my guy was thinking about starting methadone...any thoughts on it?
Becky,
I have a very strong opinion on methadone. I was on it for almost 3 years. And I did it the right way. I went through the clinic, followed all the rules, passed every urine test, and never took anything while on methadone. I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. If you look back at old posts you'll see a lot of people feel the same way. I've never done heroin, I'm a pain pill addict. But, most people say getting off methadone is harder then coming off heroin. Please check out other options. On the pain pill board they talk a lot about suboxone. Check it out, it may be helpful to you. I've heard a lot of good things about sub. I really strongly urge you to think long and hard before going on methadone. It sounds like the perfect solution at first but it ends up being a nightmare. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
Shelly
I have a very strong opinion on methadone. I was on it for almost 3 years. And I did it the right way. I went through the clinic, followed all the rules, passed every urine test, and never took anything while on methadone. I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. If you look back at old posts you'll see a lot of people feel the same way. I've never done heroin, I'm a pain pill addict. But, most people say getting off methadone is harder then coming off heroin. Please check out other options. On the pain pill board they talk a lot about suboxone. Check it out, it may be helpful to you. I've heard a lot of good things about sub. I really strongly urge you to think long and hard before going on methadone. It sounds like the perfect solution at first but it ends up being a nightmare. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
Shelly
..Becky p..
..if your man could get a script for suboxone/subutex..i would recommend that instead..but if his only outlet is methadone..then as long as he dose,nt use more than prescribed and he sticks to the dosages daily..then he would be able to taper down off it after a while..in my experience methadone was harder to come off than heroin for me..so they switched me on to subutex..but even that did,nt stop me using..so wot im trying to say is..methadone does work if its used in the right way and you taper off at the right dosages..and hes commited to stopping his heroin use..good luck to him..Robbie..
..if your man could get a script for suboxone/subutex..i would recommend that instead..but if his only outlet is methadone..then as long as he dose,nt use more than prescribed and he sticks to the dosages daily..then he would be able to taper down off it after a while..in my experience methadone was harder to come off than heroin for me..so they switched me on to subutex..but even that did,nt stop me using..so wot im trying to say is..methadone does work if its used in the right way and you taper off at the right dosages..and hes commited to stopping his heroin use..good luck to him..Robbie..
it can work but, it's so hard to get off. Had I had other options when I chose a methadone program I would not have started. I knew it was hard to get off when i started. I saw no other way off of H. I've seen it work and not work "like anything else".
becky,ive been on mdone for 6yrs now&used smack for a lot of this time.you will hear alot of arguments against prescribing it ,which are all more or less valid.you have to look at the individual at the end of the day,what sort of programme does your b/f want?.for me it gave me some sort of normalcy,i could work&do all the regular day to day stuff,yes im tied to it but that now is my choice,honestly without it i would probobly be in prison or worse.at the start of my clinic i mucked about&tried to play the system,but slowly i realised it was not worth gettin kicked off&goin back to heroin hell.so my usage lessened,my health got better&things wernt so bad ,i still used but only on a 2/3 day binge every 2wks,but i was still using i also had /have?..a benzo add. which i picked up rnd.the local drug market at the clinic.im clean from both smack&benzos for a mnth now...methedone is next,but im a realist and know that will be a while yet,maybe a long while.becky ,sorry for rambling ,.it can save lives&it can destroy them thats basically it,...its how its used that makes the difference .all the best ..davey
Hi Becky,
Like Davey said there are arguements for and against methadone.I am currently on a meth script through a court order and for me it was what was best for me at the time and yes it is also up to the individual and wether you want to stop.I am on 60ml and for the first month I tried to play the system aswell like most addicts do but in the end it really isn't worth losing your script over.I'm on methadone now and it keeps me from using H and allows me to get up each day and go do things and live a normal life so for me meth was the answer.What you have to do is look at all the treatment options that are available in your area and then decide what you think is best.Being prepared can do you alot of good and prepare you for each eventuality that arises.I have the choice to go down as far as I need to on the meth and then go onto subs which iv'e never used but heard alot of good stories about.You will get alot of advice on this site so take on board what people say but at the end of the day it is what is best for each individual.I wish you and your partner well.Keep the chin up babe.
Akasha
Like Davey said there are arguements for and against methadone.I am currently on a meth script through a court order and for me it was what was best for me at the time and yes it is also up to the individual and wether you want to stop.I am on 60ml and for the first month I tried to play the system aswell like most addicts do but in the end it really isn't worth losing your script over.I'm on methadone now and it keeps me from using H and allows me to get up each day and go do things and live a normal life so for me meth was the answer.What you have to do is look at all the treatment options that are available in your area and then decide what you think is best.Being prepared can do you alot of good and prepare you for each eventuality that arises.I have the choice to go down as far as I need to on the meth and then go onto subs which iv'e never used but heard alot of good stories about.You will get alot of advice on this site so take on board what people say but at the end of the day it is what is best for each individual.I wish you and your partner well.Keep the chin up babe.
