Methadone overdose is a serious medical emergency. As reported by federal and state officials, Methadone is increasingly being abused by drug users for recreation and is causing an alarming increase in methadone overdoses and deaths. Methadone is a drug valued for treating heroin addiction and for soothing chronic pain. Methadone’s delayed narcotic effect and its lack of a potent high are important reasons the drug can be so dangerous.
Symptoms of Methadone overdose may include slow and shallow breathing – that too with great difficulty, weak pulse, sometimes the breathing altogether stops which leads to death, bluish skin, fingernails and lips, spasms of the stomach, intestinal tract, constipation, low blood pressure, pinpoint pupils, drowsiness, disorientation, and coma.
When Methadone overdose is suspected, one should make arrangements to visit the doctor or better still call for an ambulance at the earliest.
If the patient is losing consciousness lay them on side in the recovery position. This will help them to deal with vomiting better and they won’t choke. Encouraging patients to vomit is not the right thing to do because of the risk of rapid onset of CNS depression / unconsciousness. This could lead to choking. When a patient is hospitalized during this time their saturation of oxygen should be monitored on an ongoing basis with the help of an oximeter and should be sent to ICE without delay if the patient is undergoing altered consciousness or hypoxia.
For adults ho have never taken methadone earlier or often – a single day’s maintenance dose of methadone between 50-100 mg can prove to be lethal. For people beginning MMT, starting with 40 mg doses have lead to deaths within four days of treatment. Similarly children may overdose if they mistake the medication for a drink. A 10 to 20 mg methadone dose can prove to be fatal to a child.
This drug is too unpredictable to be prescribing to ANYONE. The reason methadone deaths are so prevalent these days is because it was legalized for pain management as opposed to its previous limited use for narcotic addiction treatment drug.
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my son supposedly died from a methadone overdose 9/26/2007 no blood test was done and he was supposedly wide awake eating and fell over dead the er said he had pinpoint pupils but he also had a head injury be certain always a blood test is done in a fatal overdose because i belive that this just gave sidneys wife a clean shot at murder since she has a sever drug problem and he (sidney) had taken his money and put it in a safe away from her just a clue to the gain she made for herself she spent arouind $50.000.00 in a couple of weeks
dont let something like this happen to you or your family or friends
Debbie: Hi, mu name is Susan Barbour. I just read your comment on your sons death supposedly from a methadone overdose. My heart goes out to you. I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my brother 2 weeks ago from what I am almost positive from methadone overdose. Although he was 60, his heart was strong, his health (other than pain) was good until he started methadone. Everything changed when he started taking this poisen. I was trying to find a rehab for him too get off of it. He ran out of methadone and his doctor was on vacation. I live in a small town in Arizona and everywhere I took him was an absolute refussal to help him. The dr. at the emergency room said they would not prescribe it and that it was not a life death situation. Even though it was prescribed for pain, he was treated like he was a junkie. He told that dr. that he had some morphine tablets and the dr. told him to take those. So he did for four days. Then his regular quack doctor came back from vacation and prescribed more methadone. He died that night. He started taking the dosages he had previously taken and I’m almost 99% sure he overdosed. I’ve read over and over again that if you are off of it for more than 3 days, strict precaution should be taken. I was with him. He was sick to his stomach but I didn’t realize I was spending my last moments with my beloved brother. I tried mouth to mouth but I couldn’t get him to breathe again. Most horrible day of my life. I will never get over this. I loved him so much I can’t hardly bare this. I walk around lost all the time. My mother who is 84 cries all day like I do. I wish there was something I could do to stop this horrible drug from being given to people. I hope this doesn’t bring you more pain by reading this. I needed to talk to someone. God love you Debbie and your precious son. Regards, Susie Barbour
Dear Friends of loved ones who were killed by Methadone.
This drug is So scary!! How can we get the word out to Warn People-even Doctors.
My 24 year old Son died in March 2010 from a Methadone overdose. The prescription was given to him for knee pain due to an injury at work. As far as we know, he only took the prescribed amount and after the 2nd day complained of a stomach ache. We had No Idea that this would be the beginning of his young life ending at the hand of this evil drug. On the 3rd day, he went to bed as usual and never woke up….
My beautiful Son Brad will never be with us again in this life. We miss him so much!!
How can Doctors give this to their trusting patients? It’s not worth the risk under Any circumstances!!
Please, please WARN EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
Devastated in Seattle
I agree that this drug should only be given to addicts and under controlled supervision, my son was 24 years of age and a prison officer when on a night out he came across something he didnt like (members in the group arranging to go and get some methodone from his house my son didnt know this person, my son made his feelings clear and started to walk home they followed him and he ended up in their car this is where his life ended and our nightmare began. They tried to dump my son but then decided to drive to a pub on a very hot July day cover the car leaving my son inside whilst they sat in the beer garden laughting and joking about his breathing and the colour of his lips and finger they took photos of him and sent them to their friends, my so was in a car only three minutes drive from my home whilst i was cleaning. My son had a deep head wound and it is believed that they had hit him over the head before forcing the metadone down him the THING that the methadone belonged to was an addict my son had never seen him before and all he could say “I’VE GIVEN HIM ENOUGH TO KILL A F**KING ADDICT. WHEN MY SON WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FIVE HOURS LATER THE DOCTOR WROTE ON HIS A&E MEDICAL NOTES “SMACK HEAD” AND DID LITTLE TO HELP HIM THEY ONLY MADE SOME EFFORT WHEN WE ARRIVED AT A&E AND INFORMED THEM THAT HE WASENT A DRUG USER BY THIS TIME IT WAS TO LATE, THE DOCTOR SAID THE MOOD OF THE TEAM WAS ONE OF ANGER BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED HIM TO BE AN ADDICT. MY SON DIED IN 2006 AND THE PAIN IS GREATER NOW THAT EVER.
Where do I begin.. My youngest son Dave (32) passed away from an overdose of methadone. It was the first time he had taken the drug to help him with a pain addiction problem. We asked for a toxology test and it showed that was the only drug in his system. Dave was a wonderful young man, divorced with 2 small sons, Dylan 11 and Josh 9.. They were the light in his life. He was devoted to them and to us, his parents. I am still having a very hard time dealing with Dave being gone. I can relate to your pain. I agree, something needs to be done about this terrible drug. It will be one year on March 21 and I relive Dave’s last hours every day. I wish and I wish, but I know in my head that nothing will bring Dave back, but my heart tells me otherwise. I thank God every day for my 6 other children who were also devoted to their baby brother. Dave was one of a kind. My heart goes out to you. I have to live for my husband and my other children.
My brother died of a methadone overdose Feb 18, 2011. I still have trouble with this as well. My mom is a wreck most days so I can feel your pain. I grew up in foster care with my brother so he is all I ever had…I am still trying to make sense of it. I am sorry for you loss as well.
i lost my beloved beautiful son damian in march 2010 he had never taken heroin or methadone in hes life .he went to2a house with a mate for a drink .and the girls house he went to was a junkie she gave my son a weeks suply of methodone to drink. he didnt no what it was. she then went to bed and left him to die . it wasnt even hers it beloged to her boyfriend .my son was 32 and my best friend im heart broken and miss him so much i wont ever get over it and my heart goes out to every 1 that has lost a loved 1 through this .
i am so sad reading these comments i woke up to find my new partner overdosed on methadone luckily we saved him however he was in a coma for a week with heart failure at age of 30, reading theses comments brings it hom,e to me how lucky he is to still be here and i hope he learns something from it god bless xx
Two weeks ago today i went to wake my fiance up who had just engaged to me two days before…and he was breathing funny and wasnt responding so i called 911. a few minute after they got there he fell out and it took them 21 mins to revive him. He is still in a coma and i have lost my one and only love to the ridiculous amount of methadone his doctor perscribed him. he is breathing on his own and has a feeding tube in but its been a good amount of time. was your partner ok once he came out of the coma or did he have to go to a long term recovery center?? im not sure how it works, but im only 24 and would never wish this on anyone…my hearts go out to all the others who have dealt with the same thing
My son in law died at age 26 earlier this year from 20 mg of Methadone. He had never taken it before. The autopsy shows nothing … not even alcohol in his system. He went to sleep and never woke up.
