Switching from bupe to methadone - differences?

[Keif' Richards]

I take 90mg methadone every day, I came from a .4-.5g/day IV herion habit, which had loads of fentanyl cut into it. I went up to 85mg initially and I was getting sick everyday by the time I got to the clinic the next day(after months), so I went up to 90 and it changed my life. Ive never been so happy, and normal before in my life. I was abusing some drugs a little when I first went onto methadone, but in the last 18 months Ive really cleaned up my act, and now I cant even fathom how I used to live the way I did. Methadone has saved my life. Absolutely, it is a great drug. When used properly it can be a powerful tool for changing your life. I also suffer from chronic pain, I have rheumatoid arthritis and Im not currently in remission so I do deal with a fair amount of pain every day and despite my history of abuse with opiates, methadone still relieves my pain.

As for you wanting to shoot your methadone, mine personally comes pre mixed with Tang juice in the carry bottles so it would be tough to shoot. I go once a week, and when I go in I still take a "witnessed ingestion" dose at the clinic, then take my 6 carries.

I find for me, cannabis has been a great help at keeping myself positive and dealing with pain aswell. Theres a good chance I will end up on methotrexate sooner than later, so then especially I will value cannabis. I know that it isnt for everyone, and statistically cannabis use is associated with relapse so know yourself.

When I got on methadone, my goal wasnt to get totally sober, just to get off heroin but I have ended up basically totally sober by accident! I rarely get cravings anymore, and they are less strong each time. Maybe methadone could do this for you too, if you are willing to commit. There are times when the drs are going to seem like assholes, but they mean well most of the time.

I wish you the best of luck moving forward, happy new year.

I have to say, you hit on a point that is near and dear to my heart. A lot of people who start a Methadone program immediately begin bitching about all the rules. They talk about how difficult it is and how the Methadone clinic is holding them back from a wonderful life. They could do anything if it weren't for the sinister nature of the Methadone program.

Really, those of us who can access such treatment are lucky. There are folks who live in the country or in Russia who have absolutely no access to maintenance treatment. Another point, Methadone is not the answer to your problems. It's simply a tool as DynoSpec has stated so eloquently. It's a major boost in terms of the possibilities for one's life. People tend to forget the immense amount of time and energy that goes into getting well everyday.

Methadone is a tool. It doesn't solve everything. You still need to get a job and make something of yourself and Methadone doesn't do that for you, but it enables you to do it. Not to mention the fact that Methadone is only a treatment for Opioid addiction. It doesn't treat Alcoholism or Cocaine addiction. It's pretty easy to just get up to an excessive dose of Methadone, go home, smoke some weed and go to sleep all day. It's the responsibility of the patient to determine what is too high and what effects their productivity.

It's not a magic bullet, so good points DynoSpec. I'm right there with ya.

 

[MadMike17]

Here in 10 days, I will be clean from Heroin for 2 years. ONLY opiates that is... But Methadone saved my life, no doubt. It was my last ditch effort and I've been good up until about 2 months ago when I found Meth, but that's besides the point. I was on bupe before I went on methadone and I wouldn't go back to subs unless I ABSOLUTELY had to. You need to be dedicated to start methadone though, like you said... If you don't dose in the morning, your gonna feel it. My buddy has done both also, but the way he lives, he likes subs more. It's all personal preference.

God. Coming off a meth binge here, I feel like a retard. My apologies.

 

[DynoSpec]

I have to say, you hit on a point that is near and dear to my heart. A lot of people who start a Methadone program immediately begin bitching about all the rules. They talk about how difficult it is and how the Methadone clinic is holding them back from a wonderful life. They could do anything if it weren't for the sinister nature of the Methadone program.

Really, those of us who can access such treatment are lucky. There are folks who live in the country or in Russia who have absolutely no access to maintenance treatment. Another point, Methadone is not the answer to your problems. It's simply a tool as DynoSpec has stated so eloquently. It's a major boost in terms of the possibilities for one's life. People tend to forget the immense amount of time and energy that goes into getting well everyday.

Methadone is a tool. It doesn't solve everything. You still need to get a job and make something of yourself and Methadone doesn't do that for you, but it enables you to do it. Not to mention the fact that Methadone is only a treatment for Opioid addiction. It doesn't treat Alcoholism or Cocaine addiction. It's pretty easy to just get up to an excessive dose of Methadone, go home, smoke some weed and go to sleep all day. It's the responsibility of the patient to determine what is too high and what effects their productivity.

It's not a magic bullet, so good points DynoSpec. I'm right there with ya.

I remember when I was waiting and about to get on methadone, all the people around me (who were using heroin, and even who werent) kept telling me how big of a mistake it was and how methadone is the worst thing ever, the drs dont care about you and all this total and utter bullshit! I didnt let it get to me, and thankfully so because they all dont know shit! Theyre all still doing heroin and in the same exact spot as they have been for years, talking about chipping and getting clean "one day" I think misery just loves company.

