Opioids Methadone Mega Thread and FAQ

[DrugOmen]

If you really want to feel it you should probably take a couple days off of the methadone. Your tolerance is pretty high for that 80.

 

[always1unknown]

You didn't feel the 80 OC because of how long lasting methadone is. The methadone itself last about 10-12 hours, but also has an extremely long half life. Meaning if you took 70mg of mdone today you still have 35mgs in your system tomorrow. The half life i believe is anywhere from 24-36 hours depending on the person. So really the only way you are going to feel your OC is if you wait almost 2 days from dosing your mdone.

Your best bet would be to take you OC before the methadone, however if you have been on 70mg of mdone a day for a while your tolerance has sky rocketed. A lot of people dont realize how much methadone raises their tolerance. 80mg of OC will not do much of anything for you with that kind of a methadone tolerance.

If you are going to take your OC though yes take it before the mdone but wait 36-48 hours from when you last took methadone to make sure your last dose is out of your system that way you dont waste your 80mg OC again.

Have fun be safe

 

[pallidamors]

it probably also has to do with your tolerance. 70 mg of 'done a day will make 80 mg oc look like nothing, imho. i'm not sure if the methadone is truly blocking it, 36-48 hours would be long enough for it to be outta yr system if youre worried it is, though, like always1 said.

 

[Adelphi]

right - o

understand all of that... i realize my tolerance is large(er) and by no means was i attempting to get high off one OC 80, more like wanting it to be used as a "booster" to help me achieve a nodding state in combination with the methadone.

thank you.

 

[Jabberwocky]

it probably also has to do with your tolerance. 70 mg of 'done a day will make 80 mg oc look like nothing, imho. i'm not sure if the methadone is truly blocking it, 36-48 hours would be long enough for it to be outta yr system if youre worried it is, though, like always1 said.

palli summed up my thoughts on it, your tolerance to the methadone wont alloq you to get much of a high from the oxy.

merging into methadone thread

 

[KnowBudz]

You mentioned that you were only a few weeks into MMT, which could easily be too soon to reach stability. Different states have different dosing guidelines, but it could take a LONG time to reach a stable dose.

I started back in '99 in a state that (thank, God) had no caps). Most of my increases were 10mg with several 20mg steps, too. Once I got >100mg, the doc was forced to justify increases. That meant "peak and trough" tests, a major PITA for someone living in a different town. In my case, split doses didn't start until I was >220mg.

Discuss it with your doc.

 

[thelung]

it probably also has to do with your tolerance. 70 mg of 'done a day will make 80 mg oc look like nothing, imho. i'm not sure if the methadone is truly blocking it, 36-48 hours would be long enough for it to be outta yr system if youre worried it is, though, like always1 said.

i'm on 85mg methadone / day and i cannot feel any type of opiate other than my dose of methadone. it blocks everything out. I really don't have the desire to do opiates at all. There are some times though when getting a nod would be real nice. Like today we got a carry because the clinic is closed for Vets day tomorrow and I took it right after I left the clinic . Usually when I double dose like that I don't really get "high" per se, its more like just a little more sedation. Oh yeah and since I am poor and live in King County, I pay $0 for my MMT, which is super cool.

 

[splenda]

i'm on 85mg methadone / day and i cannot feel any type of opiate other than my dose of methadone. it blocks everything out. I really don't have the desire to do opiates at all. There are some times though when getting a nod would be real nice. Like today we got a carry because the clinic is closed for Vets day tomorrow and I took it right after I left the clinic . Usually when I double dose like that I don't really get "high" per se, its more like just a little more sedation. Oh yeah and since I am poor and live in King County, I pay $0 for my MMT, which is super cool.

When you double dose as you did today, will you be sick tmrw or does your dose keep you stable for longer? Or what do you usually do for the day that you have no methadone when you double-dose?

I can't go up to 80mg/day until thursday (I took 70mg/day today and have a take-home of 70mg for tmrw since it's Vet's day.) Is it ok to take my take-home late tonight if I feel a bit sick? If I do so, will I feel crappy before I go in on thursday to take the 80mg?

edit: If anything, should I take any potentiators until I get a 80mg dose on thursday to see if they will help prolong the methadone? If so, what potentiators are good to use? I'm not really looking to potentiate it if I can avoid doing so

 

[poundinG FISts]

When you double dose as you did today, will you be sick tmrw or does your dose keep you stable for longer? Or what do you usually do for the day that you have no methadone when you double-dose?

This is 100% wrong. You will not feel any sickness for at least a 48 hour gap in dosing.

 

[splenda]

This is 100% wrong. You will not feel any sickness for at least a 48 hour gap in dosing.

I usually feel uncomfortable in the late evenings/mornings.. but I have yet to find my 'optimal stable' dose and have only been on methadone for 2.5 weeks now.

I took prilosec and baking soda this morning before dosing 70mg... sadly I vomited about an hour and a half after taking the methadone probably because of the baking soda... but the vomit didn't seem to ruin the effects from the methadone at all.

