Methadone And Surgery (Page 4)
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I'm having surgery for knee replacement and this is the first time I've had surgery and general anaesthetic while on methadone. Can anyone advise me about the safety of this and how they will treat post-operative pain?

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38

Hi,
I'm going into a minor outpatient surgery next Friday where I am going to be under a moderate twilight sedation so I'll be partially awake. I am in a methadone maintenance program and take 110mg a day. I was told by the nurse that some people on methadone aren't sedated at all or aren't as sedated as someone not on methadone and that I could be awake and feel the whole thing. That terrifies me. I was wondering has anyone had something similar? How did the methadone effect your ability to be put under and to feel the pain?

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37

Hey Kathy. I'm not sure if you're reading this thread anymore but I was
wondering how your surgery went. I hope everything went well!

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36

There won't be a problem at all. Just make sure your doctor and the anesthesiologist know. They may have to adjust some of the meds a bit. Plus, since you're on a lower dose it won't be a huge deal. They still need to know because it could still have a slight blocking effect on some medications. Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions.

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35

I have a question I have surgery in 10 hours and I took a 5mg methadone will I be fine going under?

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34

There's a huge risk to not telling them. Read my posts on this thread, starting with number 25, then 27 and 29. If you have any additional questions, let me know.

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33

Hi has anyone had surgery it's about 45 mins ! Because they treat you different!!! Just want to make sure it's OK !! AN didn't tell .....them you were on methadone? His there any bad risk having surgery on anaesthetic an not saying anything about Methadone? Beside pain after surgery .Thanks

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32

In the UK they often give Midazolam before the op to sedate you, this is when i had a endoscopy, so for anything like that benzo's are great. I've had other bad experiences with pain relief and the UK's NHS, i went in for an op and was concerned about pain relief, they spent 20mins talking to me writing down everything about my meth use and dosage explaining that this was to ensure they gave me the correct pain relief after the op so i thought GREAT! nothing to worry about! i came out of the op woke up and was sent home with a box of pills 2 types, i only realized when i got home they had given me Paracetamol! and Tramadol, for those who know, it's obvious that tramadol would do nothing to someone who has a methadone habit not unelss they where to give you a very high doe and they gave me the standard dose that they would give a normal person so i have no pain relief whatsoever apart from paracetamol which to be honest worked very well when i was in agony, it was the only thing i could take but i was very angry at this mess up! for anyone in the UK going for an op please discuss it in detail before you go and ensure that they give you some proper pain releif, they should ideally work out the correct opiate equivalent and use a different opiate eg. morphine, diamorphine, or similar although we know how likely that it due to the huge stigma we all get these days! if you have probs pls complain about them....

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31

You're more than welcome. Let me know if you need anything else and keep me updated.

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30

Thank you scoop much.

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29

Hey Karen. Here are the documents for you to print for your doctor. They are both from medical journals so he will probably appreciate that. One article is about using anesthesia during surgery on methadone maintenance patients and the other is about pain control after surgery for methadone maintenance patients. Both links will send you to a page that downloads the documents as pdf files so you'll just need to print them after they download. If the links don't work or you just want to talk you can email me:

{edited for privacy}

drugpolicy.org/docUploads/meth412.pdf

link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2FBF03016532.pdf

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28

Thanks again I'm so glad I found this website and glad you are non judgemental..

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27

No problem. I know it's scary to tell people you're on methadone and worry about being judged but it's just something we've got to do. It's better to be on methadone than the alternative. I'll look for the paper for you to print out. It might be later today though. Oh, and I doubt they'll cancel your surgery. Methadone is used for pain management and I'm sure they see more people than you think on some kind of narcotic.

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26

Thanks Jennifer..if they don't want to do my bbl because I'm on methadone will they give meet money back?..where can I find the letter that's online to Give to the doc for ppl who are on methadone?

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25

Kathy, you must tell your doctor. I doubt you'll be judged. If you are then you need to find a new doctor. Hold your head up high, tell him that you were afraid of being judged but that you realized that he needed to know because your health is important to you. Having surgery without telling your doctor and anesthesiologist could have deadly consequences. If you're lucky enough to survive you could end up being under medicated when they attempt general anesthesia.

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24

Did you end up getting your surgery?how did it go?I'm going to have plastic surgery and I'm on 30 ml of methadone and haven't told my doc..I don't want to..um scared as you were..and don't want to be judged or even cancelled..

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23

It's definitely safe but you must make sure that your surgeon and anesthesiologist know that you're taking methadone. They will have to adjust the dosages of the medications they give for general anesthesia and for pain control. Make sure that they don't try to tell you that you can use your daily dose for pain management after the surgery. I've found that many doctors are not educated about this subject so it's your job to educate yourself so that you can pass it on to them. I'll see if I can find it but someone has done a printout for patients to give to their doctors regarding pain management for people on methadone. If I find it I'll post the link. Good luck!

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22

i'm having breast implants and i am on 35mg of methadone is that safe? Thanks
Has anyone had them done ? Im a A now want to go 400cc Im 5 3 an 125pounds . Not sure if that's to small or like to hear from someone That went throught it Thanks lady's

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21

Please don't worry. I am on 135 MG of juice for 8 yrs and just had spinal stenosis surgery. Let them know also so they can have your doses ready for you if they dont let you use your take homes. Believe me, they knew just what to give me I was given Percocet for post op pain and it actually helped. But I know Dilaudid really works good
for breakthrough pain but it all worked out. Just be honest and be choosy and bring as much paperwork about your dose as possible. I got a handwritten note from the doctor at my clinic, that said my dose may not be used for pain, please prescribe a shorter acting narcotic for post op-pain

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20

Steph-how did things go? Did you get to share all with your doc?

How are you feeling?

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19

The same thing happened to me when I had a csection. I was on 80mg of methadone and it was horrible. The doctors acted like I was trying to get extra drugs. I was begging them to put the epidural back in. It was the most pain I've ever been in. I honestly think the problem is that the doctors are too scared to prescribe the high amount of narcotics that would actually relieve our pain. My OB wouldn't even prescribe medication to take home. I had to see the psychiatrist at my clinic. I hope you're feeling better!

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