they just recently put a friend on methodone to get them off of lotcets...isnt this still a pain medication?..is it opioid based?...it seems to me that its getting off a highly addictive drug...but using a highly addictive drug...im confused
giz,
I didnt want to leave you hanging any longer soo I am posting just to say .. I read your post and you are generally right...
The reason why some have not responded is that issue causes or at least has the potential to cause great contraversy here.
Generally speaking...Methodone is an other opiate and it use was initially intended for addicts that had repeatedly failed at all other forms of treatment (inpatient) or those that had severe brain damage because of the drugs.. These addicts typically were herion and crack addicts whos brains had become unable to produce its own endorphins and other neurotransmitters. Methodone was also approved for use in prisions. However today the use of methodone for addict is readily available regardless of any previous attempt at quiting. It usaully is medically supervised and under strict control.
However... it has its disadvantages as with anything... I have been told it is much harder to get off of than the opiates that it was meant to help with and it can be expensive... Often times it can create its own problem...
There are other issues but to go into those would expose my own personal prejudges and possibly entice an attack...but it is a viable treatment option for some..
Teresa
I didnt want to leave you hanging any longer soo I am posting just to say .. I read your post and you are generally right...
The reason why some have not responded is that issue causes or at least has the potential to cause great contraversy here.
Generally speaking...Methodone is an other opiate and it use was initially intended for addicts that had repeatedly failed at all other forms of treatment (inpatient) or those that had severe brain damage because of the drugs.. These addicts typically were herion and crack addicts whos brains had become unable to produce its own endorphins and other neurotransmitters. Methodone was also approved for use in prisions. However today the use of methodone for addict is readily available regardless of any previous attempt at quiting. It usaully is medically supervised and under strict control.
However... it has its disadvantages as with anything... I have been told it is much harder to get off of than the opiates that it was meant to help with and it can be expensive... Often times it can create its own problem...
There are other issues but to go into those would expose my own personal prejudges and possibly entice an attack...but it is a viable treatment option for some..
Teresa
Hi Teresa, you are very well informed about Methadone and its uses. I would very much like to here from you soon.
Sincerely, Mark G.
Sincerely, Mark G.
methadone is a double edged sword. It's benefits can be phenominal & it can also be, to put it mildly, not so beneficial. When properly used by the right person it can be a lifesaver. Ideally, when used for maintenance, it works as follows: a hard core h addict, or Oc or morphene (sorry, it has nothing whatsoever to do with treating crack addicts) or opiate addict, whose life is almost out of control, or who is dominated completely by narcotics, & is extremely trapped in the inane legal cycle that we are all too familiar with, can legitimately find the maintenance program a lifesaver. The immediate & long term benifits can be astounding. (1) you are no longer sick every f..n day (2) you begin to have real choices, rather then day to day responses because you very quickly gain a sense of normalcy. (3) You are no longer a "criminal" & all the negatives & dangers of dealing with the drug scene. (4) your medicine is clean, your dose is accurate (5) you are no longer poisening ur liver with massive amounts of acetaminaphin. (6) If you are very fortunate you will end up with good drug counseling & some good group discussions. (# 6 is {& i must stress this is baised on my limited experience] unlikely in certain states (alabama, florida, etc) as most of these try county labs are completely into it for the money, & do the absolute minimum to comply with govt. regulations, which includes hiring complete incompetants who seem to know about drugs & counseling as i doabout , say, about dog grooming, auto mechanics, teaching interior decorating, quantum physics, or building rocketships. I think u get the picture. (7) Another benefit about methadone is that it works as a blocker. In other words, when i was on it, it finally even got thru mythick skull, that to go & buy a couple of bags was completely worthless. It just didn't work. (8)for the most part every program( there are exceptions for disabilities, etc) requires that u lwork & live a decent law abiding life, & u really are able to do this. That is the good about methadone..It is kinda like the last door on the block. Use, detox, use, withdrawel, get arrested, & on & on & on. Nothing works & nothing works & nothing works, & now here is something that gets u feeling a litle better then normal (euphoric for a few weeks , but that wears off) & actually gives you controll over your life & even gets rid of the craving.
