The clinic makes it things bad. Who said methadone isn't addicting! What! It’s the most addicting drug there is. I was fortunate to get on MMT (yea right!) in the 70's when I didn't have a habit, just a slight Heroin chip (slight habit). And after 7 years on MMT went in detox. That was the worst 6 months of my life. I didn't sleep (outside of a 15 minute pass out) for 17 days. I crawled the walls for 2 months. Nah, not addicting.
Chet's original post said those who hadn't tried treatment or who have had their first addiction should not go on MMT. I couldn't agree more. Sure a heroin user for years with a few kicks here and there, and who can't get their life together after months off opiates should maybe try MMT if bup hasn't worked. The kids I see on MMT is medical malpractice. The clinics are worse than the dealers because they are so two faced. I can't help getting emotional about it. It screwed up my life. Thank God I'm off that crap and on bup. The crap part mostly is directed at the clinic. I do know it can save the life of a chronic opiate addict.

the BOSS

Hey Sailnfla,
So methadone didn't work for you? For some it's a life saver and a way off drugs. It's not a cure. It's a tool to help people and when it's done right it works. Just a couple questions. You said you got on methadone when you didn't have a habit. WHY? If you didn't have a habit what did you need methadone for? A slight heroin chip? And you stayed on methadone for 7 years? A heroin user who can't get their life together after months off opiates doesn't need MMT. The clinics are worse than the drug dealers? None of my 'friends' at the clinic OD'd from their methadone but I lost a few to the drug dealers.
Our stories are just two of the many that are out there. But the bottom line is that we both found a way off drugs. And that's the only thing that really matters, right? Methadone works for some and not for others. Same with bupe, suboxone and detox. As long as we find our way back and recover from our addictions we should take whatever road leads us there.

Jerry

if they only made it avalible on a monthly perscription, instead of being treated like a child, waiting in line, for the bad people.let me you piss in a cup.There are people who have jobs, cars, family.All they need is there meth, and all is fine.the system sucks.

Nod You said when it is done right it works. Most clinics if you have a sniffle they tell you it's time you up your dose. They take our kids who are pill poppers and put them on high doses of methadone. You must remember methadone clinics are a business they want your money no matter what. As Zloi stated earlier the counselor persuaded her not to go on meth. If his boss would of heard of this he probably would have been fired. I will state this once again methadone is not the problem it is the clinics who dispense it. I would take my chances getting done off street before I would ever set foot in a meth clinic again.

I detoxed on temgesics before, but relapsed several months later.

One thing that I got out of that experience is that (for me), less is more. I'm tapering now from oxy. When I get down to a crossover dose amount (20mg oxy), I'll switch to norco/hydro, after I get down to 10mg of hydro I'll switch over to buph, but not nalaxone, it will be straight temgesic .2mg and I will only take 2 tabs in am and 1 in evening.
I refuse to take mega doses of anything. I built myself too large of an addiction to buph my last detox because of using so much of it.

There is a difference between detox and maintenance. That's where I went wrong.

