Guest guest Posted January 14, 2004 Report Share Posted January 14, 2004 Hey everyone! I was finally able to have my appt with a new pain management specialist last Friday. I was previously taking Lortab 7.5 mg along with Ibuprofen 800 mgs twice a day. He has switched me to Methadone. Very low dose but it seems to be helping. I take 2.5mg every 4 hours. Now for my questions: 1 - He told me to take it every 4 hours and when I had the script filled, the pharmacy wrote to take 4 times daily. Now if I get up at 6 am, I know I would take it at 6, 10, 2, and 6 pm What if I'm still awake at 10pm? Do I just not take it and wait for the morning? 2- He told me it can take one or two weeks for my body to get used to the medication and get over side effects. I was taking it for about 4 days just fine, no side effects that I could tell. Now the last 2 days I've been feeling very very very tired and fatigued and sick to my stomach. The pain has been controlled a lot better then when I was on Lortab but I am so tired I have to drive with my windows open in the dead of winter just to stay awake when I'm in my car. I came home and had dry heaves last night and had to go to bed right away. Couldn't even keep my eyes open. I also had to go take a nap in my car on my lunch break at work today. Does it take a while to build up in your system and maybe that's why it's just hitting me? I am waiting for a return call from his nurse but was hoping someone could answer some questions in the meantime based on their experience with this medication. TIA! in Utah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 --my guess is that you can take it every 4 hours if you need to. But would clarify with doctor. I was on Methadone and hated the side effects, like nausea, vomiting ang fatigue. There may be better drugs for you. Ask Dr. about a low dose duragesic (fentanyl) patch. I have been using the patch for over a month now and it keeps my pain at a pretty constant rate of 3. I am also taking Actiq (fentanyl lozenges) for breakthrough pain. I'm not saying this is for everyone but it won't hurt to ask. If methadone is going to treat you like this, how can you stand to take it? I can drive on the patch, although not with the Actiq--might be worth a try. Take care--Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 > 1 - He told me to take it every 4 hours and when I had the script > filled, the pharmacy wrote to take 4 times daily. , Please be very very careful with methadone. If you have any question at all about the correct dosage, check with your doctor! And make sure he and the pharmacist agree on what you should be taking. Methadone has a very long half-life in the body, and this half-life tends to exceed the duration of the pain relief it gives. People also seem to develop less tolerance to it than to other opioids. That means it's somewhat tricker to get the right dosage with methadone than other opioids, and overdosage is sometimes a risk. My wife, an oncology nurse, says she has had to " Narc " patients on methadone (that's nurse slang for administering Narcan, an opioid antidote). This is something that doesn't happen very often, but it can happen. So again, if you have any doubts at all, please check with your doctor, and let him know about all of your side effects! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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