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Methadone addiction?


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My bf of 8 months has been addicted to painpills since he was around 20 he is 31 now..He started methadone maintence 5 years ago from 100mg now he is down to 30mg sometimes ups the dose when he is havving issues in life..he says he is weening off..Is this possible can he kick this addiction just by weening off or will it all come back?

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laRubiaBonita
My bf of 8 months has been addicted to painpills since he was around 20 he is 31 now..He started methadone maintence 5 years ago from 100mg now he is down to 30mg sometimes ups the dose when he is havving issues in life..he says he is weening off..Is this possible can he kick this addiction just by weening off or will it all come back?

 

i am NO expert... but 5 YEARS is a long friggin time to 'ween' off something.

 

did you meet him in treatment?

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i am NO expert... but 5 YEARS is a long friggin time to 'ween' off something.

 

did you meet him in treatment?

 

yeah I know its along time and I wonder what kind of organ damage he has. NO I didnt meet him at the treatment center.

I met him thru a summer job in which he held as a manager, He held down a job and college thru his addiction, but when he was sitting still he would nod out or sleep alot.

I wanted him to go into withdrawl during his 6 motnhs of unemployment but now he is working again, he cant. It could have been over, I just wonder if it ever or can be?

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whichwayisup

Is he getting counselling to help him too?

 

I don't know much about drug addiction but if he truly is ready to quit and do EVERYTHING possible to get better, then yes, it's possible he can work through this.

 

Can I ask? What type of friends does he have? What's his lifestyle? Does he drink?

 

I read your other thread, and now after reading this one, please, take it slow with this guy. Don't move in with him, 8 months isn't that long.

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Is he getting counselling to help him too?

 

I don't know much about drug addiction but if he truly is ready to quit and do EVERYTHING possible to get better, then yes, it's possible he can work through this.

 

Can I ask? What type of friends does he have? What's his lifestyle? Does he drink?

 

I read your other thread, and now after reading this one, please, take it slow with this guy. Don't move in with him, 8 months isn't that long.

He has been in a methadone treatment/counseling program for 5 years. we have been livin together at his parents place for 3 months,

he dont drink and dont have anybody he hangs with only people i have just met thru work. He is a homebody, plays alot of xbox.

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A lot of it has to do with how long the addict was using. Short-term users can detox with methadone and be off it for life. For addicts who used longer, like your bf, the change in brain chemistry can be permanent, and is one that still requires an opiate (or synthetic) in order to function. Basically, the longer and harder they used, the longer the detox will be, and chances are strong they may never be off of it completely.

 

Your BF is taking it for maintenance, and I am sure his counselors are aware that giving him this small dose daily is what is keeping him from using again. I'm sure it's difficult to witness, but 30 mg is such a small dose, that he's not getting high from it - it's just enough to keep his brain and body from imploding.

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Lauriebell82

 

I read your other thread, and now after reading this one, please, take it slow with this guy. Don't move in with him, 8 months isn't that long.

 

She already did...

 

I worked with clients on methadone and Jillybean is correct..the longer he has been an addict the longer it will be for his brain to heal. Also the longer you are on methadone the more at risk you are for becoming extremely dependant on it.

 

OP, you really need to think about this relationship. He is MUCH older then you and has addiction problems. Are you sure you want to get mixed up in this? I have nothing against addicts, I help them everyday. BUT they do not make good romantic partners.

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She already did...

 

I worked with clients on methadone and Jillybean is correct..the longer he has been an addict the longer it will be for his brain to heal. Also the longer you are on methadone the more at risk you are for becoming extremely dependant on it.

 

OP, you really need to think about this relationship. He is MUCH older then you and has addiction problems. Are you sure you want to get mixed up in this? I have nothing against addicts, I help them everyday. BUT they do not make good romantic partners.

 

Well i havent moved in yet, He is a procrastinator and seems to be putting it off, not liking none of the apartments so thelease wasnt signed today :(

Can you tell me why they dont make romantic partners?

He seems very romantic, kind, never raises his voice, he is such a gentleman.

He is kinda always late to things, he is slow at doing tasks or focusing.

He keeps telling me he is weening off but that has been for 6 months but prior treatment started 5 years ago.

