No Narcotics Work Except Methadone For My Severe Neck Pain (Top voted first)

I had a surgery in 1998 for "smashed" disks found during the surgery and after trying every narcotic known to man, I obtained immediate relief with methadone. I was on it for 15 years until the recent government fiasco, which IMHO had no business interfering as no one knows but the patient and their primary doctor just how severe the pain is. I have no clue why methadone works so well and other even more powerful narcotics don't, and for 15 years I lead a rather normal life. Now I've been cut back to 4 methadone a day plus MS-Contin and still three 10mg methadone provide me more relief than two 30mg MS-Contin not to mention the MS-Contin has nearly doubled my prescription bill. They took bone from my hip but had to insert a steel prosthesis as almost all of my disks were literally smashed, and I have no idea how that could have happened either. I'm not terminal but I might as well be as the pain can get so bad, I've considered suicide but I just couldn't do that to my family even though as a Mother and wife, life is not nearly as happy as it used to be given now my pain is not well controlled at all. My doctor has done her best, but if she prescribes more methadone, she could lose her license, so I can't blame her. Plus I am not addicted. If my pain went away, I would have no need to take any pills. I've never done drugs or felt a need to feel "high". Just having no pain would be my "high".

The bottom line is the government has lumped those of us that truly need pain relief into one big group, and taking methadone for long-term pain relief is not considered an acceptable drug to use, even though I used it for 15 years, followed all the rules, had constant lab work to monitor my liver, kidney and many other organs and have always had normal results. I've taken oxycodone, hydrocodone, used Dilaudid patches, and many more types of pain relievers, and none of them gave me the relief that methadone did. The MS-Contin helps slightly but nothing else had any effect on me at all. For doctors to be told how to treat their patients by government officials that didn't go to medical school for numerous years is beyond my comprehension, and to have to be terminal in order to take a certain medicine, I would like to know who was the "wise" person that issued this ultimatum. Further, I am NOT addicted mentally; I'm addicted physically. Again, if my pain was to leave my body, I would have no need to ever take another pill. This is what the government doesn't understand about addiction; yet they've been allowed to ruin thousands of people's' lives due to their ignorance. Plus now they're saying methadone isn't as "terrible" as they were claiming in the beginning of this mess. But I've yet to see any improvement as far as letting a highly trained doctor do their job without having to adhere to someone's ignorance and I've read where many doctors are outraged at this new methadone policy as many of the so-called "evils of methadone" simply aren't true. How was I able to live 15 years taking 11 methadone a day and having completely normal lab results the entire 15 years? There are still just as many people dying from trying to feel high as there were before; thus blaming methadone is totally obscene. Now those of us that truly have severe pain are paying the price for these addicts dying. Taking away the methadone hasn't made any difference at all except for people like me who no longer have the pain control we once had, plus I'm paying more for less pain control. Where is the common sense in all of this?

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My advice would be to go to an actual methadone clinic. They are not in the business posing control and you would get only one larger dose per day but it would hi lady be better than being in horrible pain and eventually you'd get used to it. And you may NOT be addicted to it but you're surely dependant on it, which are two very different things. You would be extremely uncomfortable if you suddenly discontinue your methadone dose. The moral dilemma would be you would have to be dishonest with the clinic to some degree. You would have to say you're an addict. It may even be much cheaper for you than what your meds are costing now. Clinics range from free to 75 per week. It's just an idea. Sometimes the systems designed to help us actually hinder us and we're forced to take measures around those obstacles. And sometimes I think the "system " just sucks and doesn't really care about us at all. Just a thought.

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Dear chronic pain patients,

My situation is the same as many and I really need help. I was on OxyContin 80mg 3x a day and 10mg of hydrocodone every 4 hrs for over ten years. I have systemic Lupus and fibromyalgia and arthritis in every joint in my body. This is chronic so I deal with this everyday and will for the rest of my life. It also triggers damage in any major organ it wants. I've had a pulmonary embolism, shingles, blood infections, I've been on life support, I cry from simply moving. I cry from simply laying in one spot. The best way I can describe the pain is radiating, throbbing torture throughout your entire body. Sleeping is outta the question. I finally found a doctor that gave me methadone because I'm against clinics for pain management because they hold your methadone against you and you have to do groups with people who don't relate to your pain. They want you there everyday and ten hours of group sessions to squeeze as much money as possible and you can't go on vacation or have a job because they own your time if you want to get medicated. My doctor not only dropped my dose one time and referred me somewhere else. He could have at least waited until I got in a pain management place which could take three months and detox me properly and I can't get in a clinic unless I have illicit drugs in my system, so the government now wants me to do drugs and make me a criminal because I have severe pain. Please explain this to me, it makes no sense at all.