"done has definetely allowed me to have a more productive and"normal"? life. Maj. depresion, bi-polar, & chronic pain had me "chasing the dragon" finally to the tune of 2 to 300 a day. I had previously ( before the final escallation ) managed to "jones" 3 times,on my own from H, Morphine, & Dillaudid. It took about one week each time. With help from friends ! I always started back with increasing vigor but as the pharmaceuticals disapeared H was readily available. I'm sure even if I could have detoxed on my own from the $300/dy, I would've gone back . the thought of committing several felony's a day just to remain 'functional" (each time you score it's a felony) as well as everything else forced me to the clinic. 21 day detox didn't seem to be an option for me. I was so glad to out of pain, not dope sick , and able to work, I just kept going untill I felt I really was finally getting it together. Before I could even look at the fact or care I was now hoplessly addicted to "done". It gave me 6 hours of super productivity daily working out in the heat as a gardener. Hot and sweating all day my dose went up to 160mg a day. Even if I were to taper it would take a year. One thing that may have been a deciding factor in me deciding wether or not to just go ahead and suffer through H detox is that in Texas ( i dont know bout other places). Most jails will not admin. methadone. I ended up in a large ciity jail for a traffic warrant . Spent 5 days at 160/mg curled up in the floor. Sicker than any thing I've ever experienced cold , freezing cold, hot, shivering, mind racing, no sleep, unable to eat , diahreah, just 20 times more intense than any other opiate withdraw. How can there be any argument to the addictivness of done. There is something very wrong about letting anyone suffer like that. The cell mate was even more disturbed about the inhumaniity there I guess cause he had to watch. Unbelievable! Is there anything that can be done about that??? I FIRMLY believed death was imminent, possibly harrykarie someone with poss. less conviction could have easily done it rather than spend another minute in that shape. That must surely qualify as cruel and unusual punishment. I even had doses and money in property, the clinic could have been notified, dose verified, and me treated. That is something a prospect for MMT should be made aware of dont ya think ? thanks for the forum

i think many of you including clinics and doctors are missing the point about methadone and its purpost. Methadone is a brilliant drug for one thing only MAINTAINANCE! At 60 - 120mg/day the receptors are filled preventing a high from heroin. It also blocks the effects of many other drugs including the crack/cocaine high. So the user can then start to lead a life that doesnt revolve around getting heroin 3 -4 times a day - funding it by whatever means. So then ones lifestyle can become relatively normal without the need for associating with other addicts.

Once stabalised the addict can then look at their life and decide what to do next. If they choose to stay on methadone so what? Its not going to cause any toxicological damage. Or they can taper and get drug free. I came of 150mg IV methadone amps to 30mg then went on bupe and was opiate free in 3 weeks once on sub. I stayed clean for 10 months. unfortunately i relapsed back to methadone due to the profound depression perhaps related past opiate use.

Anyway for users who have a mild habit BUPE is best. Chronic users or ppl not ready to give up methadone can be a godsend.

dugist you sound like an ad for a clinic. Methadone does not block heroin it does how ever compete with it for the same receptors. I have never heard of it blocking crack I have done coke on it with no effect. Like I said meth is the last resort as in when you have the gun in your moulth put it down and try methadone. ( The breakfest of champions)

Chet

^ok so BLOCK is the wrong word, but if you manage to get something off heroin when u are on above 60mg of methadone then you are in the minority. In terms of competing methadone tend to win the race. I dont beleive ppl who havent been on opiates for very long should go on methadone. But for some chaotic and chronic opiate addicts it's a life saver. You make it sound like a nail in your coffin - ppl can get off methadone, i have before, even when i was on 150mg a day. I am not an advocate for it, i just beleive it has a place in addiction medicine, so do many other drugs.

I think you will find its saved a lot of lives over the years and helped a lot of ppl. i know i wouldnt have a stable life today had it not been for methadone. Buprenorphine has only been licensed for a short while so that wasnt an option for many until lately. At the end of the day methadone is just another drug why make it out to be so deadly?

Wouldnt it be better to be addicted to methadone than going out robbing, prostituting or whatever for heroin 3x a day?

It doesnt BLOCK crack but it certainly attenuates the high by blocking the dopaminergic and norapinepherine receptors. In the UK its often used in treatment for crack addiction.

Now you can harp on all you like about the cons of methadone but you cannot deny it has its place for some. Bupe is great for others. Horses for courses.