I couldnt agree more about how lucky we really are to be fortunate enough to live in areas with state sponsored methadone programs, and other alternative treatment options. While not everyone will see success right away, many do and that really is great in my books. Obviously it takes willpower and motivation to make it work and not all people who get in to methadone programs have the best intentions unfortunately but thats life.

Cheers anyway, and OP I hope you get yourself sorted.

 

[JessFR]

I remember when I was waiting and about to get on methadone, all the people around me (who were using heroin, and even who werent) kept telling me how big of a mistake it was and how methadone is the worst thing ever, the drs dont care about you and all this total and utter bullshit! I didnt let it get to me, and thankfully so because they all dont know shit! Theyre all still doing heroin and in the same exact spot as they have been for years, talking about chipping and getting clean "one day" I think misery just loves company.

I couldnt agree more about how lucky we really are to be fortunate enough to live in areas with state sponsored methadone programs, and other alternative treatment options. While not everyone will see success right away, many do and that really is great in my books. Obviously it takes willpower and motivation to make it work and not all people who get in to methadone programs have the best intentions unfortunately but thats life.

Cheers anyway, and OP I hope you get yourself sorted.

Yeah I've seen, and honestly I was one of those. Probably will be again if my current attempt at staying clean doesn't take.

My problem was less with the rules the actual lawful rules though my problem was the staff were rude assholes with no concept of tolerance. And their interpretation of the rules cause I did substantially better when I went to a different clinic with a more liberal stance on the rules.

My problem, apart from not really wanting to get off heroin at the time. Was even if I had wanted too that clinic would never increase your dose fast enough to avoid withdrawal if you had a serious habit. Which they never believed I or anyone else did. Not that it mattered. Their attitude meant it was unlikely you'd even be honest with them about your habit. You'd quickly learn they don't believe large habits really exist. And so if you say you do youre a liar.

But for all their bullshit about it being the rules that was total garbage. Eventually I stopped going then when I tried to get clean again and went to a different, privately run clinic they did recognize I had a seriously big habit and put my up really fast and I did substantially better.

Even if I'd wanted too, their (the public clinic I went to) rules would have made doing so extremely difficult because by the time I'd have been on enough methadone to stop withdrawal I'd likely have been through the withdrawal on my own anyway unless I was still using for the duration.

So, sometimes the rules are stupid and sometimes it's just junkies bitching. But both exist.

Something I noticed was profoundly different between the public and private clinic I went to was security was much more lax at the private one. And I soon realized why. The patients rarely got into a fight at the private one so they didn't need as much security.

And you know why? I saw incidents that at the private one would have become an altercation at the public one. But where at the public one they'd treat you with disrespect and create an atmosphere of hatred to the staff by the patients. The private clinic treated the patients substantially better. So in the rarer event a staff member told someone they needed to calm down, they had enough respect for them in turn were a lot more likely to listen. They made it so you likely to not want to cause problems for the staff whereas the public clinic did the opposite.

In other words, they didn't have to pay for anything like the same security because they simply went the better route of not being disrespectful condescending assholes making the patients want to hate them.

You get what you give. Can't get respect if you won't give it.

 

[MrRoot]

I have only seen some documents about maintenance clinics in the states and can?t help but wonder how those places look like prisons mostly.

I participate in ORT atm but my ?clinic? is just a normal room in a small local health care center and it is right next to a room where people with diabetes get their stuff (like blood level sample analysis tools). I used to be on bupe but last six years I have been on Targiniq (oxycodone + naloxone) and visit my nurse three times a week which is the least amount of visits per week and mostly we just greet each other and she gives me my drugs and then I am off unless I need to take my weekly UA at the lab in the same center.

There are roughly twenty patients total but I rarely see anyone else while getting my drugs since I visit quite early in the morning and most people tend to get their drugs during 11-12am. I know the amount of patients as I attend to the staff meetings of the health care center as a patient representative and get my saying for example for occasional rules changes although I can?t vote.

Only bad thing I can see in this current model used here is that they go back and forth with the rules. For example cannabis use was ok until the end of 2016 and now they are going to allow it again as most patients lost their take-home drugs after it was prohibited.

I have never witnessed any fighting but once I have seen a security guy sitting on the hallway and it was because they were about the give a statement to the police that I shouldn?t been driving while starting my treatment and they thought it might make me go nuts given my background of motorsports and passion to anything car related.

I think that the way they use here is pretty much the best as you attend to same treatment center as ?normal? citizens and the attitude for someone taking witnessed bupe dose is the same as for some elderly lady having flu shot. Of course sometimes I got glances from people sitting on the hallway for going into ?that room?.

In a bigger city near me where my fiancee attends to ORT program the place looks like normal office space outside and the waiting area like a lounge for beauty salon. Also they don?t have any security personnel unless they think they need it for something.

I do think that in these places you reap what you sow because if people are treated in humane way and in humane conditions they tend to be humane towards others.