Methadone Filler Causing Allergy (Page 2)
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I have a severe allergy that I have had for a year and a half now. I break out all over in the itchiest pimple like sores. They either have no liquid in them or sometimes a small amount of clear fluid. No puss. It has gotten worse over the past year and a half to where I now get huge hives and random swelling that is very painful. sometimes a foot or a hand but it's not like normal edema swelling, this is painful and a tighter swelling, definitely part of the reaction. I have no health insurance so after looking everywhere possible i cannot find anywhere to get the extremely expensive tests I would need to pin point the cause of this. my hands will get hot and then itch like crazy, my extremely thick hair has thinned to the point in the front where If something doesn't happen soon I'll have to wear a wig. The first time my doctor looked at it, the very first words out of his mouth were, That's a food or drug allergy. But like I said, No insurance, no tests. The only thing that had really changed in diet or anything I consume was 9 months before this started I had switched methadone clinics. I moved back to my home state. I've been a long time methadone patient. I started in 1999. From 1999 to Oct 2007 I was on the liquid cherry flavored methadone. Never had a single problem. 9 months after starting a new clinic that used the 40 mg Methadose tabs, all this started and has not let up one single day since. It's the only thing I take every single day no matter what and cannot quit long enough to see if it's the cause. My clinic switched a year ago to the orange 40 mg tabs made by a different manufacturer. I saw a pic in a different post they are the tabs that have 54883 on them. Ok here's my question. Is there a common filler between those two different methadones that could be responsible for this? In order to go to a clinic that has the liquid kind again I'd have to drive over 100 miles. And it's expensive to become a new patient so I don't want to switch unless I know it's a good chance that this is what's causing all this. I have been absolutely miserable for almost a year and a half without any resources for diagnosis. It's the last thing I can possibly think of and it's starting to make more and more sense. Nothing else in my diet is regular enough to cause a non-stop allergy that has gone on almost 2 years uninterupted. I've quit dairy, I was tested for Celiacs at the one clinic that tried to help but they ran all the tests they could afford. It's not an auto-immune disease we know that much. I know its an allergy, I can feel it and I've been living with it long enough to tell. Everything about it screams allergy. My clinic that I'm out now has been completely unhelpful and unwilling to get me the list of filler ingredients so I can at least research them to see if any of the them are prone to cause allergies. I guess they don't want to take a chance that I want the recipe or something, it's completely ridiculous. So my question is how can I obtain the names of the filler ingredients? When taking the medication there is so much filler left undissolved it's like 95% filler. Something in that has got to be responsible for this. Can you maybe shed some light on this at all? Whether providing me with the names of the filler ingredients or point me in the right direction where to find them. I know I could try and write the manufacturer, but if my clinic won't provide me with that info I don't see why they would either. Also I have asked my clinic, and researched online endlessly and cannot find anything anywhere about methadone fillers causing an allergy in patients or find any postings anywhere of someone who has had this same thing happen. Surely I am not the only one, theres no way, but theres no data on it anywhere. I will stop now and I hope you can help me in some way, I am trying to take this into my own hands since I can't get any help from the people who provide me with the medication. Thank you for your time.

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I have had similar symptoms. I started methadone about 2 years ago. I had a horrible initial reaction; my feet swelled and I broke out in what looked like pimples at first but then quickly spread. It was as if it played on previous blemishes too. I went to my MD and they said it looked like infentigo. I also broke out in hives on my face but I just thought that was due to the fact I was starting a new job and looked horrible. I did a bunch of research and found that with any allergic reaction continued use could make the symptoms go away. My pain specialist wanted me to stop the medicine but it was the first time I felt normal and pain free in years and I was not going to give that up for vanity reasons. I continued the medicine taking it every right hours. The feet swelling and rash went away after a couple months. My pain started creeping back, so I stopped the methadone and went on something else. It did nothing to relief my pain and stopped it after two months, returning to the methadone. I broke out in the rash again. Again it went away after about a month. I want to have a child meaning I obviously need to go off the medicine. I stopped taking it for a few months but my pain was just too unbearable and I had to go back on the methadone. I broke out again. This time I went to urgent care, the Dr there said it too really looked like infentigo. This time it definitely was worse and it even spread into my hairline and started breaking my hair off and infecting my hair follicles, bad! I stuck it out and it went away after a couple months. I still don't know what is truly causing the issue because continued scheduled usage stopped the issue. I can't help but think that the methadone played a huge part since the only time I had this issue was when I started the medicine after a period of non use. I'm sorry that I don't have more helpful information, but I wanted you to know that your not alone.

