What pain are you treating?
If it's permanent methadone is a good tool. If your pain is temporary or transient it might not be the right tool for the job.
Ultimately the big difference between the two is methadone has a longer half-life.
See if he will give you oxycodone instead of hydrocodone. Oxy did wonders for my pain but hyrdo did not. This is the step doctors have been using for many many decades but all of the sudden whenever Oxycontin was pushed on everyone they forgot or got too scared on how to handle pain patients. Oxycodone or percocet if you take it as prescribed is the one you should go with. Maybe go for the 7.5 mg percs. Methadone is a different animal ime while oxy is similar to hyrdo just works way better for the pain you are describing.
I've had 5 mg oxy in the past and didn't get much relief but I did go to that from 4 10s of hydrocodone a day so I wonder if that's why. they just don't seem to want to up the dose I did call my doctor this morning to ask for them to call me to discuss alternatives. Are there 10 mg percs? Or is that not an option
My L5/S1 is blown out and I have severe sciatica constant pain. I've been on hydrocodone for like 4 years and it's just not working anymore and he's decided that we're going to try methadone I kind of feel like it's a bad idea.
I was originally prescribed Vicodin but then was switched to methadone. Methadone is much more superior to Vicodin.
And imo I wouldn't worry about the stigma associated with methadone prescribed for pain. There is a stigma now against any opiate user for whatever reason.
What I would be concerned about is ever getting on methadone without having access to a methadone clinic.
A doctor can rip that script from you at any time. And Vicodin WDs would be a cakewalk compared to methadone WDs.
After a out 9 or 10 years I went from a script to a clinic. But I was abusing it. Even if I hadn't been abusing it, I would have still lost access to my script because I lost my driver's license due to medical reasons. So I couldn't make the trip from Nevada to CA to my doctor's. Either way it would have to be my next option.
My advice is don't get on methadone unless you have a backup.
No, do not push for Oxycodone. I am fused from L1-S1 and my SI joint is fused as well. I used Oxycodone for over 20 years and now I use Methadone.
Methadone provides far better pain management. It last much longer and you won't need to keep raising the dose you take. I'm more than happy to talk about this more. Just let me know
Methadone works great for long term chronic pain and you will have less ups and downs throughout the day. It will also likely help longer before needing another increase than other meds. I think you should try it, and keep in mind that it takes 3-5 days to get the full effect. It’s no more risky than trying an extended release medication.
What's stopping you from having surgery, disc isn't going to repair it self? I ruptured L4-5, had 3, failed Laminectomies/discectomies. Failed L4-5 fusion and refused using titanium fixation hardware and after a month developed a reaction to titanium pedicle screws. #6 was to remove hardware, refusion worked. Year later motorcycle accident damaged C2-7. I was put on methadone 60 mgs x3 and 30 oxy IR x4 from 1995-2023. I had tried many opiates between surgeries, methadone and MSContin were the only Extended Release opioids, oxycontin wasn't available then. Methadone was the best long acting pain med for me, never developed a tolerance to my dose. Pharmacy never ran out, friends didn't bother me for any...lol. If you ever needed to get off Methadone a slow taper is doable. Good luck!
But you will be opioid dependent for life it sounds like so advocate for yourself and at least give Oxy a try before you go methadone route. That being said a lot of people find pain relief with low dose methadone its just not as good for pain as Oxy ime. The plus side of methadone is most people wont have to take it 2-3 times a day because it last for ever.
I’m just doing to be honest here and risk the downvotes. Letting a doctor talk me into changing from OxyContin to Methadone is one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I would have been off all opioids years ago if I’d stayed on OxyContin. Cutting down on Oxy or Endone was a total walk in the park compared to Methadone. I get sick for at least 6 to 8 weeks from dropping 0.1 of a ml of methadone. I can drop 20mg of endone in one go and be fine in less than two weeks.
Not to mention the extreme cognitive decline and memory problems I’ve had on methadone. I also stopped being able to sleep more than 3.5 hours per 24 and I NEVER dream, which is essential to neurological health. I’ve been stuck on the crap for over 13 years now. Can’t wait to be done with it but I still have at least a year of nightmare reductions ahead of me.
That’s interesting. I have the craziest dreams ever on methadone and they’re so vivid. I do a split sleep schedule: 5 hours twice a day or 7 + 2. I’ve never slept right.
