They would just trade one addiction for another. Percocet for methadone.
Methadone is taken daily to ease the withdrawals of drug use.
However.. it does nothing to address the psychological addiction.. the culture and ritual of the particular drug used.
It may help if the person is seriously, seriously interested in getting off percocet and is willing to get teh rest of the treatment needed as well.
But they can't just go get their daily methadone and expect the rest to fade away.

 

The local program I have researched includes 3x per week counseling, methadone, and weekly pee tests for $15.00 per day. They will dose as early as 5:00am and counseling at 6:00am so the addict can keep their job schedule the same, etc.

 

Yes and no. I know someone who is thoroughly addicted to the methadone now, and he swears it helps his pain; I think he is addicted beyond belief. I would swim this stream very very carefully. You do know of course that the methadone is a pain reliever as well? He was also addicted to all the "cets" and "ontins" and "odones" you can imagine. methadone, if used as pain relief, is in pill form and he will have a huge bottle in front of him at all times, any time, even though he is prescribed to only take one...the temptation, IMHO, is too much.

You can PM me if you like, I can fill you in. It has been horrible.

 

We have a close friend whose granddaughter was just picked up by the police last week (for the second time) with her 2 kids in the back seat and she was passed out alongside of the road. The smallest one is 4 months old.

She had the oldest boy taken away, now they're both in custody of the EX and the grandparents. She is severely addicted to methadone.

I don't know what the alternatives are, but really don't see how methadone really improves things, except for it's not illegal to get it.

 

I pm'd you. I can't keep this to myself when I read your post .

 

I've only had experience with one person who was put on methadone treatment for heroine addiction. In this case, he merely traded one addiction for another. But I'd have to say that this is an extreme case; this person has proven to have an addictive personality that no amount of treatment, assistance or counseling, over a 30 year period, has been able to overcome.

 

I pm'd you also.

 

Usually these people will eventually kill themselves with their addiction. Sorry to say I have no compassion for them.

 

Methadone treatment only works if the person wants it too and is willing to wean themselves off it slowly, the methadone clinics make $$ off of addicts and will keep them at the same dosage or will raise the dosage as time goes on. JMHO from someone who has seen it.

 

But again...is the goal to wean him off the pain med like as if it were heroin, or to treat his pain??? Lots of people are unaware that low dose methadone is an APPROVED pain medication. Kinda makes oxys look placid, doesn't it?

 

I used to work in a treatment facility where methadone was one treatment used, and all I can say is, "yes and no".

Like any treatment, for it to be effective, the addict HAS TO BE ON BOARD and WANT treatment, and for it to work long term, they have to want to be clean more than they want the drug. It's not going to work if they think it's a magic bullet that will "cure" them -- it is only one part of a treatment program.

If your friend has recognized that they have a problem, then the first thing that they need to do is talk to a doctor or treatment specialist. The best treatment program is customized for the person in question. There is no one-size-fits-all, and methadone is NOT for everyone, and NO treatment program will work if the addict has not yet reached the point where they recognize that their addiction is on route to killing them if they don't do something about it -- in other words, if they haven't reached their absolute rock bottom, treatment will not work.

I hope your friend gets the help she needs and is ready to take it. Successfully coming back from addiction, and staying clean forever, is one of the the hardest things anyone can do.

 

Ugh, Traci, I know you have stories. I used to watch the guys come out of the clinic with the methadone still in their mouths, unswallowed, and spit it back into a cup so they could sell it. I used to try to sneak by in the medic and pretend I didn't see :grit:

 

Ugh, Traci, I know you have stories. I used to watch the guys come out of the clinic with the methadone still in their mouths, unswallowed, and spit it back into a cup so they could sell it. I used to try to sneak by in the medic and pretend I didn't see :grit:

The facility where I worked got to the point where they made them swallow before they left -- they had to open their mouths and show that it was gone.

I worked in a part of the facility where there were outpatient "group" sessions. You can't even begin to imagine some of the things I have seen come in off the street, some of the horrifying situations I've heard about in sessions. "Self-medicating" doesn't even begin to cover most of it. In working there, I came to understand that human beings have a capacity for cruelty that is truly unsurpassed.

 

I had a dear friend who was addicted to heroin years ago and who was placed on methadone to try to help him to get sober. The methadone did work to keep him off heroin, but only if the dose stayed high. Part of the treatment is to slowly taper the methadone dose down and eventually stop it altogether.
My friend could never get off methadone without going back to heroin. When they got him down to about half of the full dose of methadone he would start using heroin again due to severe addiction.
He killed himself in the spring of 1994. He knew he couldn't get clean and he didn't want to live as an addict.
I can remember vividly the physical pain he would go through due to withdrawal. He couldn't get warm, no matter how many layers he put on, and his bones ached.

