Anyone Heard Of Methadone Clinics Watering Down Methadose? (Page 2)
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Anyone heard of methadone clinics "watering down" the methadose? There have been people at my clinic complaining of getting sick in the evening all of a sudden.

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Urban myths/legends again. Just like the lie that Methadone gets into your bones and teeth. 25 years of MMT and never had any issues about my take home bottles or the strength or quality of the medication. Although some clinics used the powder form of Methadone, I don't even know if it is still made, which would be mixed with water and the powder would sometimes get in the air. Only a registered pharmacist can do this. But Methadone is plentiful and quite inexpensive.

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Re: Jeff C. (# 8)

Cost is irrelevant if there are supply chain issues and they were not able to get the medication they most certainly would water it down to make it last so everyone can get a dose. These folks should look at the FDA drug shortage page and see if Methadone has been on there at all.

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No but generic meds can vary up to 20% from brand name so if one generic is stronger and one is weaker you’ll be taking up to 40% less medication than last batch.

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Don't believe it, every clinic has rumours like that. They are watched by a camera. Besides methadone is very cheap, they wouldn't be making any money by doing something like that. Same thing with the other urban myth about it getting into your bones.
Totally false. Methadone doesn't harm any of your bodies organs, bones, or teeth.

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

I was wondering the same thing because I've been on methadone for 6 years on the same amount then I switched clinics 2 weeks ago and have been having slight withdrawal symptoms ever since. Kinda strange to me!

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Hi just read your Poste I'm in Australia ,I'm in my 60s I was on the program in the 70s ,and now I'm on again different circumstance, I don't know if it's just me but I seemed to remember it being a lot stronger back in the 70s ,now days I hardly feel it,IV asked pharmacist ,drs ,they all say same thing that it's just the same ,I remember always being able to notice of somebody was on program speech ect .Have you or anyone noticed a change or is it just my imagination ??,thankyou

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Re: VaCDXX (# 90)

There are many medications that are much stronger than Methadone, some didn't even make it to market they were so strong. Also, potent doesn't mean strong, it means a tiny amount of the specific substance does the trick. For example Dilaudid (Hydromorphone) is potent, I believe that the maximum strength it's available in now is 8 mg. Used to be available maximum strength 4 mg. years ago. Look up these two: Palfium, and Diconal. Super strong

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Re: Jeff C. (# 8)

You are correct, Methadone is very cheap. In fact many people are on it for pain management and the insurance companies are encouraging the doctors to prescribe Methadone rather than more expensive pain meds because it is so cheap. JFK took Methadone for his back pain. I have heard so much urban myths about Methadone that it makes me laugh. From the teeth and bone bs to the nurses that are good and the ones who only give you half your dose. Methadone doesn't harm any of your bodies organs. It doesn't get into your bone marrow. Quite laughable the story's that I hear.

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Is it possible for the pharmacy staff to steal medicine? Of course, it's one of the strongest narcotics out there, and it's much more accessible and abundant than any other pain analgesic medication. I have been in the clinic for many years and heard talk of this but I personally never seen it or experienced it. First of all we have many medications over the counter and prescriptions that can affect methadone. Methadone in liquid form (methadose) comes in different strengths for different clinics. The only way to know for sure is to give a take-home to your regular physician to be tested. However, I recommend talking to your doctor first about how to get the bottle to them without breaching your clinic agreement not to use a take-home before its time to dose as to not lose the take-homes in this process. The clinic by rights has to provide us with the exact dosage and formula you are given as well as the calibration and manufacturer. I never listened to the chatter I dosed and rolled out and once you get your monthly take-homes it's really not going to be an issue. If you're struggling to get even weekend or two-day take-homes then I suggest focusing on that and what you need to do so instead of the waiting room chatter. One addict's opinion...

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Re: NICKNAME (# 4)

Yup! I've seen it happen at clinics in MD, too. There was a nurse at one who was stealing the methadone & selling it, another where a nurse was stealing it & using it herself, & she got caught stealing from a Walmart with several clients from the clinic. She was immediately fired. Another clinic, BH Health in Westminster MD is a TOTAL SCAM! they water down the methadone in the dispensing bottles, so the day ur dose is 100, ur actually getting way less. Their cash clients aren't in the system, so when any of them go to another clinic, BH says they were never there, they'll have NO RECORD of u being there. & in Del, there's a clinic that does a LOT of guest dosing for the beach, signs say it's $25/day, you get there they tell you it's $30/day, the receptionist was pocketing that $5/person per day. Nothing that happens in methadone clinics surprises me.

