Why Do I Only Feel Normal on Methadone?
Question by Gracie Maelou: Why do I only feel normal on methadone?
I have fibromyalgia, DDD, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis. I am 43 years old. I started having terrible pain about 15 yrs ago after a bad fall and have had 3 more bad falls since. My pain became chronic about 5 yrs ago. I am on ambiem, cymbalta, tramadol (8/50 mg tabs per day) and Soma. I have never been involved in any internet blog/forum. The pain clinic prescribed me w/methadone about 2 yrs ago with vicodin for breakthrough. About a yr ago I was up to 80 mg/day. The last 6 months I have had NO ambition or energy. 2 weeks ago, I stopped taking the methadone on my own. I know that is risky but I could not stand life as a zombie. I tappered down to 20 mg/day and the last week to 10 mg/day. Then I stopped totally 2 weeks ago. The 1st week was not too bad but I was weak & achey. This past week has been awful. Terrible stomach problems (I started on milk thistle to clean my colin), and pain behind belief Just about 4 hours ago, I gave in and took 10 mg. I feel normal with no pain.
Best answer:
Answer by embellishment3
So sorry to hear that you have multiple medical problems.If you are in constant pain everyday the methodone you have taken would give you the feeling of being pain free for awhile while it is in your system.That is why you would be feeling normal at this time with no pain.I hope you will become pain free in the future.
Answer by gordios_thomas_icxc
Pain management is not an exact science.
Just like all medicine, it is a “practice”, and it is always in flux as the patient’s condition changes.
The way you have titrated your dose of pain medication down is a good example of someone doing their best to regain a normal life, only using the pain meds when actually needed.
However, this is usually a process with its ups and downs.
It is normal for you to have some good days and then a turn back to bad days.
This is especially true with Fibromyalgia, as you are constantly susceptible to flareups that can cause all of your systems to scream out in pain.
I would suggest two things:
Make sure your physician is aware that you are adjusting your medications.
The more they understand about what you need and what you can tolerate, the better they will be able to advise, encourage and support you as you take an active role in your healthcare.
Second, realize that as you lower your medications, you are actually INCREASING the percentage of total meds discontinued.
For instance, when you were on 80mg and cut down to 60mg, you have lowered your medication by 25%.
However, when you lowered the dose from 20mg to 10mg, you lowered the dosage by 50%.
When the dose is lower, it is very hard for the body to adjust to changes, even when it seems that the total dose amount is small.
Talk to your doctor and/or your pharmacist about how you might decrease in smaller incriments.
They can do this by either giving you smaller pills or through the use of a pill cutter, or both.
That way you can move from 20mg to 15mg, 15 mg to 12.5 mg, 12.5mg to 10 mg, 10mg to 8 mg, 8mg to 6 mg, 6mg to 5 mg, 5 mg to 3.75 mg, 3.75mg to 3 mg, 3 mg to 2.5 mg, 2.5mg to 2 mg, 2 mg to 1.5 mg, 1.5 mg to 1 mg, 1 mg to 1/2 mg, and finally discontinue until the med is needed again.
The other advantage to this method is that, should a flareup occur as you are decreasing the dose, you won’t have to jump from no med to a 10 mg or 20 mg dose, which has the potential of returning you to that “zombie” state.
I’m glad that you are getting the meds you need, and also pleased that you are an active participant in your pain management.
One other thing: most Rheumatologists agree that good sleep is the number one treatment for Fibromyalgia, followed closely by specialized massage therapy (some massage therapists can actually cause a flareup due to ignorance of the needs of a FMS client).
So, if your current meds are not allowing you to sleep, make sure your physician addresses this problem as soon as possible.
Good health to you!