I'll see if the prilosec/baking soda increases the duration of the effects of the methadone today.

edit: Also, I'm not '100% wrong.' A lot of the times methadone doesn't tend to last (to prevent withdrawals) for even 24 hours in some people... hence some people take twice daily methadone dosing.

 

[thelung]

When you double dose as you did today, will you be sick tmrw or does your dose keep you stable for longer? Or what do you usually do for the day that you have no methadone when you double-dose?

I can't go up to 80mg/day until thursday (I took 70mg/day today and have a take-home of 70mg for tmrw since it's Vet's day.) Is it ok to take my take-home late tonight if I feel a bit sick? If I do so, will I feel crappy before I go in on thursday to take the 80mg?

edit: If anything, should I take any potentiators until I get a 80mg dose on thursday to see if they will help prolong the methadone? If so, what potentiators are good to use? I'm not really looking to potentiate it if I can avoid doing so

Since I double dosed yesterday I am not (by any means) dope sick today. I feel 100%. The dose may keep me stable for a little longer, but in the grand scheme of things, double dosing messes up your dosing schedule ,therefore resulting in a less stable level of methadone in yuor system.

Good potentiators to use for methadone are Promethazine, and (if you can get it) Luvox (Fluvoxamine Maleate tablets) - I am lucky enough to be Rx'd Luvox 100mg tabs 2x/day. The Luvox definitely potentiates the Methadone. But the Promethazine works too. Benzos work , I guess, but yuo have to be REALLY REALLY careful not to overdose adding benzos to opiates (esp. Methadone)

 

[Princess_Poppy]

just started MMT

hey ya'll. thought i would start chilling on this thread for a moment seeing as how i just started MMT two days ago. i just have some questions about my dosing. i live in georgia. they started me at 40 mgs. i had used heroin the day before. i am an IV user, or i was (yea! i wore short sleeves today!). anywho. i felt like it held me pretty good that day, and i skipped my next dose b/c i went out of town and didn't want to pay for a guest dose. i didn't really even feel discomfort day 2 either (just a little watery eyes and yawning). i could feel WDs coming on this morning and once again my 40 mgs worked pretty well, BUT i had mad mental cravings today and once again a little watery eyes, oh yeah, and i was in a BITCHY MOOD. but it wasn't bad by any means. is it b/c this is day 3 off of H?

SOOO, do you think i should just go with 40 again tomorrow? since there will be lapse this time (aka more methadone in my system tomorrow)? or is it normal to up a dose just to curb the mental aspect? i just don't want to go to far down the rabbit hole here ya know?

also, i think i know the answer, but testing positive for THC is gonna mean no take homes for me right? i can take or leave pot since my love affair with opiates began, so its whatever, i want those take homes in 90 days!

and ok, LAST QUESTION, i swear how many of ya'll have come off methadone. is there such a thing as a tolerable taper? or am i destined to experience some true fuckin' pain when this is all over?

 

[pallidamors]

hey ya'll. thought i would start chilling on this thread for a moment seeing as how i just started MMT two days ago. i just have some questions about my dosing. i live in georgia. they started me at 40 mgs. i had used heroin the day before. i am an IV user, or i was (yea! i wore short sleeves today!). anywho. i felt like it held me pretty good that day, and i skipped my next dose b/c i went out of town and didn't want to pay for a guest dose. i didn't really even feel discomfort day 2 either (just a little watery eyes and yawning). i could feel WDs coming on this morning and once again my 40 mgs worked pretty well, BUT i had mad mental cravings today and once again a little watery eyes, oh yeah, and i was in a BITCHY MOOD. but it wasn't bad by any means. is it b/c this is day 3 off of H?

SOOO, do you think i should just go with 40 again tomorrow? since there will be lapse this time (aka more methadone in my system tomorrow)? or is it normal to up a dose just to curb the mental aspect? i just don't want to go to far down the rabbit hole here ya know?

also, i think i know the answer, but testing positive for THC is gonna mean no take homes for me right? i can take or leave pot since my love affair with opiates began, so its whatever, i want those take homes in 90 days!

and ok, LAST QUESTION, i swear how many of ya'll have come off methadone. is there such a thing as a tolerable taper? or am i destined to experience some true fuckin' pain when this is all over?

1. i'd go with 40 mg if it worked "pretty well" yesterday. perhaps you just need to do daily dosing with the same amount to achieve peak plasma levels, and that can take 2-3 days with drugs like methadone that have a long half life. just resist the urge to do dope on top of it.

2. testing positive for THC will not only prevent take homes but potentially get you denied further methadone, so you better kick your love affair with pot to the curb like it was a skeezy ho'.

3. i havent come off methadone, but i know it has a long half life, and tapering off would be most uncomfortable, with physical withdrawals lasting up to a month. you'd be best off either doing a very gradual methadone taper or switching to a buprenorphine taper eventually if you want to stay clean and don't want to experience some serious pain.

