My fiance is addicted to pain pills. We have talked about getting her some help from a methadone clinic. I have researched methadone, and from what I am seeing, some people use methadone for pain relief, and some people have even gotten addicted to it. How is this helping a person who is trying to get off pain pills, if their taking something that they could also get addicted to?
My father was put on methodone in an effort to "wean" him off of oxycontin. He got off the oxcyontin but became horribly addicted to the methodone. The next step was to wean him off of the methodone. The substitute they gave him for pain relief did not work, withdrawl from the methodone made him severly depressed. He committed suicide. Please don’t let her take methodone.
Jo | Nov 05, 2007
it doesnt methadone is just a more controlled drug, but like with heroine users, its still an addiction, they just arent on the heroine.
benjamin r | Nov 05, 2007
I’m no expert in this area, but from what I’ve studied, I understand that methadone is used to "wean" someone off of a heroin addiction. Heroin has intense central nervous system involvement, and methadone is another opoid in the same class, but has "less addictive" properties than heroin. It is still, however, addictive in itself, as most opoids are when taken long-term or in high doses. Weaning from heroin to methadone also has a behavior aspect, in that people won’t be in physical withdrawal, but can break the "habit" of shooting up heroin.
SO, from what I understand, methadone isn’t used to "wean" people off of pain pills, in fact, it may be more addictive itself than the pain medication your fiance is currently addicted to.
I suggest your fiance sees a physician as soon as possible, preferably the one who is prescribing the medication and knows her pain situation.
Many treatment options are available to break the addiction, but it is a very mentally and physically challenging thing to do!
Behavioral therapy, antidepressant therapy and other types of medications can help, but she needs professional help.
I wish you and your fiance the best.
alyRN | Nov 05, 2007
My Boyfriend is on Methadone, has been for the last 3 months…before this he was a heroin addict for the last 6 years. Going on Methadone saved our relationship. However…I know people…and I know people have said that trying to get off methadone is worse than trying to get off Heroin itself. However…If your wife absolutley needs methadone to have any chance of ridding her addiction than I suggest go for It!!! After getting stable on the Methadone there is Bupenorphine or Suboxone, both of these satisfy an opiet craving, however arre a lot less severe and a lot more easier to get off. If the pain pills she is addicted to are opiet based, which I assume they are go for the Suboxone, this is a mixture of Naltrexone and Bupenorphine..Her opiet addiction is still being Satisfied however, she can not use due to the intake of Naltrexone.
Crish | Nov 07, 2007
Tags: methadone