Methadone Stopped My Periods (Page 3)
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Can any of the women out there tell me if taking methadone stopped thier periods? I have been on methadone for 4 years now and as soon as I went over 35mg it completely stopped and It has not come back since. I am on 60mg now. I did get lowered to 30 mg at one time years ago and it started right up again. Does anyone know if this might be dangerous? I have asked my doctor at the meth clinic and she stated its nothing to be concerned about because I wanted to know if I should be taking something to make it start and she said no, but for some reason it seems that it just does not sound good for a natural process to stop like that and not have it do any harm. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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I started taking methadone at the clinic back in July 2015. I started at 35 mg and my periods Imediately stopped and have not come back in 6 months. I have told the people that work at the clinic and they don't seem have any medical advice or confirmation weather it is or is not the methadone, actually they are leaning more towards it being not related to the methadone. Well I know my body I have always had regular periods and right on time, nothing else in my life has changed, all the timing is right, and look at all these woman who had the same thing happen...I know its the methadone.

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Hi, in response to your question I'm sure you 've already taken a pregnancy test?! While living in Italy 25yrs ago, I had a 5gram a day heroin habit, uncut. My periods completely stopped. I erroneously believed that I had also stopped ovulation. Big error! That error was my wonderful 24year old daughter Allegra. Stopped periods from opiates doesn't mean stopped ovulation!! Be careful. Good luck!

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Im on methodone 105mg for opioid addiction. I havent had my period for 3 yrs now and Im really concerned on what its doing to my insides

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I HAVE BEEN ON METHADONE FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS AND I STOPPED MY PERIODS TOO. I ASKED MY DR.
(OBGYN) ABOUT IT AND SHE SAID EVERYTHING IS FINE. I AM A WORRIER SO I HAD HER DO SOME TESTING AND THEY ALL TURNED OUT FINE.


TURNED OUT OK.

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I feel the same way I'm almost crippled when I wake up my joints in my knees and hips hurt so bad when I wake up that I'm almost hunched over when I step out of bed in the morning! And no period since I started methadone 6 months ago! I'm 24 years old and on 145mg also I have gained about 40 lbs since starting methadone and I hate it I've always been small and now I hate my body

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I have been on methadone for 23 years (yes, 23 YEARS). I'm 44 now and haven't had a period for 8 years. Previously I had no problems; my 12 year old was born on methadone, and has had no issues at birth or later. My primary physician checked my hormone levels and I am not in menopause yet, so it must be the methadone. Physiologically there is no need for a woman to menstruate unless she wants to conceive a child. So I would just not look this gift horse in the mouth! I certainly do not miss my kotex moments!

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Yes mam when I first got on methadone for addiction I craved things I never ate before and gained a lot of weight. I've been on methadone for 4 years now and I don't get periods at all since I was using drugs and started methadone treatment, i'm on 90mgs and I wonder if I can still have a baby anymore if I don't get my periods. Does anyone know? I really want another baby and I haven't been able to conceive since being on the methadone.

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Please, everyone, read this article. It explains SO MUCH of the problems we discuss here:

jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2093682

Opioid induced endocrinopathy, it explains our missing periods, weight gain, etc, and also why not everyone has these issues. For me, this article was an answer to a prayer, because the methadone doctor wouldn't believe my problems were related. But they are :-)

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I've wondered the same thing. Even though I'm not getting my period about once a month I still get symptoms like soe breast, fluid weight, and ect...

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Ducky, yes, you can still get pregnant on methadone. Even without your period. At least, thats what my methadone doc tells me. HOWEVER, I got my hormones tested (by my regular doctor) and I was very low in one particular hormone, which one I can't remember. It wasn't a major hormone like estrogen, it was one of tge smaller ones. When I showed the methadone doctor, he said "you need to fix this hormone to have a child...but it's not from methadone". Bulls***! I had no hormone issues until I started methadone. And yes, everyone, your weight gain is DEFINITELY from methadone. I was 125 to 135 pounds for over 10 years; I didn't change my eating habits at all (I still ate regularly while I was taking pain pills) but now weigh 165 lbs. The main issue is water weight, I have at least 10 lbs of water retention. I feel PMS bloated every same day, none of my rings fit, my pants dig into my stomach, and I have fat on my back which is a first for me. I am switching to suboxone soon...the dic assures me the water retention is not nearly as bad as methadone. Fingers crossed. Also, my period came back once I tapered down to around 50 mg (was on 85 mg previously). Also, the post about opiod induced endocrinopathy is true-please everyone google it! Your pituitary gland basically shuts down, and hence your hormones get messed up and you gain weight and stop your period. When I first read the study, I saw that it said taking DHEA would help...tried it but nothing. But it might work for some people, worth a try!!

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Joy, while this is true that bc will make you bleed, it's not a real period. It's called "breakthrough bleeding". Also, opiates can cause opiod indused indocrinopathy, which supresses your hormones all of them...this happened to me). The newer bc suppresses male hormones, which most opiod patients are already very low in. Older bc may be better, but they rarely prescribe it anymore unless you have migraine aura or other risk factors that limits you to use the older generation meds.

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This is super old but maybe someone will come across this like I have. I know that taking birth control will start your period again. I'm on methadone and even before it I didn't have a period for years because of opiates. My obgyn had me go back on bc and my first "off week" it came right back. Extremely light but it was back. I stopped the bc and my periods stopped.

