jeffrey g...I used to take oxycontin(20 mg 2x/day) and the pain-killing effects were no better than vicodin, really. then my doctor put me on methadone, at the prescribed dose listed above. the reason that I ask aabout my doseage is due to some people listing in their reviews that they are on 100 mg-660 mg/day and were needing more. thank you.
Answers (3)
donecrazy8 Feb 2012
That is a low dose but it deffanetly should work for you being you just started taking methadone , and it is best to start out on a low dose and go from there can I ask is the dosege working for you are is not I'm would have to say your dr is going to move you up as need methadone is a very good pain medication if not the best thing out there and it's not uncommon at all to see people on 100 mg a day and up but I personally don't think anyone should need over 100 mg a day that's rily a lot of medication and do you take anything for break trew pain if your dose is not working maybe that's what is going on hope you can get to a level that gives you the relief you need to be able to live a normal live I can tell you thatethadone is the way you won't to go don't listen to all those people on here that bad talk methadon they are just pill heads looking for a fix and when they can't get it they get mad at the methadone
ElizaJane238 Feb 2012
It's completely up to the person being treated. Everyone is different - has different issues going on physically, and different body composition, etc. It also varies by how long you've been on that particular medication, as tolerance builds up in your body. What may work well for someone else may do nothing for you, and vice versa. The only way to know is to gradually increase the dose until your pain is manageable. It's best for your body to be on the lowest dose possible so if 60 mgs per day is working for you that's great. These medications really slow down our bodies and can take quite a toll over time. For me personally, when I changed over to Methadone it took 90 mgs per day to control my pain. Now, some 18 months later, I have decreased to 60 mgs per day - with the same pain relief. So it is possible to very slowly reduce the dose. The less you need, the better. Regards - ElizaJane
DzooBaby8 Feb 2012
Methadone is a very tricky drug to convert. Methadone is different from other opioids in that the effects of respiratory depression hang on long after the pain relieving effects have worn off. The respiratory depressive effects are accumulative meaning they build up with each dose so converting from one opioid to methadone can be very tricky. Most Drs are very conservative until they see how you react. Tolerance to one opioid doesnt give you tolerance to them all either. According to the conversion calculator that I, and many clinicians use, 30mg of methadone is the appropriate dose for 40mg/day of oxycontin. Conversion tables give you a starting point. Many Drs, when converting methadone will be even more conservative due to the respiratory depression factor. A Dr who doesnt convert correctly can kill a patient especially with methadone. Also consider that a former heroin abuser is going to need more methadone than a person taking it for pain.
jk13
9 Feb 2012
Right on DzooBaby, would like to add just one more thing... Not only should you never increase the dose, but if you stop taking the Methadone for whatever reason for several days, going back onto it at the previous dose has caused for some people to OD. Apparently it would have to be once again started back up at a lower dose and gradually increased to the previous level. Strange stuff, but really was the only med that killed a good chunk of my chronic pain!
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