The endorphins "fill up" your pain receptors, so in a few minutes the pain in your toe seems trivial. Endorphins can boost your mood too, and affect how you respond to situations of stress.
Exercise is a great way to release endorphins. Take a closer look at those all-weather joggers you see running around the park every day. See the sweat pouring off them, see the glow in their faces. They're hooked on "runner's high. What happens if you fall and break your arm? Your body won't produce enough endorphins to knock out that much pain. Inside your brain many of your pain receptors are still empty, and they're screaming out to be filled with something to take away the pain. In situations like this, it's fortunate that opioid drugs can fill up the pain receptors in the same way as endorphins.
What's more, the strength of the opioid drug and the dose can be adjusted to address the intensity of pain, as needed. You might be moaning and groaning when you get to the hospital, but once your doctor gives you a shot of morphine, you can sit there and be reasonably comfortable while he or she sets your broken arm and puts it in a cast.
Before you go home, he or she gives you a prescription for codeine pills, so you won't have to suffer while the arm gets better. For most people, a situation like this would be the only time they take opioid drugs. Once the arm begins to heal and the pain becomes tolerable, they stop taking the codeine, and don't give it a second thought. But what if the pain doesn't go away?
What if the only thing that can bring relief is opioid drugs? You might continue to take them, and since you like the way they make you feel, you get some more.
After a while, if they're not working as well as they used to, you take more at a time, or you try a stronger opioid. You think you can stop when you want to, but when you do try to stop, you get sick, and can't stop thinking about starting up again.
Eventually much of your time, energy and interest may be absorbed in getting and taking drugs. Your body has adapted to having the drugs, and now you feel like you have to have them. This is, of course, only one way that opioid dependence can begin. Some get into it for kicks, seeking out new experience and finding one that is pleasurable and predictable, for a while.
Some are seeking relief from the daily grind of poverty, from emotional hardship or from depression. Some may be drawn to the reckless image of the drugs, wanting to see themselves as "cool" or "hip. Once you get into it, you may go on using for a long time, knowing that it's dangerous, knowing that the pleasures are short-lived and superficial. They may need to speak to your prescriber first. Always check your treatment plan. It is important to take the right dose, according to your treatment plan and prescription.
If you take too much methadone you could be at risk of overdose. Too much methadone may make you very sleepy, and can slow down or stop your breathing. This can be life-threatening. Follow the instructions you have been given. Naloxone is a medicine that is sometimes used to reverse a methadone overdose.
This is because you will run out of methadone before you get your next supply. Like all medicines, methadone can cause side effects.
However, many people have no side effects or only minor ones. You are more likely to get side effects if you are on a high dose of methadone.
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or key worker if the side effects bother you or do not go away:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to methadone. These are not all the side effects of methadone. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Some of these side effects usually improve with time, as you get used to methadone. If recreational drugs are part of your life, getting help can really improve the outlook for you and your baby.
You can take methadone when you are pregnant, to help you stop taking heroin and having withdrawals. You will have a special care plan and will also need extra monitoring from your doctor, midwife or key worker. If you become pregnant while taking methadone, speak to your doctor or prescriber. You may need to have more appointments. This is to make sure that the dose you take is right for you.
Sometimes your dose may need to be adjusted as your pregnancy progresses. If you take methadone at the end of pregnancy, your baby may be born dependent on methadone. Your midwife will check your baby for any withdrawal symptoms.
They can be treated in hospital if they need it. Talk to your doctor, midwife or health visitor if you want to breastfeed while taking methadone. If your baby is healthy and you are stable on methadone, you will usually be able to breastfeed while continuing your treatment. It may also help reduce withdrawal symptoms in your baby.
Small amounts of methadone pass into breast milk. This has been linked to breathing problems and drowsiness in a few breastfed babies. Breastfeeding will also benefit you and your baby. Your midwife, or health visitor, together with your prescriber can advise you how to wean your baby gradually.
Tell your midwife, health visitor or doctor immediately if you notice your baby is not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy or has difficulty breathing, or if you have any other concerns about your baby.
Some medicines and methadone can affect each other and increase the risk of side effects or overdose. Do not take morphine, buprenorphine, codeine or any other opioids while taking methadone. It's usually ok to take methadone with paracetamol , ibuprofen or aspirin. Do not take methadone with painkillers that contain codeine. You will be more likely to get side effects and increase the risk of overdose.
Painkillers that contain codeine include co-codamol codeine and paracetamol , Nurofen Plus codeine and ibuprofen , co-codaprin codeine and aspirin and Solpadeine codeine, paracetamol, ibuprofen and caffeine. Some migraine treatments and cough syrups also contain codeine. Always check the ingredients on the packaging. Speak to a pharmacist or a doctor if you need any advice about pain relief while taking methadone.
There may be a problem taking St John's wort with methadone. It can stop the methadone from reducing your withdrawal symptoms properly. It's not possible to say whether other herbal medicines and supplements are safe to take with methadone. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines.
They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Methadone will cause feelings of relaxation and reduce pain, but it will not give you the same high or euphoric feeling as heroin.
It works in treating heroin addiction by reducing the withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It is long acting and this means it stays in your body a lot longer than morphine and heroin. Methadone reaches its peak effect after 2 hours. Publication types Historical Article. Substances Methadone. Both methadone and buprenorphine are used to help treat opioid dependence or misuse.
Your doctor will work with you to decide the best treatment for you. If you have been prescribed methadone and have concerns or are experiencing side effects, speak with your doctor about other ways you can manage your pain. If you have chronic long-term pain , your doctor might suggest lifestyle changes to help you manage the discomfort. This may include physical fitness and activity pacing , social activities, relaxation techniques and overall health management.
You can find more information here about options for managing chronic pain. Your doctor can advise you on the best way to reduce your dosage of methadone to minimise the impact of withdrawal effects.
If you feel you need to increase your dosage, or you experience any unexpected side effects, see your doctor. It's important you dispose of unwanted opioid medicines safely — unused medicines can be returned to any pharmacy. Don't keep unused methadone 'just in case' since this can lead to inappropriate use.
Keep methadone out of reach of children and pets. Never throw medicines into a garbage bin or flush them down the toilet — this is dangerous to others and harmful to the environment. Asking about your treatment or medication is important to help you understand your options.
Here's a guide to questions to ask your pharmacist or doctor before taking a medicine. See also this list of medicines that contain methadone to read the consumer medicine information CMI leaflet for the brand prescribed, or:. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Methadone is a prescription drug, and is part of a group of drugs known as opioids. Opioids interact with opioid receptors in the brain and elicit a range of responses within the body.
Read more on Alcohol and Drug Foundation website. Methadone comes with many short and long term side effects. Find out what to do in the case of addiction or treatment overdose and places to get help. Read more on NSW Health website. There has been a lot of recent media attention on methadone, emphasising a range of factually incorrect messages.
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