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Hi all,

I'm 23 years old and started on the methadone program in January with my boyfriend.
Even though the methadone has given us our lives back, having money and feeling ambitious in our careers, I have also experienced weight gain and no periods.
I also had a major car accident in March and thought that could be the reason for no period but the more I read the more I think it's been caused by the done. For me, not having a period is great atm, however my partner and I are wanting to get married and start a family in the next year or two so I am concerned about the long term effects..
I've only put on 5 or 6kgs which could be due to not being able to exercise as I've healed and eating way too much sugar.. I've always had a sweet tooth so I never really considered the methadone could be enhancing that but it makes sense!
I was also wondering, of your not getting your period due to methadone can you still get pregnant? Not that I've been having much sex as we're both suffering from non existent libidos but I don't want to get pregnant until I'm clean and sober.
Any advice or experience would really help! My mother and girlfriends were very shocked when they found out about my habit so as much as they're supportive they're not very helpful (bless them!)

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Wow, thank you so much! Your reply helped me enormously as I have been on 70mg for about a year and half and whole I had irregular periods the worse my addiction got, I have never NOT had a period but I have not had one since I started methadone. I am planning on doing IVF. I also read it was a chemical imbalance rather than a physical affect but it still makes you worry especially when you are 31 and ready to start family planning. I went up on my dose really slow because I was terrified of the effects. It took me almost 6 months to get up to 70mg..Shortly after I went to that dosage I stopped using and have not used since. I KNOW I am not ready to wean off because I would use again in a second (pain pills, never tried anything heavier) but I do want to have a family even if I do not have a partner so I do not want this period of my life and being on methadone to cause me from being able to have children. I see alot of girls at the clinic with infants or pregnant but I just figured maybe methadone did not affect their cycles. So from you have read I can still chart ovulation and try to get pregnant? I feel selfish for wanting to do this while on such a heavy drug but although methadone has affected my periods and caused me to gain a bit of weight (luckily I have a semi high metabolism so I havent gotten to big) it has allowed me to regain my life, continue my career aspirations....get back on my feet financially after the ruin my addiction caused....so overall it has helped more than hinder.

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I finally started my period! I first replied to this thread a little over a year ago, and I've continued to lower my dose very very slowly, with almost no withdrawal symptoms. It helped to split my dose so I could take some at night for pain but I have mixed feelings on doing that. I try not to take my extra dose every night. So I'm down to 35 in the AM and 15 at night. Last month- May 9, my period came back!!! I had SEVERE PMS, but my period still came as a shock! No period for 8 years and then it's back! I had no pads or tampons lol.

But I haven't had it again. I'm single and not having intercourse- although my libido has returned as well!- so there's no chance of being pregnant, although I deeply wish there were.

I've lost a lot of weight as well. It keeps dropping off, but I partly attribute that to healthier eating because I took my son off Gluten to help his ADHD (it did) and I stopped eating it too. We were eating a very healthy whole foods gluten free diet the entire school year but we've been cheating lately. Still, I contribute most of the weight loss to the decrease in methadone. Overall at my highest dose of 170, I weight about 160, and now at 50, total, I'm down to 135. I have more energy but still not a lot. I do t crave sweats as badly but I still eat more sugar than I used to. also, my head doesn't sweat like crazy anymore! I don't nod off at all. I have noticed I do t sleep as well. No problems falling asleep but I wake up a lot.

I feel so much better and I'm finally ready to date again and hopefully find love. I want to get married and have another child. I just hope the period I got wasn't a fluke thing. It made me feel younger and my mom said the estrogen keeps you young.

Lastly, I am certain I did NOT ovulate the entire time my period was absent. I know my body and prior to being sick and then the MMT, I experienced severe pdms. That stopped with my periods. I didn't have any PMS symptoms at all, but they've since returned with a vengeance. I think perhaps women who've periods have become irregular but not stopped completely, might still ovulate, but I did not. I also believe the doctors at the clinic warn us we're still ovulating so we won't depend on it as birth control, especially since you will ovulate before your period returns.

Good luck ladies. As grateful as I am to MMT, the side effects that came with a high dose were extremely debilitating. I just didn't think I could ever live a normal life without supplementing my brain with endorphins. But I now believe my brain has slowly started to recover, as I've detoxed. I don't know if I'll be able to live without it but at least the lower my dose goes, the better I feel, still!

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I habe been on it for three years and it stopped mine to! I have been to many doctors who act like that cant be the reason but Im sure it is! I was wondering if its bad for me to!

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im on 120mg of methadone. and since I started 9 months ago ive stopped my period completely. ive been told its ok. although ive gained weight, I don't think its connected. I have heard u can still get pregnant though. so be carful.

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I have been on methadone for 9 months now, as soon as I started it, my period stopped. im glad I hear other women having the same problem.

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Yup I was 26 when I started taking methadone..I actually had my daughter while on it which I would never recommend they kept her for three weeks to make sure she was ok. At that time I was 27 and was on 55mg of methadone after another year I slowly went all the way up and I was on methadone for 15 years and yes I had No periods whatsoever..my higest stable ongoing dose was 130mg...now I have been off of methadone for one full year now ..I am now 41 and right now this is the second month I have had a Normal period and I hate it lol I am emotional and I feel like I should be in my 20s if u know what i mean...its like its trying to make up for all that lost time lol so yes methadone will most definately stop ir periods i have no idea if its "bad for us" or not but other then now having raging hormones im great lol in my 20

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I have been on methadone for 20 years at 106mg. My period has never stopped. But every person response differently. I would not be concerned though, you're dr. Isn't. Good luck

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