Heroin What are your guys thoughts on methadone for a heavy heroin user

[GeminiEye]

Hey guys, so I have a appointment tomorrow with a methadone clinic at 5am. I was told to come in in withdrawal which I though was weird because its not like if they give it to you too early it can create precipitated withdrawals. Anyways I've read alot of horror stories about methadone but have a buddy up in PA that has been on it for 2 years and is doing great. I had 1.3 years clean off everything and messed up back in November. Now I'm sitting here anxiety ridden because I haven't used in 5 hours. Lately my habit has been a half gram of St.Louis dope a day. Snorting not shooting. Methadone has to be better than what I am doing right now. Any thoughts?

 

[SS373dOH]

Some clinics will give you a drug test, and wont give you anything if you come up positive, this may be the reason they want you to be in withdrawal. As far as the advice goes, it really depends on what you want. Ifyou want to be clean and sober, methadone will hinder that. You'll still be dependant on an opiate. If you want to save money, and do things legal, then methadone is a good choice. Know this though, methadone is harder to kick than dope, and I had a few friends on it, and it seemed like they turned into zombies after a few months. Also you have to go to the clinic everyday, so if you ever want to go on vacation or a road trip for a few days, you cant, because you need your damn dose! People relapse often too, for different reasons, but a lot of the time it was because they couldnt make it to the clinic, or it was after hours, or closed for the holidays.. everyone is different, but if you want to get sober, I'd say a quick sub taper is the best route, if you forsee yourself doing opiates for a long time, methadone will help. At least youre making an attempt to change things though, thats a good start. Stay safe out their brother.



- Hopeless Soul

 

[Erikmen]

True. I also agree that a quick sub taper could be the best choice. Methadone is a real difficult one to come off of, and you have all of the issues mentioned above. I suggest you give a good thought.
Good luck!

 

[LandsUnknown]

I very strongly advise you to follow the advice of your clinic appointment tomorrow. It's a very, very good thing that you are seeking help, if you are a heavy user of heroin. The methadone they give you is specially designed by doctors to help people to break free from opiate addictions. I knew a guy from work who struggled very badly with an addiction to heroin, and he said that it basically cured him of his addiction. He still had to take the methadone every day though, but it didn't cause him the problems of heroin addiction. However, his overall functioning and state of mind improved dramatically from his previous state. Hopefully, you've managed to get to sleep by now. If not, your appointment is only about 4 and a half hours away. Best of luck with everything. As a non-opiate user, I don't know much about the treatments for opiate addiction. However, I do know that the medications are often very effective at preventing withdrawal and helping people to get on with their lives and recover from addiction. Yes, of course methadone is less dangerous than heroin, as it is designed to help people to recover from a heroin addiction.

 

[SS373dOH]

^ Well youre not "breaking free" from opiate addiction, youre still addicted to an opiate, when on methadone.. however I will agree it will help not to use H.



- Hopeless..

 

[Erikmen]

^ Yup.

I very strongly advise you to follow the advice of your clinic appointment tomorrow.

Absolutely.

 

[rhun]

Some clinics will give you a drug test, and wont give you anything if you come up positive, this may be the reason they want you to be in withdrawal.

This is incorrect. The drug test administered when they first admit you is to make sure you DO test positive. They want to make sure they're only giving methadone to people who are addicted to opioids. After you're on methadone then yes, they test to make sure you're only taking your medication.

It takes at least 3 days for an opioid to clear your system anyway so just coming in while in withdrawal wouldn't give you a clean test. If you had to test clean to start methadone no one would do it, they either wouldn't stop using at all or they'd quit cold turkey.

My understanding is they want you in withdrawal to make sure there's no risk of OD. They don't want people doing a shot in the parking lot then coming in and starting methadone. Years ago when I went in. I just couldnt do it. I did a shot at 3am then came in at 6am and said I had last used at midnight. Don't advise that but it was fine.

 

[cj]

Methadone has saved my life for the time being. I highly recommend it.

 

[George27]

Anyways I've read alot of horror stories about methadone but have a buddy up in PA that has been on it for 2 years and is doing great.

The bad part of methadone is the coming off, the wd is mild ma damned long.
There is no problem to be on methadone, you are a bit sedate but realy just a bit, basically you are normal

 

[My3sons]

Dont listen to some of these people. They don't know what they are talking about. You must fail a drug test or you will not get methadone. You are also supposed to be using for over a year. If you become a zombie its bc you made your dose too high. You need to stop jacking it up as soon as u stabilize and no longer crave. A lot of people who go still want to get high. If you go for the right reasons and are truely honest with the staff, you should be be normal like other people who are not addicts. Go to work, take care if kuds, just live a normal life. You can go on vacation just have to earn trust that you are there for the right reasons first. If you are still looking to get high don't evev bother going. Those are the types of people who give the clinic a bad name.

