a young man in his 30's recently died. he was on methadone maintenance therapy and missing the high he didn't get anymore because of tolerance. so he started taking xanax. he overdosed and now he's dead. he was a nice person and didn't want to die.
if anyone is considering this drug don't take it. it's not worth the risk. when is the world going to wake up and realize that this treatment is worse most of the drugs people are trying to get off of? if anyone is on hydros, percs, oxys and has been through the awful sickness that happens when you stop, well methadone is about 50 times worse to stop, if you can stop and alot of people can't. they just keep upping there dose more and more and then what?
visit a meth clinic and look at the some of the people, they didn't start out that way. they used to be healthy and happy normal people too. even if your addiction has you knocking on death's door, don't take methadone. there are other ways to get help that might actually help you instead of kill you.
A very powerful message.
Thank you for posting that.
How apropos since many are asking about it.
Thank you for posting that.
How apropos since many are asking about it.
I am not a fan of methadone BUT methadone did not kill this young man, mixing xanax and methadone did. Over sedation, very sad.
Methadone was the hardest thing iv ever kicked. A 27 yr old friend also died monday. He had been in jail and took his normal dose. I was a big fan of mixing xanax and mthdn, thank god im here. If a slight misuse of mthdn occurs an overdose or DEATH can happen! Its a wicked drug. It took me to lows that oxy and H never did.
Brien
Brien
yes you are so writ, my son, is on the meth prog, and like you said you don,t get that buzz, like you yous too, well now my son is taking benzo, to get that buzz, and i live in fear, everday, iv even went to his doct, but he would not stop giving them top him, so i let him know if enything happen i would hold him accountble, i have a brother that died that way, i could not bear it with my son, so i just pray everday for god, to keep him safe, im praying he goes back into recovory soon, he just lost his job, and his apartment, and i have to learn how to say no, ive never been good at that, my hubby is thats his favert word, NO, to almost everthing, if you could keep my son in your prayers , that would be greatly appert, thanks karen.
Faith I am sorry you have to worry so about your son. THat has to be awful.
Silent Partner is absolutely right. Mathadone taking properly is not going to kill anyone.Mixing the dose with the benzo's is the danger. Although, I hear ya Meth, and that's good you are sharing the awfulness that comes with it. I have a neighbor though. A young guy. Ohhhh, just chaos, mayhem and pain for him and his family. He's been on the maintenance and he's doing fabulous for two years now.
Faith 234, maybe you can go over to the part of the board for family. They know your worry, fear and pain. They're awesome loving people too. You and your son are in my paryers.
Silent Partner is absolutely right. Mathadone taking properly is not going to kill anyone.Mixing the dose with the benzo's is the danger. Although, I hear ya Meth, and that's good you are sharing the awfulness that comes with it. I have a neighbor though. A young guy. Ohhhh, just chaos, mayhem and pain for him and his family. He's been on the maintenance and he's doing fabulous for two years now.
Faith 234, maybe you can go over to the part of the board for family. They know your worry, fear and pain. They're awesome loving people too. You and your son are in my paryers.
No, methadone itself, alone, CAN kill.
Of course a recovering heroin or high-end pain pill addict can get on a proper dose and they will have the appropriate tolerance so it won't kill or even really feel much effects. But even they, given a high enough dose could go into respiratory distress or failure.
But for non-opiate dependent people, methadone packs quite a whallop and is a very, very dangerous drug due to its slow yet very long action. Because of all the hysteria over oxycontin, some doctors switched to methadone, thinking it would be safer. Well, of course the drug gets diverted. And in some areas of the US, methadone overdose deaths now outnumber oxycontin deaths.
This is NOT a rant against MMT. I am actually for properly done MMT, if it helps people live saner, more productive and safer lives. This drug should be given its due respect though. This is NOT a weak drug by any means, it is near the top of the "opiate food chain" and should be treated as such.
Of course a recovering heroin or high-end pain pill addict can get on a proper dose and they will have the appropriate tolerance so it won't kill or even really feel much effects. But even they, given a high enough dose could go into respiratory distress or failure.
But for non-opiate dependent people, methadone packs quite a whallop and is a very, very dangerous drug due to its slow yet very long action. Because of all the hysteria over oxycontin, some doctors switched to methadone, thinking it would be safer. Well, of course the drug gets diverted. And in some areas of the US, methadone overdose deaths now outnumber oxycontin deaths.