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I 1000% understand your pain both physical and psychological. I'm a RN and still don't understand how the government has anything to do with my health. I was on double the amount of meds I am now last year. Having to cut back has been pure hell. I do agree that the higher the dose the more the pain but I truly don't think I can go down any lower and I am still at the top dose of what they allow per day. I moved to a new state last year and the first Dr I saw wanted me off everything in 4 months. I came to her in severe miserable pain asking to slow the taper down and she absolutely refused. Luckily I was able to find a fantastic Dr who was willing to treat and work with me. Yes I am dependent on my meds but not addicted. I wouldn't need them if I didn't have pain. I never asked for this chronic life changing pain and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I feel I have lost everything. I haven't been able to work in over 2 years and will probably never be able to practice nursing again. My kids and husband don't have the life they deserve. With having to decrease my dose of pain meds I am only more debilitated and less active. The people who are abusing drugs and overdosing to death are not taking meds prescribed by a Dr. I shouldn't have to suffer because of someone else's poor decisions or because a politician thinks they can practice medicine.
Stay strong! Something will have to change eventually! Too many people have actually gone through with ending their life unfortunately, because they just can't live with the pain anymore.

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I agree 100% with you about these pill seeking addicts who are dying from illicit drugs, not pain pills. And each time these addicts od and die from (illicit drugs) they blame the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies. And for the people who have real legal legit mri proven severe/chronic pain like us, it becomes harder to obtain the proper strength and quantity of pain medication that we need to live a comfortable life. I glad that there are more people out there who have the common sense to see and say what really is causing the problem. These ***** addicts who do not have any pain but cannot grow up and be an adult for once and their life, need to get their act straight!!!

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I agree methadone is the best med for pain...I was on a methadone drug program and was treated as a drug addict...for that reason I got off the methadone and now take cozy....and I suffer all the time with neck and back pain....would love to find a doc to prescribe...but I don't want to go back to going to a clinic every morning...

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My pain is all over.they cannot burn every nerve in my body.plus i had the nervers burnt in my back and i have more pain. write the president and maybe we can get something done.we have to fight for our rights.

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Hello i am so sorry your going thru this.i also suffer from pain i dont know how but this has to be stopped.i feel like we have no longer have rights.we need our Doctor treating us not a pain clinic.that knows no thinging about us.i wrote the fda and president.we have to stop this somehow

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I am truly sorry for your situation and completely agree that it is none of the government's business to get involved in the relationship between a doctor and a patient. I have chronic pancreatitis which causes me so much pain on a daily basis not to mention the horrific nausea and vomiting. My pain medication is the only reason I can live even a semblance of a normal life. I do not abuse my medication or take more than I should. Yet here I am getting punished because I don't have cancer. I feel so terrible for cancer patients - my grandfather and uncle both died from it, but saying they are the only ones that need pain medication is ludicrous. Obviously these legislators have no clue what it is like to live in your body or mine of a few million others that feel like without their meds they want to die. I have thought about it myself. My doctor has been really great so far by not moving my medication down to where the government wants it to be but she has said eventually she will have to. I am so afraid for that day. What am I supposed to do? What are you supposed to do? This epidemic is not an epidemic it is drug addicts doing what they do. I have no judgement on anyone's life and their choices, but people have been abusing substances since the dawn of time. This is just an opportunity for a bunch of rich men do sit on their high horse and make decisions for other people because they can. I was really disappointment that the FDA got involved in this and made it worse. They forget to mention those deaths happened to people either abusing their drugs or taking multiple substances together especially alcohol. So they have screwed us my friend for nothing. They will now face a illicit drug epidemic when legitimate pain patients seek it out because it is all they have left. I would never do that because it isn't in my nature but I understand the impulse. We as legitimate pain patients have to keep speaking out as loud as we can. With this government it will probably fall on deaf ears but we have to try. This is more than unfair it is inhumane. They don't seem to have a problem giving a bunch of methadone to an addict but you a true pain sufferer have this issue. It is so very sad and I wish you nothing but luck in the future. Maybe when enough of us die someone will listen. I pray it doesn't have to go that far. God bless.

