Methadone Potency Compared To Morphine
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I have been on Methadone 10mg - 2 tabs 4 x a day for 6 years and 300 mg's/day for 5 yrs before that from a methadone clinic.
My Primary care Dr. (also my pain management Dr) recently decided that I needed to "taper down", Because I told her that the new pharmacy I went to gave me a hard time about the quantity. The reasons that I am on the meds in the 1st place are conditions that don't improve and I've never told her that I was feeling any better. I have a herniated C5, C6, L3, L4 S1, DDD, Fibromyalgia. So anyway she told me that "law says Methadone is 5 x stronger than Morphine and you're only allowed 100 mgs of Morphine so you're taking way too much already. I'll just take 1 pill away a day, you won't notice it." But I was already running out early. So yes, 1 pill/day makes a huge difference. So I'm just wondering is she right about the comparison of methadone to morphine? Actually any knowledge that you want to share would be most appreciated!

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No, but I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question! Sadly my State (FL) is a 100 mg Morphine state.
I have a feeling that it's only going to get worse.

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Hello, Ivy! How are you? I'm sorry about the problem that you're having.

Each 10mgs of Methadone is equivalent to 42.86mgs of Morphine, so yes, it is almost 5 times as strong.

And yes, doctors are supposed to apply these new limits to everyone, except in the cases of those who suffer intractable pain from possibly terminal conditions, such as stage 4 cancer. The DEA suggested limit is actually the equivalent of no more than 120mgs of Morphine daily, but some states have lowered it further to no more than 100mgs of Morphine daily.

The FDA classifies this medication as a narcotic analgesic, so it has the potential to be habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation.

I wish I had better news for you, but I don't, I'm sorry. This has been hitting many people very hard and causing a lot of misery.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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