Heritics of Heroin

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Dear Methadone Today,

I am 56 years old and have been on methadone since it was

put into a controlled substances act. In the last ten years, I tried to get

off methadone two tim es, each time tak ing at least 1 ½ to 2 years to

reduce the dose--as slow AS 2 mg. a week! Each time when I got down

to 8 or 10 m g., I would start to have problems! W hy? My wife had a

12-year heroin history; she withdrew 2 mg. a week, and now she is

CLEAN. We are on a course of divorce. She must see that I can't

reach her "level" of detox! We’ve been married for 25 years.

HOW COME I NEED THIS METHADONE TO HELP ME IN

MY DAILY LIFE? God knows that I TRIED! Damn those opiates! They

have ruined my life and family--I can't tell you how many times that I've

wanted to DIE! God Bless all those who suffer. -Ray

Dear Ray,

Your wife is the exception rather than the rule. Opioid

addiction has been proven to be a brain chemistry problem, and most

people WILL NOT be able to withdraw and remain off opioids. Your wife

figures that since she did it, you should be able to also. However, 80-

90% of those who try to withdraw will return to active addiction within a

year--this includes people like yourself who are highly motivated to

withdraw.

Unfortunately, your brain chemistry may have been altered to

the point that you will never produce the endogenous opioids that normal

people do.

You are not weak willed; you have a brain chemistry

problem. We cannot stress this enough. When you quit taking

methadone, your symptoms return, as happens with 80 - 90% of

methadone patients. For the other 10 - 20%, m any of them will take

other drugs or alcohol to relieve the symptoms.

Your wife needs to realize you are an individual, and your body

may react differently than hers. And you need to increase your dose to

where you feel comfortable. We would hope that she would be open

minded enough to properly educate herself about opiate addiction and

methadone treatment, before reaching the erroneous conclusion that you

are not truly “in recovery�?because you are still on methadone

and that you could detox off of methadone and

remain opioid free if you really wanted to.

Your wife should realize that methadone

treatment has helped you live a functional

life without using illicit drugs.

By the way, we hate the term "clean." It

implies that anyone taking a medication is

"dirty." If you were taking insulin to control

the symptoms of diabetes, no one would

refer to you as "dirty". Don't fall into that

trap. Methadone is a life-saving medication

that seems to have helped you for 20 years.

The medication does the job it is supposed

to do--control the symptoms of your

disease.

Source:

http://www.methadonetoday.org/A9N6.pdf

I appreciate your sharing and applaud your resolve to get your life back...there is much to be said about willpower. Insurmountable..no..there is always a way..agreed.

I know exactly what you mean when you say:

"I must admit I felt like an exposed nerve but it was still preferable to feeling cold and dead inside like I had on methadone."

I'm not sure though it was just the methadone causing all those feelings..perhaps a combination of everything...perhaps you just reached your end.

For many Methadone gives an interim from which to gain ground back in their lives..there are so many stigma's assocciated with methadone that it simply doesn't deserve.

I posted the first post to give answer to those people who cannot understand why it is they can't seem to beat addiction..and blame weakness of charactor as opposed to knowing of the very real physical reasons beyond their control. Lacking certain brain chemistry is but one of them.

Of course it does not apply to everyone..but it does apply.

Agaon thank you much for sharing and I raise a glass (fruit juice)

to your getting your life back.

I have just joined this forum and I am on the juice as well,3yrs now. I really want to get off but I feel even a 10ml drop! My friends say this is all in my head, could be, but I swear I do feel more shaky, more nervous, and..... like I have lead in my shoes. Oh Oh not to mention the sweats!. Is it all in my head? Or do you think some of us are just plain opiate dependant. I was at 140mls and now I am at 120mls. WOW what a drop. I would love to go under 100mls But like Sha stated I do feel that it is an personal body thing. My sister and I have/had the same amount of a habit and are only 20lbs different in size, yet she is happy as a duck on 60mls, I would go insain on 60mls and have to top off, so it does have to do with metabolizam and ones own brain. Just my hummble opinion,

I really wish that methadone patients would be treated in doctors offices like suboxone patients.

Maybe then people would accept if better??

Why is it that methadone patients are forced into clinics??

To continue to ostersize them for becoming addicted??

MAKES ME SO UPSET...

People who are depressed and dont have the right brain chemistry may have to rely on antidepressants for life.

No one questions that, or the diabetic that needs medication to controll there diabetes..

Methadone is NO different.. Its a lifesaving medication and people on it have to accept it for what it is..

Sha, did you go to rehab??

How you doing sweetie?

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