Use of methadone for chronic pain
Common Questions and Answers about Use of methadone for chronic pain
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Jaqui, methadone is an excellent medication for pain for a variety of reasons, and helped me to manage pain of a long-term spine disorder for 12 years.
There is research that links methadone to a particular cardiac problem. The cause is poorly understood, but to minimize risk, my doctor has ordered a 12-lead ekg with my annual physical (when I am using methadone), since i am also in my 60s. So far, I remain without cardiac symptoms.
For anyone who has ever taken Methadone for chronic pain management...When you first started taking Methadone, how long did it take for it to control your pain? How many days, weeks, etc.?
My best friend was started on Methadone to manage completely debilitating chronic pain that is the result of multiple, major, back-to-back abdominal surgeries. Tonight marks the fourth full day of her being on Methadone, and she's really not feeling any better. How long can it take?
I havIe been a chronic pain patient for 13 years in the state of TN. TN is not a methadone friendly state. My pain management specialist had me on methadone for 12 years after trying other optoids with no success. I regained about 70% of my ability to function and good pain relief. I was able to go back to work after a year in bed.
Most recently, I have been on 60 mg of methadone daily for 10 years. The pain management doctor in Oregon told me that it is illegal for any pain management doctor or any primary care physician to prescribe methadone to a patient with the diagnosis of "opiate use disorder" here in Oregon. She is therefore cutting me off cold turkey and refuses to titrate me down. This sounds incredibly wrong and inhumane. is this actually true?? If so, what are myoptions?
also a chronic painer..many here are..there is also a pain forum on medhelp that is great..i go there and post from time to time
what were the reasons u stopped the pain meds? r u an addict? if u were u would have an inkling that the pills were causing u grief..for me they didnt really relieve pain anymore..never really did..narcoitcs have no direct pain relief..only interrupts the signal of pain to ur brain and makes u not care..the pain is till there...
Actually there are several very good articles on the use of methadone for long term treatment of chronic pain. It is beleived to be the narcotic least apt to be abused and has the least side effects.
I'm sorry I forgot the author (a respected PM Physician) of the best and most informative article but maybe someone here will remember. I found it by goggling it.
Dosage may have to be increased in time but again they beleive not as often as other opiates.
hi, my husband is on 60mg of methadone (pill form) a day for chronic back pain. He's been on this regimen for 4 years now. If he runs out of his pills before he gets the new script how long will the last dose of methadone stay in his system and how quickly will the "dt's" start? I am asking because the doc had to resched his appt and he might run short and want to be prepared.
Thanks for all the info and input in regards to my post. However since my post I've learned that the sub treatment she is receiving is for addiction only. The pain I was informed of was just to keep from having to say that there was a relapse. She is my ex's girlfriend. I knew last summer she went into detox for a bad oxy addiction, however they had split up before she was released.(due to other issues).
Your problem could also be also that the methadone is blocking the breakthrough pain med. I have been on methadone for that reason. (Because I have severe pain but was also addicted to pain meds, opiates.) The methadone blocks all opiates so it's a waste of my time and money to even try any longer. You should do a little research on methadone. I'm surprised your doctor gave you an opiate breakthrough pain med while on methadone.
Is it a good idea to replace high doses of oxycontin, that you have tolerated for years, no highs, pain relief, but still quite a bit of pain, for methadone, forever? My dack surgeon says the switch will kill me and would have to be done in the hospital over a long period, and even then, he refuses to even entertain the idea, and he has been my back dr. for15 yrs. (I had 2 back surgeries in 1995 abd 1996 and no relief after last surgery, except I could walk again.
The best suggestion I have for someone with long term chronic pain (such as my wife had, she was on pain meds for 10 years, accidentally died from them) is read chapter 1 of the book "The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity" by Norman Doidge, M.D.
I got my Methadone prescribed for pain and for yrs. It makes me so mad that they will give someone Methadone to come off of a short amount of hydo or other opiates. This makes no sense that your Dr did not just try to taper you down some more off the hydros. Most ppl go to these clinics to get off drugs and I can understand this, but not for such a low dose of hydos.
Methadone is one of the best pain relievers..not saying best one to be on for long term use as it is addictive...but throwing in a drug like tramadol makes no sense..it is not a very good pain releiver plus it is addictive as heck due to its narcotic like qualities and its anti-depressant qulaities/offers very little pain relief for the risk if u r an addict
no... 2 weeks on trams is ok to flush those puppies down the toilet..
I am on Methadone for chronic pain management. Did you try any other drugs first? it's a little strange if you did not try any other medications and they put on Methadone to begin with. Did you discuss that with the doctor? Methadone builds up in the system very quickly in some people. I just started taking it 2 weeks ago. I was very weak, very sleep. My blood pressure is normally low but it dropped to 115/50. The Methadone built up so quickly in my system.
I know some people have used methadone for pain but I personally believe that it is for really severe addiction and/or end-of-life. My mother-in-law passed away from lung cancer in the spring. She had never taken a narcotic in her life. For some reason the oxycontin and morphine didn't help her bone pain and she did get relief from the methadone. But there are certain drugs that I don't think should be used unless you will never be coming off them again. Fentanyl same thing.
t having to raise the dose to meet th epain need of their patient. And also methadone has shown to be a good pain med used for long term chronic pain relief becauuse of the above reason (and it's much cheaper).
I do have to say you were on a heavy dose of oxy if i understand correctly..20mg 1 in the am, 2 in the afternoon and 2 in the evening.
I have been on them for 2 years and then for a time before that as well. I have chronic pain and the methadone does help ALOT for pain but I agree with Prospero73. THat is why I am getting off it. It is very hard to get off of though. In all honesty I would rethink going down the methadone road. Take it from some of us that have been there. It is a bone gripping drug. Best of luck to you and if you ever want to chat about it I would be glad to help.
Methadone has a slow metabolism and very high fat solubility, making it longer lasting than morphine-based drugs. Methadone has a typical elimination half-life of 15 to 60 hours with an average of i would say about 22. However, metabolism rates vary greatly between individuals, up to a factor of 100 ranging from as few as 4 hours to as many as 130 hours, or even 190 hours. So it's hard to say.
Because of the mistakes of a few, millions of chronic pain patients who respond well to COT and methadone are now being denied treatment, unless they sign up as "drug addicts" and receive their medthadone at addiction clinics.
This is a tremendous disservice to the people in pain who need this medication, and as a result, we suffer needlessly.
t really know me well. I am on 51 mgs of methadone that I started using 7 years ago when I had pain, osteonecrosis in my jawbone, the pain was unbearable and I had no break in pain whatsoever. I was using oxycodone at the time, I think I most I ever took was 10 10mgs a day but my tolerance was just getting up there , way too high so I knew I needed to do something about that , so the doctors put me on methadone, and here I am 7 days later.
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