I don't blame him for giving up, but I will always miss him.

 

The local program I have researched

WHOA!

The addict needs to be doing his or her own research.

And you should think about checking out an Al-Anon program, because you are showing serious signs of co-dependency here. (I mean that in the nicest way possible.)

BTDT, read the book, got the t-shirt!

 

I only know of it used as a substitute for morphine and heroin, weaning addicts off them. It works - sometimes. I think it's supposed to give as much of a hit as the others, but be less physically addictive, and less physically damaging. That means addicts can swing across to methadone. Of course, the next step is to taper down the methadone dose, then wean them off it altogether. That step doesn't always happen, or doesn't always work. It sometimes doesn't happen just because the people carrying out the treatment are snowed under (no pun intended). Methadone is relatively cheap, and in the context of addiction treatment it's legal, so if it's too hard to wean the addict off methadone I think they're prepared to let it slide because they just can't afford that much effort.

Bottom line - it's probably better to be on methadone than the others, but the addict has to be seriously personally invested in making the treatment work or they'll never get clean.

And a comment - if the USA was not paranoid about codeine, if they could treat it as rationally as other nations do and allow it as a treatment option rather than jumping straight to the far more powerful, dangerous, addictive, and profitable (for the drug companies) oxycontin, then the USA would have a lot less problems. Unfortunately for the drug companies, codeine is a natural substance (like morphine), not a manufactured one like heroin and oxycontin. Since oxycontin still is under patent, it's much more profitable for the patent owner, so they push it to the exclusion of safer alternatives, and lobby to have the safer alternatives made illegal.

 

WHOA!

The addict needs to be doing his or her own research.

And you should think about checking out an Al-Anon program, because you are showing serious signs of co-dependency here. (I mean that in the nicest way possible.)

BTDT, read the book, got the t-shirt!

Willow Girl, yes. I take responsibility for being an enabler, and being a co-dependent. This is me, breaking free. This is me, trying to maintain my personal belief that I am a GOOD person who will not take the easy road anymore. The easy road has two lanes: the one I've been travelling (enabling) and the one right beside it: running away.

I could walk out of this person's life. It would be easier than what I've been doing thus far, AND easier than living with a recovering addict in outpatient treatment.

But in honor of the times my friends have stood by me when I was being a donkey's rear, and being hurtful to myself, I am willing to try the "I will support your recovery" thing ONE TIME.

I will not be a cushion; a soft place to land EVERY time, over and over, as addicts are want to take advantage of bail-outs. But I will do it THIS ONE TIME because this particular addict has never tried rehab/treatment before; so they do not have a history of relapse/boomeranging in and out of sobriety.

 

Nothing will work unless the person wants to get off the drug.

I personally have only known one heroin addict that seriously went for the methadone thing. It didn't work out well for him even though he did try he didn't get off the addiction as long as I knew him.

He ended up high and passing out while driving a company pickup and went off the road into a ditch and hit an embankment, where the headstone he was carrying went through the back of the cab and into the cab, through the gas tank behind the seat, and the whole cab burst into flames.

He managed to kick out the windshield and get out, but was burned so bad he has no ears, only half of his fingers, no hair and barely eyelids.. He ended up with a huge settlement from the truck manufacturer, enough to live off the rest of his life and a permanent prescription for strong pain meds, so I suspect he is still an addict if he is still alive.. I moved away and haven't seen him for years.

otoh if he had not been wasted on drugs, he likely would never have been able to get out of the truck and survive.

 

In a detox center they have doctors on staff to prevent the withdrawel from being as bad as it might be: that is what they do for addiction at this time.

Then they have intensive counseling to teach a person how to live without the addiction.

 

But in honor of the times my friends have stood by me when I was being a donkey's rear, and being hurtful to myself, I am willing to try the "I will support your recovery" thing ONE TIME.

There is a difference between "I will support your recovery" (with the emphasis on your) and "I will line up everything you need -- counselor, treatment facility, support group, etc." Does he/she even have to show up? (Kidding of course.)

Believe me, when an addict is sick and tired of being sick and tired, he will make his own plan. He will crawl on his knees to AA or NA if that's what it takes to get there. He won't need you or anyone else "managing" his recovery for him.

