[tkclary]

Hey all you experts. I have posted here several times over the years and have always received good information. Here is my current situation...
I am 36yrs old, 6'5" tall and 280 lbs....not really fat....I workout so a ton of muscle too. I tell you this to aid in doseage calculations...I'm not a small teenager who will OD on one vicodin.

I take norco for chronic back and knee pain. Have been doing so for years and it actually works well. I take 6 pills a day. (2 pills/3x daily). I get the pills ligitimately, with a prescription, from my doc. I am in a situation now that I need some advice on. I have run out of my pills, just took the last two about an hour ago. I called for my usual refill and was told that my doc is out this week for vacation and I need to wait until he returns on Friday to authorize the refill. Oops.
Now, along the road of opiate life I have managed to collect some alternative supplies to help bridge the gap in situations like this. Usually similar meds. However this time is different, I do not have any hydrocodone stashed away. I am down to some Methadone 10mg pills that were given to me about 2 months ago. I have never taken Methadone and thought I would just end up selling the ones that I have (25 of them). Well now it looks like I need to use them to make it through the week until I can refill my norco script.
Question (finally)... How can I take the Methadone pills that would give me about the same pain relief that the norco's have been doing? Do I take one 10mg pill, or two to equal the 20mgs of Hydrocodone I'm used to? I have read about methadone and frankly I am more confused now than ever. I know if lasts much longer than the norcos, kinda like the extended release oxy's. I DO NOT want to OD and yet I do want the pain relief I am used to. It is cold here and with the cold weather brings more pain than ever.

So...any advice would be awesome. I know that this is not the best way to deal with my situation....it is what it is.

TOM

[Normankay]

With oxy they usually suggest 1/3 amount of methadone mgs you would for oxy. For example if you were on 180mgs of oxy, they would suggest 60mgs of methadone. So you are taking 60mgs of hydrocodone, I would maybe start out with half a 10mg methadone at 3 times a day. Youd be taking around 15mgs of methadone daily. Also, dont exceed more than 20mgs a day of methadone for your safety. Not that you will overdose, but taking more methadone than you should isnt that good. Do you feel withdrawls with the norco ever? Just wondering. Also quit the methadone as soon as you get your script refil, just to avoid having a hard time quitting. Not that you should, but just in case. Last thing, methadone doesnt really make you feel anything other than pain free, so don't take methadone till you feel it, more to hold over any withdrawl feelings and kill pain like hydrocodone does. Hope that info helps some.

[tkclary]

thanks for the info.
I only take the norco for pain relief. If I wanted to get high I would just stick with Herb. the norco does just fine with the pain relief. Yes, when I first started out I would get a little buzz but not anymore. and that's not really what I am after...I know the long dark road that that leads to and I DO NOT want to go there. I just want to be pain-free and not have this week filled up with hydrocodone withdrawls.

T

[ymccormack]

I wish I could give you advice other than....be really really careful. I suspect that it takes a little while to get "leveled out" on the methadone....perhaps due to the long half life? So keep in mind it may have a delayed reaction and then hit you all at once.

This is basically the same as what NormanKay is saying. I'm just adding an extra Be Careful!

Good Luck and let us know
YM

[automat]

I would only take a dose of methadone once a day. for you it would be good to take the 10mg and a half 5mg once a day for a fw days then go down after three days to just ten if you feel good. but for methadone it's good to take just once a day because itdoes last so long and you will be wasting it taking it multiple times...good luck, i know the score about Heroin / opiate / methadone addiction...the less you take the better.

[Barbara W.]

I wish that I could suspend time so that you could magically be in your doctor's office for the right medicine. Methadone is a very slow acting medicine that builds in your blood and body tissue over several days. It is unlikely to give you any pain relief over the first three or four days taken. If you "double up on it" the way you may have done with other medicines it can give you an arrhythmia - funny heart beat - that can kill you. It will likely make you feel lousy for a week or so before it starts to be effective for pain relief. Best plan to avoid withdrawal: go to an urgent care clinic with your empty bottle of the medicine that works and ask for a four day refill to avoid withdrawal and allow you to get in to see your doctor for more medication. Flush the methadone down the toilet. It is not for short term immediate pain relief.

[Normankay]

What barb is saying is more for people who are trying to get off of opiates. It takes a while to kick in if you are at an extremely high dose yes, but in your case its more or less going to hold you over till your doc prescribes you. The first time I took it, I felt almost fine. There was no lousy feeling and fealt normal. Everyone is different with the effects of methadone and dont feel affraid to take methadone for the small amount of time you are going to use it. You shouldnt feel any withdrawls if any, and once you get your regular script you will back to normal in no time. It shouldnt store up in you as much as it would if you were using methadone regularly. I think you will be fine, there are quite a few people that use it every once in a while. They just arent here. More people here seem to be addicts or people trying to find good pain management. Well thats atleast what I have noticed.

