Stomach PH and methadone bioavailability

[luvmyPriusHybrid]

I am currently taking 140mg. methadone daily and have been for about 6 months through a methadone clinic.

About 4 or 5 days a week i get really bad heartburn and acid reflux. I know that methadones bioavailability is decreased in a more acidic environment.
Lately i have been taking 400mg. Tagamet 40 minutes before dosing in the morning, around 8:30 or so.
I am also taking Prilosec 20mg. before bedtime.

Is there any other way i can reduce the acidity of my stomach? I have heard of people eating 8 or so Tums 30 minutes before dosing.
I would be interested in anyone's tips or thoughts on this subject.

thanks guys,
Matt

 

[fryingsquirrel]

Tums or bicarb would help. That's about as creative as I'd get fucking with stomach ph.

 

[luvmyPriusHybrid]

yeah i figured i was doing enough anyways, but always curious to know more..thanks

 

[K'd-OUT-in-AZ]

You've been taking 400mg of Methadone lately. Why? To get high? Once I reached 80mg no real change was noticeable other than the pain killing effects and the sedation.

 

[DynoSpec]

i think that eating a tums or 2 15-30 min before dosing and one with would absolutely help with stomach acidity

oh i think he meant 400mg tagament k'd

 

[adder]

Sodium bicarbonate might actually be a bit dangerous taken for a longer period of time (especially with no lab scale and its solution's taste is like kitchen salt combined with soap). Calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate are safer choices and those salts are actually active ingredients in antacid medications so you already know how much you take.

 

['medicine cabinet']

i have this same problem with the methadone at the clinic i go to. They use methadone from vista pharm and everyone there says the stuff they used to use didnt mess with your stomach. There are some days i feel like i could spit acid and burn a hole through cement it is so acidic. The best relief i have found is pepcid complete. it has both anti acid medicine and calcium carbonate and it works like all day. Adjusting your diet helps too, stay away from high acid foods.

 

[Psychedelic Jay]

Sodium bicarbonate might actually be a bit dangerous taken for a longer period of time (especially with no lab scale and its solution's taste is like kitchen salt combined with soap). Calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate are safer choices and those salts are actually active ingredients in antacid medications so you already know how much you take.

All you need is arm and hammer. A lot more bang for your buck...

A couple of teaspoons here and there, and life is all good for you.

 

[phatass]

over here we get tested to see the BA of the methadone content which is ingested.... probably also to make sure you're not skipping out doses then taking them later

 

[socio]

As I understand it, cimetidine (aka Tagamet) and magnesium have additional effects, beyond increasing pH of stomach (i.e. making it more basic/less acidic):
* cimetidine is also cytochrome P450 inhibitor (esp. of CYP3A4 & 2D6), responsible for metabolizing methadone, thus it increases duration (grapefruit juice works for the same reason, despite lowering stomach pH); thus cimetidine should work even when the drug is not taken orally;
* magnesium acts as an NMDA-receptor antagonist; this class of chemicals generally potentiates pain relief (not sure about euphoria) and may reduce tolerance; since milk of magnesia is a mild laxative, it goes well with done, lowering pH, antagonizing NMDARs, AND helping constipation. Oh -- and it helps you absorb the calcium in Tums!
(Those things aren't as technical as they sound; you can get a basic explanation of how NMDA & cytochrome p450 work from wikipedia.)

 

[Lolie]

over here we get tested to see the BA of the methadone content which is ingested.... probably also to make sure you're not skipping out doses then taking them later

...or selling them...