Methadone and Addiction: What Users Say

• Bri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 13, 2019

Methadone for Pain "I was referred to the methadone clinic 4 weeks after a brutal surgery because my attending doctor refused to give me a refill of Percocet 10 mg. Instead, he sent me there while my face, head, and jaw were bolted together and wired shut for pain management. What I did not know was that I was walking into a death trap. They started me out on 40 mg, which put me on a dose of pain medication higher than all pain medication and stronger than heroin. The worst part is you can't take it as needed, you have to take it all at once, so your body has no choice but to get used to that dose and have to go up. Now, 12 years later, I still can't get off this drug. It is my worst nightmare, and all the people at those clinics do is want you to go up and up. It's the government supplying people with an addiction that you can't get rid of, and they are making billions at other people's miseries and laughing to the bank."

• Beb...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 16, 2014

For Opiate Withdrawal "I was addicted to drugs for about 10 years. I finally hit rock bottom and really needed help and fast. So the local methadone clinic had me come in. I have now been on methadone for about 3 years now. Methadone has helped me get my life back and get my confidence back as well. If I hadn't found methadone, then I probably would have been dead or just miserable and wishing I were dead. But you also have to take into account that you are trading one drug for another. Methadone does help, but it is very addictive too. Most (not all) of the people that go to the clinic I go to abuse methadone and benzos. Methadone is hard to get off of, harder than heroin. Take this into account."

• Lon...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 25, 2016

For Opiate Withdrawal "I can't give methadone a horrible review as it does have its place. When you're bad off, it can get your life back in order. I've been on and off twice. Each time over 2 years on at around 130 mg usually. While on it, you can beat drug addiction, so it does save lives, but it comes at a cost. It's much more addictive than heroin, and I did a bundle per shot just not to feel sick (didn't get high) while off methadone in my past. Hard to believe, but it's true. Getting off of it is much harder. Regular opiate withdrawal lasts maybe 4 to 5 days. Methadone withdrawal can take weeks to feel normal again, making most return to the clinic or start to use again to kill the sickness. Even getting off slowly doesn't make it easy."

• The...
• December 30, 2009

For Pain "I am a chronic pain sufferer with ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn's disease. AS and CD are certainly a blow to deal with, and I have tried the whole regime of pain medications and over-the-counter and herbal remedies as well. I am treating both the pain and the diarrhea that started when I had a bowel resection 12 years ago with any narcotic that will work. I have tried them all, as I mentioned. And the only reason I am posting here is that I am afraid that methadone, like many other drugs that are 'addictive,' may be a casualty of war in the 'Drug War.' It seems that any drug that gets attention, gets abused, gets laws placed against it, goes underground, and then gets removed from the pharmacist's shelf."

• Fox...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 24, 2016

For Opiate Withdrawal "Methadone is most likely one of the longest-lasting opiates. For this reason, it builds in your system and is actually more addicting, both physically and mentally, than heroin or any other known opiate. It can take months to get to your desired dose, but it also takes months to get off of, and the biggest challenge is going from 5 mg to nothing. It also rots your teeth!"

• X_u...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 19, 2015

For Opiate Withdrawal "Methadone has been highly effective in helping treat my opioid use, but it's extremely hard to come off of. It helped me to come off other opioids and stop doing the other bad habits that come along with addiction. But it's extremely addictive as well, so if you're truly considering taking treatment, consider all sides: how bad is your addiction, and is this the right option for you?!?"

• Ari...
• November 7, 2017

For Opiate Withdrawal "Yes. It works. I did pills to heroin, blah, blah. Most hectic, boring life ever. Anyway, methadone has helped me so much, but it's not up to methadone to do all the work. You have to drop any or all friends who still use, as well as make methadone the only medication, besides prescribed ones, of course. But yes, you have to stop using. I know because people who say it's addictive-it's true. Anything that makes the body feel better is going to be. Just know, don't be stupid and go over 100 mg because the higher you go, the harder it will be to come down. The rule is, if you used for 10 years, use methadone for 5 years. I started at 30 mg, went to 80 mg, and now I'm 6 months away from my goal. Anybody who states that it doesn't work lies and is using while on it."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 14, 2021

For Opiate Withdrawal "Methadone saved my life, it is very strong and very addictive. But under professional care and the will to stick with it, life can be good again. This is just my personal opinion, get your testosterone levels tested a few months into treatment, as it's a sure thing that your prolactin levels will be higher and your T levels lower, depending on your length of treatment. Testosterone treatment may have to be considered. 8/10."

• Cap...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 8, 2018

For Opiate Withdrawal "The hospital here in Thailand prescribed morphine for my inoperable back pain for over 2 years. Now I am addicted and have failed 4 times trying to taper my dose down 10 mg every 14 days. They ran out of methadone, so were just titrating me with morphine, that is not going to work. I need to go to another hospital and get on just methadone."

• kev...
• November 18, 2009

"I have been on methadone a long time, and it does save lives, but it is also highly addictive. Bad for teeth, if you are going to go on methadone."