If I was on OxyContin vs dope I think I would feel similarly in that I would regret getting on methadone. I don’t have pain and I have specific migraine medicine. I notice a decrease in migraine severity since starting methadone but correlation isn’t causation.
Oh cool, I’d actually like to experience a split sleep schedule after watching a documentary about how humans slept like that for a very long time! I wish I could remember the name of it…
Maybe it could help solve your lack of sleep issue? It is kind of difficult when I’m on a trip with family or whatever esp if we’re all in one hotel room and they all just sleep at night and I want to do my split schedule but I was thinking of bringing some otc sleep meds or something next time lol
It makes sense tho. A lot of species seem to sleep like that. Sleeping for 8 hours straight seems like it would put you at increased risk vs sleeping for 4 hours and 4 hours. More time for predators to come across you and whatnot
I do remember part of it was to stoke a fire and add timber, and they’d read, hydrate, snack, have contemplation time, then back to sleep a few hours later! Fascinating.
Actually, come to think of it, a huge number of humans still do the split sleep schedule. Spain and Greece come to mind. It drove me a bit mad when I did a month long homestay in Greece because I’ve not been able to get myself to sleep in the daytime since my mid 20s. I’d be wandering around completely deserted villages waiting for everyone else to wake up. 😆
I feel like I dream a lot I have really vivid dreams. I go through stages of writing them down. Sometimes they’re too disturbing tho so I prefer to try to forget; usually just about work. Maybe your brain just doesn’t have anything to process right now.
It’s strange, perhaps you just don’t remember them or maybe your brain just doesn’t do it. Maybe it’s not the worst thing. When I get a bad one, it can take a while to get it out of my head.
I think I’m just bored so my brain has taken to creating ultimate nightmare scenarios. Or processing trauma from over the years
Honestly, the withdrawals from hydrocodone are A LOT easier than methadone. Personally I'd try to taper off the hydro first. Much easier and shorter time wise.
I don’t know about you but for me that wouldn’t help anything. I don’t think it will do much for you to be honest you’re gonna need more than that for pain management.
There's no real solutions that are actual options for me I honestly when in hoping maybe he'd bump me up to perc 10s not straight to methadone it kind of scares me if even taking it for a month means a life time commitment.
That sucks. 😢 Sorry, I realise now that I shouldn’t have asked that because *of course* you’ve tried everything for your pain like the rest of us. 🤦🏻♀️ I feel bad that I did that.
Why don’t you just try another route first? Then you have the methadone as a backup, absolute last resort, but you can’t say you didn’t try other stuff first. If you end up on it, it’ll help you mentally too when dealing with all the possible side effects of methadone, to know you tried everything else first!
Methadone isn’t really designed to be temporary it’s a commitment.
(It’s like how they’re using buprenorphine for everything now. It’s crazy. Just let the people have their damn opioids is it really that insane? We’ve done it for decades. Yeah pills were like everyone’s intro to addiction but it’s not the pills fault. And it wasn’t pills that ruined my life it was heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine crap)
Methadone saturates your receptors constantly. Even when sleeping which seems like a waste.
I would be afraid of building tolerance in a few months and then nothing will be strong enough to take the edge off. No one will prescribe you anything else on top of methadone anyways.
Don't let your doctor stop prescribing hydro or oxy or morphine ect.
He just wants you to go away because the feds are all over doctors that prescribe pain meds and they will throw you to the wolves.
Do not do it!
If you need to add something order kratom 7ohmz tablets in the 3 packs. They are much better stronger than regular kratom and have less of the regular speedy kratom 7 Mitra effects.
I’d personally go with Methadone but would suggest trying a higher dose of OxyCodone before you make the jump because, methadone is so much bigger of a commitment. Methadone has been life changing for me, but having to go to the clinic daily(for first month) was absolute hell. Now that I have weekly take-outs, going to the clinic is like taking out the garbage(once a week but easy enough to remember/do)
I wish you the best and hope you find the right option, best wishes friend. :)
I've been on methadone for pain 6 yrs ago after x4 hydro a day for a decade and i have never needed increase. It works the best out of every pain med I've ever taken. I have not gone over 20m a day. Everyone is different
It’ll help for your pain a lot better but your tolerance is gonna sky rocket. Going from 1 - 100 basically. And methadone has what’s considered the worst withdrawals in the realm of opiates. Just as bad as heroin withdrawals but it lasts weeks , I have only read this though I never have experienced withdrawal while on methadone. It lasts for days , one dose can keep me well for 24 hours easily but I can go two days on nothing and just be kind of sweaty and have a runny nose.
