap.
I wondered what the comparable methadone dose is to 64 mg. Exalgo might be? I've also been on 360 mg. Avinza (long-acting morphine) if that might be an easier conversion.
I tried to look up the opioid conversion chart, but they've taken down the conversion to methadone, claiming that methadone is really different from other opioids and therefore cannot be included in the conversion chart. My pain doc said something similar.
I am really curious to know at least approximately how much methadone I would need to convert from 64 mg. Exalgo or 360 mg. morphine daily. If anyone can help me with this, thanks in advance.
Yes, the mod was correct that I had no reason to fear methadone, with my tolerance to opiates. He was also correct that the dose was so low it was kind of ridiculous, given my tolerance to opiates. My doc prescribed a maximum of 30 mg. methadone per day, which is not cutting my pain hardly at all. I don't know if my doc is starting slow and steady or what. I don't see my doc for another 8 weeks. I'm not totally suffering, though, because I'm allowed to take my Exalgo along with the methadone.
If I do end up having to switch to methadone, I want to make sure that my pain relief doesn't get short-changed. My pain doc has always been very sympathetic to my pain, but perhaps he's being extra cautious with methadone, due to the warnings and the stigma. It would be very helpful to have some sort of a conversion number in my head when I next see my doc. Thanks again!