IM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, I CAN IMAGINE HOW YOU FEEL. I HATE AND I NEVER SAY HATE THIS DRUG MY MOM DIED FROM AND OVERDOSE OF METHODONE 2 YRS AGO, AND NOW MY HUSBAND AT AGE 31 DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE OF METHODONE, LEAVINF BEHIND HIS FIVE CHILDREN, 10, 6, 4, AND TWINS BOYS 2 YRS OLD, IM SAD EVERYDAY, BUT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT NOW, I JUST PRAY THAT ONE DAY WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER IN HEAVEN. IM VERY SORRY SORRY:(
Barbara & KC:
My name is Richard and first, I want you both to know how sorry I am for your losses. You are both right about methadone being a deadly, dangerous drug. I know first hand as I am on it now, thanks to a pain management physician who was treating me and had me on extreme doses of other narcotic pain meds and then decided to discharge me one day and refused to wean me off the pain meds. I ended up in a hospital for two weeks being detoxed off the pain meds only to be put on methadone. I am almost 56 years old and I still can not believe I am where I am at in my life right now. I feel as though I am in a constant struggle for my life due to the methadone. My current physician (whom I trust very much) knows all about what happened to me and how I ended up on methadone & is now in the process of helping me to get off of the deadly poison! It’s a long, slow process but I am willing to do whatever it takes to get off of this stuff. One note concerning one’s Dr. being on vacation: last year, my doctor was going to be out of his office for two weeks and I had an appt. to see him for refills only during that time. He assured me the Dr. filling in for him would take care of my needs. Well, my appt. came and that Dr. refused to write ANY pain meds for any of my doctor’s patients. They sent me to a methadone clinic which was a total nightmare! That place did an “assessment” of me and the p.a. on duty decided I needed to be on a much stronger dose of methadone; that 80mg/day wasn’t enough! I have no idea why because I wasn’t having any problems other than that stand-in Dr. not writing prescriptions for my dr’s. regular patients. My Dr. came back and I went to see him immediately and that clinic somehow forced him to refer all of his patients on methadone to them (me included). I have no job, am disabled and unable to work. I have no income. That clinic was charging people $12/day for their methadone doses and they at one point had me on 135mg/day! I knew this was way too much so over the New Year’s holiday, I cut my doses in half (60-65mg/day) and had no problems. I went back to my doctor and begged him to take me back and get me off this mess. It’s a lot cheaper getting it at a pharmacy than dealing with one of those death clinics! I am now at 50mg/day and hope to be dropping to 40mg/day very soon.
I pray for your loved ones you lost. I know God is watching over me and hopefully I will survive this. Thank you for allowing me to get this off my chest as well. Bless you!
My brother tried to commit suicide 2 days ago by taking a 1/2 bottle of methadone. They never pumped his stomach or gave him charcoal! They also didn’t do a blood test or take a urine sample until today. WHY?? He is still in ICU and is not waking up. They will not tell his wife anything. We are so afraid he is going to die because he is now bleeding internally. WHY didn’t they get it out of his system when he got to the hospital???? Can anyone tell me? I am starting to think that they are doing a research tests on people with methadone overdoses.
Thank you for your response!
Now that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I am terribly sorry for your drastic situation, but to think local doctors/nurses are doing some kind of research tests on Methadone overdoses is just ridiculous.
You must be a doctor/nurse
You are probably right about them being in the medical field!
What a cold hearted comment to make !! Cant you see the person here is hurting for his brother and desparate for answers !! Why dont you just save your ignorance and if your going to bother to write something then write with a little compassion !!
my bf was in same situation two weeks ago he woke up after four days please be patient , i think he is going to pull through the fact he is still here telle u he is still fighting xx
they dont have to drain it from the system, it could be that interfering with his system may prevent him making a fuill recovery it also depends on what organs have been affected more ususually respiratory and heart, by this time fact he is still here after critical period of 48 hours indicates he is fighting , and he has a chance of a full recovery, usually what they will do is start to limit any support daily untill he eventually wakes himself, then they can determine what damage if any has occured ill say a prayer for u dont give up hope xxx
Tamra:
I CAN tell you why. My 15 year old son overdosed on Methadone. He was life flighted to a medical center. While he lay there intubated I asked the doctor why his stomach coudn’t be pumped. The reply was that it is because of the way Methadone works and is absorbed by the body. It is a time release drug which is absorbed and therefore the stomach CANNOT be pumped to get it out. I was told it takes 24-36 hours for it to be completely out of the system but the only way to get it out of the person’s system is time because of how the body absorbs it. There would be nothing to pump out. Fortunately my son survived after being in cardiac arrest for 30 minutes and with the exception of some minor short term memory loss is his normal self. We were told to prepare ourselves for the worst and that if by some miracle he pulled out of it he would be a vegetable. I have never prayed so hard in my life for my child lying there. I am not a religious fanatic but thank God every day I still have my child. My heart goes out to you and the others who have lost loved ones due to this drug. It is the most powerful type 2 narcotic on the market.
I want to start off by telling each and everyone of you all how sorry I am to hear about your losses. Im not really for sure what happened to me 2 months ago on June 9,2011 I have tried to block it because of the pain it has caused and this is really the first time I have spoken about it. My mom 41 and 2 weeks old never had a sick day in her life and was found dead in her bed at 5pm. THe hospital didnt do an autopsey or any kind of blood work they ruled it as an heart attack. My question is my mom hadnt been feeling well for 3 days thought she had heart burn they bought everything under the sun to help her and nothing would she has recently been prescribed methadome for migrain headaches and Im not sure if she had taken any or what but they had woken my mom up for money and was gone about 30 minutes to the store and came back and my mom had already died so the thing is she had threw up and urnitared on her self is that some signs of methadome posioning? ALso the docotor who prescribed her this had aslo prescribed her something that isnt suppose to be mixed does anyone think we may have a lawsuit on our hands?
I want to 1st say my hearst go out to you so deeply BUT there is so much more about this evil poisin than even most doctors know . For years doctors have been looking at mysetrious syndrome X deaths of herion addicts and now with all these methadone deaths they wonder if in fact there is something in comon with them . I have found there is a HUGE problem with methadone that nobody especially the big companys that make it who pushed for it to be priscibed by regular doctors for pain. Once the insurance comapnys got wind of how cheap it is BOOM and now all these deaths and because most people look at the people who die as JUNKIES nobody gives a damn…
I have good information as I have done alot of research or atleast as much as for a non professinal person can . I have found there is a hear defect or birth defect that 10% of people are born with that makes it unable for them to metabolize methadones inactive part . Yes it is much more complicated than I m making it out to be but I want normal people to understand it if possible so forgive me for not being more precises. And my spelling sucks I know so for give but…again if one in ten people will die from just being priscibed it shouldnt some one be stopping this . ?? Just a though and yes I have suffered a loss due to methadone my 3 year old daughter.. was it the heart defect I dont know? but I do know this is a huge problem and now you say well how did a 3 year old have methadone BY ME I was breast feeding her due to failure to thrive and if that was the cause of her death i will never forgive myself worst part of this I am now being charged as thou I gave it to her to kill her GOD I pray we all learn a little kindness but if this e-mail helps any one it wont ever make losing her worth it but it may take the hurt away for a sec if it keeps someone from having to go through any of what I am ..GOD BLESS So please if you are on methadone stop bresat feeding no matter what the doctors or nurses say it is not woth the risk !!! and if you are on it DETOX as fast and as safely as you can …
My son chose to be homeless. he moved from phoenix to new york. two days ago i got a call from a hospital in New York that I needed to fly there “now” because he overdosed on methadone. He survived but I was stunned! He was totally blue, his eyes were pin holes and he was two minutes from having the call come from the examiners office. What is this drug?????
how is his heart now?
