Posted by Elizabeth on May 10, 2001, at 7:10:13
In reply to Methadone - Cece , posted by DianeD on May 9, 2001, at 13:17:03
> You're already addicted to vicodin. Vicodin feels sorta kinda like methadone but methadone is more energizing, cleaner, etc, etc.
What Cece describes -- intermittent (not daily) use with little tolerance after a long period of time -- does not sound like addiction to me. Under such circumstances, I would be surprised if quitting the drug even led to withdrawal symptoms.
Just as some people prefer Zoloft while others do better on Prozac, it is impossible to predict a person's response to any particular opioid based on the response of another person. Although methadone maintenance is a life-saver, some people do feel that the methadone makes them groggy and not (as you seem to be suggesting) activated. (Personally, I have tried a number of different opioids and found all of them to be activating. But that's *just me*. I thought Zoloft was neutral with regard to activation, but I know some people who are sedated by it and others who get jittery beyond belief on it.)
Vicodin seems like a poor choice to me since it contains acetaminophen ("APAP" -- i.e., Tylenol) as well as hydrocodone. (There is no pure hydrocodone preparation currently available in the United States, although there used to be.) On the other hand, the toxicity of APAP depends on the amount taken at a time, so if you only require a low dose of Vicodin then the toxicity of the APAP is probably not an issue. If you need to take the opioid daily there is a possibility that you may need ever-increasing doses, in which case a combination product such as Vicodin is an absolute no-no.
There are a million different hydrocodone/APAP preparations. The least toxic ones are those containing 10mg of hydrocodone and 325mg of APAP (I think this is the equivalent of one regular-strength Tylenol). Regular Vicodin is 5/500; Vicodin HP is 7.5/500.
poster:Elizabeth
thread:17065
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62342.html