One more on Methadone

[Neco]

You're telling me, heh.. I need 10mg minimum

[RLJames]

Thought I'd chime in.

I've been doing without Methadone for two weeks now because I couldn't get to Dr. Buchfuhrer to get my script. I have a couple of observations to share.

I did not experience any withdrawal symptoms although I've been taking Methadone for two years. I ran out one day and that was that.

But suffer I did for these past two weeks because I did not get enough sleep at night. I was lucky if I slept for 4 hours! Lunesta didn't help.

Now that I have methadone back, I hope that the tide would turn.

This episode convinces me that methadone is the appropriately med for me; it works.

[Aiken]

If I might ask, how much do you take, and how many times do you take it?

As you might have noted on this and another thread, we're still sort of working out whether the frequency/amount affects your chances of withdrawal and/or rebound.

(Personally, I'd say I got rebound, but not really much withdrawal.)

[SquirmingSusan]

I asked my pain doctor if it makes any difference, as far as the likelihood of having withdrawal, if you take it once a day or spread out the doses. He didn't think that it did, but said that it all really depends on the half like the drug has in each individual's body. And he said that is incredibly variable. But for most people, it's 2 days, and it wouldn't make a difference in whether or not you would have withdrawal.

I have to split my doses, because I use it for pain control. I get 6 hours or so of pain control. I also don't get sleepy from it, so maybe it helps with the side effects to split the doses. It's so hard to figure out what works for each one of us.

[RLJames]

Aiken,

For the first year and a half, I was taking 5mg. For the past six months, my doc put me up to 10mg because of breakthrough symptoms during the night.

It was only when I was feeling the rebound effects of RL that I began to miss the methadone.