NYTimes.com - Methadone: The Pain Killer

[nujrz4lyfe]

Methadone is a great thing for many people...Its not meant to be abused (like any other drug)

[KevinVancouver2]

The simple solution to this problem is to make pain patients pick up there prescriptions either daily or bi-daily the same why addiction patients pick up their prescriptions. Once it is varified by a lab that the patient is in fact taking the medicine perhaps a 3 or 4 day prescription can be written. People only run into problems from methadone when they take it in larger doses and don't have any tolerance to it.

[fpsZach1]

wtf is a god damn doctor giving a young guy methadone for pain??? ignorant doctor ...i guess NYT needed a story so they wanna make it about the drug instead of the doctors who are out writing an opiate script to anyone that says owe

[Godpleaser77]

"It has been estimated conservatively that 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur among patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis every year in the United States. Where are the protesters in this? How about aspirin? ◦Approximately 500 people die every year by taking aspirin!

[Gargar7980]

how come wen ur on methadone for a long time u cant get back to that nodden state!! wen u 1st get on it u get all fucked up!!! but once ur on it for a while ...no matter how much u take...jst cant get back to that!!! WHY????

[Godpleaser77]

@Gargar7980 you body! Mind! Uses the drug to fill receptors in your brain. Once they get use to it; they take your natural endorphins and lead them to believe they are in need of any drug. Once you have tried any drug (most all included) you can never reach the point of your first high!

[bboy42287]

Methadone saved my life! i have to serious injuries and was a opiate addict for 12 years and i am only 24 years old if it was not for methadone i would be dead by now. and if you have common sense the mehtadone pills are much stronger than liquid which is why he overdosed because his DR was a dumbass.

[Bhetacarn]

Methadone saved my life as a life long addict

[valkor73]

read the directions

[valkor73]

it only kills people that dont know what there doing fucking people who really need it. notice there all little kids

[zpowerful]

I'm sick right now, so is my BF, we have nothing better to do than sit and read about everyone else who is on this horrid stuff. Ever notice how SLOW time goes by when your waiting for tomorrow at 11 am to come, I have hours and hours to go, it's just dragging-listen to me people don't use pain killers- they get U hooked for life:(

[phishinvan]

The doctor in the video nailed it: "This is a wonderful medicine used APPROPRIATELY, but it's an unforgiving medicine used INAPPROPRIATELY". Nail on the head. I abused street methadone and any other opiate (sans heroin) that I could find for 3 years before I began a methadone treatment program. I'm happy to saw that since March 1, 2005 I haven't touched any street opiates and I'm currently slowly detoxing off methadone. The world needs to be educated about the pros and cons of this drug.

[Godpleaser77]

@phishinvan good for you! How about an update?

[phishinvan]

@Godpleaser77 Thanks for asking. I'm doing really well. I just dropped to 21 mgs yesterday. (I was on 90 mgs from about June 2005 to May of 2010). I've been coming down 5 mgs a month (1 mg a week and then 2 mgs for the last week of the month) since then and that's working very well for me. I feel NO withdrawl symptoms. It all boils down to the fact that I'M READY. This program helped me tremendously and I'm ready to become one of it's success stories.

[phishinvan]

@Godpleaser77 (Part 2:) I'm lucky in that I have a very strong will to get this done right and even more so in that I have a wonderful support group in my family. I'll be turning 29 in late November, and with my detoxing 5mgs monthly, I plan on being totally off methadone by late January. I'll be excited to start my 30's totally clean and have that part of my life behind me. People in methadone treatment need to hear from others who have successfully completed the program and stayed clean.

[Godpleaser77]

@phishinvan I totally agree with you. Wow, I am really happy for you.

[phishinvan]

@Godpleaser77 (Part 3:) I think that's very important. Basically, it all boils down to will power. That goes for quitting anything. Yeah you're probably not going to feel really well, but the pros outweigh the cons. You have to keep you eyes on the prize. Big Picture. Anyway, I've rambled too much. I appreciate your support and checking up on me. It means a lot. Support is key in this program. I'm lucky to have an awesome counselor too. Hope you have a great one! -Van

[Godpleaser77]

@phishinvan thanks Van for you too! I like when you said " You have to keep you eyes on the prize". That's so cool. And keep up the GREAT job. You have come along way; for sure! Joshua

[phishinvan]

@Godpleaser77 I appreciate the kind words. All the best to you Joshua.