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Becky, every word you said is exactly how I feel also. I just can't wrap my head around what business the government has in interfering with the kind of care doctors give. Every doctor is different, but unless they're really bad, they deserve to run their practice with the knowledge they worked so hard to get and with their own beliefs on patient treatment as just like us, every doctor has their opinion too. If I don't like a doctor's opinion I just go to the next one and finally found a wonderful doctor but now she's afraid to increase any of my medications because of the government interfering and threatening doctors if they don't abide by the new so-called "better rules." Just as many people are dying as before; yet we're having to pay the price for their addiction. How could anyone in the government possibly know the story between a doctor and their patient. They just lump us all together and any ***** knows medicine doesn't work that way as people react to different medicines in which methadone works for me, but another lady said she got no relief whatsoever from methadone. I have half a notion to write the President as he's not stiff and unapproachable like all our previous Presidents were. If he decided to fix this mess, he'd fix it and we'd finally get some relief as now I'm afraid they're going to take away the lousy 4 pills of methadone (they cut me back from 11 literally overnight). I barely get by and by the afternoon, I'm wore out. I now have to go to bed much earlier as that's how tired fighting this inadequate pain regimen I have now works for me. Please keep in touch as I think we're long overdue in starting some kind of defense mechanism as the squeaky wheel DOES get the grease!!

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I hate this is happening to you. I have had the same issue with Seconal. It went from about 35.00 to 100.00 for 100 capsules. I take as needed for sleep. No addiction problem here. However an 80 year old drug is being manufactured by a company by the name of Valiant. Just as your methadone this is not a drug with research and development costs.

They both are schedule II and obviously regulated, however if a physician deems it necessary and effective the government needs to exit the scenario.

Mine is now 4000.00 for 100 capsules, yep you read that right. Realizing they use this for end of life or assisted suicide, Valiant pharmaceutical company now wants those who are in need to simply languish away. For me it is the only thing that works for occasional sleeplessness / insomnia.

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Great previous post on Methadone. But to clarify Methadone why it works so well. Methadone was created by the Germans in WWII because of a lack of morphine available. Methadone is typically 100% stronger than morphine, oxycodone, Percocets, hydrocodone, etc. If you had started on a dose of morphine or oxycodone 15 years ago you would by now have a increased dose mg per day because of tolerance the brain builds to ALL OPIATES. You were started on the medicine in the past used to detox opiate addicted or dependent folks. The only way known to man as of 2017 to take less of a opiate pain killer is to DETOX. It may take 30, 60 or 90 days to taper off the Methodone but you will need a detox medicine of modern day to re-calibrate your brain. The Catch 22 is your still fighting pain of some degree from your injury or medical problem. But knowing first hand myself it can be done. But it is a vicious circle that a chronic pain person has to rotate to a new pain medicine with a pain Dr. that knows this. You most likely will never be out of pain. So a prescribing Dr. has to write new scripts for new or lower dose pain medicine to start the program all over again. It is a circle with much discomfort for a chronic pain person. Good luck. I hope this makes it more understandable.

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Methadone is the best pain medication out there...but I can't find a doc to prescribe...I refuse to go to a methadone program

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I'm sorry but that was my only THOUGHT OF REACHING OUT TO SOMEONE IN THAT MUCH PAIN.
I hate methadone programs. The way they run them and how much money they are making off of insurance companies.
I didn't know what to say and just reached out about someone being in pain and I have heard that it DOES stop the pain. Also in time if you go to your appointments,EVENTUALLY YOU WILL GET TAKE HOMES IF YOUR NOT ABUSING THE DRUG. GOD BLESS EVERYONE WITH THE OPIATE STRUGGLE. IT SUCKS BIG-TIME.

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Ask your Dr. If radiofrequency ablation to the nerves in the area could be a help. It can be very effective relieving the pain from compact nerves indefintely. And sometimes completely.

