METHADONE....NO SIDE EFFECTS/NO AUGMENTATION

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RLSlou
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:14 am

METHADONE....NO SIDE EFFECTS/NO AUGMENTATION

Post by RLSlou »

I have suffered for 30 yrs. with drs. prescribing me anything & everything for my RLS with nothing but horrible side effects, sleepless nights, walking back & forth from one end of the house to the other having suicidal thoughts BUT, methadone was the only thing that helped me calm down & get some sleep. Two wonderful doctors that understood my horrible affliction have retired, the next dr. I went to only twice, the third apptmt. she released me bc she thought I had a problem with methadone-- I have NEVER had a problem with substance abuse the whole FIVE years I went to the previous drs. at the same facility but she was prejudiced against me bc I took methadone & didn't want to prescribe it to me anymore!!! I was so shocked & devastated I came home & just cried for days bc do you know how hard it is to find a dr. that will give you an opioid???? Almost impossible! I found another dr. but the urine test he had me do revealed THC & methadone in it....I NEVER smoked pot, false positive from a cough suppressant I took, ingredient Dextromethorphan. Also I took a pain reliever with Diphenhydramine in it, false positive for THC--HOW DO YOU DEFEND YOURSELF bc they don't believe you!?! Of course I had methadone in my system bc I hoarded some away from my previous prescription just in case I wasn't able to get it, LIKE NOW!! So he won't prescribe methadone bc you have to sign the federal regulation paper saying you won't smoke cannabis while taking opioids.....I DIDN'T but try convincing him & the nurse of that, IMPOSSIBLE! I am so depressed & hopeless right now I can't stop crying, thinking of ending my life if I can't get a dr. to prescribe methadone, I don't know what to do but call the healthcare providers suggested on RLS Foundation site & see if I can get a appmt. I can't believe the stigma that's attached to methadone bc of the opioid crisis & all the deaths from overdoses but OMG don't smoke any POT!! No one has ever died from POT & it's in the same class as HEROIN, something has to change!! If anyone out there can suggest anything I would really appreciate it, I am literally at the end of my rope.....so to speak!! I live in Muskegon, MI, I am almost 70 yrs. old & don't have any quality of life, horrible insomnia & horrible depression over this refractory RLS condition, PLEASE someone HELP ME!!!

Rustsmith
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Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:31 pm
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Re: METHADONE....NO SIDE EFFECTS/NO AUGMENTATION

Post by Rustsmith »

I totally understand your situation since I have been there myself. Every neurologist in the town that I used to live in refused to accept me as a patient because I was taking an opioid that was prescribed by my RLS doctor, who is a professor at the state medical school 100 miles away. I didn't want any of these doctors to write my methadone prescriptions, but I wanted someone local to treat my migraine headaches but they wouldn't even give me an appointment.

One thing in addition to the Foundation's list of doctors that you can try it to call the nearest major medical school to try to get an appointment with someone in the neurology department. The doctor-professors at these schools are often more knowledgeable and the school's administration provides them with a bit more legal protection than a doctor who is in private practice. You may need to travel to see one of them, but that is better than having to start from scratch to educate a local doctor.

One other approach is to try to educate a local doctor (I used a doctor's nurse practitioner for several years). I provided him with a copy of this paper to educate him that opioids are a proper form of treatment for severe RLS. Not only did I get my prescriptions this way, but after learning about RLS, he also started diagnosing it in several other patients. The paper that I gave him is https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... X/fulltext
Steve

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

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