Akasha
Hi Becky
For me meth was the answer, but the problem with meth is that if you want to take gear you can, where as with subs you can't, thats why I would recommend subs. Subs taste bad and they are desolved in your mouth, my gf and I have been on subs and meth, but now she is on the subs, she caan't help herself and keeps using on the meth.
I don't think meth is hard to get of, if you really want to, going down a mil or 2 every couple of days is easy for me, but every1 is different.
Take it easy
Geoff xxx
For me meth was the answer, but the problem with meth is that if you want to take gear you can, where as with subs you can't, thats why I would recommend subs. Subs taste bad and they are desolved in your mouth, my gf and I have been on subs and meth, but now she is on the subs, she caan't help herself and keeps using on the meth.
I don't think meth is hard to get of, if you really want to, going down a mil or 2 every couple of days is easy for me, but every1 is different.
Take it easy
Geoff xxx
27 Important Facts Regarding Methadone Treatment.
1. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Methadone maintenance treatment is effective in reducing illicit opiate drug use, in reducing crime, in enhancing social productivity, and in reducing the spread of viral diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
2. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), All opiate-dependent persons under legal supervision should have access to methadone maintenance therapy...
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 2.
3. The unnecessary regulations of methadone maintenance therapy and other long-acting opiate agonist treatment programs should be reduced, and coverage for these programs should be a required benefit in public and private insurance programs.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 2.
4. Whatever conditions may lead to opiate exposure, opiate dependence is a brain-related disorder with the requisite characteristics of a medical illness.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
5. The safety and efficacy of narcotic agonist (methadone) maintenance treatment has been unequivocally established. Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
6. Although a drug-free state represents an optimal treatment goal, research has demonstrated that this goal cannot be achieved or sustained by the majority of opiate-dependent people.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 5.
7. Of the various treatments available, Methadone Maintenance Treatment, combined with attention to medical, psychiatric and socioeconomic issues, as well as drug counseling, has the highest probability of being effective.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 7.
8. Twin, family, and adoption studies show that vulnerability to drug abuse may be a partially inherited condition with strong influences from environmental factors.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 8.
9. Of the estimated total opiate-dependent population of 600,000, only 115,000 are known to be in methadone maintenance treatment programs.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 11.
10. The financial costs of untreated opiate dependence to the individual, the family, and society are estimated to be approximately $20 billion per year.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 11.
11. Over the past two decades, clear and convincing evidence has been collected from multiple studies showing that effective treatment of opiate dependence markedly reduces the rates of criminal activity.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 12.
12. Methadone's half-life is approximately 24 hours and leads to a long duration of action and once-a-day dosing. This feature, coupled with its slow onset of action, blunts its euphoric effect, making it unattractive as a principal drug of abuse.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 14.
13. Prolonged oral treatment with this medicine [methadone] diminishes and often eliminates opiate use, reduces transmission of many infections, including HIV and hepatitis B and C, and reduces criminal activity.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 16.
14. Opiate-dependent persons are often perceived not as individuals with a disease but as other or different. Factors such as racism play a large role here but so does the popular image of dependence itself. Many people believe that dependence is self-induced or a failure of willpower and that efforts to treat it will inevitably fail. Vigorous and effective leadership is needed to inform the public that dependence is a medical disorder that can be effectively treated with significant benefits for the patient and society.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 18.
15. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been shown to improve life functioning and decrease heroin use; criminal behavior; drug use practices, such as needle sharing, that increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk; and HIV infection.
Source: Sees, Karen, DO, et al., Methadone Maintenance vs. 180-Day Psychosocially Enriched Detoxification for Treatment of Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1303.
16. A recent study reported in the March 8, 2000 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that traditional methadone maintenance therapy is superior to both short-term and long-term detoxification treatment as a method to treat heroin dependence.
Source: Sees, Karen, DO, et al., Methadone Maintenance vs. 180-Day Psychosocially Enriched Detoxification for Treatment of Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association,2000, 283:1303-1310.
17. A study in the March 8, 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed the Scottish model of methadone distribution to patients through doctors offices versus the US model of methadone maintenance clinics. The study concludes: Prescription of methadone by primary care physicians can safely increase the availability of an important treatment modality, and at the same time improve health care for this difficult-to-reach population.