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If your feet are swelling, u need to see a doctor. That is not good, and methadone might not b for you

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I just started on methadone and it is causing imtemse itchimesd and swelling in both of my feet. Has anyone else experienced an allergic reaction to this drug ?

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U need to stop taking methadone. You are having allergic reactions to it!!! Especially the swelling, that is a side effect that my doctor told me should never b overlooked

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I have been on methadone for 17 years. I have fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis and hepatitis C. I have had a rash for around 10 months off and on. I did break out at first after switching clinics that was accepting medicaid for 6 months. I switched back to older clinic when medicaid was stopped. The one now is the cherry flavored methadose, the medicaid one was clear liquid hydrochloride. I thought I was having thyroid symptoms and my primary doctor ran labs and she said it was not showing any thyroid problems. I have a lot of symptoms of high thyroid. I have came down 20 MG and am trying to go down more but it will have to be slowly. I am worried that the methadone may be turning against my system after so many years. Any Feedback?

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I first started methadone about a year and a half ago. I too had the same side effects as you. I broke out, mainly around my face and on my scalp in this ugly, itchy, red bumps that looked like white heads but if you squeezed them nothing really came out; however, after I squeezed them they got bigger and my skin kind of peeled back in that area, leaving a large, red spot of raw skin. My feet also swelled up soooo big they looked like club feet with sausages on the end. I took methadone for chronic back pain and it seriously helped so I decided too hold out and see if the symptoms went away, after a couple weeks I broke out in hives. However, unlike you my symptoms did go away after about a month.

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This is what the fillers of Methadose 40 are ...
Other ingredients of Diskets include: colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, orange lake color, orange-pineapple flavor, potassium phosphate monobasic, pregelatinized starch, and stearic acid.
The information you are looking for is in the PDR (physicians desk reference) or some web reference sources.

I hope this helps... Eric

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I agree Methadone is no joke nothing to play with. I have been on Methadone now 40mg a day since 03 for impinged nerves in my neck between C-5 and C-6. The pain is an after thought now but I am suffering from the side effects of the drug from long term use. My face is inflamed red and swollen it looks like I have a severe sunburn all the time. The only way I keep this in check is by treating it with hydrogen peroxide. It causes these tiny white pustules to appear on my nose, cheeks and forehead feels like someone is putting a hot poker to my face. After this it crusts over and heals and I get some relief for a while but it always returns. I have been to lots of doctors (waste of time) they put my on antibiotics which are useless in treating whatever I have. Do you think it could be the methadone? I have tapered down over the last 3 months to 20mg a day but have seen no improvment and my stomach is a mess I guess that is a withdrawl symptom?

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I'm amazed that you would take a dangerous drug like Methadone if you are only doing it for fun. I've never felt anything that could be construed as fun while taking it. Don't you know it does heart damage and gobs of other things. You could drop over dead just from the allergic reaction. You write like you have some brains but what you are saying makes me think you are totally stupid. I'm trying to get off of it and I'm only taking it four times a day for a total of 20mg of it. I've been on it for the pain associated with fibromyalgia but I have started itching after being on it for a year and a half. I do not understand someone with your mental capacity. How can you put things in your mouth that have the potential to be dangerous. Good grief!

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And the skin rash is called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. What a releif to know. Also you can switch to another formulation of methadone but check the ingredients for pregelatinized starch or you can switch to another narcotic just as long as there is no wheat derived fillers or binders in the pills. An answer at last!!