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Lauriebell82
Well i havent moved in yet, He is a procrastinator and seems to be putting it off, not liking none of the apartments so thelease wasnt signed today :(

 

You said you have been living together for 3 months though? :confused:

 

Can you tell me why they dont make romantic partners?

He seems very romantic, kind, never raises his voice, he is such a gentleman.

 

Well, yeah now that he is on methadone and not using. What happens if he relapses? He'll become the biggest a-hole you have ever seen. And honestly if he is trying to get off methadone after 5 years then his chances of relapse are very high. He'll start lying and treating you like crap. Is there a chance that he will get clean and stay that way? Sure. Is there a chance he will relapse? Sure. But the truth of the matter is that there will ALWAYS be that chance. Do you want to take it?

 

Plus you've only been together 8 months, he may have not shown his true colors yet.

 

He is kinda always late to things, he is slow at doing tasks or focusing.

He keeps telling me he is weening off but that has been for 6 months but prior treatment started 5 years ago.

 

Yeah, because he wants you think that he is going to stop going to the meth clinic and be clean. But he is scared to death to get off because he doesn't want to get sick and use again. It's a cycle.

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You said you have been living together for 3 months though? :confused:

 

 

 

Well, yeah now that he is on methadone and not using. What happens if he relapses? He'll become the biggest a-hole you have ever seen. And honestly if he is trying to get off methadone after 5 years then his chances of relapse are very high. He'll start lying and treating you like crap. Is there a chance that he will get clean and stay that way? Sure. Is there a chance he will relapse? Sure. But the truth of the matter is that there will ALWAYS be that chance. Do you want to take it?

 

Plus you've only been together 8 months, he may have not shown his true colors yet.

 

 

 

Yeah, because he wants you think that he is going to stop going to the meth clinic and be clean. But he is scared to death to get off because he doesn't want to get sick and use again. It's a cycle.

 

well we been living at his parents place for 3 mths. We are supposed to get an apartment. He tried to get off twice but relasped before I met him.

He didnt tell me bout his drug addiction for 2 months after his ex actually told me.

Besides the drugs he is a great guy, its hard to walk away from my feelings.

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my guy was his age and he was hooked since a teen dabbled in coke/weed/pain pills..ended up on methadone, and to this day is still hooked

The constant nodding, constipation,chipping teeth, irriatable.

he was sweet as could be but not a lifelong partner/father with these issues...sadly i couldnt save him and he moved on to a niave teen girl who didnt care :(

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LucreziaBorgia

He is a 30 year old addict and 'homebody' who lives with his parents and spends his time playing Xbox. This isn't someone who is going to get an apartment and have a real relationship with you. This is someone who is going to find outlets to avoid reality, whether it be drugs or Xbox or dating a teenager.

 

He may be nice and a gentlemen, but I have a feeling that the reason he is so chill like that is because he lives in an environment where he has a minimum of stressors. If you take him out of his parent's house, and force him to live a responsible bill-paying life where he is responsible for his own well being and yours as well, that 'nice gentlemanly' guy is going to dissolve before your eyes.

 

This isn't someone who is ready to start a life with you. You are looking at an artificial version of him, and falling in love with who he is under the current circumstances. That isn't who he really is. He is avoiding who he really is and you haven't seen that yet. If you are lucky you will find a way to walk away and you won't have to see that at all.

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  • 3 weeks later...

DEAR DEAR 18inlove I have been on methadone for 6 yearsWHERE is he getting the $10-$15 A DAY TO DOSE every day? I myself been trying to get off for 3 years (NO SUCCESS!!:( ) I am soon to enter a 13 grand 28 day detox(MAN I hope This works) We at these methadone clinics call mdone LIQUID HAND CUFFS,and you can not exscape it.

 

If he is at 30 mgs he has a chance to get on SUBOXNE(if his clinic has suboxone,and when your loved one gets to 30 mgs of mdone he goes 3 days threw withdrawal with his dr.s care at the clinic,and he prescibes him SUBOXONE,and I HEARD it does wonders,and works if the mdone patient truly wants it.They go high dose on suboxone then decrease do not stay on the suboxone LONG!!!!!!!! AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Seeing he at 30 mgs tell him what a nice truck he is buying for the government instead of himself in payments every month He might stop thinking about the metha done maintenance,and believe me hunny i am going thru the same thing its a very very HARD TASK,THAT DR.s are needed

 

I am sorry I have no magic pill for you but I am going threw same thng just as long.