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It's almost impossible to water down liquid methadone. Now biscuits are different and I myself was a victim. My nurse had an addict brother and she would break off a quarter of a tab from people for her brother. She got caught and arrested. If you're on biscuits and suspect this, line you bottles of biscuits up and make sure they are even when they settle. I did it in my car and was shorted half a dose. They didn't give it back to me because I left the clinic.

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Try searching potentiators.

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Re: drugstorecowboy52 (# 66)

WELL WELL WELL, LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN.. SO YOUR ON THE PROGRAM? IM ON THE PROGRAM BUT SOMETIMES I GET A LITTLE AHEAD OF MY SCHEDULE, IN FACT, IM FEELING A LITTLE SICK RIGHT NOW, ARE YA HOLDING? AND SOMETIMES I THINK THERE IS A JUNKIE NURSE BACK THERE STEPPING ON MY DOSE...BUT I JUST CAN'T BE SURE...

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I can tell you first hand that half of the dosing nurses and most are not even nurses but just a nursing attendant or CNA's "certified nursing assistant" At the Private methadone clinic, I started going aug 15th 2007 and they were giving the 40MG methadose tablets. More of those big round tablets were going out the back door then out with the clients. I personally busted 2 attendants trying to cheat me out of one of my pills. I was on 80mg's and they would put one 40mg in a cup and put tang in it then they would call you to the window. I asked, "What is this"? "it's your dose." long story short we got a new administrator and she told the staff in the dosing room from now on you will show the meds to the client before you add water or Tang. Well they were more than pissed off about that. so then they started with the quick flash where they would show you the inside of the little dixie cup and jerk it back so fast you couldn't even count what was in the cup. Then they switched to the liquid. Now they take the quart bottle and pour 1/3rd of the bottle out and add water to fill it back up before they put it into the machine. They should have to when the machine needs a new bottle the administrator should supervise the whole thing but they will cry racism and throw that good ole race card down. how dare you accuse me of stealing methadone just because im black. it's not just Black nurses and most are not even LPN's they are CNA's certified nursing assistant.

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Someone forgot where they came from.. smdh...how dare you say that. Just because you did that doesn't mean that is what everyone else is doing. I'm sure you're the one who is still getting high because you would have to be HIGH to say that

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They add water to the diskette to make them harder to sell. But it's usually a corrupt medicating nurse that adds water in the place of methadone. I've been on methadone probably longer than anybody and I've seen just about everything that goes on at methadone clinics. On the whole, there are good honest people working at clinics but all it takes is one addicted nurse to really make methadone patients lives miserable.

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Re: ACF (# 19)

I am and have been having the same problem for 9 years at my clinic but I do not notice daily inconsistencies cause unless the bottle runs out during my weekly fill session it all comes from the same bottle. So I get a whole weeks worth of watered down worthless crap. The reason I am on phase 5 instead of 6 is the implemented mandatory monthly call backs for phase 6 patients which is bulls***. So instead of taking a chance of missing a call back every month I chose to go down to phase 5 which is once a week instead of 6 which is every 2 weeks. Anyway, back to the problem at hand. What I do notice is it only seems to happen at the middle window number 2 cause we have 3 windows. It used to be window 3 but now it seems to be window 2 that is the worst, which is where the camera faces the dispenser, but all someone would have to do is stand in front of it while they do it to block the camera with their back. The head nurse art has a wife who suffers from M.S. Or multiple sclerosis and I know that is why he does it and he is the only staff member that has access to the dispensary and has worked at the clinic the entire time it has been happening, except for the clinic director, but I don't think she is tall enough to block the camera, but art is. Anyway, I am really getting sick of it cause when I get a whole weeks worth of crap my entire week is no good and I feel like s*** everyday. I have complained time and time again. The funny thing is every time I did complain to art in the beginning it would stop for a couple weeks, which just furthered my suspicions. I wish I could plant a hidden wireless camera by the dispenser or hack the cctv cameras or something. I just want it to stop. I will try notifying the corporate office again and then just try to avoid window 2 at all costs. Anyway, hope this helps someone else some how, but I doubt it will. It just sucks bottom line. Oh my clinic is in Appleton WI.

