Doctors Who Prescribe Methadone (Page 10) (Top voted first)

I am addicted to strong pain meds and I am tired of having to come off of them, the withdrawal is awful. I went to a urgent care doc and was prescribed suboxone. I take anxiety meds too but he wants me to stop. I really need the anxiety meds but he wants me off them. How do I get him to change it from suboxone to methadone so I can take my anxiety meds?

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Joyce, my doctors have told me they can write it for pain but not addiction that has to be an addiction specialist and they have. So I will continue to go by what the doctors have told me and continue to get my needed scripts. There are very strict guidelines for writing methadone so it is not something easily prescribed. Medical proof must be provided.

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Yes Joyce I'm sorry but I have to agree with Pam. Before seeing my neurologist I was getting my methadone prescription from an internal medicine/PCP or primary care doc. With no problem. I have countless backups of course....very extensive tests, CT scans, hospitalizations when I was near death....very definitive proof as to why I was taking methadone. STRICTLY for pain. For the record I also receive klonopin for anxiety....i used to get both klonopin & xanax but I'm only on klonopin now, plus amitriptyline, Celexa, and lamactol for bio-polar.

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@ Joyce,
Yes Joyce, I have tried both Gabapentin and Lyrica to no avail. I know they're "supposed" to help my issue, but you can't believe every commercial you see on TV or believe these drugs will work for everyone. Gabapentin made my brain freak out and I saw spots before my eyes. I had tried it 3 X with increased dosages each time. I gave it the best chance I could. Lyrica was tried also. In 2 weeks I gained 10 pounds with no relief from pain and since I am Diabetic, I do not need any weight gain to deal with. If it hadn't affected me this way, I may have been able to try an increased dose for relief but I couldn't. I asked doctors if there was any drug for pain that would not cause weight gain, but the one they tried me on, I was also sensitive to. I think it was called Topimax ? Was also tried on Ultram, along with Lidoderm patches and the anti-depressants together. I hated taking so many drugs and not getting relief, so I had to stop. Add to that the many anti-depressants that were tried on me with no good results, and I was left with being put on the Methadone, which finally gave me some relief. It took about 10 years to get to that point, so I had been thru the mill with medications. I don't want to go thru that again. The pain is too severe now. I learned that when they forced me to not have anything for weeks. I thought I was ready to die !! And all because most doctors became so afraid to prescribe or just couldn't do it for me without the proper training. I assume they weren't aware of the qualifications to treat for pain and just shied away from it. I'm not sure why, really. Maybe they thought I was an addict ? ( that seemed to happen a lot. ) Tho a few were more honest and explained to me that they weren't qualified to treat me with the Methadone. I understood. Except for the person who tried to send me to a Methadone clinic as an addict. I guess most of them know there is a choice to do that, but who wants to ? That's not only expensive as Heck, but you have to go every week !! Not for me, thank you. I can't even stand going in every 30 days.

Joyce, I do appreciate your empathy and understanding, so thank you much. P.N. is not an easy thing to treat. Most doctors have a lot of trouble handling it for their patients. And most patients don't do very well unless their doctors include some narcotic if not with other drugs to try easing the pain. It is a wicked, wicked disease.

I know there's been a lot of advertising for Lyrica and also Cymbalta; which if you notice has fizzled out. But even patients I've known were on Lyrica still need a narcotic to enhance their pain relief. If I can tolerate the pain with only one drug, I'd rather do that than take several different ones. The less I take, the better I feel about it even tho I still feel pain every day.

Also Joyce, I have heard that many doctors will prescribe several drugs to their patients along with Methadone and that includes anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressant drugs and also tranquilizer types.. Some of it is written for break-thru. Maybe they aren't supposed to, but I've heard that many do. I guess they decide according to each patient and how well they know them. I, myself, at one time or another have had scripts for other meds with the Methadone at the same time. Once I got a script for Oxy for break-thru. And once I had Ativan for sleeplessness. It was temporary however. But doctors do do it. Guess it depends on each individual and doctor. And also the general health otherwise of their patient.

I supposed it can be different anywhere you go and to whom you go. I'm just saying what my experience has been. Nothing more.
Once again, I want to thank you for your advice and empathy. And I'm glad you bothered to read my posts to know where I was coming from too. It's appreciated.