 

[mrsnowygrainius]

someone like you should consider suboxone, not methadone

 

[Mad Dash]

Methadone is a whole new addiction and if you think heroin WD is bad you will be shocked by how brutal methadone is. I had to get picked up by an ambulance when I CTd off 90 mg I was hallucinating and nearly unconscious it was so bad. Please consider subs. And also consider getting into a recovery program.

 

[My3sons]

Of course it was bad if you cold turkeyed at 90. Why would you do that?

 

[TheLostBoys]

Cold turkey off Methadone is nuts. You needed to taper down, that's with any opiate


OP: Methadone will keep you in check, but like others mentioned, its still a opiod/opiate. Some people can't handle the stress of life, so going cold turkey off of heroin isn't an option.

Methadone will also help with stress & depression, etc. Just be careful not to get into high doses.

 

[BigG]

I CTd off 180mg of methadone last year (prescribed by the pain clinic) along with 20mg diazepam and 600mg of lyrica per day and can honestly say it was the closest to hell ive ever been.

Obviously that's an extreme situation and I had very good reasons but methadone withdrawal isnt pleasant and goes on for literally months....

 

[SS373dOH]

I just wanted to clarify a few things, yes you have to test positive for opiates.. when someone says you need to fail your ua, that doesnt mean for other substances, like coke, thc, ect. The clinics where I live,(it may be different in your area!) will not give you your dose if you come up with anything in your system, besides opiates. Also, you have to have certain levels of opiates, they wont give it to you if your levels are indicating you just had done dope. Your state/country, may have different regulations.


- Hopeless..

 

[withlove]

^ Well youre not "breaking free" from opiate addiction, youre still addicted to an opiate, when on methadone.. however I will agree it will help not to use H.



- Hopeless..

theres a huge difference though in being a secret dope addict living that lifestyle and being addicted to methadone which you are using for harm redux.

not to say it doesnt have a very real set of challenges but i do see them as largely different states of existing and living

 

[My3sons]

Ok. I see what you are saying. It reads like failing for opiates. You mean if you are benzo addict in addition to an opiate addict they won't accept you. My clinic wants you to come in in withdrawal bc they don't want to overdose u. I failed for xanax bc the week before getting into the clinic was by far one of the absolute worst weeks of my life and i took a few xannies to calm myself. I told them the truth and it was the only time i failed for benzos. They still dosed me. I failed 2 more times for opiates right after and then finally stabilized. I did dope 2 times in December and haven't failed or touched dope since it turned 2016. Feels so good to be free and believe me some refer to it as liquid handcuffs but it beats that 1000 lb albatross around my neck thats ECP. Its such a better life. I would rather stay on it the rest of my life if it meant I would never relapse and destroy my life again. I went the suboxone route the first time i destroyed my life and it wasn't for me. Ended up on a 2 yr relapse and went methadone this time and its a much better program for me and my needs. I wasn't able to get past certain junky behavior with subs. It was too lenient for my needs. Next thing you know i was shooting them which led back to dope. I needed the stability and control the clinic has. The once a day, having to check in 6 days a week, more UAs, no drugs I got to regulate. I needed to break my addict behavior as well. Now that I have seen the light and come to my senses, ai realize I never want to be where I was again. Some people just can't seem to cope with life and I guess I am one of them! However, mmt really gave me back myself . It will be what you make of it like every thing else in life. Good luck

 

[SS373dOH]

^ I'm glad you got your life back on track bud, good to hear! I dont think anyone can say definitively, if suboxone is better than methadone, and vice versa. They both have their pro's and con's. Some people respond better to sub treatment, while others respond better to methadone treatment. For me personally, I still felt like an addict while on mmt, I felt as though I hadnt gotten over my addiction, 'cause in all actuality, I didn't. It all depends on the individual, and the only way to really know whats the best route to take, is through trial and error. I hope the OP gets what he's looking for through mmt..

Also Gemineye, feel free to keep this thread open and update us on how things are working out for you, you'll find that just writing about your experience helps tremendously, and most of us around here have sincere empathy, and truly like to know how other bler's are fairing! Good luck bud.


- Hopeless..

 

[rjbeck]

Methadone saved my life, I've been on methadone since 1998 back then they made me do the same thing they are making you do by coming in at 5am and in withdraws, sweating and sick and if they don't think you are sick enough they will reschedule your admission. It takes a couple of weeks or a month to get you on the correct dose. They usually start you on 30mg's that did nothing for me so every day I went up until I was on 220mg's daily and this was after taking blood work to see if I was in the therapeutic range and at that dose I just made it. 220mg's is a high dose, I am on 100mg's now. And if you follow there rules and drop clean urines you will get to take home doses.. Good Luck hopes it works.
I went back to work, made new friends and started living a normal life as long as I dosed for that day..