shooting methadone danger zone? - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

***coffeedrinker*** · 12-06-2009, 09:43 AM

my abf entered mmt about a month ago. he became more focused, more loving, helpful around the house, than he had been in a long while - actually perhaps more than i've ever seen him. he didn't have the "treatment high" syndrome, just paying attention to some of the nuts and bolts of life.

i wanted him to do inpatient treatment, then decided i would be "ok" with outpatient, but he has resisted both.

i sometimes wondered if he was doing the program as he was supposed to -- nights when he would nod a bit for couple hours, sleeping patterns that weren't normal for him, and sometimes just a gut feeling that something wasn't right. but not knowing too much about mmt, and getting stable, i was never sure.

this morning i walked in unexpectedly and sure enough, he scrambled to hide something. it was a syringe.

he is just about to go into phase 2, where he gets an extra t.h. every week. so clean ua's for 30 days. he said he is only shooting the methadone, i believe he is getting extra from somewhere (his many friends/connections out there) so he is abusing, right?

he said it's really about a fixation he has with needles. i can buy that, but it's still not working the program the way he's supposed to. right? not sure what to do at this point. i feel betrayed and confused.

i need some time and distance to get clarity. where should he go (living with me now) and what should my response be? i have been extremely supportive for a long, long time and hoped that last year was his last relapse. i don't think he's using h, but of course how would i know. any feedback very welcome

tsmba · 12-06-2009, 10:16 AM

He has got a real problem that needs to be addressed. Methadone (for maintenance) is only dispensed in two forms: the liquid and the wafers. Neither are fit to be shot up and are formulated to deter doing so. I assume this guy is in treatment because he wants help, but his behavior is sabotaging his treatment. Now is the time to come clean about it. I suspect he is nowhere near a stable dose yet and needs to let his clinic know of his problems. Being honest with one's problems is a positive step. Continuing as he is will lead to getting caught and could put him in the hospital, or the morgue!

freddie4621 · 12-06-2009, 12:55 PM

Hi, I feel your pain and for 26 years my wife put up with what you're going thru. First of all, I know you've heard this, one cannot inject methadone. There is a form of methadone that CAN be injected, but I seriously doubt he can obtain it. Have you ever considered speaking honestly with your husband's counselor. I know you man will probably not like this idea, but if he really wants to stop the insanity, that would be one way.
If you need some space from him, consider talking to him about this with his counselor present, he'll be less likely to lay a guilt trip on you and addicts can manipulate their way out of situations when there's not an objective party present. He will freak, (your husband) but hey, you need to do what's right for you.
God bless you both and try and be strong.
Fred

box3 · 12-06-2009, 01:27 PM

You can inject methadone, I used to do it with my take home doses. If it's mixed with water you can reduce it enough, although this still involves injecting massive amounts of fluid (and sorbitol, etc) into your system, which is nasty. If the syringe was large (10ml), then this is probably what he is doing. If he gets take homes mixed with juice, then he is also obtaining methadone elsewhere.

I consider injecting methadone as a relapse. I guess you need to decide for yourself where your boundaries are in regards to your ABF's using. His addiction is his problem. Living with an active user is crazy making and scary. Do you have any support for yourself?

Look after you. Sending you lots of strength.

**Dee74** · 12-06-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

I consider injecting methadone as a relapse. I guess you need to decide for yourself where your boundaries are in regards to your ABF's using. His addiction is his problem. Living with an active user is crazy making and scary. Do you have any support for yourself?

Look after you. Sending you lots of strength.

I'm with box, CD....and I know you know all this. Please look after yourself - it sounds like time to do some of that detaching with love stuff.

D

***coffeedrinker*** · 12-07-2009, 06:27 AM

I am trying to do that detaching thing. I told him I need him to find another place to live. He said ok, but now the follow-through is the hard part.
He knows no person, as a friend, who has a sober household. I haven't wanted to send him into the fire so to speak.

Thing is, I don't know what the truth is. He said the syringe doesn't even have a tip on it. I looked at it later and it didn't. What the heck? What's the deal with that?

I appreciate the suggestion to try and visit with his counselor, and the notion that this is sabotaging his treatment plan - that it is a relapse.

tsmba said he suspects he is nowhere near a stable dose. I don't understand that statement. Why might that be so? I had the idea that he might be taking too much, to get a buzz on or something.

And box said his addiction is his problem. I understand what that means, and if he brought a handful of xanax home, he'd be on the curb right now. But if all he has in him is methadone, is it an active addiciton? Is he working on recovery? It's just very confusing to me. His outward behavior has not been short-tempered, argumentative, selfish, snappy or ugly in any way - the clearest signs in the past of using or getting ready to.

I think I have my answers. If anyone else would like to comment, though, it always helps me to clarify. Thanks

tsmba · 12-07-2009, 08:48 AM

If he is still craving opiates, his dose is probably too low. It takes time to get stable (some more than others) and thanks to government meddling, some states have dosage caps and other limits. I am a "fast metabolizer" and it took 270mg/day in a split dose before I got stable. Some need much more. The point is that it takes what it takes.

A lot of us have tried abusing methadone at one time or another. Taking extra doses, stockpiling, etc. Shooting it up is extreme. As a patient gets stable, these urges go away and/or we catch onto how pointless they are.

I think you are doing the right thing by establishing boundaries. Only your husband can do what he needs. You can be supportive but ultimately you must take care of yourself. Sometimes a nudge is needed and it sounds like you have let him know you won't put up with his deeds. Have you tried Al-Anon? My family got a lot of support from it. They learned that addiction affects the entire family and that they needed recovery, too.