And yes...If I could end this going out to the doctor every 30 days for meds, it would be so pleasant. I hate being forced to travel in bad weather or when I don't feel well, just to get a script and my blood pressure taken. Then if I can't get there, I'm without meds and that's not good !! Especially lately here with all the snow storms and extreme cold we've been getting. It's been difficult to get there some months. And to be honest...I'd rather stay in bed most days when the temps are in the teens or below zero out. The cold brings me more pain, so I try to avoid it, if possible. But what choice do I have ? None. Unless they find a non-narcotic drug to treat pain with that works on me. And my pain can't wait another 10 years to go back to taking trials of meds to figure it all out again, either. So no more of that, please.

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""labels now will state that the drugs are indicated "for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock opioid treatment and for which alternative treatments are inadequate." The new labeling emphasizes first considering potentially less addictive measures.""

I have to say this about this new labeling, it begs the question: Who is supposed to determine how much pain a person is in and how long they need to be on a serious pain med for? If I go into a new doc's office, which I've been considering, and show them my records proving all the alternative methods I've used to rid the pain, who is to say that I still don't need a serious pain med (like methadone)?
I hate to be cynical, BUT, I know in times like now they will write me a script for neurontin and tell me good luck because I don't have cancer so I shouldn't bother to ask for narcotic pain MEDS, even my PA @ my PCP office agrees.

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Yes Aug. 2013 my ma passes away I have been on pain medicine for 8 years from a doctor. Well I was on neurontion, cymbaylta, seizure, and 120 tens, 90 blues an 1 more medicine I came to my sox. Asked her for 1 more Xanax adasy cause my ma dies she rook me off everything cold Turkey. I have been having a seizure every month. What so I do.

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Withdrawal from pills sucks, but when you quit methadone if you ever do you will wish for the good old days of pill withdrawal. You have to pay the piper the question is how much are you willing to pay?as far as anxiety meds your doctor will still want you off them with methadone. nasty little cocktail they play off each other so well.

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Quitting xanax cold turkey is very dangerous,deadly in some cases .you have a couple options,find a new doc but that may take a while. or,hate to say this but try finding them off the black market and begin a slow taper so your not having seizures all the time. Do not quit cold turkey, I know it almost killed me. good luck

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My doctor was prescribing me methadone and Xanax for over 4 years straight. I should have faked an overdose and would have had the most solid legal case ever! I would NEVER do that but Im just saying. I was taking everything exactly as prescribed for all of the years.

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I live in landrum sc. I have been going up the methadone clinic in spartanburg sc. The clinic is about 23 miles from my house. They don't accept any kind of insurance. I can't afford to keep paying cash every week for methadone treatment. Do you know any doctors that you don't have to have a referral and that takes Medicaid and Medicare. Thank you.

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Just a.couple of points about methadone availability outside of clinics treating addiction. A doctor cannot prescribe methadone for use in Opiate Dependence, either as a detoxification agent or for maintenance. Methadone can be prescribed if you are INPATIENT at a facility that is licensed to store and dispense methadone. For use in OUTPATIENT settings, methadone can only be prescribed and dispensed at certain addiction treatment centers under very strict guidelines. Methadone patients using Methadone for Opiate Dependence usually need to go to the clinic daily for their dose. Methadone can be prescribed by doctors to treat pain on an outpatient basis. BUT the strongest dosage form available from pharmacies is 10mg tablets. As far as prescribing benzo anti-anxiety medications to patients taking methadone for pain, there are no laws against this practice. However, taking benzodiazepines and methadone (or ANY opiate pain killer) is dangerous. This combination can be fatal; it can depress respiration.

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Unfortunately I'm on here looking for help. My past (current) neurologist just dismissed me as a patient bc I tested negative for Norco, which I am prescribed 50-60 mgs along with 40mgs of methadone daily. I tested negative for the Norco bc I was out of my script (that's what the appointment was for, to get my scripts) at 25 days. My script is written for 1 pill every 4-6 hours, a 25 day script. My appointment was at 30 days. I even told the doc during my appointment this. 2 weeks later I received the letter. I am in Fraser, MI. I take methadone & Norco for pain. I suffer from scoliosis, arthritis & degenerative disc disease in my neck. I have plenty of proof. Now I just need a legitimate doc. I hate this. Can anyone help? I have Medicare insurance. Thanks.