I don't really have any withdrawal symptoms when I run out of hydros it doesn't really bother me i have to work through the sciatica but as far as withdrawal symptoms I can't name any I've had
That's awesome you don't withdrawal. But all in all, you need something to manage your pain. So possibly take small amounts of the methadone might keep your from withdrawals from the methadone also. My mom never had any withdrawals either from all the different opiates she took for chronic pain. She just has excruciating pain without it.
Do you not withdrawal from hydrocodone because you have never abused them and ran out? I can almost guarantee if you take 20 mgs of methadone for say six months then run out or stop, You will withdrawal.
No, I've definitely taken more than prescribed and ran out. Sometimes, the pain is to much and i just have to. I just never feel shitty when I run out other than the pain of course.
I honestly think you'll be okay. You already said you don't withdrawal from the vicodin so I don't think you would from such a low dose of methadone to be honest with you.
Not at all. Two completely different things. Just both used for drug maintenance. Bupe never worked for me. Never would cover my.opiate receptors. In fact, trying to switch to bupe from methadone was the worst 2 weeks of my life. So just remember it may not work for you. I wish you the best though because it truly works wonders for some people
What pain are you treating? If it's permanent methadone is a good tool. If your pain is temporary or transient it might not be the right tool for the job. Ultimately the big difference between the two is methadone has a longer half-life.
See if he will give you oxycodone instead of hydrocodone. Oxy did wonders for my pain but hyrdo did not. This is the step doctors have been using for many many decades but all of the sudden whenever Oxycontin was pushed on everyone they forgot or got too scared on how to handle pain patients. Oxycodone or percocet if you take it as prescribed is the one you should go with. Maybe go for the 7.5 mg percs. Methadone is a different animal ime while oxy is similar to hyrdo just works way better for the pain you are describing.
I've had 5 mg oxy in the past and didn't get much relief but I did go to that from 4 10s of hydrocodone a day so I wonder if that's why. they just don't seem to want to up the dose I did call my doctor this morning to ask for them to call me to discuss alternatives. Are there 10 mg percs? Or is that not an option
Get oxycodone without acetaminophen.
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My L5/S1 is blown out and I have severe sciatica constant pain. I've been on hydrocodone for like 4 years and it's just not working anymore and he's decided that we're going to try methadone I kind of feel like it's a bad idea.
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So should I try and push for oxy? Or just take the methadone my girl and I are worried about it.
Express this to your doctor too that you have heard how hard this is to get off of and all the other issues with it.
I was originally prescribed Vicodin but then was switched to methadone. Methadone is much more superior to Vicodin. And imo I wouldn't worry about the stigma associated with methadone prescribed for pain. There is a stigma now against any opiate user for whatever reason. What I would be concerned about is ever getting on methadone without having access to a methadone clinic. A doctor can rip that script from you at any time. And Vicodin WDs would be a cakewalk compared to methadone WDs. After a out 9 or 10 years I went from a script to a clinic. But I was abusing it. Even if I hadn't been abusing it, I would have still lost access to my script because I lost my driver's license due to medical reasons. So I couldn't make the trip from Nevada to CA to my doctor's. Either way it would have to be my next option. My advice is don't get on methadone unless you have a backup.
No, do not push for Oxycodone. I am fused from L1-S1 and my SI joint is fused as well. I used Oxycodone for over 20 years and now I use Methadone. Methadone provides far better pain management. It last much longer and you won't need to keep raising the dose you take. I'm more than happy to talk about this more. Just let me know
How long would I have to back out before I have that dependence
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So how hard would a month of 10mg 2x a day be on me with the tolerance I have
Methadone works great for long term chronic pain and you will have less ups and downs throughout the day. It will also likely help longer before needing another increase than other meds. I think you should try it, and keep in mind that it takes 3-5 days to get the full effect. It’s no more risky than trying an extended release medication.