Source: Weinrich, Michael, MD, and Stuart, Mary, ScD, Provision of Methadone Treatment in Primary Care Medical Practices: Review of the Scottish Experience and Implications for US Policy, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1343-1348, p. 1347.
18. The Journal of the American Medical Association notes in an editorial in its March 8, 2000 edition that following the Scottish example, and allowing primary care physicians to dispense methadone, could provide a three- to five-fold increase in access, as well as reducing the cost per patient.
Source: Rounsaville, Bruce J., MD, and Kosten, Thomas R., MD, Treatment for Opioid Dependence: Quality and Access, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1337:1339.
19. The Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS)a long-term, large-scale longitudinal study of drug treatmentfound that patients drastically reduced heroin use while in treatment, with 10% using heroin or other narcotics weekly or daily after just three months in treatment.
Sources: Hubbard, R.L., et al., Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS): Client Characteristics and Behaviors before, during, and after Treatment, in Tims, F.M. & Ludford, J.P. (eds.), Drug Abuse Treatment Evaluation: Strategies, Progress and Prospects (Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1984), p. 60.
20. Methadone treatment greatly reduces criminal behavior. The decline in predatory crimes is likely in part because methadone maintenance treatment patients no longer need to finance a costly heroin addiction, and because treatment allows many patients to stabilize their lives and return to legitimate employment.
Sources: Hubbard, R.L., et al., Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS): Client Characteristics and Behaviors before, during, and after Treatment, in Tims, F.M. & Ludford, J.P. (eds.), Drug Abuse Treatment Evaluation: Strategies, Progress and Prospects (Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1984), p. 60; Ball, J.C. & Ross, A., The Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Treatment, (New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1991), pp. 195-211; Newman, R.G. & Peyser, N., Methadone Treatment: Experiment and Experience, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 23: 115-21 (1991).
1. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Methadone maintenance treatment is effective in reducing illicit opiate drug use, in reducing crime, in enhancing social productivity, and in reducing the spread of viral diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
2. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), All opiate-dependent persons under legal supervision should have access to methadone maintenance therapy...
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 2.
3. The unnecessary regulations of methadone maintenance therapy and other long-acting opiate agonist treatment programs should be reduced, and coverage for these programs should be a required benefit in public and private insurance programs.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 2.
4. Whatever conditions may lead to opiate exposure, opiate dependence is a brain-related disorder with the requisite characteristics of a medical illness.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
5. The safety and efficacy of narcotic agonist (methadone) maintenance treatment has been unequivocally established. Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 4.
6. Although a drug-free state represents an optimal treatment goal, research has demonstrated that this goal cannot be achieved or sustained by the majority of opiate-dependent people.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 5.
7. Of the various treatments available, Methadone Maintenance Treatment, combined with attention to medical, psychiatric and socioeconomic issues, as well as drug counseling, has the highest probability of being effective.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 7.
8. Twin, family, and adoption studies show that vulnerability to drug abuse may be a partially inherited condition with strong influences from environmental factors.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 8.
9. Of the estimated total opiate-dependent population of 600,000, only 115,000 are known to be in methadone maintenance treatment programs.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 11.
10. The financial costs of untreated opiate dependence to the individual, the family, and society are estimated to be approximately $20 billion per year.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 11.
11. Over the past two decades, clear and convincing evidence has been collected from multiple studies showing that effective treatment of opiate dependence markedly reduces the rates of criminal activity.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 12.
12. Methadone's half-life is approximately 24 hours and leads to a long duration of action and once-a-day dosing. This feature, coupled with its slow onset of action, blunts its euphoric effect, making it unattractive as a principal drug of abuse.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 14.
13. Prolonged oral treatment with this medicine [methadone] diminishes and often eliminates opiate use, reduces transmission of many infections, including HIV and hepatitis B and C, and reduces criminal activity.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 16.
14. Opiate-dependent persons are often perceived not as individuals with a disease but as other or different. Factors such as racism play a large role here but so does the popular image of dependence itself. Many people believe that dependence is self-induced or a failure of willpower and that efforts to treat it will inevitably fail. Vigorous and effective leadership is needed to inform the public that dependence is a medical disorder that can be effectively treated with significant benefits for the patient and society.
Source: Effective Medical Treatment of Opiate Addiction. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov. 17-19; 15(6): 18.
15. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been shown to improve life functioning and decrease heroin use; criminal behavior; drug use practices, such as needle sharing, that increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk; and HIV infection.
Source: Sees, Karen, DO, et al., Methadone Maintenance vs. 180-Day Psychosocially Enriched Detoxification for Treatment of Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1303.
