About William J. Walker, Pharm.D. Expertise Homeopathic, alternative, herbal, natural, adverse drug reactions, side effects, risks, outcomes, research, medication, rational therapeutics, infectious diseases, cardiology, pain management, nutrition, psychopharmacology, oncology, pediatrics, sleep disorders, tropical diseases, HIV, drug interactions, substance abuse, illicit drugs of abuse, geriatrics
Experience
Past/Present clients State of California Department of Youth Authority
State of California Department of Mental Health
County of San Luis Obispo Public Defenders Office
County of San Luis Obispo District Attorney Office
TenetHealth Corporation
Boy Scouts of America
Better Life Institute
Campus Crusade for Christ
Volunteers in Medical Evangelism
His Healing Hands, Inc.
AskMe.com
Kiwanis International
Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert William J. Walker, Pharm.D.
medic089 wrote at 2008-01-06 05:30:24
I take 4 - 40mg methadone waffers a day and have done so for the past 5 years. I have Hep C and my liver is in the early stages of cyrosis. I started taking the methadone for pain. I was in a very bad auto accident that left me with a fractured pelvis an above the knee amputation of my R leg, an artificial l knee, a ruptured spleen, and a colapsed lung as well as countless cuts bruises and scrapes. I have taken up to and ove 400 mg. at a time when the pain used to get unbearable, and would have taken more if they would have let me. They did not want me to take meds like loratab, vicoden, percocet,etc. Because of my liver disease and the acitamidaphin, asa, and ibuprophen that is mixxed with those meds, so we agreed on methadone. Believe me it has a great deal to do with your tolerance your body gets. well thats all I have to offer. PS I got the Hep C from a needle stic, back in the day it was called non A or B, I was a paramedic for seventeen years, and was in the back of the ambulance when we wrecked, the kid driving was only 20 and had been on the job for only 2 months, he and the pt. I was working did not come out of the ambulance with me.
Tag wrote at 2008-09-19 08:09:27
40mg of Methadone 4x a day is extremely high. The conversion rate of hydrocodone to methadone is aprox 3:1. I.E. 30mg of hydrocodone = 10mg of methadone.
Please consider starting on 5 - 7.5 mg methadone no more often than every 8 hours. Taper up ONLY if needed in 2.5mg steps per week until desired analgesic effect is reached.
DO NOT TAKE MORE OFTEN THAN ONCE PER 8 HOURS. Methadone has an extremely long half life and it repratory depressant effects last far past the analgesic ones. You can very easily accumulate enough in your system without knowing it and cause fatal heart and breathing conditions.
Also you should be able to stop the ambien when taking methadone properly. I suggest one pill in the morning about 9 am an one at night about 7-9 pm. You should be able to fall asleep needing nothing further.
