rosielee

hi- ive been on methadone for 17 years- the last 6 years i have taken it in tablet form- called physeptone tablets. i am currently taking 3 tablets a day.

but it has made me feel mentally ill- i wake up in the morning and i feel that i didnt have full ccontrol over my thoughts or actions the day before
the methadone gtives me a massive headache....i feel letharigc and depressed and the thought of continuing this taper from methadone down to zero just fills me with doom and dread.

i sleep OK but my days feel like the twilight zone and i cant get some sanity.

so ive begged and pleaded to be switched to subutext. apparantly i spend 48 hrs without- which means a full 24 hrs and then i have to walk to the chemist and take my first dose on a supervised basis.

it seems stupid- standing in the chemist to take my first dose- what if i go into precipitated withdrawals?


its been a hard push to even get them to agree to a switch- they say switching can take days to adjust and can be problematic but im down to 15mls of meth- and i would take it when i am at the point of sweatyness and sickness.....so im sure it will work fine.

is there anything i should know?

if the subutext doesnt work- can i go back onto the methadone?

im not taking suboxone as there is no fear of a relapse or heroin use.

i would really appreciate the support- my mental health is ruined- and i feel in shreds. i am just on the internet in the days to stop me over thinking


im hoping that changing to subutext will stop this dreadful cycle of over thinking evefrything- as i cant take any more

i would really appreciate some support when i switch- someoen to natter too when im ill.

hypochondriac

Welcome to SR RosieLee I have no experience of what you're going through but I'm sure you'll find lots of support here. Do check out the substance abuse forum and this one too Suboxone/Methadone Maintenance or Detox - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information x

2granddaughters

Have you called your local Narcotics Anonymous telephone number ?

You'll find a lot of folks there that have been right where you are.

All the best.

Bob R

Dee74

Hi rosielee - welcome!

I have no experience with those drugs either. Did you have any kind of discussion with a doctor or a health worker at the clinic?

D

rosielee

thanks for talking to me guys

right now i need to chat to as many people as i can

yes i go to NA meets-lots
and yes i see a counsellor and a doctor- my next meeting is wednesday and we will discuss switching then. it all had to be pre arranged with the doctor and a date set

i am going to see how i get in until then- and see if i manage to reduce from the methadone further as right now i am back to feeling quite stable again and im thinking do i want to switch?

but this is what my mental health has been like....i cant predict the bad days..and the bad days seem to come out of the blue for no reason.

NoelleR

rosielee ---

"...im not taking suboxone as there is no fear of a relapse or heroin use..."

You do realize that the only difference between suboxone and subutex are essentially the same (buprenorphine). With one exception: Subutex has no additives, and Suboxone has one part Naloxone for every four parts buprenorphine......???

(o:
NoelleR

rosielee

yes, i realise that now thanks. they are the same thing arent they. but suboxone has that stuff in it that makes you sick.
after talking to someone else on another forum- i think i may just be better off carrying on with my reduction from methadone. im on three tablets- if i go slowly i could carry on to zero.
i just would like better mental health thats all. maybe the more i reduce....the better my mental health will be?
sometimes....i feel like i am in a film....and i am looking around at the different characters. and sometimes i have a COMPLETE inability to deal with difficult situations.
for example....i know this sounds funny....but i went to this psychic circle where they had this "medium" (an international medium........with only ten people in a a hall) and she blatantly cold read - and i was the only one who walked out half way through- the others feel for it.
i thought about that scenario for TWO days....got really mentall sick over it. i kept thinking- why did i go? why does that woman lie like that? how can she do it and think its ok? why doesnt anyone else think its strange??

basically.....things which didnt bother me before.....are now bothering me. its like ive gone from the extreme of being dulled and deadened and out of it....to super sensetive- over reactive and over thinking


the over thinnking i do is horrendous.....some days its so bad i just need to wait until bed tie so i can sleep

ive been putting this down to the methadone.

has anyone else had experience of this mental health stuff?

i also have been over thinking my own situation........relationships....my life...past conversations to such an extent its just not healthy.

and other days....like today- where ive had something to do (voluntary work) ive felt normal and things havent done my head in.

does anyone know of what has been happening to me? and has anyone else had these experiences?

some days i feel fine....other days i do feel as if i am a bit insane.

is this the methadone? or part of my detox?

there is a guy at my NA meeting- he did a massive- rapid reduction from the methadone....his head is so screwed up he sits and laughs over nothing........its really strange. but its a testament of how the methadone effects your brains chemicals.