[tipfanyxx]

my dad was on methadone for about 8 yrs and he stopped taking it up until this year. he has been on 100mg of methadone a day and he loves to take xanaxs. we have known him to take over a 50 xanaxs within 10 days when he was prescribed only 3 a day and drinking alcohol too.
now he is in the hospital b/c his feet and all of his legs are so swollened. it is similiar to cellutilas. he isnt a diabetic and they have him on strong antibiotics. now day 4 almost they moved him into ICU b/c he is having trouble breahting and they now have a breathing tube down his throat.
can someone please help me or give me some information about this b/c the doctors dont seem to really know. i am scared of losing him..

thanks very much tiffany

[zippysgoddess]

Well, I hate to say it when it might make you worry more, but it is possible, that by taking the Methadone so long and taking so many Xanax at once, he has caused organ damage. Both of these pills are processed through his liver, and while the Methadone is gentler on your body organs than some of the other narcotics, it can still cause damage with long term use, and of course taking as many of any med, as he did of the Xanax, will almost surely cause organ damage and problems. It can damage your liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines and etc.

You also do not have to be diabetic to get cellulitis, though it does occur more often in diabetics, it can happen to anyone.

It is also possible that he has developed blood clots, a condition like Lupus Anticoagulant would also cause these symptoms.

Then again, it could be related to his alcohol use, a combo of the drugs and alcohol abuse or NONE of these.

It is very hard to say what exactly is causing the Edema and breathing issues, and I am sure no one on here can give you a definitive answer.

I know you are worried, but the docs are doing the best they can to try to figure out what is wrong and in the meantime they are providing supportive therapy. Some of the tests that they need to do to determine what is wrong or to rule out some conditions can take several weeks to do in order to reach a definitive conclusion.

However, I wish you, your father and the rest of your family the best and I hope they can achieve some results soon to help him.

verwon@gmail.com

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