I’m sorry to hear of everyone’s loss, it is always sad and tragic to have to experience such a thing and i would never wish it upon anyone. I am currently a methadone patient and i have to say that maintenance on this drug has allowed me to rebuild my life and reconnect with my family, friends and loved ones. While on methadone i have been able to hold down a steady job, save money and ultimately live a happy and well adjusted life.
Again i sympathise with everyone who has suffered because of methadone in some way, but used correctly, or rather prescribed correctly it can allow people to rebuild their lives.
Bullshit… there is nothing good that can come from this drug. The sooner you stop lieing to yourself and accept it for what it is, the better off you will be. Just curious, you would happen to work for a pharmaceutical company would you?
i agree shelly, addicts r given this drug to supposedly help them get clean, so y r they still drinking the shit 20+ years later, and half of them sell it to other ppl when they leave these clinics. i think these clinics should be shut down its just a way for the government to make money off of addicts rather than the dealers on the streets.
Teresa, I think you are right about those “clinics.” Most of them are nothing but barely legal drug dealers. The one I went to NEVER checked my vitals and I had to go 6 days a week. They kept upping my dose to 135mg/day even though I was fine at a much lower dose. I am now under the care of my doctor and he is helping me to get off of this stuff. It’s going to be a long, hard battle, but as long as I remain vigilant and stay focused on getting clean, I will be okay and my doctor is very good at keeping tabs on me (and other patients). He is a Godsend in my life. I am positive that had I remained under the care of that drug den of a clinic, I’d be dead today and they wouldn’t care because it would be written off as an accidental overdose on my part. These clinics need to be monitored much more closely than they are. The one here hasn’t been inspected in over 2 years and even then it was a form for the patients to fill out (like a damn survey). So of course they all gave the clinic high marks so they could keep getting their methadone. Sad, but true. I’m just glad I am out of that place and on a much lower dose and hope to be off of this stuff by next year!
I agree with the fact that this drug should be illegal, but the true fact of the matter is. If this drug is legally found to be the killer that it is, than the Clinics
will be liable and class action suit will be inevitable. I am sure there is much more to the whole picture than we laypeople understand.
I lost my son to a drug that was being sold on the streets by a stupid individual that just gave it to him while he was intoxicated. I will never see my son again and I cry each and every day. I am forced to live here without him and go on. His children are so beautiful and he never got to meet his little princess, you see his wife was pregnant. This young man will live his life and never pay the price for stealing away my precious son. These clinics will steal away the lives of so many more,until this poison is taken off the market. Unfortunately noone wants to fight hard enough to make anyone pay. This is a RX to murder!!!!! METHADONE!!!! And as for the addicted who stand bye there drug I understand but you wouldn’t trade my pain for yours , unfortunately mine can’t be covered up by pain killers.
No, there is good that comes from this drug. Do you take the drug? Are you a opiate addicted? Do you kno what it feels like to be in withdrawl. Whats a bad drug is the dillys and the morphs, because they are 2058852 x easier to over dose of then methadone. Its a blocker, and it heelps millions there honey…. you dont know anything about methadone obviously, from the way your talking.
I have been treated for a back problem and was on Hydrocodone (Lortab, etc) which is a narcotic but after being on 150 10mg tablets a month I changed Doctors and he put me on Methadone 3 times a day. I went from one addicting drug to another but I’ve been on Methadone now for about 9 months and have had no problems other than now my kidneys are starting to fail. It wasn’t all because of the Methadone, all pain medications are very bad for your kidneys. I’m hoping I can turn things around before I end up on kidney diaylsys 3 times a week, then I would surely have no life.
wait until you come off the drug,mark. then try and say its the best drug that helped you rebuild your life. because i swear the second you stop, your life will become hell for a very long time. the withdrawals can kill people. i was addicted to it for 2 years and now im 17. i had an arachnoid cyst,chronic pain syndrome, depression,substance abuse, neck and back and liver and stomach problems. i was almost paralyzed. dont mess with this drug because it may seem like its curing your problems but only temporarily. until you basicallly die from it. not to be that straight foward but it kills you inside.
Never go to Ben Taub in Houston,Tx with a methadone overdose. They’ll take your vitals and then send you home to die.
adult child just started liquid methadone treatment for drug addiction (again) is given once a day with a slow increase. use to be hooked on other pain pills, always able to take what i am sure would kill most people. i know people who have gotten off street drugs with the methadone treatment and seam to have a more stable life and know of people who have did the program (right) and gotten off of the treatment. but this person is also taking methadone pills off the street — most days large amounts! i am told there is no withdraw feeling when the street pills can not be gotten because of taking the liquid. but can’t go with out the pills because of pain ( has very bad feet and leg problems ) i am sure some how due to the live long drug use, can’t get up and do anything with out the pills, as soon as the pills are gone or even almost gone starts going nuts to get them. falls asleep standing up — even while doing something. i am just waiting for the call!!!!!!1
Sister just died from a methadone overdose. She was 46. She was taking methadone for pain control related to Lupus. This drug, like so many poorly contolled medications, ultimately ruined… and then took her life. Doctors should not prescribe this for outpatients. Of course, doctors likely never read these posts…
That scars me my mom 49 has been on methadon for four years and she has lupes to if u don’t mind me asking how did she overdose?…..sorrey for ur loss love
My family and I are waiting for the offical word, but Nov. 15th 2011 we lost our Sister (47 yrs old) to what we beleive was an accidental methadone overdose.
Our hearts are truly broken! I wish we could go back in time and warn her 
Please, keep everyone you love away from this horrible drug!!!
This is a horrible drug, she took it for the pain she had from fibromyalgia. She was treated HORRIBLY by most medical “professionals”, they treated her like she was a drug addict, who use this for pleasure!!! She was feeling sick to her stoach the day before her death and the day of. She had recently had a out-patient procedure done for skin cancer, and we’re not sure what pain medicine they prescribed, but, odds are it wasn’t suppose to mix with methadone!!
I went to drug treatment for prescription pills(percocet) addiction and they od’d me on methadone. I never took it or heard of it until I got in there. They gave me to much (10 mg 3 times a day) and I od. My roommate found me in my room looking bluish. She went to the nurses station and called code blue. I was transfered to ICU and was told I puked in my lungs… When I was feeling better I got out of there asap… Does anyone know if I will have problems with my heart now? Im only 37 years old and Im scared to death… Prior to this, I had zero health problems…
go see a doctor if you’re worried
I was treated for a bad back with methadone. After 2 years, began to have breathing problems and falling asleep at the wheel. When i went for a sleep apnea test, was told i was borderline but i had better stop methadone. I was only taking 15 mgs a day. It was not fun getting off the stuff, but I did it. Once I became clean, I started getting sicker and sicker. To keep this short. Within a little more than a year, at 55, I have sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney cancer. I can’t say for sure, but i have a suspicion that methadon destroyed my health and my life.
Mike:
May God Bless You! I pray for you as well. I am 56 years old, also have a bad back and am on methadone (50mg/day) and trying to wean off. Reading your comment was a MAJOR wake-up call for me. I am so very sorry for what has happened to you and I will pray that if possible, you can be healed of some or all of your ailments. Thank you so much for sharing your life story. Take care and just remember, people DO care! I’m living proof of that.
