[oceanview]

what is the methadone for? its generally used to help someone beat a heroin addiction, but there doesn't seem to be evidence of that here - so what's it for? where are they getting it from?

[Jrabbit]

Somebody on the big thread said it's used as a pain med.

[AllieOop]

Methadone is pharmaceutical heroin. Switching addicts from heroin to methadone is a way to have their addiction controlled so they are not struggling for that next fix on the street. It trades one addiction for another. Methadone is actually stronger than heroin, it is very long acting and the metabolites stored in the bones. That is why detoxing from methadone is worse than heroin, their bones feel like they are breaking...

[TheLebowskiDude]

Methadone can be used for treating narcotic addiction as well as chronic pain. It's relatively cheap compared to other pain killers from what I understand. The main benefit is that it lasts much longer than other drugs. I think the article said she may have been getting it from her lawyer.

[Ikemeister]

Methadone is used as substitue Heroin. It was develpoed by the Germans to help treat heroin addicts. It is supposedly a safe substitue. One of its early users was Luftwaffe Chief Goering, who was a drug addict himself.

[pandoraou812]

Methadone is a synthetic opiate. It was first synthesised by German scientists during World War II because of a shortage of the morphine that was used as a painkiller. It produces similar effects to heroin or morphine.

Taking extra methadone above the recommended dose or mixing it with other depressants such as temazepam, alcohol or even heroin is very dangerous. This can - and does - commonly result in overdose and death of the user.

I have heard of people with severe back pain getting it...chronic pain patients are gaining admittance to methadone maintenance programs not because they are addicts, but only for pain management. The apparent reason is that these patients lack either access to other programs or physicians who are willing to use opioid analgesics, especially in high doses.

I don't know why they had but from what I have read it isn't something you want to take long term. Some heroin addicts can't stop using so they go on a methadone maintenance program and can be on it for the rest of their lives. Others use it to get off heroin and its reduced until they are on a low dosage and then finally are able to stop. A doctor had to prescribe it or a clinic if they were getting it legally. http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy/publicat/97apsmm.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methadone

[EEDUDE]

Methadone is used by many doctors to treat chronic pain.

I was on it for about a year and a half and I've never touched heroin.