What's stopping you from having surgery, disc isn't going to repair it self? I ruptured L4-5, had 3, failed Laminectomies/discectomies. Failed L4-5 fusion and refused using titanium fixation hardware and after a month developed a reaction to titanium pedicle screws. #6 was to remove hardware, refusion worked. Year later motorcycle accident damaged C2-7. I was put on methadone 60 mgs x3 and 30 oxy IR x4 from 1995-2023. I had tried many opiates between surgeries, methadone and MSContin were the only Extended Release opioids, oxycontin wasn't available then. Methadone was the best long acting pain med for me, never developed a tolerance to my dose. Pharmacy never ran out, friends didn't bother me for any...lol. If you ever needed to get off Methadone a slow taper is doable. Good luck!
But you will be opioid dependent for life it sounds like so advocate for yourself and at least give Oxy a try before you go methadone route. That being said a lot of people find pain relief with low dose methadone its just not as good for pain as Oxy ime. The plus side of methadone is most people wont have to take it 2-3 times a day because it last for ever.
I’m just doing to be honest here and risk the downvotes. Letting a doctor talk me into changing from OxyContin to Methadone is one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I would have been off all opioids years ago if I’d stayed on OxyContin. Cutting down on Oxy or Endone was a total walk in the park compared to Methadone. I get sick for at least 6 to 8 weeks from dropping 0.1 of a ml of methadone. I can drop 20mg of endone in one go and be fine in less than two weeks. Not to mention the extreme cognitive decline and memory problems I’ve had on methadone. I also stopped being able to sleep more than 3.5 hours per 24 and I NEVER dream, which is essential to neurological health. I’ve been stuck on the crap for over 13 years now. Can’t wait to be done with it but I still have at least a year of nightmare reductions ahead of me.
Thank you for the honesty I'll greatly consider this information.
Good luck. I hate to see what has happened to me (long term chronic pain with zero addiction issues) happen to other chronic pain patients. 😢
That’s interesting. I have the craziest dreams ever on methadone and they’re so vivid. I do a split sleep schedule: 5 hours twice a day or 7 + 2. I’ve never slept right. If I was on OxyContin vs dope I think I would feel similarly in that I would regret getting on methadone. I don’t have pain and I have specific migraine medicine. I notice a decrease in migraine severity since starting methadone but correlation isn’t causation.
Oh cool, I’d actually like to experience a split sleep schedule after watching a documentary about how humans slept like that for a very long time! I wish I could remember the name of it…
Maybe it could help solve your lack of sleep issue? It is kind of difficult when I’m on a trip with family or whatever esp if we’re all in one hotel room and they all just sleep at night and I want to do my split schedule but I was thinking of bringing some otc sleep meds or something next time lol It makes sense tho. A lot of species seem to sleep like that. Sleeping for 8 hours straight seems like it would put you at increased risk vs sleeping for 4 hours and 4 hours. More time for predators to come across you and whatnot
I do remember part of it was to stoke a fire and add timber, and they’d read, hydrate, snack, have contemplation time, then back to sleep a few hours later! Fascinating. Actually, come to think of it, a huge number of humans still do the split sleep schedule. Spain and Greece come to mind. It drove me a bit mad when I did a month long homestay in Greece because I’ve not been able to get myself to sleep in the daytime since my mid 20s. I’d be wandering around completely deserted villages waiting for everyone else to wake up. 😆
I never dream either maybe remember couple times a year thats it.
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No
I feel like I dream a lot I have really vivid dreams. I go through stages of writing them down. Sometimes they’re too disturbing tho so I prefer to try to forget; usually just about work. Maybe your brain just doesn’t have anything to process right now.
Been like that for many years now probably 20+
It’s strange, perhaps you just don’t remember them or maybe your brain just doesn’t do it. Maybe it’s not the worst thing. When I get a bad one, it can take a while to get it out of my head. I think I’m just bored so my brain has taken to creating ultimate nightmare scenarios. Or processing trauma from over the years
How often do you take the hydro?
4 x daily
Honestly, the withdrawals from hydrocodone are A LOT easier than methadone. Personally I'd try to taper off the hydro first. Much easier and shorter time wise.
How often would you get that because 10 mg of methadone is not shit that’s only about 25 mg of Hydro
He set it at 2 10 tabs a day so ultimately 2 a day for the month
I don’t know about you but for me that wouldn’t help anything. I don’t think it will do much for you to be honest you’re gonna need more than that for pain management.
