New to the site...Please don't bite.

[1lucky1]

Hi, I'm new to the site and think maybe I can add some advice or views but I'll start by introducing me and my experiences briefly...

I'm a 20 something old male who smoked heroin occasionally in the past. Had a horrific accident a few years back and started to get board and was in unbelievable pain.
A couple of yrs back I started smoking, then injecting...spent £5000-6000 of savings on crack and heroin in 4 months before realising what I was doing.
Started the Methadone program on 60mls for a couple of months and one day thought, what the hell you doing? I hated going to the pharmacy with all the no-hopers every day, feeling tired and groggy, so I  did a "rattle" for 6 days in my house. Came out of that o.k but had chronic pain so I decided to go back on the Meth after other pain-killers failed to deliver.
After a while I decided to quit again and try Oxycontin. I couldn't wait the time required for the increase of Oxy so once again returned to the Green stuff.
This time I was on bi-weekly pick-ups of 50mls / day. Then I decided to go traveling so I thought "I need to get off the stuff" for obvious reasons. This time I did a 2 week detox on Subutex. I managed it but maybe it was a little too quick!
3 months away was the best thing I've ever done. Nothing around to remind me of the bad times and no roads to remind me of the routes I'd take to score.
One thing I do know is I'll always need opiates for my pain. Phycologically, they pick me up too. I've tried Opium in the golden-triangle...didn't rate it that much, heroin, Oxycontin, Methadone & Morphine etc so hopefully I can add to some topics here. These days I'm on Morphine Sulphate for the pain. I'd advise anyone who can to get off the Meth to do so if possible (although it's really hard). I think it rotts your mind and is harder to come off than the skag! At the same time it can be good to the right person as it blocks out unwanted thoughts (not like subby's).

All the best to you all.

[bp]

Bite, never ! As one of the "no hopers" you met at the pharmacy every day I don't feel I have the right, even if I wanted to.

B.

[1lucky1]

Was waiting for someone to pick up on that. Unless you'd rob your own granny for her last tenner, I'm not talking about you. I doubt very much if the type of people I was talking of would even use a P.C to help themselves or others on forums such as these.

Thanks for the reply all the same.

[simon]

The 'No-hopers' could be on the first step of the ladder and given the appropriate help may well and often do turn out to be better people and manage to get jobs and pay some taxes.
Anyway, welcome to the forum.

[Tony.B.]

Watch it i just got my teeth back mate
Welcome
Tony B

[Lelee]

Well lucky1 you've made some contentious remarks but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. All I would say is don't fall into the trap of judgement, you never know who is an 'angel in disguise', even the 'no hopers.' If someone has no hope, then give them some! Easy.
So, welcome anyway. It would be good to hear about some of your experiences, particularly on pain management?
Linda   

[simon]

Tony, Good news about the teeth !

[1lucky1]

Yeah sorry, maybe I should of re-phrased it. I wasn't talking about a specific group of people but 2 or 3 indeviduals who I know are not nice people and do nothing but rob steal and make life hell for others. Sorry again. Lets leave it at that now and consider it finished.

Linda, as far as pain-management. The reason I started on heroin was because I couldn't get the pain-relief I needed. Eveytime I visited my GP, I was given the next strongest drugs and told to try them.
So it was like this....Told to try paracetamol....no good and back to the doctors. then co-codamol, diclafenac, volterol, solpadol, tramadol, di-hydrocodiene, gabbapentin, pregnabalin, methadone, oxycontin & now morphine.
Somewhere between that lot I gave up and found my own pain-relief....heroin.
Now I just take the morphine and diazepam when needed to relax my muscles.

I've been told by my doctor that methadone is pretty easy on the liver if you take it for years copared to other opite based drugs. Does anyone know more about this?

Cheers.

[Tony.B.]

