I have been on methadone for 6 years now and was up to 30 mg 4x's per day but having problems with it causing horrible problems with my teeth so I asked last week my dr if I could switch and she said we can try morphine sulfate and gave me a script for 30 which was nothing I still went through the chills,fever,cramping etc so I called her yesterday and now we are up to 60 mg every 8 hours but still no pain relief. I don't want to tell her again there is no reliefe because I feel like i am just asking for medication and I was getting good relief on the methadone but I am 36 and have had to have 3 teeth pulled luckily in the back where no one can see because of the methadone ===anybody else switch betwenn methadone and morphine and what was your reaction or experience with the change was it a good one or bad
Methadone,orally, is much more potent than morphine orally, plus methadone is much longer acting. I don't know the conversion rates between these two, but it would take quite a bit more morphine to equal what the methadone has been giving you. This explains the withdrawls.
Anytime you have been on Methadone for a long time and over 30mg a day,you will have a hard time getting any other pain meds to work untill after all the Methadone is out of you ,and that can take up to 30 days.Unless your Doctor wants to give you larg amounts of another drug.As far as Methadone goes it is the best out of the worst for the liver,so if you have to stay on pain meds the rest of your life you are better off w/ methadone ,but try a lower dose, because I know I have problems when they want to put me under for stuff and I woke up in one surgery.Methadone dose not leave the body fast like other drugs,about the only thing you will fell after being on large amounts of Methadone for years is Heroin or some other large quantity of pain meds, after you get rid of the Methadone it should you down to less pills!
Hi Randine,
I too take Methadone and am looking at changing to another medication due to the incidence of sudden cardiac event associated with Methadone. So I have done heaps of research into my options for alternative drugs, Morphine included.
One of the great articles I found on Opioid medications has the conversion rates which for Methadone is:
Drug Dose/mg
Methadone 20
Morphine 60
Oxycodone 30
Hydrocodone 40
The actual chart includes other medications also but as you can see you need three times as much Morphine to equate to the same equivalent dose as Methadone. This dosage conversion chart can be found in an article titled Chronic Pain: 2 The Case for Opioids at the following address:
http://www.opioids.com/chronicpain/index.html
I hope this helps.
Lily
From what you wrote, it sounds like you where using liquid methadone. If this is not correct, brush more offten. Methadone being so strong a pain killer tooth problems are offten noticed only when the tooth is basicaly dead. Your doctor needs to jump up the morphine big time otherwise you will feel all the pain that the methadone helped. Good luck!
no releif from extended releif morphine, instant releif yes it works, all the extended stuff does is keep you in pain , if dose is up can make you not function, instant releif 15 mg helps my husband. they want extended releif because it stays in system longer but if your body does not digest it right it will not work. because it slowly release a little at a time, and if your body frluses it out wont work, but instant releif, that does not happen
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
