Offered methadone by pain doc

[klopper22]

The purpose of this post is to be able to make an educated decision about whether or not to use methadone or oxycontin for my chronic pain. To know the pros and cons of both oxycodone and methadone would help a lot. Some say methadone is stronger than oxycodone, some people say the opposite. Methadone IS cheaper, but that dont make it a better choice based only on that. Methadone is harder to get off of due to the more lengthy wd symptoms, but I have chronic pain and more than likely wont be getting off any pain meds the rest of my life.

Any advise and facts will be appreciated.

[jrneuberger]

Methadone is an inexpensive and very effective treatment for chronic pain. Oxycodone has a much greater history of abuse. I have been using methadone to treat my chronic back pain for some years now with excellent results. And I haven't had to be constantly increasing my dosages over time. It is long acting and very effective.

The purpose of this post is to be able to make an educated decision about whether or not to use methadone or oxycontin for my chronic pain. To know the pros and cons of both oxycodone and methadone would help a lot. Some say methadone is stronger than oxycodone, some people say the opposite. Methadone IS cheaper, but that dont make it a better choice based only on that. Methadone is harder to get off of due to the more lengthy wd symptoms, but I have chronic pain and more than likely wont be getting off any pain meds the rest of my life.

Any advise and facts will be appreciated.

[Robert_325]

Klopper ..... It's obviously your decision but if you're going to be using pain meds forever you've got plenty of time to get to methadone. I would make it a "last resort" personally. I would use up all the other choices first of meds without apap that are time released before going all the way to methadone. Once you get there, all they can do is start adding even more instant release meds for breakthrough pain making you take even more drugs.

It's just me personally, and I'm not really disagreeing withj jrneuberger's comments about methadone and oxy being more commonly abused. it's just that once you get there that is the end of the road pretty much. I would like to see you put that step off as long as you possibly can. Again it's just my opinion, not the gospel or anything. You have to decide what is best for YOU! Hope things work out well for you regardless of what route you choose. God bless.

[onefatkiwi]

Hi Klopper

This is my own experience. I have Chronic Pancreatitis and Chronic Pain Syndrome.

After being put on OxyContin and OxyNorm I found it worked quite well, but found that I required more to get the same level of pain cover. Eventually I began abusing the Oxycontin to get immediate relief. Then my whole regime was messed up due to the abuse and stopped working properly. I stopped abusing it and went back to using as prescribed. I still needed more and more to cover the pain and it just wasn't working. I would wake up in loads of pain and immediately need OxyNorm on waking, then it would be three or four hours before I was able to get up and start my day. It was bad and I had no life.

After a year and a half I was switched to Methadone with OxyNorm for breakthrough pain. Almost immediately the difference was incredible I was waking up early and without pain! I still require OxyNorm for breakthrough pain but I can now function like a human being. I have also stopped using Tramadol completely (I was on six per day when on Oxy). I've only been on Methadone for five months, so I'm a newbie, but so far it's been working well for me.

Good luck with your decision.

Kiwi

[painful_crash_2005]

I was in pain management for about 2 years because of back problems (fractures, degenerating discs, etc.) Well, they had me taking 2 time-released Morphine a day, and then the Hydrocodone/Lortab 10mg's 4x a day because of breakthrough pain. (Originally, I was on the Fentanyl patch, but being a Chef, the heat in the kitchen made my body absorb too much of the medication b/c of the heat) and that's when I ended up with the Morphine XR. After a while, when you start becoming tolerant, of course, you'd need the dosage adjusted. Well, they said they could try me on Methadone, as it was cheaper, and really no more addictive than any of the other opiates (all of them can be addictive, make you become mentally and/or physically dependent on them so you need to weigh the options). Well, the Methadone was a LOT cheaper, however, it gave me the WORST headaches I've ever had in my life... So, I had to go back to the Morphine XR. The only thing I warn is that you tend to get into a cycle, thinking, "I just need a few extra and I would feel fine"...or something to that effect... But, in reality, the medication is NOT going to fix your problems, it only covers some of the pain, and allows you to function with the remainder of the pain... It can be a long, hard process, as weening off and going through withdrawals is what I firmly believe people are terrified of, which is why they keep using the medication, even when they don't need it.

With pain medication, it's all really just hit-or-miss, as everyone reacts differently to different medications. (Which is why the posts on here aren't really answering your question "directly". Oxycodone and Methadone can have similar side effects and one may help one person, while not even touching another person's pain. I will say that the Fentanyl patch was a life-saver for me, in terms of doing away with almost 90% of my pain--until the heat was causing me to almost overdose...Have you perhaps asked about (or talked to your Doctor about) it??


Best of luck, and I hope you find the right medication and plan for you!!

[newyorkgal]

The main difference bettween methadone and oxy is thatt meth is long acxting with a half life of up to 72 hours while oxy is shortt acting and usually used for break through while meth is not. Methadone and fentanyl are the end of the line drugs, this is true. It's all a matter of what level of pain you're in. If there are weaker drugs than will work, by all means go there first. If need be, you can work your way up. No one here really knows your situation and your pain. So it is your choice in the end. Methadone is an excellentt pain reliever though. It's just massively hard to get off of if that's what you hope for in the end.