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Oh yes the Methdose formulations also have the pregelatinized starch which cause reactions in Celiacs.

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I suggest anyone having similar symptoms to read up on ciliac disease. The culrpit in my case was pregelatinized starch which is found in the orange wafers. I knew I was having an allergic reaction but did not suspect celiac until I started to have other GI and thyroid like symptoms
(that and after stopping all narcotics the itch returned anyhow just aggravated by methadone or narcotics) so I was getting a double wammy with the biscuits. Hope this helps someone. I knew something was goingg on and that I am not crazy.

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omg i have been having so many weird things happening to my body since taking the orange wafers, the nurse where i go suggested that i might want to try the red liquid but i was under the impression that the red did not last as long as the orange or white she said that is not true just a rumor that got started. i took the white when we had a disaster and had to leave town so i know both of them gave me the same crazy symptoms: hive like bumps, the itching, swelling maybe a hand or a foot or 1 of each or both sometimes sooo tight and hurting bad, feet would be like 5 times the normal size sometimes. dry dry skin hands turn to scabby messes sometimes, big circles on my back looked like burns and then turn black & blue like bruises! loosing hair

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not sure if what kind of itching you are referring to. Are you getting the normal "opiate" itch. or is it an allergy itch where you break out in rashes or hives, or your skin gets hot and red and then itches. I had used oxycontin and other opiates for a few years and never had anything other than the opiate itch, which is common and not an allergy. This is much different. still on 10 mg's and the allergy has gotten better but still not gone. I suspect it won't go away fully until i'm off the medication for good

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Stormy,
Have you tried any other narcotics (heroin, morphine, OxyContin etc? Do they cause a similar reaction? I belive (after much self testing) that I have developed a narcotic allergy in general. This is weird because I have used on and off for close to 20 years and although I have allways had more itching than the average user it has definity intensified by a factor of 3 or 4 time what it once was. I can no longer stand it and will have to give up my once a week source of pleasure. I just wonder what could cause an allergy to either come on out of the blue after 20 years of repeated exposure or if I have allwasy had a mild allergy (dont know for sure) which has intensified in a two month timeframe. It is like my system is primed for a response to something and the first thing to come along that it (my immune sytem) not like and BOOM allergic response. Only itching thought. No swelling of lips or toung or breathing problems. just the insane ITCHY ness.

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Still having the allergy, I am tapering myself off the medication. My clinic was absolutely no help whatsoever with anything I ever tried to get them to help me with. All they would do is dose me, and take my money. that's it. But it didn't just start with the orange tabs it started with the methadose which is white. It was after I moved to a different state and switched off the liquid. More side effects that are stranger and stranger. Once i finally got down to about 30 mg's I started a menstrual cycle (hadn't hardly gotten any of those the whole time i was a higher dose than 30mg) and it hasn't let up in 6 months now. My hair is thinning so bad, i look like a chemo patient almost. THe baldness gene is passed down from the mother and there is NONE of that in my family and i'm going back from my mother on up for generations. Quite the opposite, the females all have extremely thick hair which makes this all the more bizarre especially since it started at age 29. My skin is bumpy and dry my eyes get bloodshot and water my nose won't quit running. I'm pretty much in hell. Emergency rooms treat symptoms only and then schedule you a follow up appointment with doctors who can't do tests because there's no insurance, which is why I ended up in the ER in the first place. I'm at my wits end. I'm getting off this medication for good i'm down to 10 mg's will do 2 months on 10, 2 months on 5 and probably 1 month on 2.5. I had enough medication put back to do this myself. wasn't going to continue to pay a clinic 90$ a week when they weren't willing to help with me ANYTHING and I do mean anything and were very discouraging about me even trying to free myself. i've called dozens of clinics and posted on every methadone forum i can find, no one seems to know what i'm talking about.. so I go on.. its all i can do. --- and I have noticed no pharmacists have rung in here with their 2 cents. the main people that could actually help me.. thanks!

