Quote:
Originally Posted by finz
Everyone in NT land who takes Methadone.......
Do you mind me asking, how are your doses scheduled and how do you manage break through pain ?
I believe I will be starting Methadone soon.
I have been taking Vicodin 10/325 mg consistantly every 4 hours if I am out of bed in my home. If I am showering, getting dressed, going to a family event, etc I need 2 tabs every 4 hours. If I go to a concert, casino, beach, etc where I do not have the perfect chair to sit in and/or ice packs readily available, I need 3 tabs every 4 hours. On those days, I can get over the 4000 mg daily limit of Tylenol.......so, it's time for a change.
I am also concerned with expenses. My neuro is no longer covered by my health insurance, so I have to pay privately for narcotics. My pain clinic and primary doc don't write for narcotics. My neuro wanted me to try Avinza, but that is way too expensive. I was the one to suggest Methadone because I know it is cheap.
Now I am second guessing the change.
I have read Mrs D's Methadone posts before and am aware of the risk of cardiac death because of issues with QT wave arrythmias. It's not that I dismiss that concern, it's that I consider my risks of cardiac death are far greater from the severe high bp that comes with my increased pain. Unfortunately, now I see that the antidepressant that I am on , Zoloft, as well as many other antidepressants increase the chance of the QT wave issues. My neuro is off for the summer. I do have an appt with my primary this week to discuss possibly weaning off my antidepressant if she thinks that's a concern. I also worry about the fact that Methadone is longer acting/has a longer half life. With the Vicodin I know if I take one it will wear off in 4 hours so then I could drive. How long do you all find the Methadone lasts for ?
My script is for Methadone 10 mg q 6-8 hours. I'm planning/hoping that 5-10 mg 2-3x a day will do it. How much does everyone take for a break through dose compared to the regular dose ? How long do you all find a dose lasts for ?
Thanks for any input !
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I have run through all the long lasting medications over the last 6 years. Methadone is a good choose because of price and affectiveness, but it is very hard to come off just as all long lasting meds are. It is not a time release like Avinza, Opana and I believe the strongest of the group would be the Fentynal Patches. I am currently not on any long lasting medications they are just to hard to get off of. When I did take the methadone my doctor warned and explained that taking 2 at a time is not going to increase the effectiveness and can be dangerous. Methadone is not like the others it takes time to build up in your system before it begins to work. I don't have the answer of why but I believe it's chemical makup is different then other meds. of it's type.
Also, be carefull of the morphine based meds. like Avinza, Opana etc. they cause havoc on your teeth. It drys out your mouth which causes decay. I have had to do some dental work to correct that whole problem.
Us RSDers really do suffer in the search for relieve but after 6 - 7 years of this I truly believe the less you take the better you will feel. When I would read someone post a statement such as I just did I would say to myself they don't have that much pain. But I have read some really interesting studies on "pain meds. making the pain worse" and I think they may have something.
I truly wish you the best....