getting back on MMT after years away

[Oxyphile (OP)]

I imagine I'll get a few responses along the lines of "why the fuck would you do that?!" but this is something I've been thinking about recently. I was in prison for three years and I got out about three weeks ago. I used subs quite a few times while locked up and I was pleasantly surprised to catch an enjoyable high off them. other than that, no opiates since June of 2013. now that I'm out and it is an option, I am thinking about going back on MMT. I was on maintenance for about 18 months before getting locked up but I was fucking around, skipping doses and shooting dope etc. towards the end when I knew I was going to go away.

Part of the issue for me is chronic pain. I have a lot of issues with my back (degenerative disc disease, two herniated and two desiccated discs, spinal stenosis, nerve impingement, etc.) I'm obviously not opiate dependent currently, and I am struggling with the decision to be honest. I don't know if it's wise to reopen this can of worms right now, but at the same time I can't see myself abstaining from opiates permanently, so this may be my best option. IDK, I feel like I'm rambling, part of this is just me wanting to vent and having no one to talk to about any of this and part of it is me hoping for some feedback. anyone ever been in a similar spot? any ideas? I value a lot of your opinions and I miss that family feeling I had with a lot of you old opios. let me know wha you think. thanks guys.

[Jega]

Part of the issue for me is chronic pain. I have a lot of issues with my back (degenerative disc disease, two herniated and two desiccated discs, spinal stenosis, nerve impingement, etc.

That sentence is what stood out to me and I think I can keep this short. If the pain would drive you to seek other shall we say methods of finding relief you will be better in the long run getting on methadone (which is very good for pain) then developing a dilly or oxy habit!

[Esoteric Anhydride]

I disagree -- methadone sucks for pain, especially when administered in one dose (two at best) a day.

[Dopeless Hopefiend]

I also have chronic pain. I was on MMT for 8 1/2 years until 2 months ago when I transitioned onto subs after tapering down to 30mg of methadone. I found that as long as I split my dose (I had 2 weeks of take outs at a time which made that easy to do), methadone actually controlled my pain pretty well. Obviously it didn't make it totally nonexistent, but as a general rule it did a pretty good job. These last 2 months on subs have fucking sucked as far as my pain goes. Especially because on methadone I could take something else for breakthrough pain when it was really bad and on subs it's not an option. If you have chronic pain and you think you're likely to seek out other opiates & could end up with a habit again then MMT could be a really smart idea. If I could get back on methadone without having to start over at a clinic again I'd do it in a heartbeat. This shit does fuck all for pain.

[Oxyphile (OP)]

thanks for the feedback guys. in my experience, methadone worked pretty well for my pain. at the time, I had an open court case and therefore my clinic wouldn't let me get any bottles (shitty rule) so I wasn't able to split dose. now that I have that issue resolved, I will be eligible to start getting bottles after a month or two of clean urines. I'm interested to see if split dosing would help as far as pain management, because there were times when the single dose started to become less effective as it got further and further into the day. I've been turning this over in my head for a few days now, and I'm ready to make a move on it. I should be able to get my intake done this week, so I'll try to post an update on this soon. thanks for the thoughts!

[Mr.pooper]

Ever try kratom? Worked pretty well for my chronic pain. On par with Vicodin/low dose oxy. However I think it's a lot better due to the low cost, legality status, and it has more alkaloids than just the opioid ones that help with pain. Also took away my heroin cravings that plAugued my mind for 3 years.

Another script that helps with my pain is gabapentin in higher doses. It's prescribed for nerve pain, and currently unregulated in the US, if ur in the states. Also it packs a BOMB high if I take a lot.

[Thoms]

@Mr.pooper gabapentin has also been shown to cause early onset dementia.

[Mr.pooper]

@Mr.pooper gabapentin has also been shown to cause early onset dementia.

Interesting, I tried googling it and it showed doctors using it to treat dimentia hahaha

Got any links or article copy pasta about the subject? I'd be interested to hear more. I have heard the dimentia rumor with long term Benzo usage.