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Thank you, no name, no I haven't tried him bc from reading on here I thought he was mainly an addiction doc & I need a doc to not only prescribe my pain meds but also treat my degenerative disc disease & scoliosis. That's what I loved about my neurologist, he gave me the Norco too for break thru pain & sent me to physical therapy, prescribed me a tens unit & a neck brace. He was treating me. I'm devastated. I had no idea going 3 days without the Norco would cause me to test negative for it. 3 days! When I take 5-6 of the 10mg per day! & that's why I mentioned it at the appointment that day. I know all of these docs are being closely monitored but I never thought this would happen. I hate to even say this but had I known I would have either saved a couple or borrowed a couple for the day before & that day. I could have spread mine out even. Thank you for answering though. I guess he may be my only choice but I hope bc of my diagnosis & current meds history he'd keep my doses the same. My doc has mentioned before taking me off the Norco and increasing the methadone & really don't want to do that. I damn near killed myself weaning from 120mg a day to 40mg a day & don't want to go any higher in methadone. At that high dose I was a space cadet...I'm afraid to go up even a little bc of course you build up a tolerance & require a higher dose every so often. Anyway, thanks! And any other ideas are greatly appreciated as well!

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@JD72...What you say about who decides how much pain a person is in to get medications is so true. We have no control over what a doctor does or doesn't write into their charts. I have noticed several times that a doctor will write a lesser diagnosis than shows up on a test I've had done. It is really annoying and creates a bunch of problems for us, the patients. I've seen some nasty comments written in for me by a few also. Would I have loved to report that doctor, but to whom ?
They put you thru painful tests, only to report that it isn't showing up as bad in their eyes, as it says on paper. They look at you and decide whether or not they think you are sane or otherwise. Who are they...God ? They have some racket in being a licensed doctor.(some of them) They get to say whatever they want just to make themselves look good and knowledgeable. But they do not live in our bodies. They do not feel the level of pain we are in. Plus, each patient is different. My pain may feel totally different to you and at a different level to you than it does to the doctor or someone else. But when a valid test says the patient shows they are suffering from a level of pain worthy of needing stronger pain meds, or narcotics, a lot of doctors ignore it. I think it makes them look better "on the charts", and in their world; while in the meantime they make us suffer. (some do)
I've been lucky to find a doctor who believes what the tests tell him and what I tell him. (thank God) Its taken many attempts to find him, however. It shouldn't be this way. It shouldn't be so difficult for us to be treated with empathy and caring, so we can feel relieved of our pain by our own doctors. Isn't this why we go to our doctors in the 1st place ?
I know that for me, I find it hard to express where my pain level is. Especially using that chart that goes from 1 to 10. All I basically know...is that it freakin' hurts !! And it disables me to a point where I can barely get out of chair or walk.

I so worry too....What are we supposed to do with all of these new laws? It's only serving to make it easier for doctors to get "off the hook" in taking care of us the right way. And making it harder for us to find some relief from pain. It isn't fair and it totally sux. Cause even with all of our tests as proof, we're still stuck with some doctors who just are too afraid to do the right thing anymore.

If your thinking of changing your doctor, be careful if your being treated the way you need by the one your with now. There are so many doctors out there who will( and do) just decide to throw you out of their care and leave you stuck without any meds for who knows how long, or until you, yourself find a new PMD to treat you. Most of the ones I found who list themselves as PMD's actually do not treat any patients with medications at all. It's very misleading. I understand some of their fears. Especially with new patients. But where else do we go to ? It's their fault that they make us look like we're "doctor shopping". There are just too many who advertise themselves in a way that misleads us into thinking that all PMD's treat their patients who only use medications if that's the only choice they have. Most dr.s don't want to believe that pain meds are the only way to treat the pain. I found most want you to start from scratch again and go thru all the trials and errors of all the other meds tried before. Or they put you thru the same old tests all over again. It feels like a never ending life of tests, and I don't want to be put thru that again and again. Why should they care tho. No skin off their noses. And they do have to be safe rather than sorry. Especially if we're new patients in their office.
I get angry about it a lot, but underneath, I do understand. Don't like it much either.

I do wish you luck with your endeavors to treat your pain. Just take care if you decide to change doctors. I know it's hard in my state of N.J. I'm not sure how it is everywhere else..So this is just my 2 cents. I hear ya is all I'm sayin'.

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im in michigan and my doctor gives me xanax and methadone , methadone was/is the only med that gives me long lasting pain relief , at my last visit he said he is going to start switching everyone on methadone to suboxone .i am scared to death and trying to find a different doctor. i have 4 children and i cant be going thru withdrawls from all my meds for 3 days the get put on suboxone which i can not afford it is $8.50 a strip ! can anyone help ? need advice on what to do ...