16. A recent study reported in the March 8, 2000 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that traditional methadone maintenance therapy is superior to both short-term and long-term detoxification treatment as a method to treat heroin dependence.
Source: Sees, Karen, DO, et al., Methadone Maintenance vs. 180-Day Psychosocially Enriched Detoxification for Treatment of Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association,2000, 283:1303-1310.
17. A study in the March 8, 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed the Scottish model of methadone distribution to patients through doctors offices versus the US model of methadone maintenance clinics. The study concludes: Prescription of methadone by primary care physicians can safely increase the availability of an important treatment modality, and at the same time improve health care for this difficult-to-reach population.
Source: Weinrich, Michael, MD, and Stuart, Mary, ScD, Provision of Methadone Treatment in Primary Care Medical Practices: Review of the Scottish Experience and Implications for US Policy, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1343-1348, p. 1347.
18. The Journal of the American Medical Association notes in an editorial in its March 8, 2000 edition that following the Scottish example, and allowing primary care physicians to dispense methadone, could provide a three- to five-fold increase in access, as well as reducing the cost per patient.
Source: Rounsaville, Bruce J., MD, and Kosten, Thomas R., MD, Treatment for Opioid Dependence: Quality and Access, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, 283:1337:1339.
19. The Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS)a long-term, large-scale longitudinal study of drug treatmentfound that patients drastically reduced heroin use while in treatment, with 10% using heroin or other narcotics weekly or daily after just three months in treatment.
Sources: Hubbard, R.L., et al., Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS): Client Characteristics and Behaviors before, during, and after Treatment, in Tims, F.M. & Ludford, J.P. (eds.), Drug Abuse Treatment Evaluation: Strategies, Progress and Prospects (Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1984), p. 60.
20. Methadone treatment greatly reduces criminal behavior. The decline in predatory crimes is likely in part because methadone maintenance treatment patients no longer need to finance a costly heroin addiction, and because treatment allows many patients to stabilize their lives and return to legitimate employment.
Sources: Hubbard, R.L., et al., Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS): Client Characteristics and Behaviors before, during, and after Treatment, in Tims, F.M. & Ludford, J.P. (eds.), Drug Abuse Treatment Evaluation: Strategies, Progress and Prospects (Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1984), p. 60; Ball, J.C. & Ross, A., The Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Treatment, (New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1991), pp. 195-211; Newman, R.G. & Peyser, N., Methadone Treatment: Experiment and Experience, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 23: 115-21 (1991).
21. In support of methadone as an effective treatment for heroin addiction, Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey issued the following statement: Methadone is one of the longest-established, most thoroughly evaluated forms of drug treatment. The science is overwhelming in its findings about methadone treatments effectiveness. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study found, for example, that methadone treatment reduced participants heroin use by 70%, their criminal activity by 57%, and increased their full-time employment by 24%.
Source: McCaffrey, Barry, Statement of ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey on Mayor Giulianis Recent Comments on Methadone Therapy, (Press Release) (Washington, DC: ONDCP), July 24, 1998.
22. Methadone is cost effective. Methadone costs about $4,000 per year, while incarceration costs about $20,200 to $23,500 per year.
Sources: Institute of Medicine, Treating Drug Problems (Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1990), Vol. 1, pp. 151- 52; Rosenbaum, M., Washburn, A., Knight, K., Kelley, M., & Irwin, J., Treatment as Harm Reduction, Defunding as Harm Maximization: The Case of Methadone Maintenance, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28: 241-249 (1996); Criminal Justice Institute, Inc., The Corrections Yearbook 1997 (South Salem, NY: Criminal Justice Institute, Inc., 1997) [estimating cost of a day in jail on average to be $55.41 a day, or $20,237 a year, and the cost of prison to be on average to be about $64.49 a day, or $23,554 a year].
23. Methadone does not make patients high or interfere with normal functioning.
Source: Lowinson, J.H., et al., (1997), Methadone Maintenance, Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, (3 rd Ed.) (Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997), pp. 405
24. Methadone maintenance treatment helps clients to reduce high risk behaviors like needle sharing and unsafe sex.
Source: Rosenbaum, et al., Treatment as Harm Reduction, Defunding as Harm Maximization: The Case of Methadone Maintenance, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28: 241-249 (1996).
25. In support of methadone as an effective treatment for heroin addiction, former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey quoted Drs. Adam Yarmolinsky and Richard A. Rettig, chairman and director of a recent National Academy of Sciences study of methadone treatment, who wrote: Methadone treatment helps heroin addicts free themselves from drug dependency, a life of crime in support of their habit and the risk of adding to the AIDS population by sharing dirty needles[Methadone therapy] is more likely to work than any other therapy.
