Posted by pinksharkmark (64.32.124.84) on June 19, 2001 at 02:37:27:
In Reply to: I guess my biggest fear is... posted by nancyc on June 18, 2001 at 20:00:15:
Methadone addiction is not my area of expertise, and I am 100% willing to accept your opinion in this area. Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall hearing that a methadone addiction is actually harder to kick than the heroin addiction it replaces. Ironic, no?
My only personal experience with the opioids is limited to codeine, demerol, tramadol hydrochloride and paregoric (tincture of opium). With each of these I was able to stop as soon as the pain I was taking them for stopped. No tapering off, no withdrawal symptoms, nothing... I just stopped. It was as if I had never taken them to begin with. I must admit that this surprised me, as I had fully expected to go through hell stopping the paregoric -- I was chugging the stuff like coca-cola for more than two weeks. Wish cigarettes were even a tenth as easy.
I will say again that all reports indicate that opioids are pretty much the bottom of the barrel as far as CH treatments go. I have seen posts from less than half a dozen people who claimed to get even partial relief from them.
In my opinion, anyone who resorts to opiate use without trying mushrooms first is on the wrong track.
I completely support your tactic of rebutting any posts advocating the use of opiates for treating CH, by the way. You have been convinced from your daily experiences that the dangers far outweigh the benefits, so in a way you are morally obligated to speak up. I applaud you for doing so.
pinky