Richard
I’ve been on maintenance for over half a decade, when they took buprenorphine off the Market, I was forced to switch to methadone and as a former heroin addict, I have to say, there’s nothing as evil as methadone around… You can detox from heroin in 4 days, methadone withdrawal is terrifying and lasts for weeks sometimes… It is the most horrible drug I’ve ever come across and I’ve been trying to get off it for years but the pain, the suffering is absolutely horrible and I’ve grown so desperate after having spent half a decade free from heroin but stuck on these “maintenance drugs” I’ve lost all hope of having a normal life… Sure, it’s a legalised treatment for heroin addiction and it frees you from the criminal element but it’s 10x more addictive than any opiate, it’s not something that should EVER be prescribed for pain or anything ’cause the withdrawal is like being dragged through the worst kinds of hell anyone can imagine and overdose, not just for the person using it but accidental due to miss-use or say, should a child get their hand on it in either pill or liquid form (it’s green colour suggesting it may be a soft drink or candy) is a real and terrifying possibility… I don’t think I’ll ever get free from it… It doesn’t do anything for recovery, it’s just a lie… I, for one, had better luck keeping jobs and living with myself when I was using heroin! I know it’s a controversial and maybe even unlikely way to look at it but, once upon a time heroin was marketed as a cure for opium addiction and it turned out to be a much worse addiction, methadone, I believe anyway… Is history repeating! It gets into your bone marrow, it trashes your liver, I’ve had heart problems develop since I’ve gone on it and a variety of other problems including depression and a mix of horrifying complications from chronic constipation to weight gain (I used to lead a very active life… Now I can’t even exercise because of my breathing and heart palpitations, etc…) living with a methadone addiction has robbed me of all quality of life! It should be banned and wiped out of the face of the earth ’cause, afterall… It was synthesised by Nazis, how can thisnot be an evil drug? I feel sorry fir all who have lost loved ones to this horrible shit, I too have lost friends and loved ones to addiction to opiates, mostly people who were on methadone, using high dosages who relapsed on heroin and ended up using 10x more than they used to trying to get the dosage right… Methadone is not the solution… It is the legalised version of the problem! I wish people would adopt the Dutch model and legalise heroin instead… It’s really the lesser of two evils chemically, but the illegality makes heroin get a bum rap and keeps methadone out there as “The better alternative” according to doctors… I hope someday people will come around to view that chemical dependency is a disease like any other and maintenance, by definition should be tailored to give people a better option than a drug that’s worse than the one you’re supposedly getting clean from.., methadone kills and it’s just a quick fix with consequences that are worse than you can imagine in the long run… I hope someday this horrible drug is wiped off the face of the earth! God bless you all who have been affected by it!
I’m so sorry to hear this James-if you don’t mind, can I pray for a break-through for your situation? I know what its like to feel helpless but I have found freedom and hope through Jesus Christ who died 4 sins, disease, hopelessness, dispair and personal sufferings. He loves us unconditionally and always fights for us. If we give him room to work he WILL restore us.
Methadone should be given at the clinics and the clinics only. Never to be let loose into the public. I have a cuz that has recently found half of vial of methadone and is now in the hospital where he was near death. Been 4 days now that he has yet to still come out of it. Hopefully without brain damage or other complications. By all means keep it away from anyone that is not supposed to be using this drug!
sorry 2 hear about that ive been there look down 6 pages there u will find my true story so methodone should b destroyed not put in a dr.s office if u ask me hope ur cuz gets better
I’m so lost I need to figure out how to get an investigation started for my son’s death he was a beautiful 30 year old son he wasmy first baby he died at the hand of someone giving him buprenorphine while he was taking zanix and he died at her house they said it was an accidental overdose but I don’t think so how can I get help or some advice?
my son has died from methodone in January this year, and we are all absolutely devestated, life will never be the same, I dont think I will ever get over this, ever. He never took drugs, was dead against them, but he met this girl and we got a call from her mother to say he had fallen down the stairs one evening about 8.15pm, and an ambulance was on it’s way. Well I went strait to the hospital, and arrived before the ambulance. I wandered outside to wait thinking it was just a fall and he had probably broken a bone or something. The ambulance arrived, but she was not with him, she came later in her mother’s car with her two small children. We were taken to a room to wait…The doctor came in and told us she was sorry but he was dead, she said she was puzzled as he seemed a very fit healthy young man…..Well as investigations unfolded, we found it was a methodone overdose that had killed him, and for someone who had never used the drug before, it was enough to blow him apart…We found out this girl was a heroin addict, now being prescribed methodone, and that my son had fallen down the stairs FIVE HOURS before an ambulance was called!!!!! He never got up!!! and he was led there dying while she and her two kids were there in the house….SHE didn’t call for the ambulance until it was too late, she told police he had taken her methodone, so why did she not get help…..I think she had given it to him without his knowledge and that is why she left him there to die….she also neglected to tell the paramedics what he had in his system, so they didn’t even know what they were dealing with!!!…She wont be prosecuted for this, as apparently you do not have a duty of care to inform the medics when asked!!!! BUT she is guilty as hell….she left my son lying at the bottom of the stairs for all that time knowing what was wrong, and she would have been told by her doctor the dangers of the drug, and what it can do to non users….If she loved him, as she said she did, why did she not help him!!! FOR GODS SAKE WHY?????…Thing is they will not prosecute as she said he took it and although the police are not convinced of her story, there is no witnesses, and my son cannot speak up for himself…she made damn sure of that!!!
My son was 24yrs old and his cause of death was drug abuse.He was with a friend he had gone to school with they hd been friends for years my son did use drugs but his friend was a heroin addict, my son used to give him clothes and shoes etc, get me to fill bags with food for the lad and he had a great heart he would help if he could. My son and this friend were at my home on the saturday night I went out sunday they were both sleeping and came back late afternoon to find my son dead on my sofa. The ladtold police my son had stolen his vallium which were prescribed to the boy, My son toldme the previous evening he had bought them from the lad, nothing was mentioned about Methadone. When the toxology report came back the cause of death was a small amount of methadone that was enough to kill my son as he was,nt a heroin user and he was,nt taking methadone. When I confronted the lad he decided to tell me that on that night his methadone was gone and that my son must have stolen it from him. The lad told me that , he had slept all day on the sunday and had just woken up when I came home but he ran straight down the stairs to where my son was lying on the sofa, how did he know my son was still in the house, how did he know he was on the sofa, nobody asked any of these questions,and the lad won,t talk to me. My son was my only child he was my life and I am left devestated. He must hve known his methadone was gone before the toxology report came back so why did he not tell me that and say that he thought my son may have taken it. I will never know the truth. I will never know why the government give addicts responsibility for this medication, so may people have suffered from the same fate, why does no one do anything about it.
I have beem a dilaudid addict for 5 yrs of my life, im now 19… and I have never once, heard of someone over dosing off methadone, unless they seriously over use it. Methadone is a strong substence, I take liquid methadone off the streets from a realiable source for the past 3 years. And You only need a tbsp, to take away the sickness.. and methadone is a hell of alot healthier then herion. & to shut down the methadone clinics is complete bullshit. People need that stuff. I dont do dilaudid nad hydromorphs anymore, because i can do my daily activites. Methadone is a blocker, from the withdrawls people. It is not something you get high off of. Yea it makes you xtreamly tierd, but thats it. So maybe you guys should put out there that its not a bad drug, it helps alot of people, and there is a lot of good that comes out of it. Because I now gained back a husben, my house, my 2 cars and my dog and cat…..its stupid people who decide to gultz back 145mg a day! 145mg bottle lasts me 2 godamn weeks. Thats what they give you in detox, and if it was such a bad drug, it wouldnt be on the shelfs, it wouldnt exsist. Its to block the withdrawls. Its stupid people who decide to drink way over there body compacity.