[Oxyphile (OP)]

Ever try kratom? Worked pretty well for my chronic pain. On par with Vicodin/low dose oxy. However I think it's a lot better due to the low cost, legality status, and it has more alkaloids than just the opioid ones that help with pain. Also took away my heroin cravings that plAugued my mind for 3 years.

Another script that helps with my pain is gabapentin in higher doses. It's prescribed for nerve pain, and currently unregulated in the US, if ur in the states. Also it packs a BOMB high if I take a lot.

Ive never tried kratom, it does look somewhat promising though. And I actually am prescribed gabapentin. I had it years ago but never noticed much from it, probably because of the plethora of stronger drugs I was prescribed and/or self-medicating with. now that my system is a lot cleaner, I definitely notice the gaba working. but it works a lot better for neuropathy than it does for the musculoskeletal pain. I'm interested to see the synergistic effects with methadone.

[Griffin]

I kinda know how you feel, got arrested for a methadone dui last year, and was in jail for 30 days, and didn't want to go back on it because I had to drive back to the town every month for court and was afraid if I got back on it, they would arrest me again for another DUI and I'd def. goto prison. After 4 months I couldn't take it anymore, I was still having mild w/d symptoms every now and then like cold sweats, yawning constantly, eyes watering, sleeping was extremely hard, and my anxiety was so awful making me sweat through my shirt with in 30 minutes it was so embarrassing to have pit sweat rings 24/7 that were the size of a basketball.

So I scheduled to get back on it for the day after my last court date but there was a 4 month waiting list, luckily after 3 weeks my counselor talked to the doctor who made an exception to do my intake and start me. Even though i was able to stay clean for the 4 months I knew I would of fucked up my probation and I couldn't deal the feeling like shit 24/7 with no energy and hating life and everything I do. I am starting to regret it a bit because I can't lose weight and have been dealing with depression but I know that I'd be in jail, prison, or strung out if I hadn't.

I would say wait as long as you can maybe call a few clinics near you and see if there is a waitlist just in case there is a long one you can get put on it and if 3 months down the line or whatever when they get an opening you have started using again or still feel the same do it, but I'd definitely hold out because it should get better.

Try to figure out what is making you feel the way you do that makes you want to use or be back on it, and do whatever you can to fix it, everyone says this and I am the WORST at it but try exercising, or eating better, find a hiking club or something so you are doing stuff that you like and try to fill that void, maybe try dating and see if any of that helps before you decide. Idk your age or anything like that but have your doctor test your testosterone levels, I know opiates can lower it and it can cause depression and make you feel like shit and being on it has helped a lot of members here so it won't hurt to check to see if that is what is causing some of what your going through and might be able to fix it.

Good luck with it

[Chip]

Wouldn't going to a pain management specialist be a better idea ? The clinic can be quite rigid and can interfere with your lifestyle.

I see it as a last resort and Oxycodone would be a better pain medication.

[Mr.pooper]

Ever try kratom? Worked pretty well for my chronic pain. On par with Vicodin/low dose oxy. However I think it's a lot better due to the low cost, legality status, and it has more alkaloids than just the opioid ones that help with pain. Also took away my heroin cravings that plAugued my mind for 3 years.

Another script that helps with my pain is gabapentin in higher doses. It's prescribed for nerve pain, and currently unregulated in the US, if ur in the states. Also it packs a BOMB high if I take a lot.

Ive never tried kratom, it does look somewhat promising though. And I actually am prescribed gabapentin. I had it years ago but never noticed much from it, probably because of the plethora of stronger drugs I was prescribed and/or self-medicating with. now that my system is a lot cleaner, I definitely notice the gaba working. but it works a lot better for neuropathy than it does for the musculoskeletal pain. I'm interested to see the synergistic effects with methadone.