But as good a medicine as it can be for the right person, there can be a high price to pay & things can backfire on u. ( i know i've said a lot of this already before in past responses to questions abouth methadone- so those who i bore, i can only apoligize.) I'll summarize the negative briefly (cause i need a smoke) & if u want me to fill in the details, i will later, just ask, cause like i've said before, i might not know anything about anything, but i know a lot about juice (methadone). The bad part: (1) in most clinics u meet every hard core junkie that seems to have ever walked the face of the earth. (2) Many of the people in the clinics r still emersed in drugs, with some alterations in type (ultimately, if u r of the mind, u will find ways around methatdone, to manipulate its blocking effects & at that point u are walking a real dangerous wire that breaks into a double, or triple or whatever habit. (3)methadone, after a period of time, is difficult to get off & the wds are prolonged though nowhere near as bad as h or oc. (4)depending on what state u r in, if u end up in jail u r screwed. There are a lot of other negatives with juice, but that being said, if u work the program properly, it can be a real lifesave. If u want to know more, ask me, ill tell u.
But as good a medicine as it can be for the right person, there can be a high price to pay & things can backfire on u. ( i know i've said a lot of this already before in past responses to questions abouth methadone- so those who i bore, i can only apoligize.) I'll summarize the negative briefly (cause i need a smoke) & if u want me to fill in the details, i will later, just ask, cause like i've said before, i might not know anything about anything, but i know a lot about juice (methadone). The bad part: (1) in most clinics u meet every hard core junkie that seems to have ever walked the face of the earth. (2) Many of the people in the clinics r still emersed in drugs, with some alterations in type (ultimately, if u r of the mind, u will find ways around methatdone, to manipulate its blocking effects & at that point u are walking a real dangerous wire that breaks into a double, or triple or whatever habit. (3)methadone, after a period of time, is difficult to get off & the wds are prolonged though nowhere near as bad as h or oc. (4)depending on what state u r in, if u end up in jail u r screwed. There are a lot of other negatives with juice, but that being said, if u work the program properly, it can be a real lifesave. If u want to know more, ask me, ill tell u.
Browndog113....is there an email address...or do you have a aol or yahoo accnt where i might be able to talk to you more?
Brown Dog..after reading what you wrote (really impressive), I just had a thought (I do occasionaly get those now that I'm clean)... wouldn't suboxone be a better choice? From what I've researched, it doesn't have the side effects and highly addictive qualities that methadone does. It's not as expensive and works just as well. What do you think? Is it because it's not as available?
Cowgirl
Cowgirl
Goz267, My email is browndog113@yahoo.com
Cowgirl, you might be right, i don't know a thing about suboxine, never heard of it till i got to this board. all the choices are not great, as you know, and using methadone is a big time decision. I'm a firm beleiver (as i know [or think from ur posts] that you probably are- that though its radical, and there are risks, for some people methadone maintenance i( & maybe some other stuff lik wt u mentioned) is infinitely better then what they had been doing, is a true lifesavor.r I aooligize to all u die-hard NAers', cause i know my beliefs in this area are strongly opposed to urs, but i look at recovery as not in someways being so black & white. I see the choices are as living dead /dying versus living . legitimate options that get us nearer to living are legitimate when legitamately used. God Bless y'all
Cowgirl, you might be right, i don't know a thing about suboxine, never heard of it till i got to this board. all the choices are not great, as you know, and using methadone is a big time decision. I'm a firm beleiver (as i know [or think from ur posts] that you probably are- that though its radical, and there are risks, for some people methadone maintenance i( & maybe some other stuff lik wt u mentioned) is infinitely better then what they had been doing, is a true lifesavor.r I aooligize to all u die-hard NAers', cause i know my beliefs in this area are strongly opposed to urs, but i look at recovery as not in someways being so black & white. I see the choices are as living dead /dying versus living . legitimate options that get us nearer to living are legitimate when legitamately used. God Bless y'all
brown,
you know ....I must admit... my personal bias is created by the very many I have seen that have abused the methodone over the years. I have seen them in my professional life prior to my own addiction as well as since my battle began... but you make a very valid point that causes me to really look at my bias and see a new prespective.
