What is Methadone?
Methadone is also known as Dolophine. Mehadone is a misunderstood, underprescribed, medication for chronic pain. Even doctors do not understand its potential for improving chronic pain sufferers lives. Methadone is a narcotic pain reliever for medium to severe pain. It is also used in the treatment of heroin (opiate dependence: Vicodin, Percocet, Morphine, etc) addiction.
Methadone was invented/ discovered by I.G. Farbendustrie at Hoechst-am Main, Germany. Lacking any resemblance to any known compounds its analgesic (pain relieving) actions were not expected. In spite of the morphine shortage, methadone was not used until after World War 2.
Warning: As compared to other opiates in which the withdrawal period is a week to ten days, heavy methadone users can expect to not recover up to 5 or 6 weeks.
Oral methadone is very different than the IV methadone. Oral methadone is partially stored in the liver for later use. IV methadone acts more like heroin. One of the positive effects of oral methadone is that unlike taking morphine where the morphine user is very uninterested in life and very passive, just basically waiting for their next dose. Methadone users are more engaged in living their life. without the waiting or craving.
Methadone is not prescribed by your typical physician because of the stigma attached to methadone as a detox medication. If you would like to read input from a pain management physician about the prescribing of methadone in most states you must go to a pain clinic or a methadone maintenance clinic to be prescribed methadone. All physicians can prescribe methadone for pain.
Methadone is not like morphine when it comes to chemical makeup. Though it is an agonist opiate Methadone is more like propoxyphene (darvon/ Darvocet).
Methadone is a long acting pain reliever that is why it is such a good medicated for chronic pain sufferers and for helping the addicts get through life without having to spend their miserable existence trying to keep a steady supply of heroin around or nearby, just to physically get through the day.
What makes Methadone Special:
Almost all other opiate pain relievers (percocet, lortab, lorcet, vicodin, darvocet, etc) are short acting. They work quite well at first though only for a certain amount of time. Methadone is the only pain medication that accumulates in the body. Meaning after taking it for a while your body starts to store it. Which is a great thing for people with chronic pain and addictions to pain pills, heroin.
No other pain medication has this action of buildup in the body.
Methadone is a very affordable drug. The cost of methadone is very low compared to almost any other pain mediaction. There are couple of meds that cost about the same (Generic darvocet, and vicodin (hydrocodone).
Addiction of Pain Pills
There are 2 different addictions:
1. Physical addiction: The body needing a dose at the time of the next dose, of no dose is taken then withdrawal begins.
2. Physchological addiction: This is when you just want and have a craving to take pills for the high.
Pain pills do make you feel good (euphoric feeling of well being). Getting high is what you can call it. The more pain you are in the less of a high you get. As with any narcotic, there is the potential of addiction. The reason doctors do now want you to take pain medications too often, such as 1 every 6 hours is that the more you take the closer you get to becoming addicted. Even though you pain needs more medication. If pain pills are taken too often every day and night for about 15-20 days or more your body body begins to require the pills just to keep the brain satisfied and to keep withdrawal at bay...
The more pills you take the more you need. This cycle snowballs. The more tolerant you become usually means the more addicted you are becoming.
Withdrawal:
Methadone if taken for long periods and at large doses can lead to a very strong long withdrawal period. Compared to other opiates in which the withdrawal period is a week to ten days, heavy methadone users can expect not to recover for up to 5 or 6 weeks. So don't use methadone any longer than needed. If the treatment takes you on a long term course then be sure that the doctor knows of thos long duration of recovery. If not you could get into a position where the doctor may change drugs or stop methadone suddenly. According to most medical books withdrawal from opiate addiction should be treated in the hospital.
Symptoms:
When the time comes not having the drug to take early on the fist day without one can start getting flu like symptoms. Pain thru -out the body, runny nose, sneezing, faver, insomnia, diarrhea, unable to concentrate, restlessness, anxiety, grouchyness.
If one goes into the second or third day and are left without treatment or not consuming an opiate (pain pill, shoot up) things get worse. You get musle spasms, nausea, worst case of diarrhea, vomiting, severe backache, stomach pains, hodt and cold flashes, insomnia, intestinal spasms, repetitive sneezing, blood pressure rise, bone and muscle pain, you get intolerant of life, feelings of suicide along with wanting to jump out of your skin.
Using Methadone for getting High:
All narcotics have the tendency to give the user a euphoric feeling in some way or another. Everone is different. One person may enjoy the feeling that one drug will give them while another person will not. One person may have very little tolerance to a drug where anothe rperson will not have any tolerance at all. This is how overdosages come into play. If you use pain relievers to get high do not use Methadone. If you take Methadone whule using other opiates (Percocet, Vicodin, Morphine etc) it will keep you from getting high on those types of opiates causing you to take more and more of both.
If you take more and more to get high then you may overdose. Leave Methadone for people who need it.
