Methadone: Methadone Facts

Question: Is my boyfriend addicted to methadone? ?

(Posted by: on 2012-01-23 22:37:52)

My boyfriend has been taking predcribe methadone for 2 yrs now. He keeps raising an lowering his dose. He is at a 40 dose right now. He complains when he doesnt get to dose. I think he should b finished by now, but he says it takes a while. Can someone tell me wat they think.

Posted by: Mir on 2012-01-23, 23:13:38

Hi Dawn, reading the other answers I just had to clear a few things up. Being on Methadone for two years is by no means excessive, nor unhealthy. You would know that Methadone is a substitute for other opiates like heroin. The half-life is around 24 hours (heroin about 6), so your boyfriend needs it daily. Even if he gets his dose a few hours late he will be in withdrawal. 40 mg is not a very high dose, but if he were to reduce, the recommended rate would be 5mg a fortnight or even month. Methadone is called a maintenance treatment. This means that although many people reduce off successfully, many more will stay on treatment for years. I have patients that have been on Methadone for decades. Many patients that are reducing their dose may get cravings for heroin and then decide to increase their dose a bit to make them go away. This is a smart thing to do and you need to give your boyfriend credit for this. It really is a case of "the lesser of two evils ". Yes, Methadone is as addictive as heroin. But more people should see it as a medication, not a drug. I take medication for a different illness daily and also get sick if I miss a day. Yet nobody judges me! Regards, Miriam

Posted by: JeffreyB on 2012-01-23, 22:43:55

Methadone is usually prescribed to heroin addicts primarily because the withdrawal from heroin is so painfully. The truth is most heroin addicts become Methadone addicts. It's kind of a trade off. Ideally, you want to be free of all drugs, but most doctors still would rather take the risk of having a patient addicted to Methadone than reverting back to heroin. If that is why he is on Methadone, then if he was forced to stop, he will probably go back to using heroin. My take is that unless he is mis-treating you or if he is behaving in a disrespectful way you should be as supportive as you can. Trying to force him down too fast can be dangerous and may not help him.

Posted by: VinniE S on 2012-01-23, 22:46:11

Getting off methadone can be quite the challenge, even though it's my opinion that 2 years is excessive he might not be ready to get off opiates completely. He is obviously dependent upon it and yes he is technically addicted by textbook definition, although I would not say that this is cause for alarm as a person who consumes more than two alcoholic drinks in a single sitting is also considered an alcoholic. Give him your support and tell him that you think it is unhealthy to use methadone long term and ask him if he'd be willing to try to switch and then taper off with Suboxone, as this is much easier and does not give the user "dope sickness " after you stop taking it.

Posted by: justme on 2012-01-23, 22:47:28

Methadone is an addictive drug. It is an opioid, just as heroin is. Some doctors believe it is a treatment to get addicts off heroin, but all it does is make them dependant an a different form or opioid.

Posted by: Steven on 2012-01-23, 22:48:45

Yes he is... Why is he on them in the first place, for Heroin addiction? Two years should be more than enough time to kick the habit; if he is abusing Methadone then he obviously has not. Much like beating what ever addiction he had in the first place the first step will be for him to realize he has a problem.