Source: McCaffrey, Barry, Statement of ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey on Mayor Giulianis Recent Comments on Methadone Therapy, (Press Release) (Washington, DC: ONDCP), July 24, 1998.
26. The MMT patient is DEPENDENT on their medication. Not "addicted"!
The term "addiction" is currently used as a psychological term referring to the loss of control over drug use or other behaviors such as eating or gambling. By these criteria as laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, the methadone patient is not addicted to his/her medication.
In fact, the experts in this field have taken to comparing an individual on methadone maintenance therapy to a diabetic who is dependent on their daily dose of insulin. We would never label a diabetic an "insulin addict"! Even the former Drug Czar, General McCaffrey uses this comparison.
In terms of physical dependence, double blind studies done at Lexington have demonstrated that when comparing the withdrawal symptoms of patients maintained on equivalent doses of methadone and short acting opioids like heroin, those of the former group were _less_ severe than those of the latter group. Withdrawal from methadone _does_ last significantly longer than that from short acting opioids, however, and this clearly contributes to the patient who withdraws "cold" perceiving methadone as the more uncomfortable. Most patients coming into MMT today have relatively heavy habits due to the high quality and low cost of street opioids in the US since the early 90s. After having been built up to a blockading dose of methadone, if they are subjected to sudden withdrawal (ie in jail) they would likely not experience the withdrawal syndrome any more intensely than they had on the street. Also, gradual withdrawal from methadone, when properly done, is virtually free of discomfort.
Finally, some patients tend to forget that the whole reason they came into MMT in the first place was because they were unable to remain abstinent from opioids. When they attempt to leave MMT and fail, they blame the methadone rather than the heroin which deranged their brain chemistries in the first place.
Source: Isbell, H. and Vogel, V.H.: The addiction liability of methadone (Amidon, Dolophine, "10820") and its use in the treatment of the morphine abstinence syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 105:12 (June) 1949.
27. There is ample scientific evidence that the long-term administration of methadone in a properly adjusted dose to a tolerant individual results in absolutely no physical or psychological impairment of any kind that can be perceived by the patient, observed by a physician, or detected by a scientist. More specifically, there is no impairment of balance, coordination, mental abilities, eye-hand coordination, depth perception, pyscho-motor function, or moral judgment.
In short, there is absolutely no medical, ethical, moral, or legal basis for discrimination against any person because of their disease or the treatment of that disease. In many ways the methadone maintained person can offer better assurances of on-going sobriety and abstinence than many other individuals that are not being supervised and monitored with regular random urine drug screens. We are always willing to provide those with a legitimate need to know (at the request of and with the permission of the patient) ongoing documentation of the patient's status in treatment, including results of urine drug screens as specified in the release of information.
Source: J. Thomas Payte, M.D. - Founder and Medical Director of Drug Dependence Associates, an outpatient chemical dependency treatment program blending pharmacotherapies with self-help and behavioral concepts since 1970. Dr. Payte is one of the world's leading authorities on opiate agonist treatment of addiction.
Source: McCaffrey, Barry, Statement of ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey on Mayor Giulianis Recent Comments on Methadone Therapy, (Press Release) (Washington, DC: ONDCP), July 24, 1998.
22. Methadone is cost effective. Methadone costs about $4,000 per year, while incarceration costs about $20,200 to $23,500 per year.
Sources: Institute of Medicine, Treating Drug Problems (Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1990), Vol. 1, pp. 151- 52; Rosenbaum, M., Washburn, A., Knight, K., Kelley, M., & Irwin, J., Treatment as Harm Reduction, Defunding as Harm Maximization: The Case of Methadone Maintenance, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28: 241-249 (1996); Criminal Justice Institute, Inc., The Corrections Yearbook 1997 (South Salem, NY: Criminal Justice Institute, Inc., 1997) [estimating cost of a day in jail on average to be $55.41 a day, or $20,237 a year, and the cost of prison to be on average to be about $64.49 a day, or $23,554 a year].
23. Methadone does not make patients high or interfere with normal functioning.
Source: Lowinson, J.H., et al., (1997), Methadone Maintenance, Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, (3 rd Ed.) (Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997), pp. 405
24. Methadone maintenance treatment helps clients to reduce high risk behaviors like needle sharing and unsafe sex.
Source: Rosenbaum, et al., Treatment as Harm Reduction, Defunding as Harm Maximization: The Case of Methadone Maintenance, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28: 241-249 (1996).
