On methadone, want to travel

[some dude]

I'm on a daily dose of 40 mg methadone. I don't get take homes because I test + for pot and the occasional opiate or benzo. I could travel somewhere where I could guest dose, however there are no clinics within 100 miles of the Upper Penninsula in Michigan. I can dose this Saturday morning, and get a take home for Sunday as they are closed every Sunday. So, Sat and Sun are covered. I have 40 pills of 7.5 hydrocodone and 56 pills of 50mg tramadol. My family will be vacationing on Lake Superior for 11 days, but I know I won't be able to stay up there that long. When off the methadone I think I would take around 20-30 hydros in a day ( depending on how good I want to feel ). Perhaps I could take a little less than 20 in a day. I can probably get more hydro but what about the tramadol? How can I dose that? I'm worried about seizures and don't know how many I could take before I would have to start worrying about that. Lastly, I don't expect to stay 11 days. If I go up on Saturday morning, I can come back whenever I want ( driving myself alone) and I see myself coming back on Tuesday maybe Wednesday depending on my condition. Any suggestions on how to handle this trip? I know I have to find out more specifics on tramadol in an effort to keep myself as healthy as possible.

 

[BlueStar13]

For tramadol the rule of thumb is no more than 400 mg per day, as long as you aren't taking any other seratonigenic medications like antidepressants or DXM. As for the hydro, do you know if your pills contain acetaminophen? If they do, I recommend taking no more than 4000mg of acetaminophen per day, as more can cause liver damage/failure. You should be especially cautious of the hydrocodone pills if you are going to be drinking any alcohol during your trip. To stay absolutely safe, take no more than 8 of the hydros and 8 of the tramadols per day, and don't have more than one drink per day.

 

[some dude]

I don't drink at all. That's a plus.

 

[RodJonse]

Tramadol sucks man. Get a bunch of kratom and use that instead, then you don't have to worry about seizures and you can take however much you want.


Also, 20 hydros a day? Are you CWE'ing those? If not, DO NOT DO THAT. Even if they're 325 with the APAP taking 20-30 a day is WAY over the daily limit. With 20 you're probably causing liver damage to some extent and with 30 you seriously are risking liver failure, for real.

Jesus man, do you need to take 20 fucking hydros a day? Why not just take 10? You probably don't have to worry about the APAP then and then you'll at least feel content even if it isn't really high.

 

[pro re nata]

that is good you do not drink!

for the time you are going to be gone i really do not thing that the hydrocodone or tramadol will come close to covering what your body is used to from the long, long half life of methadone. plus if you take the hydrocodone that will run the risk of you pissing dirty on a random drop at your clinic. i know many kind of have a three strike policy in regards to that.

while i was out of town once i ended up having to extend a trip two days beyond when i was expecting to get back, i ran out of my methadone. all i could get where i was, was also hydrocondone... shit i was eating them like candy 5's and 10's... by the second day they were not totally keeping me out of withdrawal, i kept slipping more and more into while eating the hydro. that was only two days till i got home and back on my dose which was 120mg at that time.

can't you talk to the doctor and/or director of the center you go to and explain the situation and time line?? i know that you need to build up "good time" before they grant extended take home doses. but are there not exceptions for such a time? try to get a week to ten days of bottles.. . if they will only give you 7 see if it would be cool if you set a day that you will be checking back in and if your going to be late call them.

i had to travel while i was on methadone and i would talk with the director/doc at least a week before hand, sometimes things did come up more suddenly. they totally worked with me and it built up really good communication and trust between them and myself.

too much hydrocodone is like bad chicken it is just no good for anyone!! tramadol is a really weak opioid mu agonist.... hope you can have some real talk with the clinic folks and make it happen as your trip sounds grand!!

 

[some dude]

Luckily, my clinic does not punish for dirty drops. You just don't get any take homes.

I don't want to take hydros or tramadol, I feel pretty stable on my dose. Life is just a little complicated for me right now and I'm still exposed to hydro which was my DOC before methadone. Therefore I take a dose once a week. I'm trying to eliminate these relapses and attain take home status. But I digress...

I think for safety sake I will plan on staying 2 days after my last methadone dose so I don't get too far outta whack with regards to being stable and I don't want to look out of it and withdrawing with family around. Y'all know what I'm
Talking about.

 

[pro re nata]

completely understand....

it sucks to be around any one during withdrawal let alone family while on fun time. that is tough to be around your old med so often too, good for you for working on it!! that is some good strength especially without your clinic holding dirty drops above your head to try and motivate you. keep it up, it gets easier the longer you work at it!

just a thought with that one take home dose break it up and use it over a three day period and then just take a small amount of hydrocodone if you are starting to feel like shit. i had to check in with the place i was at if i was going to be getting back in town later then planed, this was mainly due to having a decent amount of take home doses. with this i would split doses it totally worked and also got me to reduce my dose

ehh.. that is tough that they will not spot you an additional dose or two to go for a one time exception (family time). if so you could split them and you would most likely have 0 need for any hydro!!

i did know a guy that would slip half his dose out and deposit it into an empty container once outside, he eventually had the clinic split his dose every day for one their one at home. not saying it is the best of ideas at all... but he did do it.

 

['medicine cabinet']

can you guest dose at another clinic? or maybe try and save your sunday take homes? its just hydro and tram simply will not cut it, 40mgs doesnt seem like a ton considering there are ppl i know on triple that, but 40mgs worth of WD WILL not be fun. or you could try and buy bottles from someone so they could buy dope? just relating from what ppl do at my shit hole clinic.

 

[some dude]

The idea of splitting my Sunday dose in 2 is THE idea. I didn't even consider that. I'll take half on Sunday and half on Monday. Use the hydro as needed, and return and dose on Tuesday. That seems completely achievable and with minimum discomfort. Thanks, it's a obvious idea and I thank you for bringing it up. This is a great result for me and for my use on the forum. Good community.

 

[some dude]

I haven't even asked my clinic if I could get a day or more of take homes. I'll ask tomorrow, can't hurt. I just assumed and from prior conversations with them that with dirty drops, the state is unlikely to
Sign off on my application for it. My clinic says they have to get it approved by the FDA, or some state agency that handles the narcotic aspect of the drug and how it is dispensed to individual patients.

 

[pro re nata]

hmmmmm-mm.... . weird FDA approval seems pretty intense!! I know there is for sure national regulation and rules on all MMT clinics, just never heard about the FDA regulating take homes per patient. sounds like a state and or county thing, you think if they have their DEA protocol up to snuff it would be good.

regardless it totally never hurts to ask!! explain the situation and that you only wish for 1-2 more. you might be nicely surprised in which i hope so!! you would be set and if you have 2+ og1 it could for sure keep you straight for 5 days. as you always have your emergency blanket to boot.

if you try and break it into 3rds- the first day i would hold off on the hydro alap (if needed 3 or 4 should keep you fine) as you will still be riding the half life of your previous dose. next 2 days take your methadone and 5-6/7.5's staggered through out the day/night and that would be relatively close to your typically daily dose. be kick ass if you get that ex bottle or 2 and can say fuck the hydro....

but which or what ever because a spot of time on lake superior with family sounds amazing!