Methadone Maintainance & Weight Gain!!! Help!!! (Page 9) (Top voted first)

I AM A METHADONE MAINTAINANCE PATIENT, CLEAN FROM OXYCONTIN FOR THREE+ YEARS & I HAE PACKED ON 40 POUNDS! I AM RETAINING WATER & EXPERIENCE HORRIBLE CONSTIPATION...ANYONE WITH SIMILAR ISSUES OR TIPS TO HELP ME OR FIND THE CAUSE???

REPLY

REPORT

You should talk to your MD it sounds like you have narcotic bowels syndrome/opioid induce constipation. Google it also try Ducolax or Mira lax my son went through the same thing. I also think some of the weight gain and belly fat is due to constipatuion.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi. I understand all of what u said. I've been in the methadone clinic for exactly 9 yrs and for me in one sense it is a godsend cus if not for being on this methadone i'd most likely end up in jail for sure, but a drawback is the weight gain. I hate it. And doesn't it make u so mad when u ask sum of counselors at the clinic sum will say nah weight gain really isn't from being on methadone and we're like b*****s yes it is. In my total 9 yrs i gained at least 65 to 70 lbs. U can even stop eating and u wouldn't even lose weight but dam ive been addicted to the tv show 600 lb loser and im like well dam i sure aint that big but if they can lose weight dam me too. So im tryin now to drink over 10 glasses of water a day and exercise a lil more every day and going to see if i could lose some weight this way.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I've been skinny my whole life as well, when I found out I was pregnant and child services basically forced my hand to get clean or lose my 2 kids and the one I was pregnant with, I went on methadone. I was 102 when I started and even the day I had my son I was only 139, I haven't had my period since having my son(I had it for 6 weeks after having him) but since then, nothing, January2015 was the last time I had my period, in stead I gained 3-5 lbs a month and I don't even eat some days! Now I'm 202 I cried my eyes out when I was weighed last month, it's so depressing, I hate getting dressed everyday, I used to always dress nice too, now I hate going out or looking in the mirror....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thank you for posting this!!! I've gained a lot of weight as a result of methadone related sugar cravings combined with lethargy. (not blaming the medication itself, ftr)
My go-to move is always a drastically reduced caloric intake. Given the lack of activity it seemed like a reasonable decision.
Anyway, I'd forgotten how counter productive it is to "starve" your body. Thanks for the healthy reminder!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I feel the same way I have been on methadone sense Aug I gain aleast 50 pound a friend mine hasn't seen me in 2 weeks he said you fat what can you take you lose this weight the methadone is make me so fat and make me think maybe should go back on dope I was skinny

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Did you lose the weight once you got off the methadone tho?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Same as me, I started tapering after 4 years (last month made it 4) I started at 104 I'm now 200!!! I go between 200-203 depends if I ate that morning or went to the bathroom I guess lol...I stopped tapering because I was getting withdrawals but I think I'm gonna start again..I bought vitadone I only been taking for 3 weeks, I heard it takes a few months to start working, I haven't had my period in 2 1/2 years also...my counselor acts like she's NEVER heard of someone gaining weight on methadone and makes me feel like its just me and something's wrong with me...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

It's not you. I'm not lazy either. I workout, try to eat right and if you do enough reading you will notice the same trend with all women. Is your belly like mine and look pregnant? It's terrible. I feel like I have a fat suit on. I would just like for someone to reassure me this weight will come off.. anyone?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I've done so much research online about it and everyone has a story but no one says if the weight came off staying methadone or taking vitadone, I know they say when they got off or switched to suboxone it did, but I'm not ready to be off for a while at least a year if I taper 2 mg a week and don't stop, which probably won't happen, and suboxone never worked for me and as gross as methadone is subs are disgusting I cannot hold it under my tongue that long without gagging...if you find anything let me know please, I'm trying to find an endocrinologist around me that will accept me without a referral right now, I read slot that opiate induced endocrinologist-whatever it's called was usually the cause and once getting treated for it they lost weight along with other issues...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You sat that now and I also said the same thing about rather being fat then all strung out on drugs. Well I went from about 120 to 170 on methadone. 50 pounds gained and I was SO UNHAPPY even though I was clean. Then I was put on Abilify and another 30+ weight gain!!! I went off of them and have been off for over 2 years but still not losing any weight!!! I fractured both my heels severely when I was in my active addiction by being in an abandoned hotel and running into the wrong people. So I went over out the 2nd floor window and landed standing position bare foot on concrete. Well obviously i fell over and screamed like I never screamed in my life. The orthopedist surgeon said in his 25 years of seeing fractures he's never seen one as bad as mine. They weren't sure I would be able to walk again. So after being bed ridden for 3 months then wheelchair for about 3 or 4 months my feet didn't heal properly. So I have limited motion which causes me to barely get the grocery shopping done without extreme pain.....let alone exercise. I've seriously been considering going off the methadone and see if I can lose some at least 40 lbs. then maybe it won't hurt so much on my feet bc I'm so overweight?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