[tkclary]

I hear ya.
Although I am not currently trying to get off of opiates it is something that I would love to do in the future. I take the norco's as directed. I do not take them to get high. Again....why kill your liver with all that acetominophin just to get high??? Personally I smoke herb to mellow out at the end of the day. I am not a "stoner" either. I hold down a high paying, professional, management type job. I have a wife and two wonderful son's. I maintain an otherwise healthy lifestyle. I go to the gym 3x a week, eat healthy, etc... In fact the thought of taking these Methadone pills has caused me more grief this week than I've had in a while. I do not want to do it but I need the pain relief that the hydrocodone from the norco's has been giving me for so many years. I also realize that I am "addicted" to the pain meds and will need to ween myself off of them when the time comes. I am waiting until I lose more weight and get into even better shape...to take the pressure off the knee and back....perhaps iliminating the need for pain meds all together.

Anyway, I digress. The methadone is definately different. I feel different. I don't like it. However, it is controling my pain enough to allow me to function and work my normal 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I have only taken 2 so far this week. 1 yesterday and 1 about 2 hours ago. Should I take more?

Tom

[Normankay]

If 10mgs is working fine for you and keeping withdrawl feelings away I would continue taking the 10mgs a day until you get your prescription filled. Once you get prescription filled I would wait until you feel withdrawl feelings from methadone (You should notice) and then get back on your regular dosing of hydrocodone. After that everything should start to get back to normal.

[tkclary]

Hey,

Heres the story. I took one 10mg tab yesterday at 3:00pm, one this morning at 10:30am. Starting to feel a bit of wd's now at 4:00pm. Should I take another 10mg now? or break one in half and only take 5mg now???

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

T

[Normankay]

Hope that helps

[tkclary]

Hey,

My doc has also prescribed me Valium 5 mg to be taken as needed for anxiety. I have a ton of those left because I rarley take them. I have not taken any during this Methadone run because of all the bad things that I've heard about mixing the two drugs. However, I am experiencing some pretty serious anxiety right now and would love to take on 5 mg valium. Can I ?
I took 10 mg of Methadone about a half hour ago (8:00 am). I don't want to die....just make it to the end of the week to get my regular scipt of norco's

Tom

[Normankay]

Well, taking methadone and valium isnt the greatest mix, but I have seen people prescribed them both. You are at a low enough dose of methadone I would say to be able to take a valium. Just dont over do it with the valium. If you end up thinking the valium works better, just stick with the valium. Most cases where taking methadone and valium are bad are when people with high doses of methadone take them with valium, usually 100mgs and up. When high doses of methadone are mixed with valium(any benzo) it can be deadly.

[tkclary]

OK,

Well I am at a very low dose of the Methadone and the Valium. The valium are the 5 mg tabs and I usually only take one. The Methadone are the 10 mg tabs and I have only taken one today.

total methadone intake so far since Monday (and for my whole life so far too) has only been 35 mg's. 10 mg Monday at 3:00pm, 10mg yesterday morning at 10:30 am and another 5 mg's yesterday at 6:00 pm. Then 10 mg this morning at 8:00. That's it so far. And I never want to take this stuff again. I can see the value in it for wd's from serious opiate intake but not for pain relief or getting "high" as some here seem to think.

Thanks for all the help. How long should I wait until I take the Valium today? Also, when I do get my norco's refilled how long should I wait after my last Methadone before I take my usual dose of norco? 2 pills (20 mg of hydro). ?

Tom

[Normankay]

You should be alright to take the valium now or when you need to, just dont exceed two 5 mgs valium. As for what to take when the norcos come back, Id wait till the withdrawls kick in from the methadone which really shouldnt be that long and then take the norcos at your normal dosing schedule as you were before you got on methadone. You may not feel the norco working for a couple days and then you will gradually feel it start working again and then you should be fine in probably 2 days. I know it sucks when the doctor scripts cant be written or run out, its no fun.

[madmbba]

I am in the same boat as you are with the prescripton refill not being able to be filled until next week. I take vicodin 7.5 for back and leg pain and have for years. I called my doc yesterday for my refill and at the end of the day had still not heard from her. I have xanax that I take for anxiety and wondered if that would help with the withdrawals until I can get my script filled next week. It's going to be a very long weekend. HELP