Methadone Clinic: Methadone & Heroin Facts

Question: Im starting a methadone clinic tomorrow??

(Posted by: CJ on 2008-03-18 23:38:10)

Im starting tomorrow morning and i had a few questions. first off how does the dosage start? like how are they going to know how much to give me? and why do i have to be there soo long my first day? and if i did oxycontin the night before around 8 pm and i go in at 6am are they going to give it to me or not? because i didnt know if mixing them was lethal or anything??? and also do i take home my dosage for saturday and sunday?

Posted by: RobsTea on 2008-03-19, 00:17:02

Okay, first off you're asking in the wrong place. Few people here can give decent answers about neuropharmacology. Myself included. What methadone does is it stems the physiological symptoms of opiate addiction and makes it not feel so bad. Basically, it doesn't get you high but it does keep you from feeling like utter shit. Be honest about your dosing yourself. My guess is that 8pm vs. 6am they'll still dose you. They want to keep you so long so you don't go out to get another opiate. Being an addict myself, I know how hard this is. You have to know what makes you want to use and avoid it. This is extraordinarily hard. The first step is avoiding using and getting physically clean - the second step is avoiding using and staying mentally clean. There are two types of programs: in-patient and out-patient. You should know, if not now, then by the first day, what program you're in - it sounds like outpatient, so you probably do take home your Sat and Sun dosage. Surround yourself with people who will keep you away from drugs for this entire time. Every time is hard when you're quitting something, but getting clean is always the first step. Consider narcotics anonymous (I find AA and NA hard but they _do_ help) and other programs, if you're offered them. Like I say, be honest and open. The clinic is there to help and they need to know these things - if you tell them how much you've been doing, they'll know what to give you. Good luck; thanks for listening. Rob

Posted by: DynoDiKk on 2008-03-19, 02:56:40

Well I don't know how dosages work where you are at. I live in Florida. We are notorious for jacking people way out in the stratosphere. BUt that may have changed. THey usually want you to be or appear sick. However taking an OC the night before is not an issue. If you are addicted to them bad you will feel like hell regardless. I am telling you this right now. I don't know if you want to go into the methadone program because you want to completely wean off opiates and quit entirely or if you think your so bad that you need it the rest of your life. I don't say much concrete on here but now I WILL. Remember one thing; a lot of these counselors or I should say 95 percent of them were never users. They see your a little sick but they do not know what the HORRORS of opiate dependence are first hand. Some will outright LIE and tell you Methadone never needs to be increased. This is the most common lie they use and they have a lot. This is total nonesense. Depending on your physical activity, you can jump 20mg every three months or more. The problem is this. These people equate opiate addiction like an ordinary addiction. And although the mental part of it might all be the same in people as to why the are addicts, NO one is gonna tell me this stuff (Opiates) is the same to quit as cocaine, cigarettes and or alcohol. Down here you have to go back to a methadone clinic if you do not appear sick enough. So make sure you look like your dying. But I am sure you will be. How much will they give you? Well.................Someone I knew that was a full blown Heroin addict went there. On his return he was so out of it in his parked car, he was nodding and literally unconscience! Now putting into consdieration this was a heroin addict I can bet his dose was over 60 to at least 80mg's. Thinking about it now it was 80 and he is LUCKY it didn't KILL HIM! And the crazy thing is, the drug takes an hour to kick in. They MUST have asked him if he was going immediately home , to give someone a dose like this was insane. If he had to drive an hour to get home he would have killed himself. 20mg's a day is enough to maintain the hardest heroin addicts, PERIOD! And boy do I know them! And there is absolutely no reason a person needs more than this, even 10mg!!!!!!!!!!!! If you never took it before trust me 40mg is gonna put you down! DO NOT MIX with ALCOHOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO not take benzoS! (Xanex, valium, Klonopin, Ativan) etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!NO NO NO! Understand!!!!!!!!!! DO not drink Grapejuice with it! Is there anything in those above statement you do not understand?? You must ask yourself why you are going there. Again if it is to wean off, take the lowest possible dose. I am telling you even 20mg or even 10 will hold you for 24 hours easily! I don't know if you have opiate cravings? Or if you absolutely need these things to get out of bed! Some people take a few OC's, feel a little tired and sluggish and right away cry to a methadone clinic. They get assesed and have no business being there. But your pain is your pain and it gets as bad as not being able to move an inch in bed for a week. Full blown withdrawal you would have a hell of a time getting there in the first place. I don't know your situation. If you MUSt have a cigarette every 10 minutes or have what is an addictive personality. But my advise is this, get the lowest dose, 20mg's or less try even 10!!!!!!!!!!!, insist on it. Tell those morons you know some very credible people! Your friend is a Doctor ,whatever!!!!!! Call me when you go to the bathroom and tell me what this nut is telling you so I can advise you! Call me write before you go to give you my opiates 101 crash course so they know your no amateur. Most of these people are nuts. Find a good one is just like finding a good cop or Attorney. But they are out there. 10 worked on me with a 5 80mgOC a day habit. And this was for pain. Get on it, stay on it and than wean off it! If you keep going everyday your gonna be taking 100mg's a day in a year or less and you will be there the rest of your life. And you have to earn take homes. Once they put 40 in you, that is what you will need everyday. Too much to talk about. E-mail me for more. And trust me, on this I know what I am talking about. I am on a mission to get rid of 90 percent of these people! Remember another thing, these people and who is funding them want your cash, they see you, they see dollar signs. I am not speaking for everyone, but unless one of them was a junkie, they don't have a clue. Not in the least. Not in the slightest. And if you want more OC's instead of methadone you can always come over heRE and I can beat you with a baseball bat CONSISTANTLY FOR TWO DAYS if you like pain. HA! lol. I hope you have a sense of humour. And with pain pills; OC's, hydro's whatever it doesn't matter if your taking 10 80's a day. 20mg's of methadone is enough. 30 to be safe, maybe?

Posted by: helen r on 2008-03-19, 21:44:18

Hi CJ,. so glad you are getting on the methadone too your questions, they will start you on a dosage from what you have told them about the amount of tablets etc., then over the next few days to a week you will be asked if you are feeling sick, any withdrawals, cramps this stuff, if you don't feel the dosage is helping let them know, they won't let you feel sick, Becasue of your first dose, they want to monitor you to see if it hasn.t been too much or too little, also if you could have a reaction to it very unlikely, its in yourbest interest they do this