[Godpleaser77]

@phishinvan you are very welcome!!

[conserveyourhearing]

Methadone for pain.............ummmmm 5 to 10 mg......................30+ is for addiction treatment. and if you take it with benzos and alc you may not wake up. they are both breathing depressants. YOU MUST DOSE DAILY AND NOT EXCEED THE RX LIMIT. The patients DO have responsibilty to not take other rx's and follow the doctors directions. People "drop dead" from herion. where is your uprising about that?????

[blackcabbageoo]

to bad. to many people NEED it .if he took a perscribed dose he wouldent be dead

everyone wants to ban all narcotics and give out garbage pills that dont do shit

[ninesidedstar]

that ad was gay thumb it

[MsEmily0525]

out the potential risk verses the benefit. It is sad that people have lost their lives over this drug but this in NOT the only one out there that has caused high rate deaths! Alot of the times Doctors will prescribe it to a patient with no opiate tolerance so therefore its too strong for their bodies to handle. The only solution to this problem is not by taking Methadone off the market but by healthcare officials to regulate the prescribing & people to be more careful when taking it.

[MsEmily0525]

@ Junkattack: Doctors here in the U.S must also must have a special license to prescribe Methadone. It pisses me off that they only want to point out the downs of Methadone & fail to mention the lives it has saved. My fiancee takes Methadone for severe & extreme back pain due to a car accident & it has been the only medication that allows him to still actively function. The reason this drug has killed most people is because they fail to take it properly or the prescribing Doctor fails to weigh..

[splifmonster]

methadone in england is seen as a dirty drug, as bad as heroin.... it is far worse 2 get of than heroin..... its a shame that pepole who use methadone for pain relif will be tared as a "drug addict"

[somervillearron]

@splifmonster ur a spaz its for withdrawal not crystal meth u tit

[splifmonster]

@somervillearron whos talkin about crytal meth??  nob head

[somervillearron]

@splifmonster duh u spaz are u illiterate i said ur a spaz it is not seen as a dirty drug it is to get off of heroin it is not crystal meth the video is about sorry ive had to explain it to u like i would explain to a retard thought ud understand but u must just be to stupid

[splifmonster]

@somervillearron wtf??? i think YOUR on crystal meth!! calm down..... i cant understand what your trying to say..... and your saying im "illiterate"??

[TheLysegicmind]

I'm French and i'm on methadone for heroin addiction since 4 years. I started to 80mg a day, today i do 40mg a day, it's hard to decrease the dose, but i can say methadone saved my life, but i may be on methadone for life.

[Bnswiss]

@TheLysegicmind i take methadone in the us. you are lucky it is way better in europe being a junkie is the best over there.

[Italianprncessa9]

ITS NOT THE MEDS FAULT! ITS THE PERSONS FAULT THAT TAKES IT WHEN THERE NOT PRESCRIBED!!! THE ONLY PERSON TO BLAME IS THE PERSON WHO TOOK IT!! ITS UR FAULT IF U MIX BENZOS!! TAKE IT THE WAY UR PRESCRIBED!! IT WILL KILL YOU! DO UR RESEARCH!!! I HAVE BEEN ON METHODONE FOR 5 YRS N I HAVE BEEN CLEAN!! IF U DO IT RIGHT, IT WILL WORK!!! IF U DONT.. ITS UR LIFE AT RISK!! N ITS UR CHOICE TO TAKE THE DRUGS!! BE CAREFUL PEOPLE..... U DONT REALLY KNOW HOW UR BODY WILL REACT!!

[devildriver100164]

You people are ignorant, I have went through a lifetime of opioid addiction (heroin) I have tried everything known to mankind to abstain from from my addiction, until I joined a Methadone clinic, for once in my life I have held the same job for 5 yrs now I have reclaimed my relationship with my children and family, I can literally say that Methadone saved my life !! You people exhibit ignorance standing on the sidelines commenting on something you know nothing about !

[junkattackjunk]

why dont they do like in canada? methadone doctors here(canada) need a special license to prescribe it, so the doctors have to be educated in order to get this special license, seems to me like it would cure misinformed doctor death..

