Methadone for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 5)

• roc...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 31, 2019

"Methadone works well, the only thing is when and if you have to come off the methadone, it's very hard. I started taking it 10 years ago and went from 40 mg to 120 mg. Worked really well for chronic back pain. Then the doctor started lowering my dose after the new opiate laws started. I've been off methadone for well over a year now, but it was very hard to come off of, with all kinds of side effects coming off the drug. It's hard to find a doctor to help since the new opiate laws came into effect. I'm now on oxycodone 15 mg 4 times a day, and they just don't last long at all compared to methadone."

• Sna...
• February 5, 2018

"I have neuropathic pain, and after trying other opioids without success, I found Methadone 10mg tablets to be very effective. Prior to commencing Methadone, I was extremely depressed at the thought of living with the constant pain. Methadone has been a godsend for my condition. My Pain Management Specialist slowly titrated my dose and eventually recommended that I take 50mg per day. I have now been on this dose for over 10 years, and it has truly given me my life back. I returned to work as a nurse and have never looked back. In Australia, anyone on opioids long-term must have a permit, so regular reviews are required with your Pain Management Specialist. This inconvenience is minimal when one considers the benefits of living relatively pain-free."

• GIG...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 11, 2019

Methadone "I take Methadone for chronic back pain caused by failed back surgery and for CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome). My life would be useless if I can't control the pain. But my doctor is my family practice physician and doesn't seem to be able to stay with the dosage. He makes many mistakes when writing the prescription, and we only realize it after we get it filled. Then he refuses to make it right, leaving me to try to stretch the amounts as best we can. I'd change doctors, but I am afraid he will cause me to lose my ability to get it. He has even threatened to do something if I don't go along with the excuses he makes. I don't know what to do."

• Ean...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 3, 2018

"My experience with methadone has been a lifesaving one! I am on 80 mg for chronic back pain and have stayed at this dose for 3 years, and have never had the need to go up on my dose, which is an amazing thing about this med: once you find the right dose for your pain needs, you can stay there. I did experience some side effects, but for me, it's completely worth it because it provides amazing pain relief, and it's not expensive. It's a very effective pain medication!"

• Pau...
• April 28, 2021

"I don’t understand why all you people are having a problem getting your methadone for chronic pain. Joints destroyed by ongoing RA, and doc has no problem writing a script every month. These docs are treating you people badly. Find new doctors!!"

• Ben...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 16, 2017

"I've been using methadone to help manage my severe chronic pain. I take 80 mg over the course of 12 hrs. I have seen posts about methadone, and it appears that this medication somewhat blocks out effects of other opioids. This is confusing to me, the reason being that I am also given 15 mg oxycodone IR for breakthrough pain. So my question would be, why would my pain doc prescribe that to work in conjunction with the methadone?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 24, 2015

"Started on methadone in the hospital after 2nd laminectomy and fusion L-4 to S-1. I am on 30 mgs 4 times a day (120 mg in 24 hrs). I noticed an immediate weight gain of 20 lbs (that I can't get rid of) and complete cessation of my menses! I was NOT warned of these side effects! The extra weight adds to my back pain and depression. I just don't know what to do! I want off of this, but I have failed other medications! I just want my body back (20 lbs lighter) AND help with my pain!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 1, 2020

"I have experienced chronic pain issues for 18 years now. I was originally started on a sustained-release morphine product and stayed on it for approximately 7-8 years. I was then started on methadone. I cannot remember the dose I was converted to, but I was eventually taking 40 mg four times a day. After a few years, I was tapered down to eventually methadone 30 mg three times a day, where I remain to this day. I have found it more effective than either morphine or fentanyl patches. It is particularly effective for the radiculopathy that I have down the backs of each leg. Unlike morphine, there seems to be much less nausea and vomiting, constipation, and urinary retention. I would also like to add that I have not felt an increase in my pain that usually occurred when my next dose of MS Contin was due."

• Col...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 20, 2017

"I have some bad news for all of you that are so happy to be on methadone. Eventually, you will be taken off of the drug, and when that time comes, you will fully understand what an awful medication methadone is to get off of. The withdrawal from it is 3-5 times worse than any other opiate you have ever been on. Imagine severe oxycodone withdrawal or hydromorphone, oxycontin, hydrocodone, Opana withdrawal. Methadone withdrawal is absolutely horrid, and you will regret ever putting it in your body. The truth hurts, and most don't want to hear it, but it's something the docs don't tell you. Good luck!!!"

• A C...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2013

"I had high expectations for methadone when I started it. I had to switch from OxyContin to methadone because of insurance coverage. It works OK for the pain, but I realized I was so unbelievably tired with each one I took and noticed it 'peak' within 30 min. to an hour. I had NO desire to get out of bed! It took every bit of my motivation away, gave me an uncomfortable head buzz, and when I went to the doctor a few days later, they said my blood pressure was low, which explained why I felt dizzy, faint, and just plain drained constantly! I have heard it's harder to get off of than oxycodone also. Prescribed for chronic pain, spinal stenosis, DDD, double laminectomy surgery, constant pain!"