I do believe that NA and complete abstinence is the most effective way esp in the beginning and that if you give an addict a choice .. of methodone or NA.. (ie.. nothing as far as chemicals and facing w/d) they will take meth everytime so herein lies a big problem but I digress... anyhoo... your point is well taken.
Thank you for taking up the subject in such an non sensitive and open-minded way as to acknowledge other points of views even though they differ from your own..
This has helped me in my search for understanding as well...
Teresa
you know ....I must admit... my personal bias is created by the very many I have seen that have abused the methodone over the years. I have seen them in my professional life prior to my own addiction as well as since my battle began... but you make a very valid point that causes me to really look at my bias and see a new prespective.
I do believe that NA and complete abstinence is the most effective way esp in the beginning and that if you give an addict a choice .. of methodone or NA.. (ie.. nothing as far as chemicals and facing w/d) they will take meth everytime so herein lies a big problem but I digress... anyhoo... your point is well taken.
Thank you for taking up the subject in such an non sensitive and open-minded way as to acknowledge other points of views even though they differ from your own..
This has helped me in my search for understanding as well...
Teresa
Teresechey, Thanks for the kind opinion. My feelings toward methadoneare mixed in most instances. However, in one instance i have no conflict at all: when a person is competely past bottomed out, or is somewhere in that area, or is really desparate, and other methods have failed, & failed & they know they are going to fail again. It really is a lifesaver in those cases, & i also believe (but not withoust reservation) that its potentially helpful to the person who desparately wants to get out of the scene & cycle, but knows they are not really ready or willing yet. It gives them the break they might need to be able to sort things out. But i think that might be a potentialy dangerous path, or it might work out, thus my ambivalince. I remember hearing in amazement that they started getting people on methadone for codien, & vikes & things like that, which i at first thought completely insane. My first impression, especially with codiend was that it was like giving someone heroin to treat marijuana addiction. But my feelings changed (about vikes anyhow, i'm still not sure about codiene) after a moved to Alabama & there were many people who had been taking upwards of 50 vikes a day. I mean I'm sure we've all seen a lot of insanity in our own heads & around us as a result of this insane disease that i to this day dont know if it is a disease really, or something that in my case has been a lot of bad joices, feelings, etc, that quickly became tolerable by self medication. But I divert. 50 & vikes a day, every day after every day after every day. Now i gotta be honest, even in my liberal ( or is it conservitive) tolerance & acceptance and empathy and sympathy for non vicious & non evil drug addicts, 50 & pills a day to me is bizarre & anybody ingesting that much tylenol is in serious, serious , trouble & in desparate need of immediate help. So i do understand y, in some cases, juice could & should be used for vike users.
One thing i depise about the whole program in the south is the amazing amount of over medication they prescribe people. They work people up to over 100 mgs. That is an extremely , high dose. In NY, the heighest they ever went to was 100 usually & that was for a hard core h addict with a pretty serious habit. After years on the program , i was never above 70 & the truth is , i was probably at least 20 mgs to high.
My opinions about the medicine (drug) methadone are in some instances clear, but in many others mixed, and anyone thinking about getting on it, should think again & again & again. Cause it should never be a first choice. I see it as the last house on the block.
One thing i depise about the whole program in the south is the amazing amount of over medication they prescribe people. They work people up to over 100 mgs. That is an extremely , high dose. In NY, the heighest they ever went to was 100 usually & that was for a hard core h addict with a pretty serious habit. After years on the program , i was never above 70 & the truth is , i was probably at least 20 mgs to high.
My opinions about the medicine (drug) methadone are in some instances clear, but in many others mixed, and anyone thinking about getting on it, should think again & again & again. Cause it should never be a first choice. I see it as the last house on the block.