4 ur information its not bullshit and they dooooooooooo need 2 take that devil out of tha clinic it only took me 60 mg 2 die how stupid is that
My brother died from 30mg of methadone. I think that methadone used for chronic pain management is okay but as far as blocking withdrawls…get some other help, why is replacing one drug with another okay? So it is not okay to be addicted to dilaudid but it okay to be addicted to methadone? Doesn’t really make sense. Why don’t you find some strength and stop it all. I can say that because I was once an adict and now I have not touched anything in years, I am in grad school and have an amazing job. I am just sorry that my brother couldn’t kick it…he died at 32, the smartest most loving guy I have ever known…but methadone killed him as it has hundreds or thousands of others. You can defend it but really what is happening is you are using it as a crutch as an excuse to keep using. I hope that you stay safe.
Jessica, you are so right! That dilaudid addict is using methadone as a crutch (one opiate in place of another). I know that from experience. I developed an addiction to oxycodone thanks to a doctor over-prescribing and me thinking it was okay because he wrote it. That is Bullsh*t! I was living in a dream land. I ended up in the hospital for two weeks detoxing off the oxycontin I was on only to end up being put on methadone. Now I am trying with great difficulty to get off the methadone. This stuff is definitely worse than any narcotic pain medication I’ve ever had! I wish I had never started taking this satanic crap! It’s taking my life away from me. I can’t do anything anymore because I am too damn drowsy every day! I feel as though I have been cursed with this stuff. And one thing I’d like to say about those Methadone Clinics: they are death traps!!! The one where I live is a joke! They NEVER monitor your blood pressure, and anybody can walk in there and say they have a drug problem and they’ll sign you up just to get that daily fee! They don’t care if you are an addict trying to better yourself. They just want their money! I feel blessed that I have a doctor who DOES monitor my b/p, asks me specific questions, and keeps up with my dosage and how I am doing. He really IS trying to help me get off this stuff. Bottom line, I HAVE TO WANT TO GET OFF OF IT AND WORK HARD AT DOING JUST THAT!
I understand everyones point and have seen it detroy and kill ppl and seen it save ppl…myself, i suffer from 6 different chronic conditions that cause pain..and everthing else i took didnt help as much as methadone..I can work,have my life back..i can do things more normal than i ever did..Idont feel high i feel normal..I take 120mg a day..not all at one time its 60mg twice a day…if someone knows omrthing else i should do iam open for all ideas…I wish i didnt have to take anything…BU I DO
im sorry to hear abwt all ur loses bt pple hu die of methodone overdose is there to blame they are givn it to ease the painnot to drink it lyk pop,i am oin methodone and it has helpd me alotb i have gone of the street drugs an gradually reducin my doses which is very important, the problem is it takes tym for the meth to 2_4 hours to gt in ur system thats y people tke to much an leads to overdose,you should always take small capsule say every 2 to 3 hours depnedn on how u feeling,the less u take the better of u nt been realli hooked on meth .gud luk to everyone hu is getn help u can du it,it all will power think bwt wen u cum clean and all th fings u cud av with the muney u spend on the drugs trust me!WILL POWER!ALWAYS TAKE THE VERY LEAST DOSE MISB’y
yep ive been there done that but trust me methodone is no joke i went 2 a clinic 2 get off pills they give me a dose that day i couldnt belive when i woke up in tha hospital it was 4 days later when they give me my overdose treatment i was following instructions very carefully {not drinking } so what it come down 2 is my son took me 2 get my dose 4 tha morning and then 2 eat lunch where i was full and ready 4 a nap tha rest was told 2 me tha phone rung my husband had been trying 2 call me when there was no ans he called my son who said i was sleeping thank god my son brought me tha phone cause he relized that i was barely breathing and making tha death rattel noise who then called tha ambulance when they got there i was breathing 4 times a min they put a needle in my neck shocked me gave me some kinda meds 2 bring me out of deaths grips from that point i c it on video and it makes me sick 2 know i was trying very hard and a dr. of all people gave me my dying pescription i really think it is not a good drug even 4 those that say its what they need cause tha dr.s said it was what i needed my question is y i could have jumped in front of a moving truck all by my self and not had tha speach impairment after word take it from some1 who tryed getting clean methodone is not tha road 2 take it is a gravel road that u take at a high speed tha will only resort in a crash not tha bahamas love me !!!!!!!!! cause im still here!!!!!!!!
My wife had a near death roll over accident which should have killed her. she suffered brain, neck, back, all kinds of injuries. God isn’t done with her yet so she’s still alive. He healed miraculously many of her injuries. We have xrays of many broken bones and 20 minutes later, no injuries! But He, why I don’t know, hasn’t healed all her problems and she lives every day in excruciating pain. She went thru many years of increasingly potent treatments and “procedures”. Never ignore the word PRACTICE on your doctor’s door. After working her way methodically and scientifically up to morphine as a last resort, we found a brilliant pain doctor who understands things and switched her to methadone. Now, with what many information centers call a “lethal” dose, she is able to live a relatively normal life. She is overseen by a doc who is registered with the DEA and has been in practice a LONG time. Don’t ever think I’m talking down about the bad things of any pain killer, but when your life is constant pain, I thank God for men who are smart enough to figure out things like methadone. I was a drug user for many decades and only got off thru the grace of God and a relationship with Christ. I tried to get off before God got hold of me, and I can pretty authoritively say that trading one drug for another is not an answer but when it comes to pain, a knowledgeable, experienced, CERTIFIED doctor is a Godsend. If you’re hooked on dope, the ONLY answer is Christ. Find someone who knows Him and ask them for help!
i was on methadone for 2 years and im now 17. i had an arachnoid cyst on my spinal cord and was almost paralyzed. its the hardest drug to get off of. i had overdosed a couple days before i quit and within 4 hours of not having it, i couldnt stop throwing up. i lost 23 pounds in 5 days from withdrawal. it takes over your body. i had no idea it could do that much to me because i didnt get very high off of it because i was in pain. i was on a very large amount and if adults would take it, they would die because they have a lower tolerance
never take it, is my advice. you probably wont listen or tell your wife but one day i think you will realize what it can do to your body :/. i would go crazy and i would believe people were in my house and people stalking me. i was the most paranoid person i have ever seen. when i get into fights with people i would blackout. still even 6 months later and i wouldnt remember what happens. i can still feel it when i excersize coming out of my body. its the worst feeling in the world. it sounds like i dont know what im talking about but its so hard to explain. its a terrible drug. i now have chronic pain syndrome, have been addicted to pain killers for two years, had 10 broken bones over 500 stitches near my spinal cord a tumor,brain injury,neck injury, and still living in chronic pain & i would STILL rather never see that drug in my life. it has caused so many problems. and your wife hasnt came off of the drug. when i took it for a long time i was the happiest i had been and felt great.until you come down from it. just keep that in mind….
On July 13, 2011 my 25 year old brother overdosed on methadone and died. We don’t know if he had gone to sleep first or not because my dad wasn’t home with him that night. he had been an addict and had used all sorts of drugs for about ten years but had been clean a little over a year and had finally gotten his life straightened out. I took him to live with my dad on father’s day this year and we had the best day of my life! I can’t believe that was the last time I will ever see him! There were no other drugs in his body. he told me he was struggling to stay off of painkillers because of severe back injuries he suffered years ago but I know after autopsy he had not done other drugs. he had taken methadone before for withdrawls from oxycontin after surgery and I guess he didn’t realize it would kill him since there was no reason for the receptors in his brain to be blocked. I feel dead inside and don’t know how to be a good mother and wife anymore. His memorial service (he was creamated) is this Sunday and I don’t know how I will handle it. We were only 51 weeks apart in age and have always been extremely closed. he was loved my all he knew and was the most hilarious person you could be around. I am broken for myself, and my family. Broken. I want him back.
It has been over 6 months now and my grief is worse than ever. I still cry every day.