[cstiltner85]

Methadone has saved my life im on 130mg a day people are dying b/c they r abusing it as with any narcotic that can happen it is not a bad drug it has given thousands, millions their lives back!

[Shaolinboy16]

I am a Mom, a nurse and once an heroin addic . Methadone save my life , my familly life and my carreer. I take 110 mg a day since 10 years and I don't consider quiting. When it is taken seriously with a good Md it save life.

[susanbruhn40]

@Shaolinboy16 I am also a nurse. I am on methadone for pain pill addiction. Methadone saved my life. I can function and work now. I am now on 40 mg a day I was on 120 mg. If it was not for methadone I would probably be dead. Good for you Shaolinboy!!!!! People do not know what it is like until they are in the other's shoes...

[dirtyslut890]

my friend just died today from overdose. im totally seriouse dont use it.

[ashley060189]

I'm scheduled to start taking methadone this evening, & I must say that after dealing with chronic pain for 14 years, I'm eager to see what will come of the switch.

[wildkat700]

Methadone helped me get off pain pills 500-700$ a week and take my life back

[kybair96]

i hear alot of people talking about 100 to 150 mill of methadone is HIGH.. I take 375 a day and alot at my clinic are up there to . Just wondering about the risk or tolerance issues

[crookshanks576]

@kybair96 Wow that is wayyy too much, I guess it depends on how much you used before I was using 60mg hydromorphone IV a day and 60mg was too high a dose for me, I should have been put on 20mg but your doctor lets you go on how much you want they dont give you a set dose. You could be talking about the tang mixture that only contains a little methadone and mostly tang juice.

[LeshaAnn]

@kybair96 Unless you are unusually OBESE, there's really no need for a dose that high. Well, wait, what am I saying?? I HATE when people who are NOT a doctor pontificate about medical issues, such as the people in this video... I take it back!

[terripin99]

I got on methadone in 1986- after a heroin addiction that was a nightmare of street crimes, county jails, and no way to hold a job.

In the last 24 yrs -Ive been on 120mgs a day - I get 13 take home bottles a month from a clinic. I now have a career, have my family back, and havent even had a parking ticket in 20 plus yrs* This drug done correctly saves lives- peroid.

[joebroomhead]

@terripin99 Absolutely correct!! Methadone done right works. Its not the 13 takehome patients that has been on for years diverting. It's the new patient getting a 1 time holiday takehome that is dangerous. Protesting 90 day takehomes only hurts people who are VERY secure in treatment and would not divert their medication. It is not a recreational drug.

[Kepper102]

I know that 90 percent of the folks who get on methadone dont get off it . in 14 milagrams of methadone will kill a none user .. in this drug is in the same class of drugs as Marijuana in MArijuana does not kill people..

[fortyOzmagic]

@Kepper102 spoken like a true pot head

[foxtrotdaulphin98]

kepper you are an idiot ..you have no idea what you are talking about dumbass...... 14 milligrams will not kill you ... thats nothing im on 70mg right now and i dont use often ....14 mg is not enough to kill anyone you can take up to 30 mg safely enen none user... also it is an opiod....it is related to morphine oxycontin etc.....it is not in the same class a marijuana nothing you said was right so dont type

[LeshaAnn]

@Kepper102 A) Methadone is NOT "in the same class of drugs as marijuana," and B) 14 milligrams (the CORRECT spelling) will NOT kill a non-user (OR a "none-user" as you would put it!).

[readynow12345]

Im an addict and used to take large doses

of oxycodone which is oxycontin except its not time released, I was going to a pain clinic, they where combining fentanyl & oxycodone I was getting a 120 5mg oxy's a month & 10 fentanyl patches, any way this was not enough so I started forging huge QTY of scrips im talking huge, I was taking 250 milligrams of oxy a day to get me high, any way I went to a meth clinic

oddly meth had no effect on me at all

100Mg a day weird.

[johnwayne205hotmai]

And did things worck out in the end ?

I'm starting a methadone program on the 11th of this mounth . It's kind of scearing me. I have a opiod addiction . 240 mg of oxycontin a day , phatanyl patches 100mcgh , hydromorph 60 mg , and ++++ I'm sick of this dependencie, and seaking help.