Just wanted to let you know I found your posts to be very helpful. I am trying to come off of hydro 10's (12-15 a day). But I don't know if I'll be able to hold out, because I feel so bad physically and emotionally. But I haven't talked to my doctor about my choices yet, I think reallly I need psychiatric help , with some of the things that go through my mind. It's like I can't exist without drugs.Anyway I think I will call my doc tomorrow. I didn't realize methadone would cause the same kind of wd's when coming off of it, so what's the point?
brown,
because working in the heathcare field in detox (as a supervised personel with nursing backround as I was unlicensed at the time) and as a clean addict.. I know that in the majority of the cases the choice of whether to offer methodone treatment to an active addict or not is the problem. The mere fact that their judgement is clouded with drugs and the 'need' for more and faced with the alternative of not having there 'fix' they can not be expected to make an informed decision on there healthcare needs. Taken in context, a physician would not let such a person sign any kind of a legal document for any healthcare decision so how is this much different. I say this only to elaborate my point that in my humble opinion the problem arises when a doctor enters the picture that does not have a full awareness of an addicts history or any valid attempts at recovery (for example they may have been to inpatient but because of a court order to escape jail time.. not because of being ready..) and offer methodone being swayed by the addicts overly developed fear of horror stories of w/d they may have been made worse by other addicts past gone by not allowing for the fact that everyone is different. These doctors and clinics do not allow for this to be the 'last house on the block' (I love that statement by the way), thus this often becomes the first of second often for treatment.
This also gives rise to what do they do then... do they just stay on the med and not deal with the reason for the self medicating... not seek counseling or NA/AA or anyother support... ? I do admit you do make another valid point about methodone giving them a break from the cycle of taking all those pills... I was taking 30 10's of vic's a day and that in its self was a habit... I was maddening.. so I do now see that point..
I guess there is more to this than meets the eye and again I thank you for giving this hard core anti-methodone person something more to think about... lol...
God Bless you ...
Teresa
because working in the heathcare field in detox (as a supervised personel with nursing backround as I was unlicensed at the time) and as a clean addict.. I know that in the majority of the cases the choice of whether to offer methodone treatment to an active addict or not is the problem. The mere fact that their judgement is clouded with drugs and the 'need' for more and faced with the alternative of not having there 'fix' they can not be expected to make an informed decision on there healthcare needs. Taken in context, a physician would not let such a person sign any kind of a legal document for any healthcare decision so how is this much different. I say this only to elaborate my point that in my humble opinion the problem arises when a doctor enters the picture that does not have a full awareness of an addicts history or any valid attempts at recovery (for example they may have been to inpatient but because of a court order to escape jail time.. not because of being ready..) and offer methodone being swayed by the addicts overly developed fear of horror stories of w/d they may have been made worse by other addicts past gone by not allowing for the fact that everyone is different. These doctors and clinics do not allow for this to be the 'last house on the block' (I love that statement by the way), thus this often becomes the first of second often for treatment.
This also gives rise to what do they do then... do they just stay on the med and not deal with the reason for the self medicating... not seek counseling or NA/AA or anyother support... ? I do admit you do make another valid point about methodone giving them a break from the cycle of taking all those pills... I was taking 30 10's of vic's a day and that in its self was a habit... I was maddening.. so I do now see that point..
I guess there is more to this than meets the eye and again I thank you for giving this hard core anti-methodone person something more to think about... lol...
God Bless you ...
Teresa
tjc: Good question, real good question. What is the point? I think the answer might be in your question. First of all, i gotta say, your asking the question shows that you are a person with a lot of strenght and honesty, even when it hurts. I'm gonna guess that you don't feel that way right now, but ultimately , it's gonna come thru . (please don't think i'm trying to bs u just to make u feel good, cause i know better). Anyway , back to your question.