• Rox...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 15, 2023

"I was prescribed methadone for acute and chronic pain from an incurable genetic disorder a few years ago. (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). It was wonderful and very effective. No euphoria. I had previously thought methadone was used only to keep opioid addicts from withdrawal. I didn't know it actually helped with pain. The one BIG problem I had was that other doctors, including all ER docs, thought the same thing. They all thought I was a drug addict! When I stopped taking methadone, every doctor I saw after that assumed I was an addict. They didn't tell me that; I learned from a judgmental nurse that her doctor didn't prescribe pain meds for drug addicts like me. (I went there because I broke my ankle.) Methadone's association with drug addiction is a huge problem because it is an excellent pain medication."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2017

Methadone "Best decision I have ever made. Been on 40 mgs for about a week and a half, and I already feel better, don't even want the other drugs I was doing, pretty much anything short of a needle. I have more energy, and I am already starting to feel like myself again. Just my experience, I know everyone is different. I give 8 out of 10 effectiveness."

• JKa...
• December 21, 2017

"I have major back problems and 2 herniated discs in my back. They are rubbing against my spine, and I have been in so much pain for years. Between that, rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, and nerve damage, I stay in a lot of pain. Methadone is the best medicine that I have ever taken for my pain. It has given me my life back! Methadone is sent straight from heaven. It allows me to be somewhat normal by easing my pain enough to where I can stand it and live day to day without being in pure misery all the time. It truly is a wonderful medicine for people like myself who truly need it!"

• one...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 11, 2021

Methadone "I have read all the reviews of the methadone medication. The ones that really stand out to me are the people who are taking methadone and say how it saved their life/took all their pain away, and then will say how it rots your brain, or warn you to not take it, etc. If you have a doctor who knows what he is doing, has experience in providing this medication to patients, and YOU follow the doctor's directions about taking the methadone, there shouldn't be a problem at all. It will take your pain away, and you will have a life worth living. Now, not all medicines work the same for all people. There are exceptions to EVERYTHING... in other words, the medication just may not work for you due to your body chemistry. Then, go to your doctor and tell him/her the situation, and there is something out there that will help you. You and your doctor just have to find it, and sometimes it takes a while. Be patient, you will find it. Yes, I do take methadone. It works very well for me."

• Kai...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 3, 2017

"I take a few drugs for pain due to chronic pain: Valium, soma, and medical cannabis for spasms, Lyrica for neuropathy, and methadone for intractable pain. Methadone has been a godsend. I currently take 140 mgs a day: 50 mg, 40 mg, and 50 mg. This was a slow titration from a starting dose of 20 mg daily. If you don’t know, methadone can take up to 2 hours to work, and it builds in your system, so I implore all you newbies out there to be careful. Methadone has given me my life back, it doesn’t get into your bones or rot your teeth (it does lower testosterone, so get blood work). It is, however, an SNRI and binds to the NMDA receptors, essentially helping with depression. If you stay under 100, it doesn’t kick other opiates off the Mu receptors, allowing things like oxy to be used for breakthrough pain."

• Pro...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 17, 2021

"After being diagnosed with chronic lower back pain and RA at 36 years old, my PCP referred me to a pain clinic. I went to the same clinic for 2 1/2 decades. After being prescribed and taking hydrocodone tablets, fentanyl patches were used for part of my treatment, plus the doctors' procedures. I told my PCP that methadone was the one that lasted all day and all night on a 20 mg split dose, and I could think clearly, work, and function normally with little to no pain. My tolerance did not rise on methadone, as with most of the pain meds I was prescribed. I prefer methadone over any medication for pain."

• Anonymous
• December 15, 2020

"Went through spinal fusion, etc. In 1992, I was put on MS Contin 100, 3 per day. Then insurance ran out and was put on 360 methadone 10 mg pills per month. I was on that for 12 years, then went down to 10 mg 300 a month. Then this sad, sorry government got involved. Keep in mind that what was supposed to be care between you and your doctor became a government intervention. Why? Yes, I understand that there was abuse, there always is. However, why all of a sudden? I gave this much thought and finally it dawned on me. Money, most of us are on SSD, so who was paying for the meds? Of course, the federal government. Think about all the billions they saved kicking us off pain control drugs. All you heard for years was OMG opioids, they are so bad for everyone. I think it is government propaganda. Did they care about us suffering from chronic pain? I don't think so. The government is forcing people to buy street drugs like heroin laced with fentanyl. You never hear about those stories."

• Tre...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 27, 2015

"Been taking since 2008 since all other treatments failed. I get 80 percent pain relief with min side effects - problems staying asleep. But good outweighs bad. Pain started in 1981 since workplace injuries and accidents. Worsened in 2005: neck, back, hands, shoulders, etc."