Anything short of a total, wholehearted, desperate DESIRE for recovery is going to fail.

Has he reached that point? If he hasn't, nothing you do is going to matter.

If he has, he doesn't need you to do the legwork for him.

One more time: GO TO AL-ANON! You will meet scores of people who have walked the path you're embarking on. Listen to them. Learn from their mistakes. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Resist the temptation to believe that YOUR addict is special and different from all the others.

I have seen this territory from both sides: as the wife of an alcoholic and as someone who at one time had substance abuse problems herself.

GO TO AL-ANON!

 

I have known of addicts who went on methodone to detox and 20 years later still are on it.
I also know of people who are precribed methodone for pain.
I do not like methodone and could give you very personal reasons why.
Personally I am not in favor of detox using methodone. There are other ways to detox.
just mho

 

Methodone works for pain and can be taken long term. It is also cheaper than other pain prescriptions. For someone with chronic pain it can be a very useful drug. The pain clinic will only issue a one months supply and you have to pick up the prescription or have it mailed to a pharmacy. It has a physical dependency but then most pain killers do. When a patient has a chronic condition dependency really isn't an issue because they will be taking the pain killer the rest of their lives. I have family members and clients who use the pain clinic and they tailor the drugs individually for each patient and several are prescribed Methodone for pain. I know nothing about its use to get off illegal drugs.

 

Ask any male methodone users wife how they like methodone. I suspect the side effects are the same whatever the reason for its use . There is also a huge stigma attached to it. Try passing a pre employment physical. Unless no other choice I would not advise methodone use for any reason

 

I could walk out of this person's life. It would be easier than what I've been doing thus far, AND easier than living with a recovering addict in outpatient treatment.

Am I reading this correctly? It sounds like you are planning to let the friend live with you while they are getting outpatient treatment?

If so, that's a whole lot different that just supporting a friend who is in recovery.

I'm not saying it's definitely a bad idea, just that it requires a whole different level of commitment than meeting a couple times a week for lunch, etc..

 

There seems to be some confusion about how methadone works. Here's the Cliff's notes version:

Methadone is a very effective pain medication. Withdrawal hurts. Methadone use during addiction treatment allows the addict to get through withdrawal without as much of the pain and discomfort suffered if one goes "cold turkey" (a major reason why addicts fail when trying to get off the stuff, whatever the "stuff" may be). The average addict will try to rehabilitate AND FAIL several times before either being successful or giving up -- or dying.

Methadone is a synthetic opoid, which means it works well in the treatment of other opioids, such as heroin. It allows an addict to be FUNCTIONAL, because they get the relief of taking the drug without the euphoria.

There are two ways it can be used: either as a type of analgesic (pain reliever) to get the addict through initial withdrawal or as a LONG TERM TREATMENT PLAN as an opioid inhibitor -- typically to ensure that the addict can pursue a productive life. Methadone treatment can go on for years, because it's goal is to maintain a less risky lifestyle, not to stop the addiction. One can go for their maintenance dose in the morning, and go off to work like a "normal" person. People who are able to function as "normally" as possible tend to have good stuff in their lives (jobs, families, friends) who allow them to hope for the future -- hope is a big factor in an addict's recovery.

Methadone treatment MUST be monitored by a medical professional, or preferably, a TEAM of medical professionals to have the effect of returning the addict to some semblance of a "normal" life, whether after short-term intense treatment where the patient is switched to methadone and then weaned off of it (typically "inpatient" treatment) or as a long-term maintenance treatment. The amounts distributed in outpatient treatment centres (where most people go in the morning, get their dose, then go on to work, etc.) are not enough to achieve a "high", but are enough to keep the effects of withdrawal at bay.

The problems, as with many drugs, occur when someone takes more than they should. In this case, it is a drug, like any other. You see this in people who HAVEN'T YET reached the point where they are truly ready for recovery. Outpatient clinics are not for these people -- they are for those who want to return to a functional life, but need help to get there. That's why out-patient methadone treatment programs require regular urine tests.

There are side effects and risks, as there are with any drug. The side effects can be bad, but so can continuing life as a heroin user -- needle sharing and it's risk of HIV and AIDS tops that list, but the risks of overdosing, or causing harm or death to another while using are there, as well. Anyone here ever seen a newborn baby of a heroin-addicted mommy? It isn't pretty.

Methadone is *NOT* for everyone, I agree, but it can play a very, very important role in treatment, and should not be dismissed when it can give hope of a relatively normal life to those who otherwise would continue on their downward spiral that ONLY ends in one place.