I would personally try every option before methadone clinic for chronic pain. As others have stated the clinics can be very strict. I've definitely seen some real life horror stories from clinics. Forced Feetox(detox for none payment). and Ull be drug tested so you have to avoid things like marijuana or anything else that pops up on those Tests. They can take away your take homes for just having THC in your system and be forced to the clinic every morning at 5am to get well.

Methadone is also extremely hard to come off of. I've watched one of my homies go from 140mg to 92mg and it's taken a year to do that. He says he feels like shit all the time. Constipated, dry mouth, weight gain, low testosterone, depressed, lethargic,  and constant anhedonia. He wants off it so badly.

If you are interested in kratom DO NOT buy from a head shop. They sell horrible quality that's been sitting around on a shelf for who knows how long. Usually won't hit or do much because of the poor quality. Buy from reputable online vendors such as our site sponsor Mu Synergetics.(banner link at the top of the page) They have Very high quality leaf. Look into red vein strains for pain. I legit was blown away that this little leaf from Indonesia made me euphoric and took away all my pains. My girlfriend who is also a chronic pain patient couldn't make it through her bartending shift without it. I still remember the morning I ate 4gs of kratom and that euphoria and pain relief were amazing. Up there with some of the best highs I've ever had. It can also be purchased by the kilo for $80-$100...that makes my dose cost about 40-50 cents. Very affordable. And legal most states. Kratom also has built in features that make abusing it difficult.

Now that ur body chemistry has stabilized back to baseline, many things that were too weak before will be much more pronounced in effects now. As you mentioned with the gabapentin.

If you have any questions let me know!! Hope this info helps!

[canis]

Split dosing is definitely the way to go for pain management. Pain killing effects of methadone lasts much shorter period than it works for WD's.

I knew an old guy who divided his daily dose to three equal parts, because that worked for him.

I'm splitting my dose to two equal parts: morning dose and late afternoon dose. Sometimes I'm taking also some non-opiod painkillers (ibuprofen), if needed   

[Oxyphile (OP)]

Wouldn't going to a pain management specialist be a better idea ? The clinic can be quite rigid and can interfere with your lifestyle.

I see it as a last resort and Oxycodone would be a better pain medication.

Yes it definitely would be, chipper. The issue is that I was never able to get adequate (or really ANY) pain management treatment in the past. Granted, I began dealing with this pain at a young age (19-20) and I'm a bit older now (26) but I still don't know that I'll be able to get real pain management treatment. Not only is my state notoriously difficult in this regard, but I also feel like I probably have the scarlet J for junkie in my file somewhere. I was on methadone while on Medicaid, so it must be very easy for a doctor to find out.

Split dosing is definitely the way to go for pain management. Pain killing effects of methadone lasts much shorter period than it works for WD's.

I knew an old guy who divided his daily dose to three equal parts, because that worked for him.

I'm splitting my dose to two equal parts: morning dose and late afternoon dose. Sometimes I'm taking also some non-opiod painkillers (ibuprofen), if needed   

Split dosing seems to be the way to go from what I'm hearing, both here and from a few people I know offline. It'll be a while until I'm really able to do this consistently with bottles but I think I can make do until then.


And mr. Pooper, I refrained from quoting your post only because of the length. I appreciate the info and insight. When I get paid later this week, I'm going to go on Mu and get myself my first sack of Kratom. I'll let you know how it works for me!

[theSWPK]

Wouldn't going to a pain management specialist be a better idea ? The clinic can be quite rigid and can interfere with your lifestyle.

I see it as a last resort and Oxycodone would be a better pain medication.

Haha

It's so stupid hard to get into any right now, and our DEA has pussy whipped most into not writing shit. For example my aunts Dr writes her 60 30mg oxycodone a month. Never more than 60 on anything, it's a rule he has. Except that oxycodone is to be taken every 6 hours and she's supposed to take the whole 30mg. That's 2 pills a day...


And I did find dementia listed as a side effect of gabaoentin listed on a mayo clinic page. http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/gabapentin-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20064011