• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Opioids Prescribed methadone 10mg-need advice please

C

coolguy55

Greenlighter
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
27
Hello,
I've had several stomach surgeries over my life the most recent being this summer.I was run over by a log when I was 18 working in the woods. Bowel resection,appendix removed,gall bladder removed,several hernia repairs,bowel obstructions etc etc. So my latest surgery was gall bladder removal and 5 hours of scar tissue removal and a hernia repair. Well it's been 6 months and having alot of chronic stomach pain still. I recently saw a specialist who told me after all the tests that have been done its most certainly scar tissue adhesions causing me the pain, and I will be going to UCSF in november to leave no stone unturned.
So Ive been on alot of pain meds, most recently taking about 8-10 norcos a day,and Ive been using percs/norcos for about a year to control the stomach pain. So I went to my doctor yesterday to discuss other pain med options as the norco just wasn't cutting it anymore and he prescribed me 10mg of methadone hcl take by mouth 3x a day. Okay before I use any drug I usually research it on the net and WOW. I'm kinda of not sure whether to start this stuff not so much the dosage but the stories of death and the withdraw seems like to be hellish. I'm just wondering if the benifits outweigh the risks. I defenitly need something to control my pain and Im wondering if maybe I should just go and ask to be prescribed something else.
I was prescribed kadian before this and had a very bad reaction to it. I think im allergic to morphine and codeine they both give me really bad feelings when i fall asleep. But oxy and hydro im great. Any advice would be appreciated because Im not really sure what to do.
 
Sorry to here about your pain,

Methadone is good for pain if your not comfy with it from your research tell him. I know alot of people who use it for pain
 
30 mg/daily isn't bad however you may want to use an interval method, i.e.: Day 1, 30 mg; Day 2, 30 mg; Day 3, 15 - 20 mg (they typically come in 10 mg pills, just cut one in half). Why? Methadone has a mean half life of 22 hours however it can range anywhere from 15 - 60 hours (reportedly). Anyway, unlike a lot of other full agonist opioids, the long half-life of methadone means you will build up the drug in your system until you reach a point of equilibrium, where you are eliminating as much daily as you are taking in. For an average male (5'9", 170 lbs, normal liver function), this would probably be day 3 or 4 at 30 mg/day. If you aren't chasing a high and are using it for pain management, methadone can be very effective. Due to the long half-life, you can also skip doses when you aren't feeling that bad. It is a dangerous drug certainly but if you aren't abusing it your level of intake shouldn't put you that much at risk, imo.
 
It's really up to you if you want to give it a try. It is a bit hard to quit, but a low dose like 30mg won't be as difficult as 60+mg regimens. Methadone does have a lot of pronounced side effects compared to most opiates as well that you should be aware of-- any doctor should understand if you wish to avoid things such as strong sedation, adrenal suppression, etc (many opioids cause adrenal suppression to a degree, but not to the degree of methadone).
 
I think at your prescribed dose, the methadone would maybe not be a bad idea. It really isn't that high of a dose to worry about. I think a lot of the horror stories you read are from people that are on methadone for substance abuse treatment and are usually at a 60-120mg dose a day. So when it is time for them to detox off, the withdrawal lasts a lot longer because the half-life of methadone is sooo long compared to other opiates. And they are usually on methadone anywhere from 1 year to several years. So of course a withdrawal from that high of a dose everyday for years would be pretty bad and real long.

But you are using it for pain and I have it heard it works pretty well. I have never been prescribed it for pain just met a handful of older people who have. Just saying because I can't say for sure from experience. But they seem to like it because it lasts so much longer, doesn't have acetaminophen, inexpensive from the pharmacy, and etc. But maybe just talk to your Doctor about it again after researching more and decide on something you feel would be best. I believe I would rather choose it than to continue to take hydrocodone or oxycodone.
 
I see, well thank you all for your responses. I'm going to give it a shot, who knows maybe it will work for me :p. I really do hate having to take 8-10 pills a day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top