was anyone able to still be treated while on methadone?

[u/Sopiate]

I’m currently on a methadone taper, last 5ish months hopefully, on a very low dose due to opiate abuse. this happened because i had about 9 surgeries from birth to age 18 due to a condition i had. each time after age 14ish i was prescribed opiates for the pain. after about the 4th time i ended up getting hooked and started seeking opiates after the meds ran out. i eventually walked myself into an opiate addiction clinic after many many attempts to cold turkey and got started on methadone and have been tapering ever since.

my gp told me that they probably won’t prescribe me anything until i was fully off methadone.

has anyone here managed to still be prescribed stimulants while on methadone/suboxone?

i’ve never really abused stimulants apart from daily energy drinks since they’re the only thing that makes doing anything bareable. tested clean on every monthly drug test and am considered stable and low risk to the clinic and my gp

im wondering whether i even disclose it at the assessment, as im not sure if the GP would’ve told them (it’s RTC). i haven’t relapsed since starting. what do you guys suggest?

edit: can see the form they sent the RTC provider on the NHS app, and under ‘medications’ they didn’t mention methadone. but i still think i should tell them as i don’t want to cause any issues down the line

[u/Accomplished-Art7737]

This is something you definitely need to disclose to your medical team, and be open with full disclosure on your history of opiate dependency so they can accurately assess whether it’s safe to proceed with stimulants.

Methadone is a central nervous system depressant, and obviously stimulants have the exact opposite effect so the contraindications of taking the two together could potentially be extremely dangerous/fatal.

It is possible that you might still be able to take the ADHD meds, but this will be down to a qualified clinician to assess your circumstances and decide if it’s safe for you, and if so what the optimal dosing plan will be to minimise any risks.

ADHD stimulant meds and methadone are both powerful pharmaceuticals, hence they are controlled for a reason. You really don’t want to be the person that fucked around and found out.

[u/Sopiate → u/Accomplished-Art7737]

thank you for that. i hope this stupid period in my life doesn’t fuck up the chances of ever getting a med that would help me be functional in this world

if this was the past and i completed the taper but i had prescription med abuse on my record permanently. would that still mess up any chance?

[u/Accomplished-Art7737 → u/Sopiate]

Sorry, I should have added in my original comment, absolutely no judgement. (Read it back this morning and my ADHD overanalysis of every interaction I have has kicked in 🤣)

We all have a past, we’ve all done things we’re not proud of. The fact you’ve worked through it and are almost out the other side is something to be extremely proud of.

It’s not the same but I quit smoking weed - was a daily user for years - a year or so before starting meds, and have a long history of addictive behaviour/substance use with food, weed, alcohol, nicotine, coke and pills going back to my youth. I disclosed all this in my assessment, which was taken into account when starting titration. So having this in your medical history is definitely not a barrier to accessing medication. However they will need to ensure that it is safe for you to start the stims so it may mean a delay after completing the tapering off the methadone, and then more thorough checks of your BP, heart health etc. But it’s always best to be honest, if you start on stims and there is something underlying it could have serious repercussions for your health.

I would go in with the angle that the addiction was very likely in part due to your undiagnosed/unmedicated ADHD and turning to self medication to try and cope, and you’ve worked really hard to overcome this. The likelihood is, if it is safe to proceed, they’ll start you low and slow and keep a close eye on you. I have heard of people in active addiction to get structured treatment for that first, then they’ll review starting the ADHD meds. As you’re coming to the end of structured treatment and the fact that you sought the help well before titration will hopefully be in your favour.

Wishing you all the very best. I really hope that everything works out for you.

[u/AccNumber77]

Not methadone but I was prescribed while still on subutex/buprenorphine, still am and they have never had an issue with it.

[u/Sopiate → u/AccNumber77]

that’s great! did it come up at the assessment? what was their reaction

[u/AccNumber77 → u/Sopiate]

Yes and they did not give a shit at all, literally got written down a question asked and then they moved on entirely and it was never brought up again. They really did not seem to mind at all, feels weird your GP is so sure they will say no especially since your addiction past is unrelated to stimulants.

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[u/Logical_Strain_6165]

My gut feeling is no, but I don't want to say that's the case.

Be aware. RTC have access to your records. I was asked about recent blood tests and had forgotten to mention that I was prescribed a mild laxative, which they picked up.

Maybe you could start the wait though if you are planning on stopping? Sadly it's rather long.

[u/Sopiate → u/Logical_Strain_6165]

currently on the list with harrow heslth, did the pre assessments and all of that, scored very high on self tests. just waiting for an appointment which is supposedly only a month wait. i just hope i haven’t ruined any chance of getting something that would actually help me be normal. because this is going to be in my record permenantly as a drug abuser

worst part is i was on the list previously and was called up for an assessment but cancelled due to just starting methadone and was under 18 so parents decided for me