I lost my husband of 26 yrs to a methadone overdose, I jut found that out yesterday from the medical examiner, he would take it every day, and my son said he showed no signs of being so high on it, so all it took was the one time and he probably took as much as he always had, but just that one time, I think that Dr. to over perscibe the medication to people, he wanted so badly to get off of it but couldnt by himself. I miss him so much, but I am also angry at him for leaving me and his kids and grandkids, were lost right now and in aw, we thought he had a heart attach until we got the call yesterday.
I’ve been taking methadone for chronic pain due to inoperable nerve damage related to circulatory disease and surgical complication in both legs.
Before taking methadone I was barely able to walk or function at all. Until I was prescribed methadone, I was prescribed huge quantities of literally dozens of other medications and combinations there of. These offered little or no relief and were prohibitively expensive.
I take methadone because I live in the United States and don’t have health insurance. I pay sixty dollars out of pocket for methadone each month. If I was to take MS-Contin or Oxycontin instead, which might not even work as well for the nerve damage I’m told, the cost out of pocket for me would be literally thousands of dollars each month.
As a disabled college student, there is absolutely no way I could afford to take any other pain med on the market. If not for methadone therapy, I would not have attained my college degrees and would most likely have killed myself due to the lack of quality of life I would otherwise endure.
I initially started at a dose of 5mg per day, titrated up to 20mg per day within a week. After about a year, I was up to 100mg per day taken in two 50mg doses.
I’ve been taking 100mg per day now for about three years without any problems other than the side effects of such a high constant dose, which personally include nausea, loss of appetite, constipation, loss of libido, dry mouth, and a craving for sweets. These aren’t awful, but are bad enough that if I didn’t need the pain relief I would gladly do without the methadone. Most of these can be mitigated with concurrent cannabis therapy, but I don’t live in a progressive state and therefore don’t really have that option.
Why anyone would pay attention to advice about methadone from such unreliable sources as self-described life-long junkies and hysterical grieving mothers of accidental overdoses is beyond me.
The fact is that many, many people are prescribed methadone because that is the only pain med that those in sever pain who require high doses of narcotic analgesics can afford, especially those without insurance in America. If all of these pissed-off people want to do some good and prevent some needless tragedy, they should lobby for universal single-payer health care or, at the very least, for equitable drug prices in the United States, particularly for the uninsured. Anything else is counter-productive, irrational, and futile.
Jack,
I have to say, I can’t help but agree with your comment. I am kind of in the same boat as you. I have no health insurance and being a single white male, medicaid refuses to help me. So my medical bills are all out-of-pocket and methadone is the only thing I can afford to get for my constant chronic neck/back pain from 4 failed surgeries in these areas. I am on 60mg/day and am prescribed the 10mg tablets. I take two tablets, three times daily. I, too, have some side effects similar to yours plus I get very drowsy if I sit still for any length of time. I am now afraid to go to church simply because I possibly can nod off and not even know it. It’s embarrassing. I also am afraid to drive any great distances for the same reason. Other than that, I can deal with the constipation, some sweating, loss of appetite, and an intense craving for sugar. I have gained almost 27 lbs. since I started methadone treatment nearly two years ago. But there is a down-side to my story as well. I posted it yesterday and it’s further down on this website. I wish you the best of luck and hope you aren’t in too much pain.
Richard M
I suffer from neurosardoidosis. It formed a lesion and scaring INSIDE of my spinal chord about three inches away from my brain about five inches long. It formed in the sensory area of my spinal chord.
My life consisted of pain blinding pain which was raising my bloodpresssure to lethal levels, plus I could not continue living like that I was blacking out and literally could not think, I probably would have flung myself in front of a car without even knowing it. I tried EVERY form of pain medication known to man, and the only thing that stopped the pain or made it manageable.
It is a medical fact that extreme pain can cause death, similar to shock.
Methadone has saved my life. I was raised slowly to high levels at a pain clinic. I have been taking it for six years, thats six quality years of life that I thank my doctor and god for every day.
I am sorry for people’s losses, but as with any medication if it isn’t taken consistently the correct way a person can die. Starting and stopping the medication if you do not have a high blood level established overtime will kill a person, but that’s the Dr’s fault if a person was not told that.
life is hard and cruel and sucks, I hate that I have to take it, it has some undesireable side effects, but I would have died six years ago from shock or blood pressure issues due to blinding pain without it. It is not an evil medication, it can be a life saving medication for people enslaved by pain such as myself, It just has to be raised slowly and taken consistently, and not overtaken as with any narcotic be religiously regimented and carefull, six years of responsible use at a maintenence does of about 100mg, just do not start and stop, or raise and lower your own levels.
Sorry for the spelling error I’m on a mac with a touchy touch pad, the condition I suffer from is “neurosarcoidosis”. But I can’t stress how much I’d have died six years ago from pain/shock, blood pressure issues resulting from that pain, and how carefull you must be. I made a couple of mistakes early on and got myself to the hospital asap but my doctor informed me of how to properly take it, and he very slowly raised my levels to effective levels and have had six challenging but rewarding years added to my life. It was and is the only med that even touches my pain, beleive me I have tried every thing else, but for nerve pain such as my spinal chord damage it has been the only option and I thank god for it, while at the same time crying for some people’s losses(seriously), life is a very hard thing for people in chronic pain, I can’t even put it into words, but I’d be dead without the pain blockage, from pure physical stress resulting from the pain. That is who this medication is for, people like me who would pretty much be dead or in hell on earth without it, and when taken consistently I’m six years of living proof, even with some early mistakes(get yourself to a hospital immediately, they can bring the narcotic level down fast with narcan charcoal etc.), but six years of life is a miracle to me, I thank my doctor and god every day. Get to a responsible pain clinic, not a regular internist.
I am 29 years old and broke my neck last year. I have 13 screws and a bone marrow fusion now. The pain is constant. They put me on morphine and then oxycontin. I asked to be off of both so then they put me on hydrocodone. After thinking about what all of these pills were doing to my body, I asked them to put me on something mild, just to put a dent in the horrible pain
I was in everyday. They then put me on ultram and neurotin. I still am in a lot of pain, but I deal with it. I refuse to let a drug kill me. My brother however didn’t know the danger of pills and overdosed on methadone just 6 days ago. Why are these people allowed to take this drug home? Why is it not monitored at a clinic and not taken seriously? I stick through my pain, why can’t you? If you tried hard enough you could do it. This drug needs to be banned. Enough said.
Daughter and Son in law became addicted to opiates. Son in law accident victim (broken back) and he was prescribed opiates for pain. He went on to buying off the street as his addiction matured. Daughter started taking a pill now and then to manage stress (she has 4 kids), son in law is out of work. She also became addicted. The addiction has destroyed what life they had, lost a home, multiple arrests and both have lost great jobs. They both hit bottom we thought then came methadone as a way to rebuild. Son in law is in hospital from overdose, in and out of coma and daughter is on 100 MG maint dose. They can’t get work and have to go 40 miles one way every day for dosing. Kids are with family for the past 6 weeks. Seems kind of hopeless.
My brother, my best friend, age 31 passed away just 6 days ago. He was with me and his nieces until 1:30 pm, he went to his friends house after he left to watch a football game. His friends were ex heroine addics and were going to methadone clinics. My brother asked them to wake him up around 11 o’clock because he felt tired and wanted to lay down. (he had somewhere to go at midnight) His friend asked him what he was on and he told him he took 3/4 of a methadone pill and a xanax. He also had 6 beers before that. They let him fall asleep and that was about 7:30pm and they (the husband and wife) went to sleep. The wife got up around 8 and said she covered my brother up because he looked cold and said he was making a funny noise. She said it sounded like a gurgling snore. She ( who also claims to be a nurse) ignored it, and went back to sleep. She woke up again at midnight and found him lifeless on the couch with vomit on his face. The autopsy says his heart stopped and toxology wont be back for 90 days. I know it was methadone that killed him. I also know he had no idea
the danger of the drug. The people that gave it to him however, did. And yet they still let him take it with no warning. Methadone is the devils drug and should not be prescribed to anyone. I believe they should ban it and if it comes out that he overdosed on it, I will do everything in my power to see that happen. These people are not educated and are just selling these pills like they’re candy. They could care less if someone takes too much. I however have now lost a brother, and my parents have lost their only son. Methadone kills…..it’s a horrible drug and as you see many people day every day from it. Sometimes it’s prescribed by their doctor and sometimes it’s bought off the street. Let’s make a stand and save as many lives as we can. WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN ANY LONGER.