In many cases, for many people, getting on methadone is a mistake. They (including me) are (was) looking for a quick fix: an instant solution. With methadone thats not always a bad decision, cause it does get you out of an immediate jam, but ultimately that ol debt collector comes a knockin, & one way or another, you do have to pay the price.. By this I mean you finally have to make a decision at some point & the decision is: are you a meth for life person , or do you want t o finally get off. Getting off is not impossible & if done properly, withdrawels can be tolerable to the point that they might be dscribed as somewhere between mild & moderate discomfort. I do need to warn you though, that the last sentence i wrote is not baised on my own experiences, so i can't attest 100% on what the wds are like if u come off right, cause i came off not so right, & i have to describe what i went thru as almost severe discomfort for a while, then moderate discomfort, & then a coupe months of weakness, etc. It took about 6 months till i started feeling what some would call normal. I think i'm getting off the path a little, but I was (or am) trying to make two points.
1) If your plan is to get on short term maintenance, say six months to a year, shortly after you get on the program, (say after about 3 or 4 weeks) start seiously investigating & set up a plan for a smooth detox.
2) If you come to the conclusion that you are a "meth for life" person, then don't worry about it or let it bother you. You can always change your mind if you feel its appropriate.
3) Research it, learn about it & become your best expert. Do not expect any drug conselor to be the expert. If you end up with a good one (which would mean someone is really watchin over you) consider yourself fortunate. But even so, I guarantee you, it is more important to you then it probably is to them & your own knowledge will not only keep you from believing a lot of halve truths & plain old stupid things that some people think & say about methadone, it will protect you . & aid you in making good, sound mind decisions.
Back to your original question , why get on it. The right answer for you might be don't. Have you ever gone thru a medical detox? Have you ever gotten serious drug counseling? Have you givin NA or OVercomers anonymous a serious chance.?
I have to think (let me stress this is my own opinion only & i think i was wrong about something once or twice in my life) that if you have 2 "nos" (sp?) above, there are probably a lot better choices you can make then getting on methadone maintenance. Remember always that getting on methadone is a major , big time move, and I have to believe that it should be the last house on the block.
One other thing, I was only talking about maintenance, not using it to simply detox. Cause using it to detox is a whole other story, & a good story. Essenially the hospital or whatever gives you a stable dose to make you not sick & over a week, up to maybe two at the most, they decrease it every day. From what i understand it is excellent for detoxing, it covers the wds from ur narcotic that u r on, & it is used for a short enough period in decreasing amounts so that u have no wd from it.
I apologize if i rambled too much. The best advice I think I can give is: don't be hard on yourself, not now. There is plenty of time to analyze and all that crap later, when u have some clean time behind you. Right now the best & most right thing you can do is give yourself plenty of forgiveness, peace, & don't pick on yourself. Then come up with a reasonable plan as to how you are going to live a better, drug free life. (methadone maintenance should be seen as medicine) Finally begin to put your plan into action by taking a first step toward it and toward......
In many cases, for many people, getting on methadone is a mistake. They (including me) are (was) looking for a quick fix: an instant solution. With methadone thats not always a bad decision, cause it does get you out of an immediate jam, but ultimately that ol debt collector comes a knockin, & one way or another, you do have to pay the price.. By this I mean you finally have to make a decision at some point & the decision is: are you a meth for life person , or do you want t o finally get off. Getting off is not impossible & if done properly, withdrawels can be tolerable to the point that they might be dscribed as somewhere between mild & moderate discomfort. I do need to warn you though, that the last sentence i wrote is not baised on my own experiences, so i can't attest 100% on what the wds are like if u come off right, cause i came off not so right, & i have to describe what i went thru as almost severe discomfort for a while, then moderate discomfort, & then a coupe months of weakness, etc. It took about 6 months till i started feeling what some would call normal. I think i'm getting off the path a little, but I was (or am) trying to make two points.
1) If your plan is to get on short term maintenance, say six months to a year, shortly after you get on the program, (say after about 3 or 4 weeks) start seiously investigating & set up a plan for a smooth detox.
2) If you come to the conclusion that you are a "meth for life" person, then don't worry about it or let it bother you. You can always change your mind if you feel its appropriate.
3) Research it, learn about it & become your best expert. Do not expect any drug conselor to be the expert. If you end up with a good one (which would mean someone is really watchin over you) consider yourself fortunate. But even so, I guarantee you, it is more important to you then it probably is to them & your own knowledge will not only keep you from believing a lot of halve truths & plain old stupid things that some people think & say about methadone, it will protect you . & aid you in making good, sound mind decisions.
