Opioids How to get my methadone dose increased without looking like im a drug seeker

[Hoffman333]

80% of my clinic people shoot it up 2 minutes after getting their takehomes, I am actually trying to get sober been so for 7 months, ever since I got on the program. I know I do have to get off it eventually - my plan being starting to taper off after 3 years. I am on 9ml (90mg) a day, and it isnt enough. I wake up in cold sweat drenched, hot and cold flashesh i try to delay my dose by atleast an hour after I wake up, but the WD is so bad that I know if i dont dose in time for work I will walk in feeling and looking like a dead man. I tried split dossing it helps me sleep but thats about it. I wanted to try atleast 5mg or 10mg bumps talked to one of the doctors one week they straight up refused saying naaah i think you are feeling just fine?? It is also a private clinic so I am paying 200 euros a month which I know its not a lot for most people but in my country its 1/4 of an average monthly salary, last month I was behind on paying and the main doctor threatened of rapid tapering me and kicking me out the door had to borrow 200 euros. No suboxone/morphine other options. Only other options is the state run clinic which is free but they dont have takehomes and its even harder to get your dosed upped.

How would you advice me to go ahead with the convo so the doctors finally understand me, due to oversharing when signing into the program I believe they think I just want to get up to 20mg so I can sell it or get high as a mountain goat, when the truth is I just want to feel well.

Thank You!

 

[M!$TER-ED]

IDK you're in a tough bind, do you think cravings will go down eventually? Maybe your treatment team is already aware of your steep tapering, maybe that's their plan?

 

[Hoffman333]

Their plan is to get me off it as fast as possible, but at the same time I do not think they realize what methadone does to an opioid addict's brain, it gets the fent and h cravings away, but it removes my depression anxiety anhedonia everything. In a way I am also myself afraid I am going to be stuck on the juice. But at the same time I am tired of waking up shivering some doctors tell me its normal to wake up in acute WDs, others not so im just confused.

 

[vision conquest]

Hello mate, I feel your pain, believe me I have been on methadone since 2000.

I am in Australia so the program is different over here, for many years it used to cost me about 120$ a month, however a couple of years ago the government put all the medically asissted treatment drugs on the pbs/parmaceutical benefits scheme, so now my dose only costs me 7$ a month.
Anyway I can really only say that honesty is the best policy.
Just tell the doc exactly what you have stated here, you have no intention on doing anything dodgy with your dose you just want to be comfortable.

If split dosing didn't do the job then you surely must need to be a bit higher.

We don't have the option of split dosing over here, it's one dose per day and that's that.

I'm sorry for the situation you're in man and I wish there was something more I could say.

Is it possible for you to make an appointment to talk to the doc early in the morning so you can go in before you have had your dose, surely then they will be able to see that you need a bit more to be stable.

Also to address one other thing you mentioned...it is not normal to wake up in accute withdrawl, if I was in that position I would definitely be asking for my dose to be increased.

I always have my dose first thing in the morning, on the days I have to go to the pharmacy I am there at 8am when they open but I am not in any discomfort.

On days that I have take homes I usually have my dose around the same time, about 8am.

On the dose I am currently on I can go a couple of hours past 8am before I started to feel any physical discomfort, if you're on the correct dose that's how it should be.
I read that you've been on the program for 7 months, has it always been like this?
Just wondering if there is something that has caused you to start metabolizing your dose faster than normal

I hope you can get this sorted out mate.