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Hello,
I am suffering with the exact same problem. I use methadone recreationally about 80 mg on Friday night every week. I have been doing this with the orange biscuits for years and just about 3 months ago I notice that my itcing is much worse than normal I usually get a little itch going but nothing like this with bumps and puffy raised welts and pimples. Meds whear off no more itching. Fortunatly I am not physically addicted but I now have to give up narcotics and find something else to do with my Friday nights. What is weird is that I take the orange buiscuits and that has not change in years. I wonder if they changed the formulation or something.

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IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE DIAGNOSED YOURSELF MY FRIEND.ITS TOO BAD YOU CANT WRITE YOURSELF A SCRIPT AND TE WHOLE NINE YARDS.AS YOU ALREADY KNOW METHADONE HAS LOTS OF PROS AND CONS.I KNOW THIS FIRST HAND, BEING A METHADONE RECIPIENT SINCE APRIL,2000.I HAVE MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS AND METHADONE FOR ME SEEMS TO HAVE MORE PROS.WHEN IT COMES TO ALLERGIES IT SEEMED TO HELP ME AS I GUESS MOST OPIATES DO FOR SOME PEOPLE.I'AM ALERGIC TO EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN WHEN IT COMES TO GRASS,POLLEN,DOGS,CATS AND DUST MITES JUST TO NAME A FEW.METHADONE TOOK CARE OF ALL OF THOSE PROBLEMS.I SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THAT IF YOUR PROBLEM IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE ORANGE METHADONE WAFER, THERE WILL BE SOMEONE ELSE OUT THERE ON THE SAME TYPE METHADONE WITH THE SAME ALERGIC REACTION.SO WHAT I MIGHT SUGGEST IF THE FUNDS ARE LIMITED, WHICH I DONT KNOW MANY PEOPLE THESE DAYS WHO HAVE MONEY COMING FROM EVERY ORAFICE OF THERE BODIES, START CALLING RANDOM METHADONE CLINICS AND ASKING THEM IF THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM.I SUSPECT THST EVENTUALLY YOU WILL HEAR YOUR SAME EXACT PROBLEM.
GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND,
LD
PASADENA,MD

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Hi This sounds to me exactly what you think it is either a methadone allergy or maybe colourant allergy.I feel for you I really do as I know someone going through the same thing.I feel for you more because we have national health service and you dont and I cant imagine what thats like, I consider us very lucky to have such a service but here its like getting blood out of a stone trying to get them to take such an allergy seriously and change the meds.My friend is totally debilitated by hers, the constant sores and insane itching espec her palms.I have asked her to suggest to her Dr that long term toxicity from severe allergic reactions can cause long term damage and that if nothing is done and her heath worsens someone will be culpable in the hope that they will do something because we,re not talking about a small side effect here are we, we,re talking about the slow poisoning of the body showing itself in a number of obvious symptoms and someone is continuing to prescribe you a medication that they know to be detrimental to your health.I think you need to look further into whether there is anyway you can get sugar and dye free medication.Have you been in touch with your AMA or GMC they may be able to help you.

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Hi This sounds to me exactly what you think it is either a methadone allergy or maybe colourant allergy.I feel for you I really do as I know someone going through the same thing.I feel for you more because we have national health service and you dont and I cant imagine what thats like, I consider us very lucky to have such a service but here its like getting blood out of a stone trying to get them to take such an allergy seriously and change the meds.My friend is totally debilitated by hers, the constant sores and insane itching espec her palms.I have asked her to suggest to her Dr that lost term toxicity from severe allergic reactions can cause long term damage and that if nothing is done and her heath worsens someone will be culpable in the hope that they will do something because we,re not talking about a small side effect here are we, we,re talking about the slow poisoning of the body showing itself in a number of obvious symptoms and someone is continuing to prescribe you a medication that they know to be detrimental to your health.I think you need to look further into whether there is anyway you can get sugar and dye free medication.Have you been in touch with your AMA or GMC they may be able to help you.

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