25. In support of methadone as an effective treatment for heroin addiction, former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey quoted Drs. Adam Yarmolinsky and Richard A. Rettig, chairman and director of a recent National Academy of Sciences study of methadone treatment, who wrote: Methadone treatment helps heroin addicts free themselves from drug dependency, a life of crime in support of their habit and the risk of adding to the AIDS population by sharing dirty needles[Methadone therapy] is more likely to work than any other therapy.
Source: McCaffrey, Barry, Statement of ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey on Mayor Giulianis Recent Comments on Methadone Therapy, (Press Release) (Washington, DC: ONDCP), July 24, 1998.
26. The MMT patient is DEPENDENT on their medication. Not "addicted"!
The term "addiction" is currently used as a psychological term referring to the loss of control over drug use or other behaviors such as eating or gambling. By these criteria as laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, the methadone patient is not addicted to his/her medication.
In fact, the experts in this field have taken to comparing an individual on methadone maintenance therapy to a diabetic who is dependent on their daily dose of insulin. We would never label a diabetic an "insulin addict"! Even the former Drug Czar, General McCaffrey uses this comparison.
In terms of physical dependence, double blind studies done at Lexington have demonstrated that when comparing the withdrawal symptoms of patients maintained on equivalent doses of methadone and short acting opioids like heroin, those of the former group were _less_ severe than those of the latter group. Withdrawal from methadone _does_ last significantly longer than that from short acting opioids, however, and this clearly contributes to the patient who withdraws "cold" perceiving methadone as the more uncomfortable. Most patients coming into MMT today have relatively heavy habits due to the high quality and low cost of street opioids in the US since the early 90s. After having been built up to a blockading dose of methadone, if they are subjected to sudden withdrawal (ie in jail) they would likely not experience the withdrawal syndrome any more intensely than they had on the street. Also, gradual withdrawal from methadone, when properly done, is virtually free of discomfort.
Finally, some patients tend to forget that the whole reason they came into MMT in the first place was because they were unable to remain abstinent from opioids. When they attempt to leave MMT and fail, they blame the methadone rather than the heroin which deranged their brain chemistries in the first place.
Source: Isbell, H. and Vogel, V.H.: The addiction liability of methadone (Amidon, Dolophine, "10820") and its use in the treatment of the morphine abstinence syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 105:12 (June) 1949.
27. There is ample scientific evidence that the long-term administration of methadone in a properly adjusted dose to a tolerant individual results in absolutely no physical or psychological impairment of any kind that can be perceived by the patient, observed by a physician, or detected by a scientist. More specifically, there is no impairment of balance, coordination, mental abilities, eye-hand coordination, depth perception, pyscho-motor function, or moral judgment.
In short, there is absolutely no medical, ethical, moral, or legal basis for discrimination against any person because of their disease or the treatment of that disease. In many ways the methadone maintained person can offer better assurances of on-going sobriety and abstinence than many other individuals that are not being supervised and monitored with regular random urine drug screens. We are always willing to provide those with a legitimate need to know (at the request of and with the permission of the patient) ongoing documentation of the patient's status in treatment, including results of urine drug screens as specified in the release of information.
Source: J. Thomas Payte, M.D. - Founder and Medical Director of Drug Dependence Associates, an outpatient chemical dependency treatment program blending pharmacotherapies with self-help and behavioral concepts since 1970. Dr. Payte is one of the world's leading authorities on opiate agonist treatment of addiction.
Becky, I'd say go for anything with him at this point... I did methadone, but he's got to want to stop, I wanted to stop the first time, and in about 2 months I was off of the methadone and free... BUT... tom will be prolonging the inevitable here, he is still going to suffer withdrawl symptoms, and coming off of methadone is worse than heroin because the withdrawls are ten times longer and the insomnia lasts for months sometimes. I have heard good and bad about subutex, either way something needs to happen here, your husband has a real problem. Has he ever gone impatient? Maybe a 30 day? I know where he is right now, we all do, it's just plain f***ing hard hun, harder than anyone can imagine. Fear of sobriety keeps every addict down, but it's a lethal fear and he needs to be honest with himself. He can't be doing this for you, his mom, the toothfairy, he needs to want it, otherwise it's all a waste of time.
Darin..,thanks for the well worded balanced view on M.M.T.....davey,perchance have you read M.Massings study on American drug policy over the last 30yrs?...its called The Fix,good balanced stuff,just like the facts you mentioned above.cheers all the best ...davey
Davey,
Good day to you and thanks. I have not read The Fix but I will have a look into it today.....there's power in sharing information!! All the best!