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I am very sorry I know how that feels I was a pharmacist before my illnesses and it hurts to lose a career that helps so many people. It hurts me to no end to know I will never practice again, and then the government comes in and makes my life unlivable reducing pain meds because I don't have cancer. Well sorry I'm just not sick enough for their standards.

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I am so depressed because my severe pain doesn't qualify, methadone clinics give some ppl up to 400mg. These are addicts who have no pain and I have no problem with them getting help but that's not our case. I have severe chronic pain, I cry because I can't move. Yes I'm suicidal because life this physically painful feels like it's not worth living. I can't take care of my kids, my mother in law took them and I finally got a doctor to work with me and he cut off 3/4 of his patients because of these laws. And my husband has rheumatoid arthritis and he has to go to a clinic with groups with people who are addicts not pain patients and I see his misery. The government cannot feel our pain we need a voice. I guarantee people in pain will turn to the streets cause we have no other options.

Please understand that you can't possibly cut us out when you have no idea what chronic pain feels like, just put yourself in our shoes for ten seconds. I bet your head would spin. I just wanna die because I have to find all new doctors and most think I'm drug seeking. I'm sorry I don't have cancer but it should not matter. My illness and my husband's are chronic, meaning incurable and forever. Help us or this country I guarantee will manifest to a huge illicit drug epidemic. We need a voice. I've been on a walker and wheelchair since I was 26. I lost my kids, my house and everything because I can't work and my husband since he was 11 has had bones broken and reconstructed and you don't think that's enough pain? The government has no reason to interfere. Haven't we suffered enough? We need a voice and I'm begging someone to step up cause I feel alone and desperate and when I ask for help I'm automatically an addict seeking drugs. WE NEED A VOICE!

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My current Dr was talking about changing my pain meds to methadone. I am currently on Morphine long acting and norco. Ketamine inj's. are a new thing they are using to help wean off pain medication and is not FDA approved for this treatment, therefore not paid for. I tried it twice and the first time I got maybe 4 days of relief and the second absolutely no relief. Apparently ketamine is a derivative of methadone, so I don't think methadone would work for me. I have been on darn near every opiate out there from fentanyl patches to oxy. Patches suck because they never last the days they are supposed to and for me are not absorbed the same with each change. Sometimes I got great relief and sometimes I got very very little. Oxy scared me to go on because it's like the one drug addicts take however it didn't do s*** for me. Everyone has different pain receptors. My pain receptors react the best to morphine. We shouldn't be judged by how our body reacts to certain things. With any illness or disease some meds work and some don't, that's why there are multiple options out there for the same treatment. Apparently Mr. President is cutting one of the programs that are fighting drug abuse. He is cutting it by 95% because it's just a duplicate program. Of course the politicians are pissed but I honestly think Trump gets it. The problem is the synthetic drugs that are crossing the boarder not the opiates that are prescribed. Something's gotta change. It can't stay like this forever. I gotta hope because I'm only 36 and what I have will never go away nor get better.

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It kinda sucks cause it's like every doctor you have has their different opinions on how much of something you should be on or if you should be on it at all. Immediately if you ask for a narcotic, benzos, ambien, adderall, Etc., then we want to abuse them. Well when you have major anxiety and really bad ptsd due to past horrible experiences they don't care anymore. I'm sick of having to tell my story to an impatient doctor that actually told me I could only answer yes or no to his questions or that I would be out in an hour. I didn't even know what the appointment was for. So I'm at the point of tears not realizing I was crying so bad that there was a little puddle on the floor cause I had my head down cause I wanted to f****** kill him. So when I noticed the empty box of tissues that was on the table next to me, he never offered me one from his desk either. He had me in there for two straight hours, it was humiliating and a nightmare before I walked out, but before I did I whipped the tissue box at him and told him to make sure he fills it the next time he was going to grill someone like I was a friggen convict with only yes or no answers and told him to f*** off as I walked out into the waiting room and slammed his door so loud, the entire staff remembers it cause they all say he is a very mean doctor. I did speak with a social worker and got a new primary care doctor and I'm going to another doctor to see if I can get on the right medication. It's a nightmare out there now. Good luck to everyone that's dealing with the struggle of being diagnosed with what I have, it sucks. It's life. God bless everyone. It's like what do you when they place switches your primary or counselor because they get moved or promoted or maybe let go, who knows. I have been through more doctors than I could ever imagine. God bless. Watch out with the fentanyl - it's in marijuana now and they are saying it's also in the xanax bars and illicit drugs. It has killed so many in rhode island it's terrible. Going to bed, peace.