• Unw...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 26, 2025

"Was run over by a drunk driver at 17, spent 5 weeks with left leg in a trapeze. I have dealt with chronic pain for 49 years but had a good 28-year career as VP in telecom before I ruptured my first disk and it successively got worse since 1994. My first chronic pain doctor allowed me to try everything before he finally offered methadone, and I immediately settled on that for the past 25 years. I was taking 40 mg for 20 years, and the past 5 years I cut myself back to 20 mg/day before it became a CDC mandate. I was fortunate to be on every 3-month visits for urine tests and call in when I wanted a refill for 25 years. But, after the CDC has scared every doctor in the country and made it miserable for all pain patients, my doctor has now required monthly visits. However, I've found that consuming a combination of good foods that are anti-inflammatory, red wine, taking creatine monohydrate supplements (which make your muscles bigger), and getting exercise may have reduced my pain to finally get off the methadone."

• Jen...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 30, 2022

"I was on methadone HCL 10 mg tablets/4 a day = 40 mg for 18+ years. It worked incredibly well for my chronic pain and gave me a good quality of life. I have a rare genetic disease that causes extreme pain. I had no side effects from this medication. Every other med was tried, including Subutex when that was new at the max dose, which did nothing. Enter the 'opioid crackdown' in 2017. I was forced off methadone in a rapid 4-week taper and could not find pain management that my insurance covered for a year. I literally almost died. Now the only option they will prescribe is Belbuca, which does not work at all (it's a fraction of the strength of Subutex, even at 900 mcg max dose compared to 32 mg) and won't stick to my cheek. I'm also a rapid metabolizer due to a cytochrome P450 gene mutation. I would love to go back on methadone, but no one will prescribe it in my state. What has been done to chronic pain patients with no addiction history like me is criminal."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2024

"I’ve been prescribed 15x4mg Dilaudid/daily (60mg IM/daily) for roughly 3 years. I had overtaken them this last prescription and had run out 2 days early. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad. Within 24 hours, I had the worst flu-type symptoms I’ve ever experienced. Within 36 hours, I couldn’t even muster the willpower to change my clothing. Despite being in an extreme physical and mental deficit, I reached out to a clinic. Within 30-45 min, I had been urine tested, spoke with 2 nurses, a doctor, and was given a day's RX of methadone to tide me over. I went from 60mg Dilaudid to 20mg of methadone. I wouldn’t say I was at 100%, but an hour after taking it [methadone], the miserable withdrawal subsided and I finally slept without symptoms keeping me up all night."

• YUR...
• July 23, 2019

"I've been through 8 back surgeries and neck surgery. I was taking 80 mg of OxyContin 3 times a day for 17 years. Since the new laws have come into effect, they changed me to 80 mg of methadone. It has helped somewhat with the pain, but it also has bad side effects. All I do is sleep and be tired and depressed! Plus, forget about sex. It kills your sex drive. I can't do this much longer, methadone is a terrible thing! Stay away if you can. I've been on methadone for 5 months now and want my OxyContin pills back. Methadone is OK for pain, but it will cost you dearly in your well-being and your sex life!"

• Mut...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 8, 2019

"My mother was taking opioids for vascular narrowing, which left her feeling like she had migraines all the time. She has no other health issues, but they put her on methadone 10 mg 3 times a day. We were accusing her of abusing it because of her behavior. She swore she wasn’t. She has gone from 120 to 86 pounds, has chronic stomach pain, and is a shell of her former self. Yesterday, we took her to the ER. She was good all day, and then they gave her a dose. She was babbling nonsense, had no idea what was going on. For her, this drug is bad news. We are hoping to treat her weight issues, loss of appetite, and lose the stomach pain by taking her off this. She will be treated for depression, and hopefully, they will find a better way to manage the headaches. Otherwise, we’re watching our mother die a slow death. She has no quality of life right now, and at 70, she was running circles around the rest of the world. Five years later, and it seems unfathomable she is in this state."

• Nat...
• February 2, 2018

"I have suffered with severe back, hip, and knee pain, and methadone has been a great relief in all my pain without making me addicted to the point where I am counting medicine to see if I have enough because I took more than I was supposed to for pain like other drugs. I don't get any of the dizziness. Methadone has been great for my pain. This is for people who actually care about pain relief, not getting high. If you take methadone to get high, there is a very high chance of death. Only take as directed. This drug really can help with chronic pain and at the same time when a person is off other drugs. America has a real opioid problem, and methadone can help people get off all the other drugs and help with your pain in a low mg dose. I recommend this to the many people who struggle like I did."

• She...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 30, 2021

"It saved my life, it is highly effective, and I only had to increase the dosage once in 15 years. It is a godsend for nerve pain, but now we are being forced to use lower doses, which is torture, and there will be many deaths because of it."