Dr has me on oxy for methadone withdrawals, its not working, need advice

[mrs_brownstone]

Any advice is appreciated...The deal is that I need to get clean STAT, free of all opiates. My habit was never TOO bad and for the past couple months I've been going to the methadone clinic and doing ok at 40mg daily. The place was real strict though, I missed some meetings and BOOM- discharged. No other openings anywhere else for at least a few weeks. Got sick as hell, had no money to get well, ended up begging my mom for help. She is hooking me up with a suboxone doctor but nobody has any openings until Monday (it's Friday now) and I need to get through the weekend. My family doctor knows everything that is going on and wrote me a script today for 20mg oxycontin a day for 3 days and told me this would prevent me from withdrawing. Well, its not working and I am withdrawing pretty hard. The Dr is gone for the weekend, I have no money, and the only thing I have to get me through until Monday are 5 10mg oxy's and a bunch of vitamins but this pain is freakin unbearable and I don't think I can even make it another hour.

I realize that this Dr did not give me the correct dose and I have seen all the conversion charts, but according to him "You can't believe anything on the internet" and he has treated plenty of people with worst habits with 20mg oxy a day and they were fine. Well I'm not. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? I have like 10 bucks to my name and was contemplating getting a bottle of whiskey but I know from the methadone clinic they tell you that alcohol eats up the methadone and makes it not last as long. So is that true for oxycontin too? REALLY trying to be good here and not buy something for $10 off the street (and then be sick again in a couple hours) so any suggestions or ideas on how to ease these W/D's (certain foods, alcohol, weird things I may not think of on my own etc) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

P.S. I know an obvious answer might be to "upgrade" the oxy's for something better off the street but that is not really an option, they sell heroin on all the corners out here 24/7 and no one is looking for any pills when they get the real deal for the same price!

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Perhaps your doctor was treating people with small heroin habits with oxycodone, not people who have been dependent on methadone for months? Or he is just trying to give you the absolute minimum and doesn't believe you about your withdrawals because he views you as drug-seeking.

If you can't see any doctors until Monday, then your options would be to:
a) try to bear the withdrawals - the oxy is better than nothing and it's only a couple days
b) use something to potentiate the oxy
c) take the oxy by another ROA such as rectally (anyone know if that provides stronger effects than oral?)
d) use non-opioid meds to help with the withdrawals
e) obtain meds illicitly
f) some combination of the above.

Don't drink alcohol, that can just make the oxy wear off faster. There should be some threads on here on what OTC meds, foods/beverages and supplements you can take to potentiate oxycodone, increase absorption, and/or help with withdrawal symptoms. Try to resist the urge to go score some heroin

ETA: Off the top of my head:
- dextromethorphan
- antacids
- magnesium
- grapefruit juice
- antihistamines
- loperamide (Immodium etc)

 

[rhun]

I don't have any experience with methadone myself, but someone close to me has been on it for many, many years and it's saved his life. But he's constantly astounded by how little doctors know about methadone and how it works. There's no way 20mg of oxycontin will help you avoid withdrawal, that's like prescribing iboprofen to someone with a broken arm. But take it, it's better than nothing.

Can you get any kind of benzos? They should make you more comfortable.. But someone I went to high school with recently died from mixing oxy, sleeping pills, and H so never mix any drugs unless you know it's safe. And benzos are not something you ever, ever want to get into.

 

[eldub v7.0]

c) take the oxy by another ROA such as rectally (anyone know if that provides stronger effects than oral?) juice

it's much the same as oral. changing up to rectal administration could reinforce addictive behaviour.

paracetemol is extremely underated by (ab)users when used in conjunction with other meds or even by itself; it can help alleviate many of the wd symptoms.

up until recently i would scoff at the thought of having paracetemol in my cupboard, but using it on a daily basis combined with my other pain meds, etc, it has killed off a lot fof aches and pain that my morphine would barely touch at times.

 

[jessm]

Sounds like a lawsuit to me, unless you signed a "no taper" contract,which I never heard of. I was on a M. clinic for 5 years peaking at 250 mg daily. I would have died for sure. My doc gave me benzos and sleepers during an agonizing 3 month taper. Hang in their, the Subs will be worth it! Only down fall of a Sub. doc is that I have heard they will start you off on 5 times more than what is needed to stabilize, and that it is harder to get off than anything. Good Luck.

 

[eldub v7.0]

lawsuit? you must be american

there are some clinics, and as the OP mentioned, that have strict adherence to rules set out which patients agree to upon commencing treatment. if you don't abide by them they can and will kick you off. it's dodgy private run programs and some government programs that seem to be the ones that put you further between a rock and a hard place.

 

[Hydromore_please]

Not too sure where you live, but if you live in canada, ac&c or tylenol 1's are available otc. Only costs bout 8 bucks a bottle of 200 and consists of 8mg codeine 15mg caffeine and 325 acetaminophen. You would prolly need to cwe bout 15-20 of em to feel any releif, but its def a good last resort to get by until youve seen ur sub doc. Im not too sure if they are available otc in the us or any codeine products, i cant answer that as i live in canada

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Sounds like a lawsuit to me, unless you signed a "no taper" contract,which I never heard of.

I highly doubt it. Maybe if someone died. And signing contracts is common for methadone clinics. I had to sign one stating that I recognized I could be cut off if I didn't adhere to their rules. I've heard of successful lawsuits in the US against methadone clinics for giving someone a lethal overdose of methadone or for allowing someone to drive while heavily under the influence (and subsequently getting in a serious car accident), but never for cutting someone off methadone. Often when they do cut you off they will give you an extremely rapid taper, which really isn't anywhere near enough but perhaps absolves them of some responsibility.Or they will give you a week's notice to find a new clinic or go to a Suboxone doctor. I really don't think there's much recourse.

 

[Codesan]

Use the ten bucks to buy all the loperamide (imodium but better to get a cheaper brand) you can. I've heard that in U.S. (I take it you're from there from your text) that you can get really cheap loperamide.
Start with 20-40mg and if that does not help in 2-4 hours take another 20-40mg untill you feel better. Loperamide can be a great helper even if you have a high tolerance to opiates. I dont know about other people but I am one of those people who believe loperamide really is otc-methadone because I have basically quit my 7 year opiate habit by switching to loperamide (for me 20mg every 3 days keeps me normal and well)

 

[eldub v7.0]

telling someone to start out with 20-40mg is pretty extreme. it'd be wiser to start out as directed and go from there.

 

[youstoned]

I agree the Codesan. With extreme MD wd's it would best starting at 20mg minimum
rather then 2-4mg as directed.

 

[mrflowers00]

i would think you'd need at least 40mg oxycontin a day or more so twice a day to feel better at all methadone is stronger mg to mg

 

[Swimmingdancer]

mrs_brownstone are you still there? What did you end up doing? Hopefully not heroin

 

[eldub v7.0]

I agree the Codesan. With extreme MD wd's it would best starting at 20mg minimum
rather then 2-4mg as directed.

overdose symptoms of imodium include dizziness, drowsiness, urinary retention, severe stomach cramps or bloating, and vomiting. add that on top the withdrawls from methadone and you have a more or less than shitty time on your hands.

 

[cj]

Yea 40 mg is way overboard for the loperamide. I think starting at 10mg would be reasonable. I would take the oxy all at once get well for a few hours at least. then again im a fuckin junky.