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Re: Jewels (# 7)

This is going on BAD AT THE SOUTHERN INDIANA COMPREHENSIVE TREATMENT CENTER. The liquid gets weaker as the month goes on and I couldn't figure out why until I started noticing delivery dates when the Methodone liquid first gets delivered we ALL notice it's strong I fall asleep for a week straight then the next week on the same dose I'm withdrawing. Numerous patients swear the nurses are stealing our dose and then diluting the huge bottle of methodone to replace the liquid. It's then put in a machine which IS CALIBRATED DAILY and once your diluted dose is dispensed they then pour water in the solo cups the use for medicine cups. The patients can't see measurements of liquid but IT'S USALLY THE CORRECT LIQUID AMOUNT IT JUST BEEN DILUTED IN THE BOTTLE BEFORE DISPENSED TO PATIENTS AT WHICH TIME IT'S THEN DILUTED WIT WATER AS PART OF THe normal perocess. I'm an ADDICT I KNOW WHAT HIGH LOOKS LIKE AND OUR NURSES ARE HIGH. THEY ALSO HAVE WHAT'S IS ODD BUT 25 OR 20 MINUTES GAPS FROM ON PATIENT TO THE NEXT BEFORE THEY TURN ON A LIGHT FOR NEXT PERSON I HAVE OPENED THE DOOR AND SEEN THEM PULLING THE BOTTLES OF METHADONE OUT OF THE MECHINE AND THEN PUTTING THE SAME ONE BACK I AM CERTAIN JUST BY THE WAY I'M FALLING ASLEEP ONE WEEK N WITHDRAWAL THE NEXT EVEN THOUGH THE DOSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE IDENTICAL THE AMOUNT OF LIQUID IS THE SAME BUT IT WENT FROM CONCENTRATED TO DILUTED THEN DISPENSED N DILUTED AGAIN. I reported this to the supervisor as have many many patients yet nothing is done to verify nor discredit our suspicions THE SUPERVISOR AT SICTC ACTS LIKE WE ARE ALL CRIMINALS COURT ORDERED TO BE THERE AND SHE'S DOING US A FAVOR PERMITTING US TO STAND IN HOUR LONG LINES DAILY N HAVE OUR MONEY TAKEN AND MESS STOLEN ALL THE WHILE YELLING AT US AS IF WE ARE CHILDREN IT'S DIRTY IN THERE NO SOAP OR PAPER TOWELS IN THE RESTROOM EVER FOR IDK WHAT REASON BUT IT'S NOT JUST OUT THE JUST DON'T PUT IT THERE NO CHAIRS U STAND IN A LINE LIKE A HEARD OF ANIMALS FOR WHAT IS NORMALLY AN HOUR TO DOSE EACH DAY AND IF YOU HAVE COMPLAINTS OR CONCERNS THEY DO NOT CARE. BUT THIS SCREWING WITH THE POTENCY OF THE LIQUID CAN COST LIVES WHEN SOMEONE RELAPSES AND OVERDOSES BECAUSE THEY AREN'T STABLE BECAUSE THE NURSES ARE GETTING HIGH ON HALF OUR DOSE

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Re: Kristine (# 3)

Hello - if you are truly on methadone because your opiate dose was not working and you did not want to keep increasing, then you SHOULD NOT BE GOING TO A METHADONE CLINIC. Your Doctor can prescribe Methadone for you to pick up at the pharmacy and take yourself at home just like every other prescription . The law states very clearly Methadone can be prescribed for pain by any doctor, but for addiction (and ONLY addiction) tx it must be dispensed through a clinic. Clinics are only for patients that are addicts. There is a difference (BIG) between a physical dependence and an addiction. I am not sure where you live, but Google the topic of methadone rx prescribing laws specific to your state, print it out and bring it to your family or pain doctors office (the jackass that sent you off to the clinic instead of sending you home with a script). If he wont do it ask for a referral to another doctor because you have every right to NOT have to go through all the BS a clinic puts you through. Good Luck.

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I've never heard of Methadone clinics watering down methadone. But I know for a fact corrupt nurses or medicating personal have taken diskettes and watered down your does to make it look like you got your dose.

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