Cheers Simon hope to see you soon, it would be great to show my new teeth off just like another chap i know and actually inspired me to 'get it done'.
I do want to talk more about this subject but feel that it deserves something very special so i am going to contact(and already have in some cases) colleagues/peers to discuss Teeth in PSUs and how Dental Treatment can change your whole life.(esp in Recovery tho obviously not exclusively).
Anyway i digress(what's new).
Lucky1 mate i was just havig a little joke about the teeth so please, i just could not resist, do not take it personally. I'm not a biter even with teeth.
Tho i will shove my whole 8+half stone soaking wet behind Linda here and say that we just do not know, we may 'see' something without fully understanding.
You have a wealth of knowledge and experience that this forum could only benefit from so please hang around awhile and give us a go.
I must say that compared to most forums of this ilk ours is very open and without much formality but you will find that if someone comes on(no matter who, new or old member) and appear to be judgememtal in any way shape or form then bet ya bottom $ that ppl will be replying before they have even finished reading your mail and hence could even be misunderstanding. Yeah mate from experience this.
So welcome really and i look foward to seeing some more of your posts.
Now my teeth joke is out the way we can continue with mutual respect my friend.
Very Best
Tony B

[simon]

Tony,
Sure i'll be seeing you soon hope the teeth are ok and you didn't get too much pain.

As regards the pain it sounds like the Doctor was following the world health organisation's analgesic ladder which of course they should
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40000178/

[leon]

TO SAY THAT PEOPLE RECEIVING TREATMENT EVERY DAY ARE NO HOPERS IS A REAL REFLECTION OF WHAT YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT YOURSELF I LOVE METHADONE MORE THAN PEOPLE LOVE GOD IT TOOK ME OF THE STREETS OUT OF PRISON I QUE IN THAT LINE EVERYDAY IM A PSYCHOLOGIST PLEASE DONT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU  CARNT BEAT YOUR ADDICTION REMEMBER YOU ARE A ADDICT YOU NO HOW HARD IT IS TO GET CLEAN THE PHARMACIST THINKS YOUR SCUM AS MUCH AS THE NEXT PATIENT I PITY YOU YOUR A LOSER BUT YOU JUST DONT NO IT

[1lucky1]

Well if you need a green synthetic liquid to keep you out of prison and off the the streets & you "love it" so much....knock your-self out.
As for not being able to beat my own addiction....I knocked the stuff on the head a long time ago. I take opiate pain-killers for severe pain caused by a spinal cord injury and if I didn't need them, I wouldn't take them.
Are you a psychologist or do you just think you are? I'd of thought one would at least be able to spell.
Ask your-self why I used to take Methadone and why you still do. And work out who the real loser is?

Oh and try reading all of the posts. I messed up on the first post....I admit it came across all wrong. For that I appoligise.

I suppose I'm gonna get another ear bashing now for this post. At least I didn't target one individual and slate them. Makes you no better than me....does it?

All the best for the future.

[simon]

Oh put your handbags down for Christ sake.

[mccusker_c]

Just like to say that Pharmacists are taught from an undergraduate level to respect and treat equally all patients who come into the pharmacy, with particular emphasis on methadone patients. This probably reflets an older view within the profession that methadone patients were not treated respectfully! Whether you can be 'taught respect' is a matter for debate, but, it can only be a positive thing that this issue is addressed at such a basic level. I have never worked in community pharmay or observed the methadone programme operating in pharmacy so can not comment on whether being 'taugh respect' is being translated into practice. As a student pharmacist I can say that most of my peers and I do, and hopefullly would, treat all patients equally, regardless of disease, addiction etc. 



 

[Tony.B.]

Dear Mcc
Wkd my friend. Not a first......................a level headed pharmacist. Big shout to the student one there tho.
Good grief guys this forum is an 'open' says it on the tin forum.
Saying that i do fell, personally, that a non judgemental approach to ALL that come should be the order of the day.
Please, i absolutely am loving the passion but hey guys... we ALL have been imprissoned by something or someone at sometime so lets just live the dream of Best Practice that we shout so loud that it got us heard by Government. Come on lets not destroy this ourselves, cos 'they' are out to get us. Unite in your common differences my friends.
Best
Tony B