I have been reading this post and kind of sitting on the fence about my judgement also. I have been on methadone 3 times. I was on massive dose in the 60's the first time and that was for 6 years. At that time I was on it for all the wrong reasons, I was doing it for my family or girlfriend I did not want to stop getting high. I was a in -patiant 5 or 6 times for a quick detox where they brought me down in 10 days to 2 weeks and each time I signed out and went and used my DOC (heroin). Then I got on MMT and stayed till 1971 6 years straight still using other drugs and went to jail for a long time. I came down cold turkey and I was still feeling withdraw 3 years later in the yard in the joint I was in. I got out for 155 days when my mom passed away 1978 and started using heroin again and got on the progam once again. That was also with ARF in Toronto so I had a card. I was still using heroin though. I was only on 60 mils that time. When I went back inside 155 days later because I had a methadone card they kept me on it in the Don Jail and withdrew me slowly over 40 days. I was back in till a year ago after 1978. In 1996 they started methadone for some people with my kind of history in the joint and I got on it again. I have been on it every since. I was mostly on 130 or 140mils only going down to 30mils just over a year ago before I got out. I also got a program this time and was ready to stop using. I didn't want to get high anymore. But last Oct -Sept. while still on 30mil I had operation and slipped using heroin once and dilidud once. I went back up to 80 mils which is were I am now. I am also in AA and I have done the steps a few times. I have lost all my old dope buddies and I have surrounded myself with people in the program. I wake up and pray in the morning and meditate and then I go to a meeting. I pray I will never use illegal heroin or opiates again. I have been breathing and living this 12 Step program because my longterm goal is to be drugfree and never go back to prison. I have had enough. I am not thinking of coming off the methadone yet but one day I hope to. In the morning I go up for my full parole hearing and if I make it I can move in with my partner on full parole. I have been on this day parole for the past year at the halfway house. So the methadone is working for me and also the rest of my program. I have some complaints about the meth program it feels like a ball and chain and I feel lathargic and don't sleep to well but I am not in the race anymore I am not living breathing scoring and using and I am not hurting anyone. My life is getting on track and I am out of prison. I feel motivated and positive and life is good. Stay Strong and Keep Centered! Andy

What a great forum! For some of us Methadone has been the only way to survive long enough to even envision being totally drug free again. I won't use the term "clean", because it's a can of worms, and I'm not quite sure yet where I stand on that issue. Having been totally drug/alcohol free for 13 years at one time though, I must say that I preferred it to what I have now, and that's why I'm looking for stories of people who have made it 'back' through Subutex detox or other means.

Peace,
Shindog

I was a 30 -35 a day Norco popper for 5 years and regret going to the Meth clinic now as it is much worse w/d. I should of have someone hold the pills for me a taper me off slowly, that would of been much easier. But before I went to the Meth clinic I was told the Meth w/d although is much longer but is less severe than all other opiates. This was not true!!

Hindsight is always 20/20 Too Tall. I'm sure you did what you thought was best at the time. Had I done a little more research I never would have started on Methadone either, but what is...is, so now I'm looking for a way off it. I was never quite able to buy the analogy of Methadone to Insulin that I hear batted around so frequently. I have several diabetic relatives and friends and none of them spends their time talking about Insulin everyday, where the fact that I'm on Methadone is never far from my thoughts. I will admit that it's better than it was when I was chasing pills, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel and say I'll be on it for life. Although I'm no longer getting high, I'm still taking a narcotic every day just to keep from getting sick, and that's not freedom to me.

I agree it's not freedom. Freedom from Methadone cannot be bought either. The price to pay is a painful w/d for who knows how long it will last as for me today was my last day , a 5 mg dose down 5mg a day from 60mg , it's called fee detox when you don't pay your monthly dues at the clinic. I did not sleep well last night and feel the w/d slowly progressing my body feels like tired and weighed down like I have a 100 lb. sack on my back. The anxiety is starting to kick in. I take 2mg of clonidine one in the morning and another at night but the only thing it has done is lowered my b/p which is good because I have high b/p anyway and probably would be thru the roof if it wasn't for the Clonodine. I will post my progress daily as I am 30 years old and have been on 60 mg of Meth for about a year. Thanks for any support. Too Tall

Do you have any friends/family close by to help you through this?