Hi. My daughter is currently taking diladid for pain. She is a math major and is not able to do calculus while on this medication. She is looking at having to drop out of college for a while and is very depressed. Are you able to function normally while on methadone? I had heard that it does not give you as much of a high as the diladid. Please let me know how it has worked for you.

Thank you

Julie

Hi ~ I'm sorry your daughter has been having such trouble with dilaudid. I can imagine it made her quite groggy and unable to function properly.

I was on methadone for quite some time. A few hours after I took it, it would kind of "hit" me and I would get incredibly sleepy. I also took it for pain. When I was on MS Contin, it did NOT do this to me. I did not get sleepy at all on that medication. I don't know if others have gotten sleepy on it, but I never did. Right now, I'm on Opana, and it's also making me sleepy.

It looks like most of the pain medications DO have a tendency to make one sleepy. She should ask her doctor if he knows of one that doesn't have that side effect. There must be one out there. lol Otherwise, we'd have an awful lot of people sleeping all day!! God bless and the best of luck - I pray she doesn't have to drop out of school! That would be a tragedy. Take care. Hugs, Lee

oh my gosh, dilaudid was a miracle med for me, only thing that ever in 7yrs stopped my headaches completely without wicked side effects but because of all the pill issues in Florida they stopped giving it to me, i wish i could find a new doctor

Hi Julie, :welcome_sign: to NT.

All narcotic medications, by definition, are apt to have this effect to some degree (some more/less than others), including methadone, and the degree to which any particular drug may affect any particular patient cannot be predicted.

There are a lot of options other than dilaudid and methadone that should adequately address your daughter's pain without (significant) euphoria and allow her functionality. Methadone has some associated risks and stigmas that, IMO, may not make it the best first alternative (though would not eliminate it either). That choice/decision is ultimately between doctor and patient. Was methadone her doctor's recommendation/suggestion?

Doc