To a Medical Doctor About Opiate Addiction and PAWS (Post Acute Withdraw Syndrome)?
Question by JiNx: To a Medical Doctor about Opiate addiction and PAWS (Post Acute Withdraw Syndrome)?
I have off and on, mostly on, been addicted to prescription pain medications (Opiates) for about 10 years (I’m almost 30 now, and started at age 19-20). I have tried to quit many times, failed many times, did succeed once early on, for 6 months, but started again (Thought it would always be easy to quit). It is literally… a nightmare now. I have a child, I am single (My parents, god bless them, have helped me take care of him, but I would do anything to get from underneath this medication to do this independent, just cannot do it sick, and my PAWS seems to never end), and don’t know how I am ever going to be able to get off of it… or a dependable form of medication to maintain the addiction (Methadone, Suboxone). I guess what my question is, are there doctors that prescribe METHADONE for the maintaining of the addiction, not for pain? Suboxone would work, if I could afford the medication. it is literally cheaper to stay on the street medication that route. The only other option are clinics, which take money but do not take insurance (Or just my insurance). In all honesty, that is no different then a drug dealer, only legal. At 11 dollars a day, I cannot afford a monthly cost of $ 300+. When I asked them about the price, they simply stated “Well, it is cheaper than what you would pay most drug dealers.”. It is pretty sad, that doctors would prey upon people with such problems. I really don’t know what to do. I am not weak willed, I could easily maintain MYSELF, without overdoing it, if only I could just get a prescription for the medication. It seems not so much that they want to make sure you are taking the right amount, but rather that they want to cash in on the money you are paying for it on the streets. I am losing hope…. Meetings don’t help, I don’t need to talk, I need medication. You tell a doctor this, he treats you like a walking turd, like a robot programmed to turn you away once you mention it ( They teach it to you I guess in school), when you are literally begging to just be able to function, like him or her does normally. My son keeps me going. Rehabs are the same… No money = Cold Turkey suffering experience that ends most likely with you back on it…. Lots of money, Medicated, doesn’t really matter, because having money….. what is there to really worry about? You can get the meds anyways. Everyday, I lose more and more of my intelligence, lose what made me.. ME. I live in Kansas too, which, is SOOO much worse when dealing with doctors. My PC prescribed me Naproxen to deal with withdraw…. “Thanks for that Aleve”.. I guess, Anyways, my question, my MAIN QUESTION, once again, “Are there doctors that prescribe METHADONE for the maintaining of an opiate addiction, in Kansas?”. Can’t afford Suboxone, Can’t afford a rehab that works, Can’t afford the legal drug dealers at the clinic. I’m done carrying on…. Just about out of hope.
Best answer:
Answer by justinfranksnj
Methadone can only be prescribed for opioid addiction in a clinic. This is federal law. While there probably are some doctors out there who might prescribe it for you, 99.999% will not even consider it because it is too much of a liability. They could lose their medical license or even get a felony conviction for doing so.
Buprenorphine is now available as a generic and is cheaper than it was in the past. It still will be fairly expensive though. If the doctor is willing to prescribe generic Subutex instead of generic Suboxone it will also be a bit cheaper.
The difference is that Suboxone contains both buprenorphine and naloxone (Narcan) — an opioid antagonist that is not absorbed when it is taken as intended (dissolving under your tongue). It is added to deter addicts from injecting the medication. If injected, Suboxone will put you into instant and severe withdrawal.
Subutex is just buprenorphine, without the Narcan. This is why it is less expensive. The issue is that many buprenorphine doctors will only prescribe Suboxone because it has less potential for abuse.
You need to weigh the costs for either methadone or buprenorphine against your will to get clean. If you are serious about getting off opioids, it will be worth it in the long run. You mentioned that your parents have helped you take care of your son — I am sure that they would be willing to help you break your opioid addiction.
Your son is worth it. You are worth it. You owe it to yourself and your son to get clean.
Good luck.
Answer by oldgoat
You will to go to a methadone clinic to be maintained and the price must be pretty well regulated as it’s $ 11 a day here too. It’s crazy because if it’s for pain you could fill the trunk of your car with $ 11I worth of methadone tablets. If you still have pain issues a methadone clinic won’t touch you.
Talk to your general practitioner and insurer to see if there is some type of reimbursement that you may be able to get from a clinic You should try a mental health professional (by which I mean a psychiatrist) if you are looking to go through methadone or suboxone detox. That who you want for either maintenance or a slow detox. You really need to do your homework on doctors with this. Too many do not give a damn about withdrawal and will drop you off a cliff. You need to make it implicitly understood that if there is going to be a dose tapering that you have some control over dose. Nobody has to tell you why cold turkey doesn’t work. You need to get down to about 5mgs and step off or 5mg every other day and then step off. You will still feel like crap and methadone is sneaky. It’ll stay with you for an extra 36 hours or so, then the symptoms of withdrawal kick in for 3 or 4 days.
The real trick as you have found out is to break the mental dependence addiction cycle. I try to suggest to people that they put their drug money in to tangible goods instead. Buy that 60″ flat screen. Get the surround sound system. Buy the kid a bunch of toys (not too many you don’t want to spoil them). Buy some Savings Bonds or other long term investment. If you’re clean and sober and your drug money is tied up making you more money where you can’t get it, you will avoid temptation. Good luck
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