Darin
Good day to you and thanks. I have not read The Fix but I will have a look into it today.....there's power in sharing information!! All the best!
Darin
Hi becky p my name is jax and u were asking anyone's thoughts on using methadone well i have been using methadone on and off (mostly on ) for just over 6 years now and i think it is really helpful ok it hasn't worked for me yet but that wasn't the methadone itself it was me i just never had enough willpower or motivation it was never the right time for me but this time i have been on it for 10 months and i am really really ready to come off it and stay off it this time for all the right reasons this time your boyfriend has to do it for himself mostly but it definatly has it's advantages it makes you feel normal you can start to have a bit of a life again instead of waking up every morning and wondering where your next charge is coming from but it has to feel right for him personally i would reccomend it but he has to make his own choice because everyone is different!!
Becky,
My man has been on methadone for a long time and I mean maybe 10 -12 years it's not easy a noose around his neck and he's been here way way too long but it means he has an almost normal life and it's better than the brown.
As suggested I'd go with whatever your guy wants because it's a step forward, even though I hate the meth and we're trying to find a way to get free from it at least ther is no chaotic lifestyle nightime calls etc etc.
k
My man has been on methadone for a long time and I mean maybe 10 -12 years it's not easy a noose around his neck and he's been here way way too long but it means he has an almost normal life and it's better than the brown.
As suggested I'd go with whatever your guy wants because it's a step forward, even though I hate the meth and we're trying to find a way to get free from it at least ther is no chaotic lifestyle nightime calls etc etc.
k
Becky
I have been on mdone for a very long time. You could go back on the board and find my story somewhere. Its posted more than once.
I dont wanna bore poeople anymore about it. However, to keep it short, it saved me from a prision sentance, got me on my feet, I was able to raise a kid,get a job(career) ,pay the rent, fix my drivers license, and kept from getting a life threating illness.
The bad part is it has kept me around the heroin lifesytle, going to the clinic(even though now its only once a week) is a bad thing because most of the clients arent there to straighten out, they are there to take a break for awhile.
Mdone ,along with meetings,counseling,and classes in life skills can work.
Then use it to your advantage,. When the time comes to move on and get off- go for it .
Unfortunetly, Im still battleing- Im much better off- but the struggle continues.
When I got on ,there was no such thing as subs- I hear this might be a clearer way to go. I dont know-
Do what you have to do- or in your case ,its about your guy- - so be as supportive as you can
All the best- with much love & respect
jack
I have been on mdone for a very long time. You could go back on the board and find my story somewhere. Its posted more than once.
I dont wanna bore poeople anymore about it. However, to keep it short, it saved me from a prision sentance, got me on my feet, I was able to raise a kid,get a job(career) ,pay the rent, fix my drivers license, and kept from getting a life threating illness.
The bad part is it has kept me around the heroin lifesytle, going to the clinic(even though now its only once a week) is a bad thing because most of the clients arent there to straighten out, they are there to take a break for awhile.
Mdone ,along with meetings,counseling,and classes in life skills can work.
Then use it to your advantage,. When the time comes to move on and get off- go for it .
Unfortunetly, Im still battleing- Im much better off- but the struggle continues.
When I got on ,there was no such thing as subs- I hear this might be a clearer way to go. I dont know-
Do what you have to do- or in your case ,its about your guy- - so be as supportive as you can
All the best- with much love & respect
jack
Beck, ya know I am not a biotch...............girl how long?????????????????
How long???????????????????????? I am not judgemental, Becky. I am a lousy addict for heavens sake...................when does it get to be about YOU?
When??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Jack, is one of the coolest, sweetest people you'll ever learn from. Becky, chained man, chained to the methadone. Every day, babes.He gotta get his dose. Va hospital, clinic.
Line up,. Let's talk? What's he gonna chat about becky like jack said? Come on. Please. I mean I like him cause you are such a intelligent, sweet caring woman so there has to be something in him so good, and decent, and kind, and WOUNDED WOUNDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is this your fault? Becky? Methadone.
I swear to you this goes down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ask Jack or anyone.
SPIT CUP. Yes, depending on clinic and person. Liquid. No take home. Ya got sick junkie on the pavement. MOFO's take it in front of the whatever nurse or supposed nurse or whatever, and keep it in their mouth, and go outside, and spit it in the cup, and voila babes yes sireeee the heroin addict drinks it.
I watch my neighbor every day rain or shine, snow blizzard becky go get her 150mg. That's forever. Two years she's been weaning.
I ain't trying to be a biotch I am just po'd at me, and creeps, and perverts, and not meaning your boyfriend is any of those, but becky give yourself a freaking break.