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@Bella,
Oh Bella, I am so sorry for what your going to go thru. Unfortunately, I have no answers for you. I don't really understand suboxone very well, but I think they use it to get patients off the opioids they're on. At least your doctor is giving you this courtesy. Tho I know you don't like it. Does he intend to take all of his patients off their pain meds altogether ? This burns me up, as it sounds as if he is playing God with people. Why isn't he just substituting another pain med for you instead of putting you on Suboxone ? I guess I would be looking for a new doctor at this point, tho I know it is very hard to find one who will prescribe at all these days. It sounds to me like your doctor might be having some trouble with the DEA for writing too many scripts. Or having too many patients that require scripts for their pain. Sounds like he is giving in to pressure and forgetting about his patients well being.
I can imagine your fear and anger at this point. I know that when my doctor suggested I try this electronic thing, I would have had to stop my meds for 2 weeks prior in order to do it. I knew I would never make it, so I refused that machine.
(I would've anyway) In the past, I was put thru a few similar trials when they were trying me on different meds. It is an awful thing to go thru...., especially when you've had your pain controlled for awhile. And I for one, don't ever want to go thru it again. I'm too old and in too much pain to be doing trials and being their guinea pig anymore.
I don't know where you are in your treatment, but doing this is very hard on one. I know. Not to mention the expense of the new med. I am always grateful when my doctor prescribes a med that isn't expensive. All the new ones take you for broke. And I am on too many different medications to be messed with like that. (Not all pain meds) Maybe you could try to explain to your doctor about the added expense of the Suboxone ? Maybe he will understand and try to figure something else out for you ? I think it's worth a try anyway. If he is understanding, he may figure out something else for you. If not,,,you may be stuck doctor shopping for a bit, until you can find one who will treat you on what you are used to and can afford.
I do wish you the best in getting thru this. I know exactly how your feeling right now.
Wish I had more for you, but I don't. I can only give you my sympathies and a tiny bit of advice that I've said here.
Personally, I don't think that a doctor who will do this to his patients deserves to be a doctor anymore. It's one thing if there's no other choice. But it doesn't sound this way to me from what you've said. I do know, that you are certainly not alone in your plight. The only other suggestion I can make for you, is to try calling your local hospital to ask if they run a pain clinic. If they do...then try to get into that for your treatment. I don't think they would pull such a thing on you. Private PMD's seem to be cutting all of their patients out lately. There aren't too many left who continue to treat pain patients from their offices...unfortunately for us.

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Have been on Methadone for pain @ a clinic(tx,center) for almost 16 yrs...120 mgs of liquid. Started @ 100 mgs & just last year went up as pain increased after 15 years & obviously I was building up a tolerance .Have also been prescribed 10mg valium, t.i.d.,then Ativan...2 mg,t.i.d.,& finally Xanax,2 mg. q.i.d. I have suffered from panic attacks & generalized paralyzing anxiety for over 30 years...Have tried every other serotonin uptake(Effexor,Paxil,Celebrex,Celexa,Elavil...YOU NAME IT)...w/zero results ! My psychiatrist retired & now am seeing one in a larger city...He is now insisting that I HAVE to quit taking my Xanax & has me down to 5 mgs a day...plus plans to taper me to 4 mgs next month until I am off all together.He lied to me @ first & said he was going to see how I did ...only lowering me to 2 or 3 mgs if possible..If i cannot take my Xanax...I cannot leave the house...Like I said before..I have fear of public places ,agoraphobia(am now a recluse),as well as severe panic attacks...Am now down to 5 mgs a day...(of Xanax)..I am an RN...& retired a few years back.I hate taking Percocet ,or any pain pill,but now I am addicted to methadone & also need my panic meds both for the pain(rheumatoid arthritis,plus a badly broken leg,4 herniated disks & injuries from 4 other car accidents(not my fault)where bones were broken,I should add...Had severe head & facial injuries,broken ribs & was told a plastic surgeon put in 72 stitches to re-attach my forehead . I am in N.C. & haven't a clue what to do ? What do I do ?Am in N.C. & having a devil of a time ...I also have Grand Mal seizures when I stop taking Xanax(was hospitalized in '09 after having 1 @ home & 2 while in hospital_(I tried to take myself off the Xanax)HELP???Seizures can & will kill you(me).I do not abuse my meds(never have) & also have never had a dirty UA or mouth swab @ the clinic. My Dr. is insistent that I MUST stop the benzos?? Help...Please...) where bones were broken,I might add ! What do I do ?Am in N.C. & having a devil of a time ...I also hjave Grand Mal seizures when I stop taking Xanax(was hospitalized in '09 after having 1 @ home & 2 while in hospital)HELP???Seizures can & will kill you(me).I do not abuse my meds(never have) & also have never had a dirty UA, yet my Dr. is insistent that I MUST stop the benzos??

