the methadone program is a very good program for people with opiate addictions. The patient goes to the clinic to dose daily. The after awhile if the patient is doing well the clinic will phase the patient up and let him/her take some meds home and they'll only have to dose at the clinic a few days out of the week. Its monitored plus it's a lot safer than the person doing all sorts of random drugs or doing too much and overdosing. Just make sure he is doing everything that he is supposed to be doing on the program. It can work for those that are serious about it.

Thanks for the info. He went for his appt. Today. The Dr. Said that he seems like a good canditate because he really wants to quit the drugs and of course that is half the battle.He has a cold in his lungs so he has to take antibiotics to clear it up before he can start the methadone which will be in about a week.You have to be in top physical condition to be in this program.

i'm glad to hear that. I think your son will be just fine as long as keeps telling himself whats important. As long as he is serious about this he will be fine. Try not to worry too much about it. He is taking a huge step just by admitting that he has a problem and asking for help. Good luck to you both!

Thanks. I think that he will do fine too. I`ll be calling him everyday to see how he is doing.He doesn`t want people to know about his problem so he doesn`t have alot of support around him. His brother would definitely help him out emotionally but for now it`s a secret that he doesn`t want people knowing about. Maybe he`ll be more open about it later.

My son went back to the Dr. This past tues. His lungs aren't totally cleared up yet but he was started on the methadone program anyway.He started out with a low dosage which will be increased daily until they get it to the level that will work best for him. In the future when it is time to come off of the methadone they will decrease the dosage bit by bit until he is totally weened off of it. He sees the Dr. Weekly so i'm glad that they will be keeping a close eye on him.

Methadone can be used for those who are addicted to herion/opiods. I myself am given methadone tabs for pain. My doctor perscribes them to me and I get them from a drug store. Methadone is a great pain killer and it works better then anything else I have ever takin. I used to be on oxycontin, percoset, vicodin, and a few other drugs and now all I need is the one pill of methadone instead of like 5 other pills. I just hate the fact the everyone sterotypes methadone as a heroin users rehab drug, when in fact it has awesome pain killer benefits and last all day.

Shawn

I didn`t realise that methadone is also a pain killer but i`m glad to hear it because my son also has a very bad back caused from a car accident a couple of years ago. This should also help his back as well as his addiction.He has always had alot of sleepless nights because of his back.

I understand how your son feels. I understand how he doesn't want others to know about his problem. So many people stereotype other people that are on methadone. They don't truely understand it or know enough about it, but yet they still seems to form their own opinion of it. Noone will ever understand anyone who is on this program unless they have been in their shoes. So, try to just be there for your son as much as possible.

Thanks jaleigh , I definitely understand the need for a support system for my son. It would be very difficult to go through this on his own. I see him every week-end and phone him every night to see how he is doing.We have always been very close so it is easy for him to confide in things to me.His younger brother who lives very close to him would be great support for him too but right now he doesn`t want him to know about it. Maybe he will tell him eventually and then he will have someone else that loves him dearly to help him through this difficult time in his life.

My son is still doing fine on the methadone program. His daily dosage has been upped to the maximum amount now and he no longer has any cravings for the morphine. He sees the Dr. Every couple of weeks so they will be keeping a close eye on him. I am so glad that he admitted that he needed help and then went and got it.

i've so glad to hear that your son is doing well on the methadone treatment program. You seem to be a very strong support system for your son. I'm sure it means the world to him to have you by his side with an open mind. Sometimes parents seem to be more argumentive than supportive in situations like these. Support is definately the key in this program. The number one thing is stopping the cravings that he was having for the morphine. Once the cravings are stopped he can then stop thinking about the drug continuously, which is a huge step in recovery. He will learn to live a normal life without the drugs. Some people say that people on methadone are just trading one drug for another drug. That may seem to be the case, but it really is not. Methadone has proven to be a very strong recovery method for people addictied to opiates. It also teaches the person to live life without their main objective being scoring more drugs. Once the patients mental state is where it needs to be, then the patient can start coming off the methadone, but not until then, which can take a long time for some. If their mental state is not healthy then the patient will fall right back into their old lifestyle, because they are still searching for something (in a sense). Anyway, I just wanted to say congratulations on your son's recovery. Also, make your son realize that he doesn't need to be embarressed by the fact that he is on methadone. By him taking methadone is just like someone who needs to take blood pressure medicine or diabetic medicine to live. It's the same concept. It's just a medication that he needs to take to get healed from an illness. He has nothing to be ashamed of. Those that judge him need to either walk in your son's shoes or get more educated before they start to voice their opinions on the issue.

I hope you all have a very merry christmas!

Thanks for your kind words. I wish that everyone understood this as well as you do. My son is still on the methadone and doing well. He now sees his Dr. Once a month and it sounds as if it will be at least a couple of years before they start weening him off of it. Thanks again for your support.

You are very welcome. It sounds like your son is really doing well on the methadone program. I am so happy to hear that he is doing better. There are so many people that don't understand this program and just how beneficial it really is to so many people. It has truely saved many many lives. The only thing that you and your son needs to be careful with is other medications. Make sure that your son discusses every medication that he takes while he is on the methadone. Even if it's a cold medicine or herbal medication. There are many medications out there that do not mix with methadone. Some medications can increase the methadone's effect, which can result in an overdose and other medications can decrease the methadone's effect, which can result in withdrawal effects. Some medications and even send you immediately into severe withdrawals. Even grapefruit juice interacts with methadone. Beer, wine & liquor should not be used while on methadone either. It intensifies the methadone effects greatly. It is very important that you and your son both understand that this is very important. In some cases it can even be deadly if methadone mixed with the wrong thing. Make sure he is very careful with what he takes while he is on methadone. I'm sure his doctor has disussed all of these things with your son, but I just wanted to tell you also just in case the two of you were not aware. It's too important not to mention it.

Also, I wanted to say that my hat goes off to you for being such a supportive mother to your son during this difficult time. So many parents would not even try to understand. There are so many people out there that are so niave when it comes to addiction. Your son is very lucky to have you in his life and on his side supporting him every step of the way. I know how hard this has to be for you to watch your son go through something like this. You are a very strong and special person and you need to know that. Good luck to both of you and please keep me updated on his progress. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me anything. I will do everything that I can to help the two of you out.