Back to your original question , why get on it. The right answer for you might be don't. Have you ever gone thru a medical detox? Have you ever gotten serious drug counseling? Have you givin NA or OVercomers anonymous a serious chance.?
I have to think (let me stress this is my own opinion only & i think i was wrong about something once or twice in my life) that if you have 2 "nos" (sp?) above, there are probably a lot better choices you can make then getting on methadone maintenance. Remember always that getting on methadone is a major , big time move, and I have to believe that it should be the last house on the block.
One other thing, I was only talking about maintenance, not using it to simply detox. Cause using it to detox is a whole other story, & a good story. Essenially the hospital or whatever gives you a stable dose to make you not sick & over a week, up to maybe two at the most, they decrease it every day. From what i understand it is excellent for detoxing, it covers the wds from ur narcotic that u r on, & it is used for a short enough period in decreasing amounts so that u have no wd from it.
I apologize if i rambled too much. The best advice I think I can give is: don't be hard on yourself, not now. There is plenty of time to analyze and all that crap later, when u have some clean time behind you. Right now the best & most right thing you can do is give yourself plenty of forgiveness, peace, & don't pick on yourself. Then come up with a reasonable plan as to how you are going to live a better, drug free life. (methadone maintenance should be seen as medicine) Finally begin to put your plan into action by taking a first step toward it and toward......
Teresa, great post & great information. I think you are pretty darn right about offering an addict methadone or na, most will gladly take methadone, especially if their treatment is not voluntary. Boy could they use about a gadzillion people like you in drug treatment. Someone who is knowledgeable & understands first hand what is going on, & i'm guessing is able to see thru addicts "plyaing you" even though they themselves are sometimes not even aware, because they are also playing themselves. But I'm thinking that the best part of a person like you in treatment (i mean the "treator, not the treetee") is conda the flip side of the coin.
In my experiences I strongly have the impression that many so called "drug counselors" administrators & drs involved maintain a self righteous attitude toward these lowly junkie addict pieces of garbage.
a couple examples (of many but i gotta get some work done, i took the morning off to catch up & its already almost noon, sometimes i amaze even myself with my amazing ability to be lazy & procrastinate, but , well I'll fix that some other time) I can think of: This happened in the detox , rehab section of a hosptial, & I honestly can't remember if it was when i was a patient or when i was doing volunteer work in a rehab in preparation for becoming a drug counselor. There was a guy getting detoxed off of h, & it was his first night (now that i think of it , i must have been a patient, cause it was night) and they had given him his dose & he was in an isolation room (they thought he had tb) and it became readily apparent to everyone (except maybe the Drs, nurses & drug counselors) that this guy was really sick. He was behind a closed steel door & i was in another room down the hall with my door closed, but u could clearly hear the mans desparate moanings, etc. I think eventually they gave him some more, i don't exactly remember, but what i do remember is this:
II bumped into one of the drug counselors and in passing we talked about it. One of the things i asked her was why they let the guy be so sick for so long, & she basically told me that when something like that occurs were the guy is sick they have to make sure the guy is really sick & not just faking it to get high. She said sometimes the Dr. makes them bring him a sample of the patients throw up or feces to make sure they are really sick. When I reflect on this story my feeling is that these people, the program & especially the Dr, are sick. Sick & cruel.
I know i don't have to point out the obvious flaws in their policy, but i will. Why not either give the person enough, or if ur giving him a lower dose at first, for safety reasons, be aware, & have more readilly available. Why humiliate a patient, just because u fear "he might be taking extra just to get high." Even if that was true & u didn't know that, is it not better to error (not neglecting dose safety) on the side of compassion, kindness, healing & doing no harm to patients, then it is to error on the side of harshness, cuelty & degradation, by believing your patients are nothing but worthless junkies who are just looking for another high.. Man, the f..n nonsense, it angers me to think about this still. I mean the absolute worse that could happen (if they were correct with their assumption that this junkie scumbag wanted 1 more high) is that he'd get a buzz his first night in rehab. Do you want to enable him, No. But the bottom line is in the worse case scenerio , you let someone scam u into a high. SO WHAT?
