Methadone: Methadone Facts

Question: I have been on 45mgs of methadone, trying to stay off of the 5-8 lorcets i was taking daily for the last 4-5?

(Posted by: on 2010-03-17 19:14:14)

Years & now DUE to my engagement i have a sudden trip to mexico planned to meet my fiances family BUT my clinic is giving me a hard time about taking a 7day take out- - in fact they won't do it. They want me to post- pone my trip, which sounds like the obvious answer ONLY- - it's not fair to put my life on HOLD and not only that... my fiances family DOES NOT know about my (past) drug problem!! MY family knows- - just bits and pieces BUT they have to Accept it- i'm their blood. I try so hard to be a good moral girlfriend and have his family only think highly of me- - - i carry myself in a positive manner and leave all my dirt between my fiance and I. i know people would say i shouldn't care about what others think, as long as i do good for myself BUT i look at it like- - we all have demons in our closet and that is why it's called 'our closet' b/ c its OURS- - for us to look into, deal with and keep to ourselves. Anyway, I'M BABBLING.. LOL.. so, my question is..... i will be in Mexico from thurs night until the following friday. i will have take out for thurs, friday, saturday & sunday BUT monday, tuesday, weds, thursday and friday i will be SOL (sh*t out of luck- - so i know this sounds baaaaad BUT the only thing i can think of to do (w/ o the slightest desire- it's killing my bf to realize also but) is to:: stoop to taking LORCETS- - - the green ones (meaning idk the correct mgs) but only 4- 5 a day just to feel normal and function around and w/ the family i am going to take on as my own soon. I can't postpone b/ c w/ o thinking we promised to be there and to drive my in laws b/ c of their age and their bad vision at night.. :( i know, i know i feel like a failure and like my fiance will look at me different b/ c he may think i just 'want' that high again and that is NOT the case.... (BABBLING AGAIN) so, does anyone know after taking 50mgs a day for the last 7mths- - will i even feel the lorcets? will it take away all if any withdrawals? will i have to take more than i use to before? should i take 1/ 4 of a valium at night to sleep? HELP ME... BTW... when i get back from Mexico next friday i will go back to my methadone clinic and continue my daily dosing ... b/ c before this incident methadone has worked for me and has made my life easier and more satisfying... any and all comments- - advice- - personal experience stories are welcome... Thank you, SKT/ RGJ actually, i have asked my methadone DR about taking the meds as a 7 day take out but since its a monitored drug they will NOT agree in such A short notice. it has nothing to do w/ getting a grip on my addiction- - i gained that the day i walked into the methadone clinic w/ o being forced... as i said b4 my drug addiction and my new in laws have nothing to do with each other- - i'm in a crappy situation and YES i do KNOw i have enough strength to take the lorcets for 3- 4 days and come home and get off again... it sounds crazy but i just have to do it b/ c i am meeting my fiances family and it is very important to him... i am DRIVING not getting on a plane and for the woman that can relate to putting ur life on hold- - - thank u for ur story, , :( ur husband must be a gr8 man and supporter to understand and deal w/ not having u for his trips away.. there are lots of people that dont understand. i think some people can handle withdrawals better than others and i am just 1 of the whiney 1's :- (

Posted by: Geri <3 on 2010-03-17, 21:13:30

Here is the deal, you are silly for even thinking about returning to taking the drug that youve been addicted to so you can meet your fiances family.methadone should be taken for only a short period of time and at some point you will have to withdrawl from both the methadone and the lorcets. the methadone makes it a little easier. you are stupid for working to get off a drug, and considering taking them again for a short time, and are ultimately starting from the beginning again if you return to taking pain meds. go to the doctor and see if he will WRITE you a prescription for methadone...that can last you more than the 4 days you were going to have it for. it doesnt sound like you have gotten a grip on your addiction because you are considering going back (even if it is less amount of pills----- will you have the self control? will it only be for that short time? will you take less than you used to? will you risk getting in trouble to bring them to mexico on the plane because you dont have a precription?) you need to think this out more, and i dont think youre ready to take this trip until you are no longer on any type of medicine that if you iddnt have you would be withdrawling (in front of your furture inlaws)

Posted by: cateyes on 2010-03-17, 19:43:52

Putting your life on hold. I know all about that! Although I have never had a drug problem I do know what you are talking about here. I am disabled and have to take oxycontin everyday for severe chronic pain. My husband of almost 23 years works out of town during the summer months and is gone for up to 6 months at a time. Up until this past summer I've had to stay behind (for the last 5 years) because no doctor in that area would work with me anymore and my pain management doctor wouldn't deal with my particular problem either. Finally this last summer he must have realized he could trust me and sent my medication to me so I could finally be with my husband. I finally got to go with him! Also, the year before that (my husband and I haven't been on vacation in years!) I had the opportunity to join my husband at the end of the job when it was time to come home and we were going to make a vacation out of it, winding our way down the California coastline for 7 days. It wasn't to be because my doctor refused to give me my prescription a measly 2 days early. He makes me wait until my entire prescription is gone before he will give me my refill. So our vacation was once again lost to us! I don't know what to recommend to you but I just wanted to share my story with you and let you know that this crap doesn't only happen to you. I wish you the best on your recovery and I agree that if you choose to prefer to keep this private then it should be just between you and your fiance.

Posted by: B R on 2010-03-19, 13:27:54

I have long experience with Methadone so you can believe that I understand the ins and outs of the drug and Methadone programs generally. As to your first question about whether 4-5 Lorcets will hold you, I seriously doubt it and if you leave town with a few Lorcets I think you will live to regret it and probably end up in an emergency room in Mexico. What I cannot understand is why you are on Methadone in the first place. Lorcet is nowhere as strong or as addictive as 45 mg. of Methadose. You said you had a habit of 6-7 of them a day. 45 mg. of Methadose is MUCH stronger than 6-7 Lorcets a day and by starting on Methadone you have made a bad problem much worse. Methadone is being given out far too liberally, obviously. You will have an infinitely harder time getting off of Methadone than if you had just toughed it out for 4-5 days to kick the Lorcet habit, I promise you. It will probably take about 20 or so Lorcets to hold you for 24 hours now. Compared to Methadone Lorcet is a very weak Opiod. Methadone is supposed to be used to wean people from much stronger narcotics like heroin, oxycontin, morphine etc. not Lorcet. If I were you and had what sounds like a relatively minor Opiate/ Opiod habit I would start a fairly rapid detox from the Methadone A.S.A.P. and don't look back or you will be on Methadone for many years to come. As far as the inconvenience to you from the program you are enrolled in; get used to it, you (as well as me) are an addict and this is a very serious problem you'll have to get used to dealing with, as will the people in your life unfortunately. You'll also have to get used to the fact that other people in our society don't see your problem as a minor or an acceptable one either but rather one of your own making, (which it is).