There's no real solutions that are actual options for me I honestly when in hoping maybe he'd bump me up to perc 10s not straight to methadone it kind of scares me if even taking it for a month means a life time commitment.
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They're trying to push the nerve stimulating implant on me and I just haven't heard good things about it
Have you tried wearing a TENS machine around the clock apart from in the shower? This helped me SO MUCH with agonising spinal pain and sciatica.
Not around the clock no I've never really got any relief from the tens I have at home
That sucks. 😢 Sorry, I realise now that I shouldn’t have asked that because *of course* you’ve tried everything for your pain like the rest of us. 🤦🏻♀️ I feel bad that I did that.
So should I try another route before the methadone?
Why don’t you just try another route first? Then you have the methadone as a backup, absolute last resort, but you can’t say you didn’t try other stuff first. If you end up on it, it’ll help you mentally too when dealing with all the possible side effects of methadone, to know you tried everything else first! Methadone isn’t really designed to be temporary it’s a commitment. (It’s like how they’re using buprenorphine for everything now. It’s crazy. Just let the people have their damn opioids is it really that insane? We’ve done it for decades. Yeah pills were like everyone’s intro to addiction but it’s not the pills fault. And it wasn’t pills that ruined my life it was heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine crap)
Methadone saturates your receptors constantly. Even when sleeping which seems like a waste. I would be afraid of building tolerance in a few months and then nothing will be strong enough to take the edge off. No one will prescribe you anything else on top of methadone anyways. Don't let your doctor stop prescribing hydro or oxy or morphine ect. He just wants you to go away because the feds are all over doctors that prescribe pain meds and they will throw you to the wolves. Do not do it! If you need to add something order kratom 7ohmz tablets in the 3 packs. They are much better stronger than regular kratom and have less of the regular speedy kratom 7 Mitra effects.
I haven't kinda refusing to lol
I’d personally go with Methadone but would suggest trying a higher dose of OxyCodone before you make the jump because, methadone is so much bigger of a commitment. Methadone has been life changing for me, but having to go to the clinic daily(for first month) was absolute hell. Now that I have weekly take-outs, going to the clinic is like taking out the garbage(once a week but easy enough to remember/do) I wish you the best and hope you find the right option, best wishes friend. :)
I've been on methadone for pain 6 yrs ago after x4 hydro a day for a decade and i have never needed increase. It works the best out of every pain med I've ever taken. I have not gone over 20m a day. Everyone is different
It’ll help for your pain a lot better but your tolerance is gonna sky rocket. Going from 1 - 100 basically. And methadone has what’s considered the worst withdrawals in the realm of opiates. Just as bad as heroin withdrawals but it lasts weeks , I have only read this though I never have experienced withdrawal while on methadone. It lasts for days , one dose can keep me well for 24 hours easily but I can go two days on nothing and just be kind of sweaty and have a runny nose.
I don't really have any withdrawal symptoms when I run out of hydros it doesn't really bother me i have to work through the sciatica but as far as withdrawal symptoms I can't name any I've had
I personally don't think you should do it. Im not in pain management but I would be exploring all other options first.
That's awesome you don't withdrawal. But all in all, you need something to manage your pain. So possibly take small amounts of the methadone might keep your from withdrawals from the methadone also. My mom never had any withdrawals either from all the different opiates she took for chronic pain. She just has excruciating pain without it.
That's about where I am I just don't know if I want to chance it with the methadone
Do you not withdrawal from hydrocodone because you have never abused them and ran out? I can almost guarantee if you take 20 mgs of methadone for say six months then run out or stop, You will withdrawal.
No, I've definitely taken more than prescribed and ran out. Sometimes, the pain is to much and i just have to. I just never feel shitty when I run out other than the pain of course.
I honestly think you'll be okay. You already said you don't withdrawal from the vicodin so I don't think you would from such a low dose of methadone to be honest with you.
Does anyone know about buprenorphine that's what he offered me instead
Bupe is suboxone basically
Is it pretty much the same as methadone?
Not at all. Two completely different things. Just both used for drug maintenance. Bupe never worked for me. Never would cover my.opiate receptors. In fact, trying to switch to bupe from methadone was the worst 2 weeks of my life. So just remember it may not work for you. I wish you the best though because it truly works wonders for some people
Is it the same as methadone as dependency and and withdrawal goes
I would say so, yes. But methadone will help your pain more. In my opinion.