Methadone for Pain Management?

Question

Anyone have any experience using methadone for chronic pain? Pros and cons?

Answer 1

HOLY COW, what is with these people. PLEASE people, if you have no experience in this matter, keep your opinions to yourself. I have been living in chronic pain for 4 years now. I'm 33 years old and had an accident. The doctors tried me on several different medications before trying Methadone. I had Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin, some big ones as you can see. The only thing that helped was Vicodin but not enough. We went to Methadone because it was effective and cheap. I was on it nearly a year. It worked better than anything else I had taken. The only real side effect I had was constipation which you can expect from any Opiate. It was great for normal pain and neuropathic pain. I went off of it because we decided on a morphine pump. So far, the methadone worked just as well as this pump. Of course everybody is different, but I only have good to say about Methadone. I didn't have to wean off of it as it was replaced with morphine. I would say give it a try. Also, start out low and increase as needed, it will reduce the chance of side effects. It's worth a try, it worked great for me. Also, I never felt high, out of my mind or anything. I drove, worked, maintained a normal life, well, as normal as one can be living in chronic pain. I felt like myself with no problems and didn't feel addicted at all. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Answer 2

Each state has different guidelines, but I am thinking that you are probably need a Pain Management MD to get Methadone OR you will need to be in a clinic atmosphere if you need the Methadone for other reasons. I'm not positive if the DEA only lets Pain Management docs prescribe Methadone (other than Methadone Clinics), but I don't know of any family medicine doctors that are prescribing Methadone and advertising it on the Internet.

Answer 3

I can see here that quite a few people have different opinions about methadone for pain management.I have taken it for 7 years now, for pain. I notice these posts are old. Pain management changes a lot over the years. Do i like taking it for pain? No but I don't like chronic pain either. I am waiting for my hip surgeon to give the okays for a hip replacement. I have cardiac issues that kept me from surgery. I do not recommend methadone for acute pain management period. Out of all the pain medicines I have been on, methadone has the least side effects. They use it a s a last ditch pain medicine. It is effective because it works on the pain receptors in your brain. It is NOT that addictive. There is no state of euphoria with it. It is unlike Oxycontin that is highly euphoric and short acting, compared to methadone. When it is started initially you must take a very low dose and work yourself up gradually. Unfortunately many high seeking pain patients, are no longer living, due to methadone. The euphoric state of methadone is so low that patients have taken more than they are supposed to. It greatly slows breathing down When the patient goes to sleep, they do not wake up. extreme caution should be taken with this medicine. I have researched this medicine a lot. It was created in World War II. The normal German supply routes were severely compromised in the war. Hitler ordered his chemists to develop an alternative to morphine, for this reason. Take it wisely, it will serve you well.

Answer 4

I was on strong pain medicine such as Perocet 3 times a day and I was still in terrible pain. The doctor then put me on Methadone and I was totally a different person...for the worse!!
I was driving, which I should never have been being on Methadone and swerved into another lane. Thank God no car was there or I would have been dead. I think these pain management doctors are a new thing and should be outlawed. I withdrew from all pain meds and my pain got better. Now I just take Tylenol and try to deal with it. DON'T EVER GO ON METHADONE!!!!! Grateful to be alive.

Answer 5

For the person 7 years on Methadone and your so called research needs to be updated. To say "It is NOT that addictive" is 110% incorrect. I have been on it for back pain for 8 years now and am slowly under Doctor supervision cutting the amount taken to eventually be off it. This drug in easy to understand terms melts into your bones. You feel withdraw symptoms. Your other quote "many high seeking pain patients, are no longer living, due to methadone IS COMPLETLEY FALSE. If you have cardiac issues and your doctor gave you this medicine I would seek another doctor. Any deaths due to taking this med like any other is due to the person taking more than he should. I have taken the euphoric state drugs you have mentioned and of all methadone is the least to be abused. Respiratory and cardiac issues are due to abuse. Replacing Methadone with a morphine pump is sick. you need to get into a chronic pain management program. Mindfulness is the key not a quick fix pump with morphine.

Answer 6

Methadone is FDA approved, second to narcotics addiction, for chronic pain management. When used as a means to combat chronic pain, methadone is typically indicated for cancer pain. It is however most useful for non-malignant types of pain such as neuropathic pain. A major short-coming with methadone tailored into a patient's chronic pain management program is that many physicians, myself included, are forced to titrate methadone quite slowly with each and every patient because of its incredibly long biological half life. Because there are many other useful narcotics available for chronic pain, methadone is mostly used as a secondary or even tertiary substitute among the stronger narcotics. I notice that patients typically respond well to medicines like oxycodone, fentanyl, and hydromorphone. A methadone regimine that meets your needs could take 2 months or even longer to achieve. I would certainly make it a last type of option once all other narcotics have failed.

Answer 7

There are two major cons I can think of; one is that methadone and other opiates/opioids cannot do anything for pain, they only get one too high to care; as tolerance develops this is harder and harder, and eventually, nothing works and now there is opiate/opioid withdrawal which is also very painful. The other issue relates to the first mentioned and that is the addiction. Methadone offers nothing but a high, and should only be considered as an absolute last resort. There are no pros

Answer 8

I've never heard of such a thing legitimately. Supposedly Anna Nicole Smith's son was taking methadone for pain and look how he ended up. Methadone is synthetic heroin. Only someone lying on an operating table needs pain medication that strong. What doctor in his right mind would prescribe methadone for pain when there are so many other options that wont kill you so easily. I think the only legitimate reason to prescribe methadone is for heroin withdrawal.

Answer 9

Methadone is a very effective opiod analgesic without the addicting effects that other substances such as morphine may bring.

If taken on large doses for long periods, it can lead to longer withdrawal periods.

Answer 10

I don't personally however I would recommend that you avoid it if at all possible. Works great but and a big but, methadone is one of the most addictive drugs on the market.