methadone addiction symptoms

I believe my brother is addicted to methadone.He was prescribed drug for
withdrawal from percoset addiction. He has been using methadone for 9
months. Could you tell me symptoms of methadone addiction

Anna: Your worry about Your brothers possible Methadone addiction may be not as bad as you think!
Methadone at normal doses (10-80 mg) will not make him high, effect his driving, his job etc. Methadone is probaly the smartest thing he did to kick the percocet!
The only thing is I don't know if he's getting it from a clinic or a pain doc.? I was addicted to Loratab after a auto accident, and when my liver blood work came back a bit high, my pain doctor put me on 50 mg of methadone and 10 mg of oxycotin...The oxy was twice as addicting as loratab (I was taking 10/325 many times 2 at a time!) I asked him about possible addiction to the oxy etc he said "I dont't care what pain med your taking it has to be cut down slowly" I'm blessed to have a young,up to date pain doc., I have cut down from 50 mg of Done' to 15 mg a day! your brother can do the same! Methadone lasts for a bit over 24 hours and it stays in your body a lot longer than peroccet etc. and the withdrawels will last longer but I hope to be down to 2.5 mg in about 2 months for i don't want to go thru the hell of withdrawel ! There is a newer drug called buprenophine that will take him off the methadone quicker, but he must be in withdrawel when he takes it and the great thing is he can do it as a out patient! takes about 6 weeks depending on his done' dosage... hope this helps!!!

Posted: 01/30/07 - 19:16 Post subject:

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Anna: Your worry about Your brothers possible Methadone addiction may be not as bad as you think!
Methadone at normal doses (10-80 mg) will not make him high, effect his driving, his job etc.


Methadone at ANY dose can effect driving, judgement, awareness, employment, etc.! It all depends on how well you personally tolerate the side effects.
A person needs to be previously exposed to opiates before beginning methodone treatment. Even then, physicians are very strict in the amount they start a patient on because the drug is EXTREMELY STRONG!! There is no such thing as a "normal" dose. There are prescribed doses which will not kill a healthy individual if taken AS PRESCRIBED, but there are still side effects to reckon with. I don't feel your post answered her question at all. Furthermore, you shouldn't advise people that taking between 10-80mg won't make them high. Depending on the individual it could be the difference between getting high, overdose or death.

I've been on methadone 4 2 yrs cannot afford to take it anymore need to kick the addiction no one knows I take it I have a husband and 3 kids I don't know how to get off taking between 80 to 120mg a day I'm scared and I cannot go to any doctors if my husband finds out he will leave me and I will lose my kids! PLEASE HELP!!!

christina6 wrote:

I've been on methadone 4 2 yrs cannot afford to take it anymore need to kick the addiction no one knows I take it I have a husband and 3 kids I don't know how to get off taking between 80 to 120mg a day I'm scared and I cannot go to any doctors if my husband finds out he will leave me and I will lose my kids! PLEASE HELP!!!

If you say that youve been on the stuff for that long, but cannot afford it anymore, and cannot go to a dr. about it, then you must be buying it off the street, which is also what i have been doing. In all honesty, there are wonderful hospitals and such that help you detox from the done, WITH done. The thing is though, is that you say your family will be upset with you. Possibly so upset they would walk out on you...??? Honey, they LOVE you. I thought this same thing about my friends and family, and all they did was support me. Its scary telling others the truth about your "other lifestyle", but until you do that, your only going to continue essentially lying to them, and in the long run, yourself. And you wont accomplish what you want to do. You have to really want it. And if you do, you need to either admit yourself to a hospital, even the ER can give you options, or prescriptions for out patient meds that can help you through it. ie; anxiety meds, etc... BUT, if your VERY careful, you can also ween yourself away from the methadone, as long as your serious about it, and careful, and have enough will power. Im doing that same thing AS I SPEAK. But I have something to turn to when im done. SUBOXONE. And it is a miracle drug. It was very unheard of several years ago, but it is much more mainstream. If you can do some research to find a Dr near you who is licensed to prescribe suboxone, it might make all the difference for you/to you! But i highly suggest you have insurance in order to get on it, as it is VERY expensive, but well worth it. The only other problem with that, is that technically you really are just replacing one thing for another! I know some people look at it that way, but it can be the change that saves your life.. And your family's opinion of you. You can do it. Anyone can, as long as they are for REAL,. and really WANT the change. Music, love, sex, movies, touching, smells, seeing, breathing etc... EVERYTHING is soooo much better once you drag yourself away from the dumb methadone.

