Should one wait until withdrawl symptoms start before begining to take methadone? What is the required amount of time between using opiates and begining to take methadone in order to avoid dangerous reactions?
How long after the last usage of opiates should one wait before begining to take methadone?
Question posted by robsgal07 on 24 Oct 2009
Last updated on 28 May 2020 by KennethBaker
Answers
KennethBaker
28 May 2020
1 day or when withdrawal symptoms start
DadsWatchinU
24 Oct 2009
Robsgal so glad you are looking for help! My daughter is going to the methadone clinic (also pregnant :-( ... anywho, my understanding is that you can start at anytime at the clinic you just have to pea dirty ( opiates in your system) but honey have you considered other options like the SUBOXONE ? Methadone is an endless cycle of everyday drive to the clinic, huge expense, and the withdrawal is like an atom bomb compared to any other w/d... you are dancing with the devil here my friend, unless you have a chronic pain condition that nothing else can help ( pls try everything ) this methadone is for the building of wealth for the clinic and they will never try to help you get off it. Yes it keeps you off the street, yes you can quit doc shopping, but OMG just try getting off it... there is no other withdrawal in the world that I have heard, read, listened to at meetings, nothing as bad as methadone. Suboxone is covered by most insurance & medicare, methadone is not, you pay a co-pay for Suboxone for a 14-30 day prescription, methadone about $15.00 a day for the rest of your life, now in the defense of the monster, it will get you legal and if that is all you want ... ahhhh NO still pls dont do it. Sorry I hate that stuff so much..pls reconsider..pls see a new doc & explain you are an addict... call the academy of medicine in your area and ask for a doc that treats people addicted to pain meds, call from a phone other than your own..pay phone if u want... pls the docs cant tell anyone, just see what they say, that stuff is slow death in a bottle & drains your wallet, dreams, and free will as you are really addicted after methadone. Sending love & prayers your way..Momma Nancy
babidolli22
24 Oct 2009
I have been going to a methadone clinic for about 1yr now and eventho it's a pain to drive there,it really did help me w/my addiction. I am on 120mgs per day and it's time for me to start coming off slowly but they will make sure it's as slow as I need it to be so i won;t get sick. As for it not being covered by insurance, that's bull. I have medicaide and they do pay for my treatment 100%. You have to do what's best for you and only you know that but eithor way you choose to go, you do need a support group and meetings no doubt. if it wasn't for my group meetings I don't think i'd be clean still. Trust me,meetings help big time. Good luck in whatever you choose and be proud of yourself for wanting to get help!
Stay strong.
DadsWatchinU
25 Oct 2009
Babidoll..I am so happy it is working for you, please understand that! In most states it is not covered by insurance or medicare, suboxone is, not methadon,. in Ohio Indiana & kentucky they take you down 10 mg's a week at the clinics we are aware of and that is pure hell, if you have ever been though withdrawl at that rate you would see some pretty sick people and every one of them back on the street buying drugs, I know, I live with 2 of them, my daughter and her fiance 7 & 9 years of very serious drug problems. Every body has to make there own decisions and I pray each of you find your way but for our family and most we have experienced the methadone has not been the answer, much better than the street drugs & the doc shopping but OMG just try to get off of it and you will know what hell really is... Good Health & God Bless
babidolli22
25 Oct 2009
Like I said, only you know what's best for you in the long run but you can't say methadone is that awful. It does help people who want a normal life get one and it's the only narcotic med that dr's allow pregnant women to take because of safety reasons,you can't take suboxone while pregnant becaus they don't know enough about the drug because it's fairly new still , unlike methadone which has been used for treatment of addiction for atleast 20 years so they know alot more about it. There are downfalls about methadone also just like anything else. You have to weigh the negative and positive and choose what's best for you.
DadsWatchinU
26 Oct 2009
BabyDoll I am sorry if I offened anyone with my statements and negative feeling regarding methadone, and you are correct that it dose help addicts get off the street but I guess I have seen so many stuck in a vicusous never ending circle since I have been involved in helping my daughter & her fiance with their methadone issues and I should have explained the options and not been so judgemental. Our family has been drained, back & forth to the clinic, one w/take home/ one not/ $5200.00 A YEAR each and we are regular working people who struggle to pay bills, buy groceries for their kids. It is just very difficult and I just want to convey their are other options... and I feel ... who know..I pray... better ways to recover...
Best wishes to all trying to get healty, my heart & prayers are with you every day, please seek help, comfort from support groups, if possiable friends ..family, if they are still there for you and for me I PRAY, I did not mean to offend, it is a tough road and this old lady is tired... sick & tired but still ready to fight for our babies, Good Health and God Bless to all... Momma Nancy
gwen1782
4 Nov 2009
I know what ya mean i am going to a clinic..If you would have asked me about the clinic two months ago i would have said its the best thing that has ever happened to me! But now im not so sure im very confused): ... Now that i am actually trying to quit taking methadone it is NOT easy like they say it is.It is almost impossible i was at fourty mg wich isnt that much its been two months of down sizing and im at thirty two!!! It will take six months to a year to be completley off of this crap both me and my husband are going and my insurance does not pay for it i wish i could get on medicaid but i have tried and cant. so im paying almost a thousand dollars a month to stay on methadone. I dont have the money for this anymore im sick of this its going to take FOREVER AND EVER to be off this. i just feel really bad for anyone who is up in the 100 mg a day it will take you a year to three years to tapper off i feel so bad for anyone who is on that amount):
barberjeff
8 Sep 2011
I started taking methadone pills 40mgs a day for 4 days, tomorrow I drop to 30MGS is this a poor way to wean off opiates. My goal is to taper down til im taking zero. Im doing this myself, is this a decent method? Read this methadone taper from this site, so far so good.
Related topics
Further information
- Methadone uses and safety info
- Methadone prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Methadone (detailed)
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