 

[splenda]

hey ya'll. thought i would start chilling on this thread for a moment seeing as how i just started MMT two days ago. i just have some questions about my dosing. i live in georgia. they started me at 40 mgs. i had used heroin the day before. i am an IV user, or i was (yea! i wore short sleeves today!). anywho. i felt like it held me pretty good that day, and i skipped my next dose b/c i went out of town and didn't want to pay for a guest dose. i didn't really even feel discomfort day 2 either (just a little watery eyes and yawning). i could feel WDs coming on this morning and once again my 40 mgs worked pretty well, BUT i had mad mental cravings today and once again a little watery eyes, oh yeah, and i was in a BITCHY MOOD. but it wasn't bad by any means. is it b/c this is day 3 off of H?

SOOO, do you think i should just go with 40 again tomorrow? since there will be lapse this time (aka more methadone in my system tomorrow)? or is it normal to up a dose just to curb the mental aspect? i just don't want to go to far down the rabbit hole here ya know?

also, i think i know the answer, but testing positive for THC is gonna mean no take homes for me right? i can take or leave pot since my love affair with opiates began, so its whatever, i want those take homes in 90 days!

and ok, LAST QUESTION, i swear how many of ya'll have come off methadone. is there such a thing as a tolerable taper? or am i destined to experience some true fuckin' pain when this is all over?

I recently started MMT also. I was started on 30mg and I never really had problems with any withdrawals or cravings... I went up 10mg every day up to 60mg the first week... I'm 2.5weeks in the program and I'm at 70mg now (going up to 80mg tmrw.) The problem I have is that my dose doesn't fully hold me till the morning (I get a bit uncomfortable in the early morning/when I wake up.)

Yeah... I'm hoping to get the takehomes too... I forgot how long it takes to get takehomes here but I'll check with my counselor later on. Thankfully I don't really do any other drugs so I don't have much to worry about in terms of pissing dirty.

Do you plan on increasing your dose later on? How is 40mg holding you?

 

[jackie jones]

I do not understand it. At the height of my opiate use, I almost died off 30mg of methadone (I mixed it with lorazepam and diazepam), but even before and after that I could not dose with more than 25mg. Is heroin that much stronger than methadone, or does my very low body weight factor in that much?

 

[KnowBudz]

Body weight, tolerance, and a slew of other factors are at work. Its a very complex issue.

Splenda, glad to hear that you are progressing in your program. At under three weeks, you haven't been at it long enough to reach stability. As I worked my way up the dosing range, the heebie-jeebies that indicated that my dose was inadequate became more noticeable. It seemed counter-intuitive....I was getting bigger doses, but they seemed to be less effective.

Stick with it, it gets better. Be sure to let the clinic people know how you are feeling.

 

[Pegasus]

I do not understand it. At the height of my opiate use, I almost died off 30mg of methadone (I mixed it with lorazepam and diazepam), but even before and after that I could not dose with more than 25mg. Is heroin that much stronger than methadone, or does my very low body weight factor in that much?

That was your problem there. Benzos + methadone = dangerously sedating. Same goes for bupe, IME.

 

[splenda]

Body weight, tolerance, and a slew of other factors are at work. Its a very complex issue.

Splenda, glad to hear that you are progressing in your program. At under three weeks, you haven't been at it long enough to reach stability. As I worked my way up the dosing range, the heebie-jeebies that indicated that my dose was inadequate became more noticeable. It seemed counter-intuitive....I was getting bigger doses, but they seemed to be less effective.

Stick with it, it gets better. Be sure to let the clinic people know how you are feeling.

Thanks man, I appreciate the fact that you've been keeping update with me, haha. Seriously, I appreciate the advice though, it's helped me on what to look for at the clinic quite a bit.

Yeah so I just came back after dosing 80mg... I'll see how it goes today. I hope 80mg does better in holding me off for longer.

 

[StaffWriter]

That was your problem there. Benzos + methadone = dangerously sedating. Same goes for bupe, IME.

I've never noticed any sedating or respiratory depression associated with bupe and benzos...unless you're taking 5 Xanax bars..
Just took 30mg methadone with gfj and cimetidine about 45min prior. Grapefruit Juice tastes like puke.

 

[KnowBudz]

That's been my experience, too....that the scare stories about methadone/suboxone and benzos are WAY overblown. Maybe its different for someone who is opiate-intolerant, but I have noticed almost no potentiation.

Splenda...glad to hear you got your increase. Hang in there! Hopefully you won't have to endure a peak and trough and will attain stability soon. If your doctor and clinic are sane, and by that I mean that they are of the "it takes what it takes" mindset, you will do fine.

What I find extremely sad are the types who have pre-conceived notion of "target doses" and/or "maximum dose". Everyone is different, so those notions have no logical basis. The ultimate insanity are the states with mandated dose caps. This is exactly the kind of crap that could become the norm should government-run "health care" go into effect.