MMT help motivation?

[renton]

I was wondering if anyone here as any experience with methadone maintenance. Specificly does it help a person addicted opiates to lead a more productive life and have more motivation to do things? I ask cause I find since I've gotten hooked on opies I've lost allot of my motivation in life and feel lethargic most the time but I've heard people on MMT find it helps them to get there life back on track and help them to feel more stable and "normal" in a way.

[prettypoppy]

People seem to feel all different ways about it. I had a 20 year history of Rx opiate use (and briefly, IV heroin as well) and have been on MMT almost 3 years now, and it has truly turned my life around. I have gone from being unemployed and unemployable to supporting 3 people on a full time job with insurance, and I have gotten interested in--and finally have time for--so many things, like methadone advocacy work, political issues, hobbies I forgot about, my family, etc. It has completely controlled my cravings without making me high--something I never would have believed could happen. If you have a long history of opioid use,m chances are fair you may have sustained permanent damage to your natural endorphin system and may actually need exogenous opioid supplementation to feel your best. In the USA we do not have the option of heroin maintenance, which works better for some folks, but we do have bupe and methadone. I would start with bupe and see if it workd for you before moving on to methadone, as there are less problems with stigma, clinic BS, etc. A recent study showed that bupe worked for about 47% of IV heroin users while the other 53% had to be stepped up to methadone, so it's worth a try.

[renton]

To me thats what recovery is all about, getting back your life and having a healthy lifestyle. I've looked into NA but I find there adamant that an addict can never recover unless they are off all drugs even ones that are for treatment. Problem is if addiction is an illness like depression than it's also a chemical imbalance in the brain too and needs to be treated as such. Now I know allot of people have gotten clean using the NA method but for some I think bupe or methadone is the only real hope since theres that chemical imbalance that will always cause cravings and such.

[prettypoppy]

I agree, Renton. I know not everyone believes in endorphin deficiency as a cause of opiate abuse/addiction but it is the only thing that has made sense to me and explained the reason for my countless relapses in the face of the most hideous of consequences and despite years of clean time.

NA actually has an official position on methadone--it is in their pamphlet #29. It states that MMT patients are considered to be in "active addiction", no different at all that if they were shooting H on the street, and they are therefore not allowed to "share" or talk in meetings for fear they may "cloud the message of recovery" as the drug "clods" your mind. Interestingly, though, it also states that methadone used for pain is A-ok, and those folks can talk, hold office, etc. I guess it only clouds your mind when you take it for addiction?:rolleyes:

[ILLWILLMD]

I have been on methadone maintenance for about 8 months. During which I have escalated to 180-mg. Not to stop cravings, which stopped at about 60 mg, but to help make me feel more motivated and have a better sense of well being. Here is the problem. This dose does make me feel better in ways SSRI meds never could, but it also makes me tired and lethargic. I started taking d-phenylalanine, which has helped a noticeable amount, but it is still not enough. I have started the quest for bupe in hopes that it may help in this area. I know that it is not gunna be fun switching. But if it will work for my possible endorphin deficiency then it will be well worth it. So in short did it help with motivation? Well I do feel like I want to do more stuff, and take interest in more things, but if it is not instantly gratifying, well it don’t get done. lol

[trainwrecker]

Methadone can really go either way. I have been on it for three years now and it has done me alot of good and alot of not so good. It certianly can be motivating, and it can be lethargic. The best part is that it is legal and free(for me anyway).

Haven't you ever taken methadone? How did it make you feel? Kept you well for a long time.. not too euphoric.. It really depends on the person weather you get motivation from it.

[Saint]

Swim has used methadon for over 20 years. Swim does believe in the endorphin deficiency-theory (caused by longterm opioid-use) because Swim remained ill for a year when she quit methadon after a slow taper. Swim is talking about being seriously ill here: extremely severe stomachpains, depressions, muscleproblems etc. Numerous check-ups in the hospital didn't show anything wrong with Swim.
This happened every time that Swim tried to come off methadon/opioids. But once on methadone again Swim always got better. So far endorphine deficiency is the only thing that could possibly explain this.

Swim has used heroine IV for over 15 years - often in combination with methadon - and 7 years ago she decided that enough was enough: the lying and cheating, the double life, the huge debts (Swim could have bought a mansion from all the money spent on dope, hell, maybe even a private jet too).
So Swim decided to try quit heroine for good and increased her methadondose.
This definitely worked for Swim. Within 4 years Swim was debtfree, had a good job, active life blablabla. Swim finally felt normal again. As far as normality exists that is.

However, Swim thinks that even with methadon you still have to be very motivated to quit illegal opioids: many people only end up creating a double addiction. At first Swim missed a high on methadone and still used heroine on the side. Swim started to use methadone in the mornings (no dope around yet) and took het fix in the afternoon/evenings. So, for a long time Swim used methadon AND heroine.

But once on the right dose most people feel good and are able to function 'normally' again. A higher dose should stop the cravings too but Swim never used more than 50 mgs a day.
Anyway, in the end all worked out very well for Swim but the flipside is that Swim will probably have to use methadon for the rest of her life. But the advantages outweighed my problems when still on dope by far. So, for me it was the right choice.

Swim thinks that maybe you should consider subutex too, supposedly it is less difficult to get off that.

[prettypoppy]

I'm with Swim!;)