 

I PRAY FOR YOU BOTH KEEP IN TOUCH

Jade

Edited by Jade 02
corrections
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He is a 30 year old addict and 'homebody' who lives with his parents and spends his time playing Xbox. This isn't someone who is going to get an apartment and have a real relationship with you. This is someone who is going to find outlets to avoid reality, whether it be drugs or Xbox or dating a teenager.

 

He may be nice and a gentlemen, but I have a feeling that the reason he is so chill like that is because he lives in an environment where he has a minimum of stressors. If you take him out of his parent's house, and force him to live a responsible bill-paying life where he is responsible for his own well being and yours as well, that 'nice gentlemanly' guy is going to dissolve before your eyes.

 

This isn't someone who is ready to start a life with you. You are looking at an artificial version of him, and falling in love with who he is under the current circumstances. That isn't who he really is. He is avoiding who he really is and you haven't seen that yet. If you are lucky you will find a way to walk away and you won't have to see that at all.

 

Yes 18inlove I am totaly agree with lucrezia geez whats he going to do if he does get clean,and does not need your cash you work so hard for ALSO????

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my guy was his age and he was hooked since a teen dabbled in coke/weed/pain pills..ended up on methadone, and to this day is still hooked

The constant nodding, constipation,chipping teeth, irriatable.

he was sweet as could be but not a lifelong partner/father with these issues...sadly i couldnt save him and he moved on to a niave teen girl who didnt care :(

 

Great for you ,because us who are on mrthadone have no feelings for anything ir anyone our brainz are numbed worse then heroin addicts ,ii have not criedin years or sneezed in 6 years, be glad you have your life back GODbliss you

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DEAR DEAR 18inlove I have been on methadone for 6 yearsWHERE is he getting the $10-$15 A DAY TO DOSE every day? I myself been trying to get off for 3 years (NO SUCCESS!!:( ) I am soon to enter a 13 grand 28 day detox(MAN I hope This works) We at these methadone clinics call mdone LIQUID HAND CUFFS,and you can not exscape it.

 

If he is at 30 mgs he has a chance to get on SUBOXNE(if his clinic has suboxone,and when your loved one gets to 30 mgs of mdone he goes 3 days threw withdrawal with his dr.s care at the clinic,and he prescibes him SUBOXONE,and I HEARD it does wonders,and works if the mdone patient truly wants it.They go high dose on suboxone then decrease do not stay on the suboxone LONG!!!!!!!! AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Seeing he at 30 mgs tell him what a nice truck he is buying for the government instead of himself in payments every month He might stop thinking about the metha done maintenance,and believe me hunny i am going thru the same thing its a very very HARD TASK,THAT DR.s are needed

 

I am sorry I have no magic pill for you but I am going threw same thng just as long.

 

I PRAY FOR YOU BOTH KEEP IN TOUCH

Jade

Jade...He goes to a local clinic in my state of Fl and gets a liquid dose daily or take outs if his pee is clean and he attends meetings..he has went back up to 50 but lowers then raises it constantly..i only been with him 8 months and before that he was addicted to pain pills for 10 years and went on this treatment for 5 years now..I know what u mean bout paying 300 a month for the doses..he actuallly has a car payment too..we just got our own apartment ..most of his income goes to methadone/car pmt/ins..mine pays the rest.

He tried to kick it a few times but instead went back to buying pain pills off the internet or street..then back to the treatment..so its like a never ending cycle.

do you have the same nodding, teeth rottening, memory loss too? id like to hear more from you thank you for writing :)

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Feelin Frisky
My bf of 8 months has been addicted to painpills since he was around 20 he is 31 now..He started methadone maintence 5 years ago from 100mg now he is down to 30mg sometimes ups the dose when he is havving issues in life..he says he is weening off..Is this possible can he kick this addiction just by weening off or will it all come back?