For anyone to say there is a normal dose of methadone is not only insane but ridiculous, methadone is a synthetic form of heroine but only worst, it has not only destroyed the appearance of many in my family it has ruined their lives, i refer to it as liquid handcuffs most who get on meth never stop they believe in their mind it's a medication , when its clearly one of the worst of them all, and if they were treating someone for a percocet withdraw they just made the problem worst by giving them methadone, their whole facial structure changes, in fact they all resemble each other, high cheel bones, flushed out dead eyes, it makes me sick.
And if you want advice never ask an addict they are in denial and will give you false information. Methadone is awful.
you wanna get off meth? Get your act together and go to a detox , if your coucelours tell you their gonna bring you down , their bs'in you if you want to get off than just do it stop making excuses, you addicts are so pathetic.

if your husband is smart he will leave you, you will do nothing but cause him alot of grief and heartache, he deserves better i hate methadone addicts they make me sick.

[quote]"Stop making excuses,you addicts are so pathetic."

YOU have no idea of how wrong you really are. (alot of) Addicts are some of the most smart,nicest,caring strong people. All addicts are not pathetic. Addiction runs very strong in my family. I grew up in a very abusive & alcoholic home. I started using drugs/alcohol to escape the extreme torment i was experiencing. My family - especially my mom knew damn well what was going on but nothing was 'done' about hell i was enduring physically & mentally. When I was 17 years old,I jumped off the top of a parkade-a stupid,drunken decision,i know. The impact shattered my ankles and fractured (severely) my heels. Surgery was the only option - 13 screws and a plate in both feet. 9 hour surgery,which had to be done in a bigger city with a better surgeon. The Dr. put me on 8mg Dilaudid - @ 17years old! I didn't know anything about Dilaudid/ pain killers. I still do not like how i was put on such a heavy-duty narcotic(s) at such a young age. Sure it took my severe chronic pain away,but it came with a cost-my health and life. I was given zero information on the drug. I was in a wheelchair unable to walk for many many months. My shitty parents decided to kick me out of the house while i was unable to walk,after forcing me to go to school,messed up on Dilaudid. School wasn't 'working out'. So There I was - alone with nowhere to go. This was a very embarrassing time for me,homeless 2 months after the life-altering injury. I was left so confused. People decided to turn their backs on me. I lost all hope. To this day (9 years after the surgery) I still cannot run,jog,play sports,which i used to do all the time previously. As time went by, things got worse,i got worse. I eventually decided to 'clean up'. I was admitted to Victoria(BC,Canada) Detox Centre. Every time i did detox,the pain in my feet was out of control. I was going nuts from the pain,and no, the pain was not just in my head. I had many various 'pain tests' and all the tests came back showing how much pain i was in,and still am. My plate in my left heel is shifting out of place with bone growing on it,ripping through my skin,and has been for a few years. A nurse suggested to me ( on my 4th or 5th detox from morphine/dilaudid in a couple months that i try the 'methadone program'. She (the nurse) said this was the best option at the time since i was in extreme pain & had a slight history of mis-using my morph/dilly's. So I tried it,and it was a great option,for @ the time. Unfortunately I built a tolerence to it very fast. Now,I am at 115ml 2x daily. Now i feel it is not doing anything for my pain.I am thinking of trying to switch from methadone to Fentenal(?) patch(es) for pain.
People get addicted to drugs from many different reasons. You are pathetic for being sooo closed-minded. I think that I have done pretty damn good considering i have been on my own since i was 17. I am still recovering from the (mental) hell of being homeless & alone & disabled. jamielove- You are pathetic & don't forget it. I have pulled myself out of so many bad & scarey positions for way too long. I am very happy with how I am doing in keeping my addiction under control-including alcohol & marijuana & benzo's,ect. I am living in a beautiful town house in a nice neighborhood & have been for quite some time now!

First of all, everyone is different. I credit having gotten on methadone in 1982 with saving my life. I've been on it ever since (27 years), successful job and family. I'm on a dose of 40mg/day. I also take high blood pressure medicine (lisinopril, 20mg/day) and metformin for diabetes. According to my doctor, each drug treats a specific disease, and until there's a cure, I'll probably be taking them for the rest of my life (I'm 57).

I don't drink, I don't take any other drugs, and as I say, I have no problems with taking the methadone (I get it once a month from a doctor that is allowed to dispense for addiction) just as I take the lisinopril and metformin.

Again, some people look at methadone as liquid handcuffs, but not insulin or other drugs needed daily to combat a specific disease. Maybe if you abuse drugs and have to go to a clinic every day, yes, then it's restricting your life, but if you're clean and get your methadone just like you get any other drug, I see nothing wrong with that.

Good luck.