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Re: methadone

Posted by ed_uk on March 4, 2005, at 17:46:49

In reply to methadone, posted by calamityjane on March 4, 2005, at 5:26:07

Hi,

>Her life is RIDICULOUS now

What do you mean?

>This drug is similar to heroin, I think, so why would using it be any better than Vicodin?

Because Vicodin contains acetaminophen and so high doses can cause severe liver damage. Vicodin also contains hydrocodone, an opioid.

>I heard that treatment was only supposed to be between 4 and 6 weeks.

Not necessarily, some people stay on methadone for many years or even for life- which is fine so long as they aren't having any side effects. It sounds like your aunt may be having side effects though.

>Now all she does is sleep and eat.

Has she gained a lot of weight on methadone? If she has, controlled release morphine may be a suitable alternative because it tends to cause less weight gain than methadone.

>Why does the clinic keep giving her more and more methadone?

I don't know, have you asked her? It sounds like things may have been going on that you didn't know about.

Here is an abstract which may be of interest.............

Addiction. 2004 Aug;99(8):940-5.

Slow-release oral morphine versus methadone: a crossover comparison of patient outcomes and acceptability as maintenance pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence.

AIMS: To evaluate slow-release oral morphine (SROM) as an alternative maintenance pharmacotherapy to methadone for treatment of opioid dependence. DESIGN: Open-label crossover study. SETTING: Out-patient methadone maintenance programme. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen methadone maintenance patients. Intervention Participants were transferred from methadone to SROM (once-daily Kapanol trade mark ) for approximately 6 weeks before resuming methadone maintenance. MEASUREMENTS: Patient outcomes were assessed (1) during the transition between medications (dose requirements, withdrawal severity) and (2) after at least 4 weeks on a stable dose of each drug (treatment preference, patient ratings of treatment efficacy and acceptability, drug use, health, depression and sleep). FINDINGS: Transfer from methadone to SROM was associated with relatively mild withdrawal for the first 5 days; the final mean SROM : methadone dose ratio was 4.6 : 1. Compared to methadone, SROM was associated with improved social functioning, weight loss, fewer and less troublesome side-effects, greater drug liking, reduced heroin craving, an enhanced sense of feeling 'normal' and similar outcomes for unsanctioned drug use, depression and health. The majority of subjects preferred SROM (78%) over methadone (22%). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide justification for further evaluation of SROM as a maintenance pharmacotherapy for opioid dependence.

Ed.


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poster:ed_uk thread:466332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050304/msgs/466610.html