Methadone

[lespenney]

Hello, I started on methadone mid January. I am taking 1/4 of a 5 mg pill and works wonderful on my rls. However, I am still feeling a wonky feeling in my head. In addition, I am getting a lot of hot flashes, terrible headache and it is like my face is so tense.

I was on oxy before but it just couldn’t get me through the night. Would get rls breakthrough.

Anyone have this experience?

[Lissa496]

Not on methadone, but when my oxy immediate release couldn't get me through the night I was switched to oxycontin ER which is an extended-release, and that has allowed me to get through the night.

[Rustsmith]

I haven't experienced those side effects, but methadone can cause a number of issues. My only issue was that it caused my testosterone level to drop to the point where I had to start hormone supplementation. I have been fine since then.

At one of the first Foundation patient conferences, Dr Earley made the comment that all opioids cause side effects. There are so many of them on the market because they all act differently. He added, that is why we have so many options.

If oxy worked well for you, you might ask to try the extended release form of oxy. It isn't a 24 hr pill like methadone, but it might get you through the night. Two other options are tramadol ER and buprenorphine. These are both 24 hr meds and have a secondary benefit of being Sch IV and III respectively instead of Sch II, so you can get refills and avoid the 30-day hassles of Sch II drugs. They also come with side effects, but might be an option to discuss with your doctor.

[debbluebird]

My side effects with Methadone lasted 2 months, then went away.
You are on a very small dose. That's great.
They started me on 10 mg.