 

In my own experience the only way to ween off methadone is if it is used for no more than 4 days to allow one to detox from real opiates. After that one begins to get addicted to the methadone. In the 90's I went to a stupid hospital for a detox from vicodin. These idiots thought you ween over a couple of months. Every time I got down to 10 or 15 mgs, I would fall backwards. It finally took two weeks in a hospital as an in-patient and I had terrible insomnia for about 4 months. Once you're on methadone for a while, you are on a real nasty drug with little escape unless a miracle happens. My miracle was a shrink who didn't play by the usual play book and gave me a thyroid drug that killed my pleasure seeking tendencies. I not only quit methadone after two years but enrolled in trade school for a year and was the only one to receive a perfect attendance certificate (along with top grades). Good luck finding anyone who'll risk that off label methodology. But it remade me.

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In my own experience the only way to ween off methadone is if it is used for no more than 4 days to allow one to detox from real opiates. After that one begins to get addicted to the methadone. In the 90's I went to a stupid hospital for a detox from vicodin. These idiots thought you ween over a couple of months. Every time I got down to 10 or 15 mgs, I would fall backwards. It finally took two weeks in a hospital as an in-patient and I had terrible insomnia for about 4 months. Once you're on methadone for a while, you are on a real nasty drug with little escape unless a miracle happens. My miracle was a shrink who didn't play by the usual play book and gave me a thyroid drug that killed my pleasure seeking tendencies. I not only quit methadone after two years but enrolled in trade school for a year and was the only one to receive a perfect attendance certificate (along with top grades). Good luck finding anyone who'll risk that off label methodology. But it remade me.

thank you for your story Im glad you are clean and made something of your life :)

The weird thing about this drug for him is...he can work plus attend college(took 5 years Part time to get a degree) and function normally (if this is normal) he has high cravings for sweets...candy doughnuts icecream ect...he nods off alot and seems a bit slow...do you have any long term side effects?

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SydneyCarton

yeah I know its along time and I wonder what kind of organ damage he has.

 

Medically, opiate addiction is pretty benign. The only long-term complications from the substance itself (as opposed to impurities or the method of delivery) come from chronic constipation.

 

It could have been over, I just wonder if it ever or can be?

 

He can certainly get over the physical dependence, no matter how long he has been using it. But you need to keep in mind that dependence is only one part of addiction, and in many cases one of the smaller parts.

 

Any sort of addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition. Long-term recovery is always possible, but it requires motivation and it may take many attempts before he is successful.

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Lauriebell82
thank you for your story Im glad you are clean and made something of your life :)

The weird thing about this drug for him is...he can work plus attend college(took 5 years Part time to get a degree) and function normally (if this is normal) he has high cravings for sweets...candy doughnuts icecream ect...he nods off alot and seems a bit slow...do you have any long term side effects?

 

Of course he can function normally, the methadone is allowing him too. Methadone does not cause any long term damage to any organs. It does cause side effects, mostly constipation.

 

The problem is he won't function normally if he gets off methadone..at least for awhile. He will go through physical withdrawal and will be at risk for relapse to counteract the sickness. My clients tell me that methadone withdrawal is horrible..so if he is going to do that he needs to take it slow and be prepared to gut through some pain. IME addicts aren't particularly good at that.

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Of course he can function normally, the methadone is allowing him too. Methadone does not cause any long term damage to any organs. It does cause side effects, mostly constipation.

 

The problem is he won't function normally if he gets off methadone..at least for awhile. He will go through physical withdrawal and will be at risk for relapse to counteract the sickness. My clients tell me that methadone withdrawal is horrible..so if he is going to do that he needs to take it slow and be prepared to gut through some pain. IME addicts aren't particularly good at that.

 

I suggested while he was laid off for 6 months go through the withdrawl and get clean, but now he is back to work i fear he wont ever get clean and he keeps saying he is weening off the same story he told his ex for 5 years ugh! besides the drugs he is an awesome man.

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Lauriebell82
I suggested while he was laid off for 6 months go through the withdrawl and get clean, but now he is back to work i fear he wont ever get clean and he keeps saying he is weening off the same story he told his ex for 5 years ugh! besides the drugs he is an awesome man.

 

Yeah, chances are he won't ever be able to get off methadone..and if he does then he will be at huge risk for relapse. Methadone is extremely addicting, I don't think he is going anywhere....

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