Difference between hydrocodone and methadone?

Question

I have 5 herniated discs and was on hydrocodone for a few months and recently they have not been helping. When I discussed this with my doctor he prescribed methadone. The only thing I can find on the internet is how it is used to wean people off of heroin. What am I getting myself into? The hydrocodone gave me a euphoric feeling, but no other side effects. What can I expect from the methadone 5mg?

Answer 1

Its a low dose of methadone. Its also am opiate but very long acting. It generally does not give you a euphoric feeling. Its used when people are tolerant of opiates (be it heroin, or morphine or even vicodin) to "stisfy" your body's tolerance to opiates. Usually its used for pain in addition with another pain medicine to make the other pain medicine be more effective.  

Answer 2

If hydrocodone made you feel goofy; Methadone is going to be MUCH worse.  I felt soo drugged on methadone that I could not function at all.  I was then put on Fentanyl Patch; which I love.  

Answer 3

Hello ~

I have been on Methadone for Chronic Pain for a year now and am currently at 40-50mg/per day.

I had taken Morphine for approx. six years and became tolerant to it thus it did nothing for the pain anymore.  The only time I get tired now is when I take my first dose of Methadone in the morning.  My doctor and I are still, even after one year, changing dosages/amount of time between doses etc.  It is not an absolute and everyone reacts to medication differently.

I certainly do not recognize any 'euphoric feeling' from it, but I do know when it is almost time for my next dose as my pain increases.

Before I began taking it, I did do research on the Net and asked many questions of 2-3 different doctors ( in appointments ) before I committed to it.  Some of the articles I read scared the #&^% out of me but I had tried several different meds after the Morphine and almost every one of them made me feel 'dopey'.  Yes some of them stopped the pain but I was not able to function so what was the point?  Now with the Methadone, I can carry on with my daily tasks and I am not wanting to sleep all the time.

If you are doing research on the Net, try typing in something like; 'Taking Methadone For Chronic Pain'.  I found that unless I used the words 'Chronic Pain' I either received the same info you did or info about 'end of life' issues.

Taking these types of medication is a very personal choice and like I stated, everyone reacts differently to them.  

Best of Luck with your decision.

Della

Answer 4

FDA advisory on use of methadone for pain control

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of death and life-threatening side effects in patients taking methadone.

These deaths and life-threatening side effects have occurred in patients newly starting methadone for pain control and in patients who have switched to methadone after being treated for pain with other strong narcotic pain relievers.

Methadone can cause slow or shallow breathing and dangerous changes in heart beat that may not be felt by the patient.

Prescribing methadone is complex. Methadone should only be prescribed for patients with moderate to severe pain when their pain is not improved with other non-narcotic pain relievers.

Pain relief from a dose of methadone lasts about 4 to 8 hours. However methadone stays in the body much longer—from 8 to 59 hours after it is taken. As a result, patients may feel the need for more pain relief before methadone is gone from the body.

Methadone may build up in the body to a toxic level if it is taken too often, if the amount taken is too high, or if it is taken with certain other medicines or supplements.

To prevent serious complications from methadone, health care professionals who prescribe methadone should read and carefully follow the methadone (Dolophine) prescribing information FDA is issuing this public health advisory to alert patients and their caregivers and health care professionals to the following important safety information:

Patients should take methadone exactly as prescribed. Taking more methadone than prescribed can cause breathing to slow or stop and can cause death.

A patient who does not experience good pain relief with the prescribed dose of methadone, should talk to his or her doctor. Patients taking methadone should not start or stop taking other medicines or dietary supplements without talking to their health care provider.

Taking other medicines or dietary supplements may cause less pain relief. They may also cause a toxic buildup of methadone in the body leading to dangerous changes in breathing or heart beat that may cause death.

Health care professionals and patients should be aware of the signs of methadone overdose. Signs of methadone overdose include trouble breathing or shallow breathing; extreme tiredness or sleepiness; blurred vision; inability to think, talk or walk normally; and feeling faint, dizzy or confused. If these signs occur, patients should get medical attention right away.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I work in a pain management clinic. Please read this NY times article that came out on Sunday. I am not a doctor, so I can't give you info on the difference, but this article is very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/us/17m...