This is NOT a rant against MMT. I am actually for properly done MMT, if it helps people live saner, more productive and safer lives. This drug should be given its due respect though. This is NOT a weak drug by any means, it is near the top of the "opiate food chain" and should be treated as such.
I have to agree with the message here, if you haven't started on methadone don't. I've been hooked on it for the past 3 years now and tried getting off of it a few times and was unsuccessful. I just can't deal with going through a year of extreme depression, that's another side effect of getting off methadone, you suffer for a year at least. I was uneducated about this drug when I started on it, all I knew was I was taking so much other stuff that when I tried methadone I didn't feel the need of the other stuff anymore, so I thought it was better, I couldn't had been more wrong.
The good thing is I try hard not to up the dose, I keep it at the same dose every morning, but has been days I have used a little extra. I can deal with the being physically ill, I can't deal with depression and that's what keeps me from stopping it.
If you are thinking of starting on methadone, you may want to really think hard about that and do some research on the drug first. Sorry for the friends here that were lost to this drug, so sad.
Liz
The good thing is I try hard not to up the dose, I keep it at the same dose every morning, but has been days I have used a little extra. I can deal with the being physically ill, I can't deal with depression and that's what keeps me from stopping it.
If you are thinking of starting on methadone, you may want to really think hard about that and do some research on the drug first. Sorry for the friends here that were lost to this drug, so sad.
Liz
Liz,
I understand how you are feeling. I was on methadone for 2 1/2 years. I knew next to nothing about it when I started the program. I had been abusing lortab, about 10-15 a day, on and off for about 3 years. I had no idea I was about to start taking a drug much, much more powerful then lortab. I was up to 90mg when I decided I had to get off the methadone. I was scared. I went real slow about 2 or 3mg a week at the most. Some weeks I didn't go down any if I felt like I needed to stabalize. It took me about a year to get off it completely. When I got down to about 20mg I started taking an antidepressent. I do felt like it helped a little bit. It helped to calm me down a bit. And although it wasn't always easy, it's definitly not impossible. Don't let anyone tell you it's impossible or that it's the so awful you'll want to die. When I used to stand in line at the clinic I had people tell me things like that. I talked to my counselor and she really helped me a lot. I started bringing my i-pod and listening to music in line. Just don't get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time. Take it slow. I'm here if you want to talk. You can do it!
Shelly
I understand how you are feeling. I was on methadone for 2 1/2 years. I knew next to nothing about it when I started the program. I had been abusing lortab, about 10-15 a day, on and off for about 3 years. I had no idea I was about to start taking a drug much, much more powerful then lortab. I was up to 90mg when I decided I had to get off the methadone. I was scared. I went real slow about 2 or 3mg a week at the most. Some weeks I didn't go down any if I felt like I needed to stabalize. It took me about a year to get off it completely. When I got down to about 20mg I started taking an antidepressent. I do felt like it helped a little bit. It helped to calm me down a bit. And although it wasn't always easy, it's definitly not impossible. Don't let anyone tell you it's impossible or that it's the so awful you'll want to die. When I used to stand in line at the clinic I had people tell me things like that. I talked to my counselor and she really helped me a lot. I started bringing my i-pod and listening to music in line. Just don't get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time. Take it slow. I'm here if you want to talk. You can do it!
Shelly
MK
If I disagree with anything you said it would be about methadone wds being 50 times worse than hydros or oxys. I would say more like 100 times. After 10 years at 400mgs a day, I can say I felt like death warmed over.
It will be 6 months next week since I took my last crumb of methadone.
In addiction they refer to hitting a bottom. I had no idea on that first day, when I took that first dose of methadone, that those people were handing me my bottom.
It did not take ten years to realize methadone had become my bottom, just ten years to quit taking it.
JW
If I disagree with anything you said it would be about methadone wds being 50 times worse than hydros or oxys. I would say more like 100 times. After 10 years at 400mgs a day, I can say I felt like death warmed over.
It will be 6 months next week since I took my last crumb of methadone.
In addiction they refer to hitting a bottom. I had no idea on that first day, when I took that first dose of methadone, that those people were handing me my bottom.
It did not take ten years to realize methadone had become my bottom, just ten years to quit taking it.
JW