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If you are on methadone you are addicted but if it's bc of real health pain being MEDICALLY addicted is NOTHING TO FEEL BAD, ASHAMED about or anything like that. it's the ones who lie or consume street drugs or use methadone instead of their street drugs they can't afford so then they go to the clinic and our government pays for it and that wouldn't even bother me if the clinics only dosed the illicit drug users small amounts n then gave more therapy, strict rules to have them then wean off. that's the way it's supposed to be but I've heard how clinic's keep uping doses, let people slide mixing benzo's with opiates and still give them they're daily doses...all of that makes it difficult for the truly hurt people who live day in n day out in REAL pain...someone's making a lot of MONEY and NOT even helping people with illicit addictions...it's so VERY sad...I've researched and clinic's dose up to 175 daily and no mention of decreasing to get clean and sober...it's the addicts that TRULY want help that stop clinic's at a reasonable level do na groups and TELL them clinic's to start weaning, otherwise these clinic's would get as many doses as high as possible and keep them there....why I've researched bc each mg is money plus, methadone's highly addictive and don't that I know of warn everyone the higher the dose the HARDER getting off that, as bad for users to ever reach clean n sober and you must research how debilitating the bone pain is with any decrease in mg AND years after the horrific bone pain years after taking nothing!!!!

God bless the strong getting completely off then to deal with the bone pain bc the methadone remains in your bones causing pain for years...and why do these clinic's have full control of prescribing methadone to illicit addicts? bc most truly don't care they're over full no individual care and do nothing when sure they U/A them, come up positive n wow drop a few mg a few days but continue to receive their new free drug of choice...the corruption is so sad...and not personally have I learned this but though a VERY close person I know. The government needs to do more and have special Dr office's just for this where they're treated with dignity at LEAST FOR THE ONES WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HAVE REAL HELP GETTING AND REMAINING CLEAN. Clinic's act like they care but MOST do not....all about the money...not near enough therapy, na, aa classes offered....fyi - also something I've learned, Aldolf Hitler had this drug made for some good reasons and some bad!! Odd we use a med made, ordered to make, that ordered the deaths of million.

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I have been prescribed Methadone for 15 years. On November 26, 2001 I got hit by a car and broke my tail bone and my hip. My doctor did two surgeries on my hip and put a plate and pins in to hold my hip together. My X-RAYS show my hip broke in half like a plate broke in half. It was the worst pain in my life, I seriously wanted to die instead of feeling the pain that I felt. I have given natural vaginal birth to 3 girls and two boys and my labor pains and giving birth were nothing compared to the pain I felt when I was hit by a car, and crushed into a parked car. It took me a year to learn how to walk again and use a regular toilet again. I just turned 18 when I got hit by a car. I was prescribed lots of pain pills for 6 months and then the doctor cut me off. I still felt pain and also now I was feeling horrible withdrawal symptoms. Then a friend of mine told me about the Methadone Clinic and I started Methadone Maintenance. Here I am 15 years later. I have been clean from illegal pain pills ever since the day I started Methadone Maintenance. Methadone saved my life and I am a proud mother of 5 beautiful children. My mom died from cancer in 2006 and the last 6 months of her life she cried to me and said they have prescribed her just about every pain killer known to man and she is still in pain. I said mom have they prescribed you Methadone yet? She said no. I said would you be willing to try Methadone? She said yes even though she was against me being on it for so long. So we asked her doctor if he would prescribe her Methadone instead and they had to give her 550 milligrams of Methadone just to make her comfortable. She was so happy that she didn't have to live in pain and agony anymore. She died 6 months after they prescribed her Methadone, but she died without suffering. And she apologized for always being angry with me because I was on Methadone. She said now I understand why you are on it. I miss her so much. Methadone is a miracle pain killer and it saved my life.

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