Hello Ashley, I just want u to know that getting off of ANY type of narcotic pills and/or herion is NOT easy, and U may need help doing it?

I was addicted to Vicodin 10 mg from Oct 1994 till I found a program that I felt NO withdrawls, and I am still on it, and feel great, BUT there is also side effects, it is methadone. Just hear me out, before you judge me, or anyone else reading this.. I was a Prison Gaurd, had lost a 6 year old from cancer, and trying to go on with my life, I just got married to whom I thought was the man of my dreams, and things could not be looking better for me [a stable good job, happy marriage, and getting over the loss of my daughter- or at least dealing with the pain alot better] then BOOM! I got in a riot, trying to shot a tear gas shot gun, I was jumped from behind, and had almost died, I had several herniated disc in my back, and was in a coma for 3 weeks, when I started going to my Dr's appt.s [in fact the very 1st time I went to him- he was the 'great ortho. Dr. for the Houston Astros at the time,] so I just knew I would get the best care, the 1st visit he seen me, and said that he was going to give me some medication for my pain, and some other meds too, when I went to re-schedule for 2 weeks, I had a BIG brown bag of about 8 bottles of pills, 1 was Vicodin 10 mg. and I had never taken this much before, the instructions were to take 2 every 4 hours for pain, plus I was given Xanax 2mg. to take 3 times a day, and 2 different antianflammitorys, plus a stomach medicaine to keep my stomch from getting an ulcer due to all of the medication, I signed a reciept to where they could bill workers Comp, which was the State, over $1100, and that was JUST for all the medication!

I stayed zoombied out for the 1st 2-4 weeks, and my so called great husband took advantage of it, and would give me my medication, 2 Vicodins 10 mg, and 1 2mg xanax, Plus [I forgot about this one] Elavil for sleep 50mg, and I would be knocked out for 6-8 hours, and my husband would wait till I was totally knocked out, and go out to the bars picking up women. After I thought I would try not to take the pain medication nor all the others that were taking over my life, I was addicted, it was only 10 weeks of taking all that, and I could NOT stop cold turkey, I was going threw withdrawls, so my daughters death was really getting to me again, and my husband was never home, so I started back taking the vicodin, and a xanax to 'take away the pain' not the physical, but the emotional, and I had a GREAT Dr. that prescribed whatever I wanted for 2 years, then he decided it was time for me to get off of all the narcotics, and I could NOT do it, so we moved back to where I was raised, and I knew most of the Dr's there, i worked for 3 of them before, so I would go to at least 3 diffferent ones a month, and I was very careful, only 1 would I let file my visits and medication on Workers Comp, so they would not catch me, then within 1 year I burned out all of the Dr's, and dentist [ I had bad teeth] in a 100 mile raduis, so I meet up with this elderly man, and he needed to sell all of his medication, he went to Galveston, and he would get over 200 Lortabs 10/500 [the exact same thing as a vicodin 10mg, and if I bought all 200, he would charge me $350, that was cheap, $1.50/pill. I was up to 20 a day, and I would be looking everywhere for like 8-10 days out of each month, because i would be out. So I was going to go to what everyone had told me about [my pill buddys] it was the actual Methadone Clinic, but you had to get there at least an hour before the opened to get the herion, I was kinda scared, because I had never shot ANYTHING in my arm, so me and a girl that had been dealing with these methadone addicts, drove over 60 miles to this clinic at was there by 4am, and the dealer did not show-up that day, and since I was still getting paid over $300 a week workers comp, I had about $250 on me, so I was in withdrawls BAD! and she got out and went and was talking with some of the methadone clients, she had knew them before they got on the program, and I had to have the window rolled down, I was 1 sick puppy! but what I overheard, made alot of since, if the methadone was safe enough for a woman to take during a pregnacy, and it took away all your withdrawls, I got out of the car, throwing up, and about that time, a man picked me up, and brought me into the clinic, he just happened to get there, and he was the clinic manager, he told me everything about Methadone, and also told me that it is very addictive, but you will feel normal again, not high, maybe at 1st, but as the methadone adjusted to my system, I would feel like a normal lady, and the cost was only $45 a week, and a $150 to get on the program, so I had no pills, and the herion did not go threw, so I told my friend what I was going to do, and she said she could not hang around, so I told the manager that I could not do it, because I had no ride home, and I was too sick, and my ride was fixing to leave, he said he would drive me home whenever I felt like I was feeling better, he just wanted to get me on in there and dose me, so I could feel better, and honey, i felt better than I have ever felt, now it did make me feel the high at 1st, in fact until I got to my adjusted dose, it took me 2 weeks to get to my correct dose, and then, I just felt more normal than I ever have, and that was on March 3, 1998, and I still go to this clinic, and I have remarried, and I have a beautiful 3 year old daughter, that I was on methadone when I had her, and she HAD NO withdrawls at all! Now, I go once a month, really I go in every 28 days, and I take a urine, and they do not test for weed, just for any other narcotics, and as long as you have a prescription, your urine is considered a passed urine, but they really do not like you to take what it was that you were addicted to, like I am still on xanax, but I have became permantly disabled, [due from the injurys in the prison riot], and if I do not take them, I have anxiety attacks, but it has been a lifesafer for me, I know that I will probably be on this the rest of my life because like I mentioned, it is harder to get off of, and it mainly stablizes your life, to where you do not need to worry about where your going to get that next fix, because you have your methadone, and it make you not crave anything, it makes you feel so normal, and I have gained my weight back, my hair got healthier, and my entire life got better, right now, I have never been more stable than I ever have before. I know alot of people are aginst Methadone because it is another addictive medication, but, it dose straighten out your life, and u do not have to worry about 'where your next fix will be, and run out of money' I now pay $250 each time I go, which is every 4th Thursday, that is 27 take outs, and you take that days dose when you go to the clinic, and you also take a urine, as long as you have a prescription for ANY narcotics, then you will pass, and move up the ladder, at 1st you have to go everyday, except weekends [ here anyways] then after 1 passed urine, about 3-4 weeks, you move up from going 5 days a week to 3 days a week,after another month, and passed urine, you move up to going 2 times a week, and so on until you reach my level, which is every 28th day, you go to the clinic, and that is it. But like I said, I have been on it for so long, and I know tht I cannot get off of it, there is medications that they are coming out with daily that will help me tapper off of this really slow, but I have to have a 'plan' on what to do for my physical pain, right now, if my methadone tappers off by nighttime [it usually last 24 hours] If I am hurting, I can take 2 Motrins and that takes the pain away for me.

I Just wanted you to know there is something out there that is legal, and it will help you, But there is always going to be some sort of side effects on medication, and this is addicitive.

Oh, before I forget, they also have a 3 month program that you can get on methadone just so you can get off the herion and pills, and only stay on it 3 months, tht way it is not hard at all to get off of it, the ONLY bad thing there is you really need alot of counsling, on how you will deal with your illness after the 3 months of methadone?

If you need any more answers regaurding the methadone, just email me, but like I said it is addictive also, but you are a 'normal and you feel great' you do not get hthe high, but you never crave it.