[readynow12345]

meth is weird, I remember back in 1989 when my brother was on it, anyway he let me try a little & boy that shit made me puk

of course thats before I was taking all this oxycodone, it will not get you high if you have been a abuser, what it will do is take the edge off so you don't got out & abuse,

they will probably start you off with 40mg of meth after that they will increase you based on you telling them whether its enough or not, they usually increase 5mg a week some times more it works.

[readynow12345]

also its very good for pain mangement it last longer then oxycodone cause it has a longer half life. pain clinics prescribe it,

Oh! one this it sorta expensive between 10-12 dollars a day, some clinics have both the liquid & the diskette my clinic charges more for the diskette 1 dollar extra which is 12 dollars aday I like it better cause the taste does not linger in your mouth like the liquid.

[trav02852]

I love people that say what doctors should and shouldn't prescribe and why or why not - unless you have MD after your name stfu - I have 2 crushed discs and take methadone and it works perfectly well...these demonstrators make it harder for people with chronic pain to get what they need.

[SickleCellForum]

very true i have chronic pain ....its the drs who dont know how to prescribe it.....it alows me to do things i wouldnt be doing cause of pain

[therealCanablisS]

methadone saved my life ...and its one drug i respect ,,,very toxic ,,, very powerful

[mikeandcooper]

methadone equals money for the government. it will never go away.its a money maker.

[thewholive78]

What the fuck why these doctors are methadone for pain instead of loratab,or oxycondone.methadone is for withdrawel from herion period.

[HECTORtorrez]

Its quite a common prescription handed out at pain-management clinics. Long-term opiate dependent users that have went from Lortab to oxycodone to morphine to oxycontin, it can be used in these individuals as an effective painkiller.

[LeshaAnn]

@mikeandcooper - How do you figure??? Money for the DRUG companies, yes, but not the Gov't. As a matter a fact, where I live (California) the state Government has been bitching lately about how much it COSTS them, via Medicaid patients on maintenence at the clinics, and are trying to end all coverage. They don't see the long-term SAVINGS in lower jail & hospital visits by the patients, as well as how many peoples electronics are NOT getting stolen to pay for drugs, as long as folks'r on clinic..

[mikeandcooper]

that woman should have never been prescribed methadone. they should have made her go to a clinic and make her drink on the spot. for a fucking neck injury!!! jesus christ. she had kids. that doctor is an asshole. methadone should have never been prescribed i this case.

[Gixter1000]

I am currently on methadone treatment and take as prescribed. I have periodic drug tests and counseling. This is alot better than the $500.00 a week habit I had with percocet and hope to undergo supervised methadone withdrawal in the near future. It is a rough road and wish I never experienced the percocets in the first place but to late now. I can only hope that I rid myself of all opiates in the near future.

[mikeandcooper]

where u just taking the 5 mg percocets?

just start lowering yor dose slowly and youll have no problem. get your ass in gear and start exercising and eating healthy. join clubs or anything. it will make you feel better.

[therealCanablisS]

yep i agree ,,,,, methadone should be a last resort,,, its a big commitment

[walktheline1998]

addicts die every day. there is a terrible movement in this country of people making excuses for the actions of their loved ones which i guess is understandable. but the fact is this drug has to be taken as perscribed. especially by people with a history of drug abbuse. methadone will get you high when you take more than your supposed to and the high can easily lead to abuse.

[christo930]

Almost all of those deaths are from poly drug interactions or from people abusing the drug. Harmd is a bunch of idiots who can't accept that their loved ones died from their OWN actions. Their are exceptions, some people do die from Methadone even when taken properly, but it's few and far between. Their are other, far more dangerous drugs, but nobody abuses them so the death rate is lower. The founder of HARMD son was an addict who died from abusing methadone.

[herculesrabujo]

nothing is worse than loosing someone due to over dose.

with that said though, i take methadone b/c of a car accident that killed my best friend, as well as the driver of the other car who was drinking & caused the accident. i broke my back, leg and jaw & was hospitalized for 5 months. i have taken methadone for 5years now. i have to agree christo930 if taken properly it can save your life. its just like any other prescription drug if in the wrong hands its deadly

[jellytits99]

Methadone is a very effective painkiller but being a synthetic opiate with a really long half life it is easy to overdose since the drug might still be active when its time for the next dose. I have been using the drug for chronic lower back pain for nearly three years it is a life saver and dirt cheap compared to other pain relievers.