From a grieving sister,
April
My sister went to sleep on Sept 3,2011 and never woke up again!!!! I found out today it was a methadone overdose. I can’t begin to describe the pain and emptiness I am feeling without my best friend. She was 32 years old and served 2 tours in Iraq and came home a changed person. The methadone she took wasn’t hers it belonged to her boyfriend. She suffered from PTSD from being in Iraq and wasn’t getting what she should have been from the VA. I am so angry how our troops are treated after serving in a war. Some of them need more help than the government provides. She would literally move furniture in from of her bedroom door at night because she was convinced people were coming to get her. All she wanted to do was ease the pain and it killed her!!!!!!
My story isn’t too far removed from several of the comments I have read on here. I guess I am lucky to be alive even though I don’t feel worthy of it. You see, I was hooked on pain pills BIG TIME mainly because I didn’t want to feel the pain of living anymore. I grew up in the 60s-70s and was almost killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver back in 1981. I even had an “out-of-body” experience and saw the whole scene from about 30 feet above. I saw my dead body trapped in the wreckage of what was my brand new car at the time. Then suddenly I was back in my body, in great pain, with my left arm barely hanging on at the elbow. His car almost ripped my arm off and I basically bled to death. Since that night, I have been in severe pain physically and for the next several years experienced events that put me in great emotional pain. It was in the 1990s that I remembered how much “better” life was on pain pills. Boy was I wrong!!! I finally got my act together and got clean back in 2002 and stayed clean until I got hurt at work. The injury was bad enough that it required major surgery on my neck & back. I knew I had to be extremely cautious and follow the doctor’s orders or I’d be right back where I was. Well, the surgeon did all he could/would do and referred me to a pain clinic. Looking back, I realize that clinic was merely a gate to Hell! That doctor jacked me up bigtime on Oxycontin and I knew it was too much and even told him so but he kept on giving me more. My mistake at this point was following his orders and taking that crap! I could’ve taken less but no way, I was hooked! This went on for about two years until the doctor discharged me without even taking the time or care of weaning me down off the Oxycontin. I ended up in the hospital/detox for two weeks. I never felt so bad in my life… physically, mentally, you name it, I was a total wreck. So about 3 years ago I was put on Methadone. It started out at 40mg/day and was slowly increased to 80mg/day by my primary care giver. Everything seemed okay until all hell broke loose when the local methadone clinic decided to go after all doctors where I live who were writing methadone for pain. I was forced to go to this clinic; I had no choice. Or at least I felt I had no other choice. I begged and pleaded with my doctor to take me back because this clinic was raising my methadone dose higher & higher. They had me up to 135mg/day and that’s when I stomped on the brakes of my life! It was a holiday weekend and I had 4 take-home doses. I made the conscious decision to cut my dose in half making it 62.5mg/day. I felt fine. No withdrawals ever. After the holidays, I went back to that clinic and told them to cut my dose and they refused to do so and made me take a full dose of 125mg. (I had begun titrating back down before). The so-called nurse at the clinic called the doctor (he would only come in once a week) and he changed my dose Against Medical Advice. Give me a frickin’ break! This is when I knew for sure all this clinic was about was selling drugs! They didn’t care if I lived or died. Assholes!!! So, I spoke with my primary care physician and told him what had happened with the clinic and he took me back to help me get level and hopefully off this drug from Hell! I admit, I HATE the way methadone makes me feel. I am drowsy most of the time and my memory is shot! It scares me to think what this stuff has done to me physically and I know it is going to take a long time for me to get off of it without major problems. I am 56 years old and scared! I am so depressed that all I can think about is killing myself. This should bother me but it doesn’t. And I will apologize to those who are reading this and have lost someone to this drug, I am truly sorry for your loss. But, right now, from where I am sitting, life seems to be over for me. I can’t work due to my being disabled; I have no money and am afraid I’ll be homeless someday. I wish I could go back a few years… you better know I would do some things differently if I had the chance. But, reality sets in and I can’t do that. I have to deal with what I got here and now. I do believe in God and I pray often. Right now, everyday is a new battle for me. I fight to stay awake, to only take the amount of methadone I am supposed to, and try to see if there is any light at the end of this long, dark tunnel I am in. Thanks for letting me share this with you.
Richard
My son passed away on October 6, 2010. Needless to say, my life has been forever changed. My son had been seeking treatment at a methadone clinic in our area. He had been going to ths clinic for 2+ years. I was never convinced that the clinic was truly a treatment center, as they provided no real counciling and as far as I was concerned, did not monitor their clients well. Sending home 2 weeks worth of methadone with a drug addict, did not really seem very smart to me. And of course, my son never took the methadone as prescribed. He had another friend who also went to the clinic and they were on different 2 week schedules. So they traded methadone back and forth. On my sons death certificate “methadone intoxication” is listed as cause of death. I have always felt though that since I live in a small town and the town marshall had made it clear to the emergency personel that my son had a drug problem, that they never really examined him for a true cause of death. My son had just came home that day from a 16 hour plane flight and when I picked him up at the airport, his legs and ankles were very, very swollen. On the drive home from the airport he complained of being very sick at his stomach. Now I do know that my son went to “his friends” house that evening and picked up some methadone, as his appointment with the clinic was not until the next day. However, he didn’t take anymore methadone then he had been taking for the past 2 years. There were no other drugs found in his system either. The following is what has caused me to question the listed cause of death. When I found my son, it looked as though he had just come in from outside, locked his front door, turned around and fell straight forward to the floor. His head was face down, there was no vomit, no nothing. Obviously, my son died instantly. I have tried and tried to research drug overdoses and can find nothing to answer my question. Can a drug overdose actually kill someone that instantly? Does anyone on here know anything about it? Please help me. My son is gone and knowing isn’t going to bring him back. I just need to know for myself. Thank you in advance.
I am so sorry about your loss. Please contact me at tonyadroberts68@netscape.net. I lost my 23 y/o daughter 3 months ago and have done a lot of research on methadone. Maybe I can help answer some question.
About half way through I just scrolled to this comment box because I am disgusted at how this drug has taken so many lives, including my sister, and nothing has been done. After reading part of the posts I’m in no state to post my true feelings except that I am victim to my sibling using methadone and her life ending way too short. It has been 3 years and I am still devastated from the death of my sister. It seams as if no law enforcement cares to address this devastating tragedy, at least in my case. No investigation into texts that confirm drug selling/prospecting and so forth. I think our youth needs to be informed, and everyone is just turning their backs to this all too common “phenomenon”.
Please contact me if you have loss someone due to methadone at tonyadroberts68@netscape.net. Maybe together we can prevent another family from going through this pain and heartache.
The following is a bill we can try to get passed that will help some:
H.R. 1925: Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011
I nearly lost my fiance for good this weekend due to a methadone overdose, and I had no idea that he had ingested it. He kept saying he was tired…I was driving, he fell asleep, and I looked over and his head was slumped down….when I picked it up he was blue, I pulled over and pulled him out of the car all the while my children are in the back seat…he was not breathing and had no pulse….I started CPR….when I realized I could not bring him back I began to wave the traffic down on the interestate….so many people came to help…we were able to get his heart going and get him breathing….then we lost him again…all together I lost him 3 times….by the grace of God we were able to bring him back and keep him…he was taken to the hospital where he was given Narcan to reverse the effect of the Methadone….