If you want to lose the weight you have to I mean absolutely have to stop taking the methadone. Only way the weight gain will come off. Been here before! Good luck

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Thanks for reassuring me that the weight will come off and I will regain my confidence. The future is very bright!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

It was encouraging to read about your experience. I was a chronic pain pt for a few years bcz of Ankylosing Spondylitis. I got into trouble with the meds bcz of my tolerance and ended up sick alot waiting for the next scripts....along with the vicious pain. I decided that a methadone clinic was the way 2 go. I have been happy with the choice except I have gone from 115lbs to 185lbs. and I have never had a weight problem. Was it easy 4 u to c a doc and for him/her 2 switch ur meds to a dose equal to the methadone? I am deathly afraid of withdrawl bcz ive nvr evr been as sick as that and I nvr want to be that way evr again. I also cannot handle this weight gain.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Nutridone or Vitadone I believe is the name of the drug you are looking for.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I had the same issue ! I havent been getting my period for 6 years. I think from using, then the methadone after...so i got an ultrasound and labs drawn. I was given this 10 day medication by my obgyn that will force my body to have a period. I hope it works im half way thru it. I also am tapering down from 80 mgs ..i will go down 4 mg of methadone every 14 days..so about 8mg a month. Ive heard you dont loose the weight until you are far below 40 mg. But the way the doctors say its methadone and the counselor says the doctors dont know what they are talking about..yeah that happens to me. You arent alone

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

miralax everyday is the simple effective answer, give it a day or two to start working and then you are set, have been taking oxy for inoperable ependymomaa of the spinal cord for 20 yrs and miralax has been a miracle drug for constipation

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Be careful taking Miralax everyday. There's multiple studies that have came out over the last year or so about the dangers of it. My son used to take it everyday to help with his Chrohns Disease, until we saw a news report about how bad it is. It was only texted for safety on people who used it for no more then a week. A quick google search will show you exactly why it's not safe.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Talk to ur dr. Mixing meds is defently not a good idea, some of them interact with each other, so u need to be carefull. Im kinda having same problems as every1 on here. From methadon dose to weight gain to constipation... goodluck to all

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Erin (# 21)

Vitadone the name of the vitamin to help is called vitadone, or nutridone. But vitadone is the better of the two.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Why is going to the bathroom such a terrible ordeal on methadone? I dread even going pee cuz these hardened balls of s*** come out all day long every time I sit on the toilet. Like large milk duds! And also having major gas issues and stomach cramps. PLEASE help!!! Gaining weight like crazy too - 17 lbs in 2 months!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have gained about 40 unwanted pounds from methadone liquid weight gain! I'm absolutely miserable!! I just bout Lip...

9 REPLIES

Help plz.. I've been on liquid methadone for over 3 yrs and gained 50 lbs. and still gaining weight; my question is ...

1 REPLY

I started taking methadone in 2004 and kept on it until sep 2007. during that time I went from 125 pounds to 200 pounds!...

3 REPLIES

I have been on Methadone for 15 years. I am now 56 years old l really need to know why l have put on so much weight on? ...

8 REPLIES

I am on 165mgs a day. I take liquid. I am being told I need to taper bc I have been going there for almost 4 years. I am...

1 REPLY

I am currently on a methadone program for about 7 months now and have gained weight and noticed I sweat a lot more now. ...

7 REPLIES

How do I loose the weight I have gained on methadone? I am 5'2" and almost 180lbs. I have NEVER weighed this muc...

2 REPLIES

Most of what I look up comes up either unsafe with methadone or will flush my dose out which would be devastating for me...

2 REPLIES

i need to know if the 50 pounds i gained while i was on methadone will come off now that i have switched to suboxone ## ...

7 REPLIES

I am being prescribed methadone for opiate addiction been of all other drugs for 4 years I'm in the process of tryin...

47 REPLIES