[mikeandcooper]

what the hell is wrong with doctors in the united states? this stuff shouldnt even be prescirbed to you until youve shown that you are staying off herion or oxycontin or whatever. the doctors just seem dumber to me,prescribing this without knowledge.

here in canada,i had to get my hear checked out,and give blood and urine samples and then i had to go in every day for 6 months until i could take it home. this is not your average drug and shouldnt be prescribed the way it is in the u.s.

[saze9y14]

In the U.S., you can only get methadone from a clinic if it is for addiction. We have to submit to randomized urine screenings that show methadone metabolites in the system, as well as no other drugs (some clinics allow marijuana use). Only after 8 clean urine tests in a row and 1-2 years of counseling, narcotics anonymous meetings, and 3-month evaluations can the drug be taken with you for up to a 14 day cycle. The drug must remain in a lockbox at all times and you can be arrested for misuse.

[mikeandcooper]

your system is somwhat the same as here in canada. i got one take home after being on the program and clean cept the methdone after 2 months. then each month being clean you get another take home til you get six. you have to go in once a week here and piss and pick up your six drinks and drink one there. thats as good as it gets here. 4 times a month you gotta go to a fucking clinic. im so sick of the clinic and methadone i could puke. im at 15 mg and dropping a mg a week. chainedtotheclinic

[MexicanMafia12]

methadone healpme iam fourty years old ihaveben on methadone for recovery pain +-medication like oxycontin methadone is sefe is wonderful if you dont abused

[hypnocil10]

yeah like he didint no what methadone was.

[newfietrials]

no dont stop methadone. without this drug i would already be dead

i'm only 19 yrs old and know of the risks but its saved me from the darkness of addiction at least as long as ive been on it

used correctly, its an excellent painkiller as they said and an even better drug to treat opiate addiction

like the girl said its given me the time and resource to live my life, get things done and live without pain

a very mental, emotional pain, not physical and to that, I owe methadone my life

[theshakedownstreet]

i am just a year older than you and it too has saved my life, i know it's hard to get off of, and i live my life without physical and emotional pain as well

[murbones]

you're not 19 you drunk newfie.

[therealCanablisS]

Nuke The Whales !!!!!!!

[liv2xl]

i have been going to the methadone clinic now for about a year. when i first starting taking it, i noticed it was stronger than the oxycontin i was taking, which was the reason im going to the clinic, to get off the oxy.

i pay 12 dollars a day for treatment. like i said the first time i took it i was very sleepy and my breathing was very slow. i noticed how dangerous it can be to overdose on this.people stop breathin in there sleep because it relaxes you.like the video says start on a low dose

[donnaklop]

Methadone is a great painkiller. I have been on it for some time now as well and its working wonders for me as far as my pain is concerned. I agree, its an unforgiving drug if used inappropriately. Please follow the instructions your doctor gives you and if you have any concerns, no question is a dumb question. ASK questions, voice your concerns and dont take methadone unless your prescribed it. ITS NOT A PARTY DRUG.

[mrlopez2681]

the doctors often prescribe it wrong - it should only be taken once or twicedaily, but the doctors often prescribe it to be taken 3 or 4 times daily. To make matters worse the patients (most of whom have taken opioid drugs before) think of it just like any other opioid (i.e. vicodan/lortab, oxycodone, etc.), and pop it left & right, not aware that - though the euphoria may be gone, the drug will still linger around in the brain for some 12-24 hours.

[kaleb821]

fuckmeth

[bradleysmith1996]

Stop methadone!

[EmmertBowl814]

I originally saw this article in my local newspaper a few days ago. I am a methadone clinic patient of 4+ years and have been stable at 220mgs for over 3 years. I can 100% agree that methadone kills. However, the doctor here is correct in saying that "This is a wonderful medicine used appropriately, but an unforgiving medicine when used inappropriately.". I agree with him also that education will help everyone understand methadone... not just the bad, but the good.