GYAC, GYAC PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I beg you, Becky.
How long???????????????????????? I am not judgemental, Becky. I am a lousy addict for heavens sake...................when does it get to be about YOU?
When??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Jack, is one of the coolest, sweetest people you'll ever learn from. Becky, chained man, chained to the methadone. Every day, babes.He gotta get his dose. Va hospital, clinic.
Line up,. Let's talk? What's he gonna chat about becky like jack said? Come on. Please. I mean I like him cause you are such a intelligent, sweet caring woman so there has to be something in him so good, and decent, and kind, and WOUNDED WOUNDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is this your fault? Becky? Methadone.
I swear to you this goes down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ask Jack or anyone.
SPIT CUP. Yes, depending on clinic and person. Liquid. No take home. Ya got sick junkie on the pavement. MOFO's take it in front of the whatever nurse or supposed nurse or whatever, and keep it in their mouth, and go outside, and spit it in the cup, and voila babes yes sireeee the heroin addict drinks it.
I watch my neighbor every day rain or shine, snow blizzard becky go get her 150mg. That's forever. Two years she's been weaning.
I ain't trying to be a biotch I am just po'd at me, and creeps, and perverts, and not meaning your boyfriend is any of those, but becky give yourself a freaking break.
GYAC, GYAC PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I beg you, Becky.
HAHA hey girl...I'm doing good...bought myself a new car...work is going awesome...it was just something he mentioned that he might want to try so i was asking what ppl thought about it? he swears he does not feel normal unless he is using so maybe methadone would be good for him...i so cant picture him going to a clinic tho...if he could get it prescribed from a doc that would be way more like him!!!
anyways hows stuff going with you bryn? its so nice out today!!! hows it in philly? i cant wait to leave work and go lay out!! YESSSS...hope all is well...tlak with you soon!!
anyways hows stuff going with you bryn? its so nice out today!!! hows it in philly? i cant wait to leave work and go lay out!! YESSSS...hope all is well...tlak with you soon!!
everyone else that commented...thank you so much...i printed it all out and gave it to him...so its up to him..he actually has his 1st appointment today with an addiction specialist in philly...so this is very exciting!!!! hope everyone is doing well and thanks for the awesome feedback!!
I am a recovering opiate addict and I will say that I am grateful I never got onto methadone. I don't want to be tied to a clinic (even if I got takehomes). I like feeling again. And contrary to what was written, there are side effects from methadone and they are the same as any other high-end long term opiod use.
Symptoms such as sleep disturbance, disturbance of sex hormone production (leading to erectile dysfunction in men and amnorrhea in women--also seen in heroin addicts), loss of sex drive, dry mouth (leading to tooth decay). No, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
It is no "cure" as per say and it ain't like insulin. All one is doing is providing that persons drug of choice in a safer, more controlled condition. If one tranlates this into "alcoholese", it might be like. OK, you were doing Bacardi 151, now we will give you Jack Daniels, but you must fufill these criteria. (Oh, by the way, in some parts of Europe, heroin, not methadone is actually provided to some addicts. We would not actually consider that a "cure", would we?)
Methadone is simply a harm reduction protocol. Which is just fine for those who need it. With opiates, long term use without severe physical damage is possible. Which is a blessing....and a curse.........
Symptoms such as sleep disturbance, disturbance of sex hormone production (leading to erectile dysfunction in men and amnorrhea in women--also seen in heroin addicts), loss of sex drive, dry mouth (leading to tooth decay). No, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
It is no "cure" as per say and it ain't like insulin. All one is doing is providing that persons drug of choice in a safer, more controlled condition. If one tranlates this into "alcoholese", it might be like. OK, you were doing Bacardi 151, now we will give you Jack Daniels, but you must fufill these criteria. (Oh, by the way, in some parts of Europe, heroin, not methadone is actually provided to some addicts. We would not actually consider that a "cure", would we?)
Methadone is simply a harm reduction protocol. Which is just fine for those who need it. With opiates, long term use without severe physical damage is possible. Which is a blessing....and a curse.........
The simple fact is, methadone works if you work the program the way you're supposed to. I've been on methadone for 3 years now and I've been gainfully employeed most of that time and I've managed to keep a roof over my head the entire time! My roof! (Instead of floor space somewhere until they got sick of me.)For 10 years before I tried methadone, I was homeless and unemployeed and had no hope of my situation changing. I still screw up every 3 months or so. But the point is, even screwing up my life is better than it has been in a long time. I would like to detox off of methadone but seeing as how I can't go 3 months without using SOMETHING, I guess I better stick with the program. Like a lot of other things,"It works if you work it"
