I was told by a friend that in order to get prescribed either you had to come in with withdrawl symptoms... Any takers in answering?
Most doctors/clinics do require that you show signs of severe drug use (withdrawal symptoms, needle marks, drug test positive for opiates, etc.) in order to start on a maintenance or detox program. I have talked with people on HF that are on MMT and some of them had to go through rigorous questioning to start on a MMT program. One person said that to get on the clinic he was going to required that you have documents proving that you have been an addict for the past two years. This documentation could be a signed release from a treatment center you had previously attended, track marks or other physical withdrawal symptoms, and of course, you had to test positive for opiates in order to start on the program. Now, the clinic I go to is very laid back because they only care about the money. My counselor does a terrible job and when I asked to come down 10mg a year ago it took her five months to get it approved by the doctor. They hate to lose patients so they take their precious time when you ask to start coming off of the shit. I am on Phase IV, the highest phase you can be on, which means that I only go to the clinic once a week and I receive six take-home doses. In order to get to Phase IV, you have to pass two drug tests a month for nine months and you also have to participate in a group meeting once every two months. I maybe took one drug test a month and I never went to one group meeting and I got on Phase IV, that shows how lazy the counselors are at my clinic. Methadone has saved my life but it sucks that I am on the "liquid handcuffs." When I started on the clinic I felt like it was my only choice because I was putting close to $500 a day in my arm and if I did not have something by 8AM in the morning then I would get sick as a dog, it sucked royal dick. I would suggest trying Suboxone first because it is much easier to come off of and it has worked well for the friends of mine that are on Suboxone maintenance. If you decide to go the Methadone route then I would suggest that you do a 12 or 16 day Methadone detox. By doing the detox, it keeps you from becoming physically and mentally addicted and you feel great afterwards. Talk to MasterCylinder, a user on the Opiate forums, he has done many Methadone detoxes and thinks it is the best route to go when trying to kick your habit. Sorry for the long post, I just took my morning dose of 200mg of the "Done," along with a few Alprazolam, so I am feeling fine. Later, d00d, and good luck. I hope your day is as good as mine is and will continue to be, ha. -NICU