Anyway, i think you see my point as to why it is a blessing to have a person like you as a health care person working in rehab. Thank you.
Gotta go
Harry
In my experiences I strongly have the impression that many so called "drug counselors" administrators & drs involved maintain a self righteous attitude toward these lowly junkie addict pieces of garbage.
a couple examples (of many but i gotta get some work done, i took the morning off to catch up & its already almost noon, sometimes i amaze even myself with my amazing ability to be lazy & procrastinate, but , well I'll fix that some other time) I can think of: This happened in the detox , rehab section of a hosptial, & I honestly can't remember if it was when i was a patient or when i was doing volunteer work in a rehab in preparation for becoming a drug counselor. There was a guy getting detoxed off of h, & it was his first night (now that i think of it , i must have been a patient, cause it was night) and they had given him his dose & he was in an isolation room (they thought he had tb) and it became readily apparent to everyone (except maybe the Drs, nurses & drug counselors) that this guy was really sick. He was behind a closed steel door & i was in another room down the hall with my door closed, but u could clearly hear the mans desparate moanings, etc. I think eventually they gave him some more, i don't exactly remember, but what i do remember is this:
II bumped into one of the drug counselors and in passing we talked about it. One of the things i asked her was why they let the guy be so sick for so long, & she basically told me that when something like that occurs were the guy is sick they have to make sure the guy is really sick & not just faking it to get high. She said sometimes the Dr. makes them bring him a sample of the patients throw up or feces to make sure they are really sick. When I reflect on this story my feeling is that these people, the program & especially the Dr, are sick. Sick & cruel.
I know i don't have to point out the obvious flaws in their policy, but i will. Why not either give the person enough, or if ur giving him a lower dose at first, for safety reasons, be aware, & have more readilly available. Why humiliate a patient, just because u fear "he might be taking extra just to get high." Even if that was true & u didn't know that, is it not better to error (not neglecting dose safety) on the side of compassion, kindness, healing & doing no harm to patients, then it is to error on the side of harshness, cuelty & degradation, by believing your patients are nothing but worthless junkies who are just looking for another high.. Man, the f..n nonsense, it angers me to think about this still. I mean the absolute worse that could happen (if they were correct with their assumption that this junkie scumbag wanted 1 more high) is that he'd get a buzz his first night in rehab. Do you want to enable him, No. But the bottom line is in the worse case scenerio , you let someone scam u into a high. SO WHAT?
Anyway, i think you see my point as to why it is a blessing to have a person like you as a health care person working in rehab. Thank you.
Gotta go
Harry
brown.
Unfortunately I only did the volunteeing in a rehab for the 2 and 3rd year of my being clean... then my job got a little more demanding and ... well things changed but ...now I do hospital and jails in my NA group... when I (hopefully) go back into nursing I probably will do some substance abuse time.. and I am certain your story will be remembered....
The first line in the hypocratic oath is 'first do no harm'... and in your story .. clearly by putting this man through the extra humiliation and suffering they were.. not having walked in those shoes before I would imagine, no by any means offering then an exuse, makes it easy for there prejudges to run rampet... This is the very strereotypical behavior and thought processes I fight tooth and nail against daily..
I hope someday people wont have to keep this disease a secret because of public judgements... They can say 'I am an addict and I go to Na or I am in recovery' just like my mom says 'i am a diabetic but I take my medicine' and not feel or see the looks or distain on peoples faces... I long for that day... I pray for that day... For my child, for my friends, heck for myself.... (boy I really got off the path...lol)
Thank for the kind words... I admire your insight into the street world of addictions and hope you will stick around...
Teresa
Unfortunately I only did the volunteeing in a rehab for the 2 and 3rd year of my being clean... then my job got a little more demanding and ... well things changed but ...now I do hospital and jails in my NA group... when I (hopefully) go back into nursing I probably will do some substance abuse time.. and I am certain your story will be remembered....