Sadly, he bought this off of a guy in Uno’s…took it thinking it wouldn’t do anything to him…and the results were life threatening…..Hopefully this will open some peoples eyes to see that this is nothing to mess with…the visual that my children and I have to live with for the rest of our lives is horrible….
neither do you honey. Its a synthetic opiate- not a blocker! Get ur facts b4 u critisize you got people at a loss & in a world of pain here!
My brother died this September of a Methadone overdose as well….same idea…never took heroine or methadone….he was with some acquitances and given the drug…then eveually fell asleep and they heard him gurrlying and didn’t even get up to move him…he was apparently found the next day…no vitals or little vitals accordingl to them and pronounced dead….they didin’t even turn him over on his side when they apparently heard the unusual noise from his chest…I’ll miss him deeply …. he was a young 44…
This is the first actual query or comment that means something. Opioids aren’t all that bad for the kidneys-liver-pancreas. But acetaminophen is. The hydrocodone will usually have acetaminophen with it since it is considered a ‘break-through’ pain reliever. However, methadone is a ‘chronic’ pain reliever, thus a straight opioid with nothing else added. It will probably be the best way to stay pain free. I’m familiar with the type of conundrum you are in. It is a difficult and unfortunate way to live; I wish you all the needed fortitude for your life…keep hanging on.
If you were tortured by daily, chronic pain you’d be on opioids post-haste. Hehe, what a sanctimonious hypocrite you are.
Apart from maybe 2 comments, the content and the people who have written on this forum have demonstrated such a profound depth of stupidity that I went from hilarity to weeping for the fate of the human race. The shear, callous disregard for the pain of others shows such ethical depravity that I felt poleaxed upon the completion of the read.
Richard M
Almost word for word your state is mine. I am a little more on the embittered side at the moment, but I couldn’t have made the details more succinct without, perhaps, changing a comma. Only significant differentiation is that I have three different chronic pain issues, thus I take less methadone and oxycodone apap 7.5/325. I’m not sure if I am encouraged or discouraged that others are suffering in the same manner, but I don’t feel I am alone on this ledge as much.
In a month and a half my fate (after 1 1/2 year wait) will be decided in court for disability. If I don’t get on disability, as my doctors say I should be, my life will suddenly become worthless. Any advice on how to successfully get on disability?
A comment I made to Richard M was meant for Jack Redwood.
Sorry, this is a very screwy forum format.
please read comment to Richard M. dated 11/19/11
i agree mark. i also am on methodone i have been for the past 4 years on and off and if used/prescribed properly it can have any good advantage’s apart from people overdosing on it, but doctors should really be watching over the patients and be giving them the lowest dose poss and working them up from there till there at a dose that help’s. like everything there are both good and bad. but i think that’s more the individual who prescribed too much a dose to people with low tolerance for the methodone. i do see why people think it’s poison but like i said the person prescribing should really be taking alot more care when deciding what dose to start u on.
richard m. it’s 2011 if the clinic u are talking about has a doctor there that has been prescribin u higher dose’s “after u have said u were fine on a lower dose” than u should report him and make a complaint… ovioulsy he will be thrown out. i read ur comment but i do not belive that u have or are on the program. never will that be aloud to happen. the drug worker’s or anyone who work’s at the clinic for that matter do not give out prescription’s only the doctor can do so. the doctor’s from other surgery’s near by will be conected to the clinic in the area. as “if u were or are on the program” you would no that u have to have a doctor in the same area as the clinic CL;OSEST TO WERE YOU LIVE. so before you write and comment make sure you get all the fact’s…. uno to at least make ur lie a beliveable one.
oh my god… the amount of crap on here. hahahaha JAME’S 4 day’s detox from herion to be free from it…hahahahaha it takes weeks sometime’s month’s dont u think if it were 4 day’s everyone would just stop…and saying that children can get there hands on it… how when it’s in a child proof bottle with cap so inless u leave it open without the lid than noway they can open it. i see you have read a few statement’s from the internet of the actual information on methodone as i see “word 4 word” that u have copied, but thats it, u make me sick making up thing’s. maybe go get the correct information before making out u are actually on the stuff. i can allway’s tell a liar n u most defenatly take the biscuit. haha and what the hell are you talking about… herion was used to cure opium addiction n turnend out to be more addictive??????? what???? opium is herion…..so what the hell u going on about???? like i said u have read a few article’s on herion and methodone and tried to make a story n put urself in there. i see what u are doing you are trying to pick out thing’s and get people to agree and think bout certain thing’s like “the child can think it’s candy” everyone no’s that is will all pills or medication it’s upto the adult not to leave it were the child can get hold of it. than we have u saying that u held down a job and did better when on herion… which u just there trying to make out herion is better…when anyone who no’s n has been on will tell u.. IT IS NOT… and u say u are on methodone now and it does not do anything for ur recovery…well that just show’s u aint even on it. many thing’s you have said are untrue and anyone who read’s ur comment will see that. on the other hand the people who have not ACTUALLY been on herion and methodone as a way of getting drug free will not have anything from them selfs to go on, methodone has helped many people to get drug free yeah there are bad side’s mainley death’s with too higher dose and that’s alot more with people without opiate addiction. so why do you not switch to suboxone or subitex than if u do not want to withdraw from methodone? ha n u just shot urself in the foot….IF METHODONE DOES NOTHING TO HELP YOU…THAN WHY ARE YOU OF HERION NOW THAN??? you would have stopped methodone long time ago “IF U ARE ADDICT AND ARE NOW OFF IT AND ON METHODONE THAT IS” also one last thing that i have noticed which make’s all your comment just picked at from actual information on the subject and you a liar, not that i needed to write all this people who have actualy or are in the situation of being in treatment trying to get clean will see all you have wrote too to be faulse,but for those who have not. you say that u got of herion BUT METHODONE DIDNT HELP OR IS NOT ANY HELP AT ALL. than why did it help you get free of herion, also you say you are trying to get free of methodone addiction now… hmmm well no doctor or drug worker will even alow u to be on this long woth just methodone as you got of the drugs you done need it, they will ween u off it till u off completely. no team would allow u top be on as long as two years a. becuase of the fact you are of herion and like i said they have to ween you of meth once you are free from herion. b. because now there is a new law people and x addict’s are not aloud to be on methodone for long time no more because of herion user’s using the system to keep ion herion and keep on meth “because some dont want to get of”. ok think you have had enough of my time. should not have wrote at all but to ppl who are ignorant to the fact’s reading your comment’s could put someone in danger if they take on some of the thing’s you have said. i just hope none has tried to do the 4 day detox as they will be in alot of disconfort for a hell of alot longer without methodone or any other medication to help them with the cum down.
My dear sister passed away from a Methadone overdose October 2011. She was a 33 year old mother to two young boys, a devoted older sister and a wonderful daughter. We don’t know how she got this drug or why she even took it.
Our days are extremely difficult without her…
I had no idea this drug was such a killer…
Hi. My name is eileen j iam 25 years old..when I was 16 I almost died from minigitis everysenc then I hav e had bad side afacts. From it…well to get vto the point I was 7 months pergo with my son now 5 and I went to the er with a bad migrain and my back was hurting weell my ob was calld in and he put me on methadon ……what….ya that’s what. I said well five years latter iam stell von it I take three 10 mg once a day and it has helpt a lot I don’t want to be on it but it helps my pain I have fibermialga and it helps thay have tird to take me off but I just ended back kon it…..I’m going to see a new dr next month…….but affter reading all this comits iam scared shitless I have a anxaty porb I’m relly scared to die and iam wondering how much do u have to take for it to kill u hellp iam scared now
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