12-06-2009, 09:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
*coffeedrinker* Community Greeter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: minneapolis, mn Posts: 2,757	shooting methadone danger zone? my abf entered mmt about a month ago. he became more focused, more loving, helpful around the house, than he had been in a long while - actually perhaps more than i've ever seen him. he didn't have the "treatment high" syndrome, just paying attention to some of the nuts and bolts of life. i wanted him to do inpatient treatment, then decided i would be "ok" with outpatient, but he has resisted both. i sometimes wondered if he was doing the program as he was supposed to -- nights when he would nod a bit for couple hours, sleeping patterns that weren't normal for him, and sometimes just a gut feeling that something wasn't right. but not knowing too much about mmt, and getting stable, i was never sure. this morning i walked in unexpectedly and sure enough, he scrambled to hide something. it was a syringe. he is just about to go into phase 2, where he gets an extra t.h. every week. so clean ua's for 30 days. he said he is only shooting the methadone, i believe he is getting extra from somewhere (his many friends/connections out there) so he is abusing, right? he said it's really about a fixation he has with needles. i can buy that, but it's still not working the program the way he's supposed to. right? not sure what to do at this point. i feel betrayed and confused. i need some time and distance to get clarity. where should he go (living with me now) and what should my response be? i have been extremely supportive for a long, long time and hoped that last year was his last relapse. i don't think he's using h, but of course how would i know. any feedback very welcome

12-06-2009, 12:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
freddie4621 Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NY,NY Posts: 48	Shooting Methadone Hi, I feel your pain and for 26 years my wife put up with what you're going thru. First of all, I know you've heard this, one cannot inject methadone. There is a form of methadone that CAN be injected, but I seriously doubt he can obtain it. Have you ever considered speaking honestly with your husband's counselor. I know you man will probably not like this idea, but if he really wants to stop the insanity, that would be one way. If you need some space from him, consider talking to him about this with his counselor present, he'll be less likely to lay a guilt trip on you and addicts can manipulate their way out of situations when there's not an objective party present. He will freak, (your husband) but hey, you need to do what's right for you. God bless you both and try and be strong. Fred

12-06-2009, 01:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
box3 hypercube Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 307 Blog Entries: 2	You can inject methadone, I used to do it with my take home doses. If it's mixed with water you can reduce it enough, although this still involves injecting massive amounts of fluid (and sorbitol, etc) into your system, which is nasty. If the syringe was large (10ml), then this is probably what he is doing. If he gets take homes mixed with juice, then he is also obtaining methadone elsewhere. I consider injecting methadone as a relapse. I guess you need to decide for yourself where your boundaries are in regards to your ABF's using. His addiction is his problem. Living with an active user is crazy making and scary. Do you have any support for yourself? Look after you. Sending you lots of strength. __________________ Wherever you go, there you are.

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12-06-2009, 10:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
tsmba Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Middle of MO Posts: 668	He has got a real problem that needs to be addressed. Methadone (for maintenance) is only dispensed in two forms: the liquid and the wafers. Neither are fit to be shot up and are formulated to deter doing so. I assume this guy is in treatment because he wants help, but his behavior is sabotaging his treatment. Now is the time to come clean about it. I suspect he is nowhere near a stable dose yet and needs to let his clinic know of his problems. Being honest with one's problems is a positive step. Continuing as he is will lead to getting caught and could put him in the hospital, or the morgue!

12-07-2009, 06:27 AM	#6 (permalink)
*coffeedrinker* Community Greeter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: minneapolis, mn Posts: 2,757	I am trying to do that detaching thing. I told him I need him to find another place to live. He said ok, but now the follow-through is the hard part. He knows no person, as a friend, who has a sober household. I haven't wanted to send him into the fire so to speak. Thing is, I don't know what the truth is. He said the syringe doesn't even have a tip on it. I looked at it later and it didn't. What the heck? What's the deal with that? I appreciate the suggestion to try and visit with his counselor, and the notion that this is sabotaging his treatment plan - that it is a relapse. tsmba said he suspects he is nowhere near a stable dose. I don't understand that statement. Why might that be so? I had the idea that he might be taking too much, to get a buzz on or something. And box said his addiction is his problem. I understand what that means, and if he brought a handful of xanax home, he'd be on the curb right now. But if all he has in him is methadone, is it an active addiciton? Is he working on recovery? It's just very confusing to me. His outward behavior has not been short-tempered, argumentative, selfish, snappy or ugly in any way - the clearest signs in the past of using or getting ready to. I think I have my answers. If anyone else would like to comment, though, it always helps me to clarify. Thanks

12-07-2009, 08:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
tsmba Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Middle of MO Posts: 668	If he is still craving opiates, his dose is probably too low. It takes time to get stable (some more than others) and thanks to government meddling, some states have dosage caps and other limits. I am a "fast metabolizer" and it took 270mg/day in a split dose before I got stable. Some need much more. The point is that it takes what it takes. A lot of us have tried abusing methadone at one time or another. Taking extra doses, stockpiling, etc. Shooting it up is extreme. As a patient gets stable, these urges go away and/or we catch onto how pointless they are. I think you are doing the right thing by establishing boundaries. Only your husband can do what he needs. You can be supportive but ultimately you must take care of yourself. Sometimes a nudge is needed and it sounds like you have let him know you won't put up with his deeds. Have you tried Al-Anon? My family got a lot of support from it. They learned that addiction affects the entire family and that they needed recovery, too.

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