The first line in the hypocratic oath is 'first do no harm'... and in your story .. clearly by putting this man through the extra humiliation and suffering they were.. not having walked in those shoes before I would imagine, no by any means offering then an exuse, makes it easy for there prejudges to run rampet... This is the very strereotypical behavior and thought processes I fight tooth and nail against daily..
I hope someday people wont have to keep this disease a secret because of public judgements... They can say 'I am an addict and I go to Na or I am in recovery' just like my mom says 'i am a diabetic but I take my medicine' and not feel or see the looks or distain on peoples faces... I long for that day... I pray for that day... For my child, for my friends, heck for myself.... (boy I really got off the path...lol)
Thank for the kind words... I admire your insight into the street world of addictions and hope you will stick around...
Teresa
Giz, you are getting excellent responces from every one taking the time to help you. Breifly my story is that Ive been a pill adict for over 25 years . about 3 weeks ago my wife gave me an ultimatum get off or get out, which is the strongest leverage Ive encountered as I love her deeply and so on . I also truly want to stop for my self also. I initially was going to try to taper my dose of morphine I did good for the first week but decided to check into alternatives that might give me a better chance so I checked the local meth clinic. They dont do detox only long term . I had called a shrink I know and she ofers Bup treatment but couldnt get me in for over a month, so I persisted and got my DR to write me for meth40 mgs a day to start He also said to continue taking low amounts of morphine till my body adjusts. Im down to a quarter of the morphine I was taking and I can tell you I feel for the most part alive again refreshed is a better word. Yesterday the DR. upped me to ^0 mgs of meth a day and I believe I can go with out any morphine at all in the next couple days. On top of this the shrinks office called me and said she needed me to be at 20 mgs of meth by the 3rd of nov to treat me with the bup. I saisd I didnt think it was posible so Im schedualed for jan 3rd. I believe this will give me enough time to get to 20 and then with the bup off completly. So for me so far at least meth is a life saver. Best of luck Ray
hello, i saw your post and just wanted to tell you that Methadone was the hardest most horrible detox i have ever been thru and yes it it highly addictive and yes it is a pain med as well as what they use for herion addicts, i was on 80 mgs daily foy nearly two years, i detoxed of of it at home and it was o livinging nightmeare!! OMG that was the most horrible experience of my life, sorry this is not meant to scare you but to be aweare, i wish someone would of tole me this info before i got on it, see i was put on it to maintence me and not go thru withdraw while i was pregent w/ my twins and to control my pain as well, see i was addicted to pain killers 30-40 daily, so they put me on good ole Methadone, ahhhhhh.. well hope this helps and if you need more info or have questions please let me know, your friend a fellow addict..
Good job, Teresa!
Teresa..you are one smart cookie!
Harry..I love to read what you write. You are really helping me in my views with NA and the whole methadone thing (I won't re-write what you've already said). I do have an observation though...if methadone and the program is failing the people who really need it, why doesn't the goverment realize the merits of suboxone? It can't be injected, it isn't as addictive, (easy to get off) and therefore has less of an abuse issue. I know that it's more expensive, but so was methadone in the beginning, right? There needs to be a major change in the system here... why doesn't the medical field and goverment get more serious about treating the tremendous drug problem that our country has? They have a tool, why don't they use it? Aren't they suppose to be smarter than us?
Ok, that was a dumb question...
Have a great weekend..
Cowgirl
Harry..I love to read what you write. You are really helping me in my views with NA and the whole methadone thing (I won't re-write what you've already said). I do have an observation though...if methadone and the program is failing the people who really need it, why doesn't the goverment realize the merits of suboxone? It can't be injected, it isn't as addictive, (easy to get off) and therefore has less of an abuse issue. I know that it's more expensive, but so was methadone in the beginning, right? There needs to be a major change in the system here... why doesn't the medical field and goverment get more serious about treating the tremendous drug problem that our country has? They have a tool, why don't they use it? Aren't they suppose to be smarter than us?
Ok, that was a dumb question...
Have a great weekend..
Cowgirl