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Dear Liza,
I don't know what you can do, unfortunately. But may I Ask you if you were taking all of the anti-panic drugs before you were on pain meds ? It may only be a theory of mine, but in my own situation, I have felt that being on anti-panic meds brought me into being in enormous pain when I stopped them suddenly. OR....the panic meds were hiding the fact that I had Diabetes, so it was untreated, and that made me develop my neuropathy.

It is known that some anti-depressant type drugs cover up high blood sugars. I didn't know it at the time, but learned this later on. I took anti-panic meds (Tofranil) for 8 years before I stopped them when I felt better. Within 2 weeks after stopping them, my Neuropathy pain developed and I went thru many examinations over the next 2 to 3 years until I got a diagnosis of Diabetes, which they still tell me I have, and take meds for that. I could be totally wrong in my opinions. I don't know. But doctors "practice", so how wrong can I be ?

I will also tell you that I had been tried on several anti-depressant meds like yours while I was going thru my panic and nothing helped except the Tofranil. (Imipramine)-- >generic name. For what it might be worth to you, maybe you could ask your doctor about trying the Tofranil ? The generic is fine also.

I'm sure you've experienced many of the side effects from these drugs, so I prolly don't have to warn you that you may get "the sweats" from the Imipramine. That was the most prominent side effect I got from it, besides hiding the high blood sugars. But it did help the panic a great deal. I was also under psychiatric care while on these meds too, and that helped me get off of it. I haven't had a need for it in many, many years. Tho I do sometimes feel anxious, depending on the situation. I just deal with it now.

My suggestion for you would be to possibly talk to your doctor about changing your panic meds to work better, so that maybe you won't need to take the Xanax after all. Then, you wouldn't have to feel so much panic over it as you are.

Will you still be taking the other meds, such as Ativan and Valium ? They alone should be enough to help if you must stop the xanax.

Just please don't take every word I said here as gospel. I am only another pain patient, trying to help you out a little. These are my own thoughts and feelings and not those of a doctor. The final word on these problems, you must get from your doctor. My words are only a suggestion or two. And some of my own experience with similar problems. If I said too much, I apologize. But if anything I've said has helped you, I'm glad.

I do wish for you to find the right answer for your success in this fight in your life. I have great empathy for you, as I have suffered from some of the same things you are. Though none of my physical problems are from accidents. Mentally, I would say yes. After being slammed 3 times, I did develop some panic in the car. (and still feel it some) I just don't drive as much or as far as I used to anymore. I'm just about able to get to the important things in my life and that's it.( baby steps) I can't even feel easy if someone else is doing the driving for me, so I often don't get to family gatherings and such; even tho I want to badly. I get panicky then, too. It's an awful thing to go thru. It's embarrassing at the least. And most others do not understand why, as well as we don't know why. It just happens.
In any case Liza...I wish you well.

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In general, most anti-anxiety meds (benzos, anyway) are not safe to take with opiates/opioids - that means that benzos don't mix well with Suboxone, methadone, morphine, H, and other pain meds. The combo can cause severe respiratory depression, and result in death. Aside from that, opiates and opioids produce anti-anxiety effects on their own; a benzo is not needed to control anxiety in a patient on opiates/opioids - unless they want to feel high.

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@Sub. Yes, your 100% right about it depressing the respiratory system when mixed together. Some patients can handle it, but anybody who may have a case of COPD, Asthma or the like could be affected very badly. Not all doctors pay close attention to your chart when they prescribe for you. This is very unfortunate, but does happen. Please, please be careful with what your taking. Whether your doctor prescribes it for you or not. You yourself have to be on guard for your own care at all times. Pay attention to the warnings. They are there for a reason.
One doctor gave me a new script that was a derivative of Morphine. I told him I was too sensitive to it and couldn't take it because it affected my breathing in a bad way. He looked at me as if to say..."Who are you ? Are you the doctor or am I ? Well, I didn't see him for long after that. For some unknown reason, I have taken other derivatives of Morphine and was not affected that way. But this one scared me.. Just goes to show ya that you really have to watch out for yourself when taking meds all the time. Especially if it's something new and that doctor doesn't know you well. But seriously, I've even had my primary screw up on me. So please just be careful and be aware of what your taking. Also, trust your pharmacist and try to develop a good relationship with them too. They are there to help protect you.

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Does anyone know if any doctors in Washington state take dshs state insurance for sobaxin???? HELP PLEASE!!!

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