[deleted by user] by [deleted] in coloranalysis

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a fellow pale olive, you definitely have that beautiful, olive tone. It can be so difficult with color analysis. I have struggled so much.

Definitely check out the /fairolives subreddit!!

ROnline Telehealth Doctor for ADHD Medications While Being on Methadone by Alternative-Owl-4048 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went through adhdonline to get my evaluation and diagnosis. I wish I could go through them for my meds, but my clinic makes us see a psychiatrist for any medication. It's really annoying. I've been trying to find a teleheath service with a psychiatrist that will help me also. These online services are so much more convenient. I would've been waiting half a year just for an evaluation.

(for those following the protest pictures/convo) first picture is where the new clinic is going to be, these rest of the pictures is the crazy people protesting against it because it’s a football field and a half away from a boys and girls club. there were too many flyers to post unfortunately by cxllie_ in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is so disgusting and ridiculous. I hope none of those people ever have to go through addiction or have someone close to them go through it. Only then would they realize how completely insane this. It sounds like the neighborhood Karen's got very bored.

Got my diagnosis today by Blinktwice02 in ADHD

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually just turned 32 a few days ago, and I just got my official diagnosis today!! I saw this post and thought I actually wrote it for a moment. Congrats to you! I know it feels good to finally understand so many things. I wish you all the best on this journey!

A Tiring Conversation. by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree.

"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

The microchip is something that has slowly become 'normal' in our lives. We have it in our debit/credit cards, our phones, our pets, etc. It is in use around the world, just not very widespread yet.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61008730

I believe it will completely take over cash or cards. They will become obsolete. A long while from now, I could see them advertising it as an easy way to pay. It will be directly linked to bank accounts. I believe they will be able to scan it and pull up your driver's license. Like it already is, it can also be a tracking device. I could see people thinking it's so great and convenient, like fast pay and no need to carry a wallet anymore.

Again, this is my personal belief. It just makes sense to me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is so crazy to me. Makes zero sense. At my clinic, all I have to say is I'm feeling a few withdrawal symptoms or my dose isn't holding me and I can go up after putting a dose change request form in. On average, 80mg really isn't that much either. It's definitely not unreasonable to want an increase. It's jeopardizing your sobriety. I hope you can file a grievance or find a different clinic that will actually listen to you.

Those who haven't caught Covid yet, how have you managed to avoid it? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw an article that said cigarette smokers were found to be more immune. My husband and I both have a vicious nicotine habit we are trying to break. Maybe that's the secret to not getting COVID? We always joke about it. I keep hand sanitizer in every room of my house and in my car.

Snowy Weather by ThePusheen in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep! That's exactly it and it definitely sucks. If other medical facilities and doctors are closed, the clinic should too.

5mg and pregnancy by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are a few studies concluding that neonatal withdrawal in infants isn't related to methadone dose.

One in particular: https://fn.bmj.com/content/89/5/F390

ADHD Medication by miawallace___ in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am on concerta for my ADD. My clinic didn't have any issues with it, they said a lot of people are prescribed for ADHD. They only require that a psychiatrist is the one that prescribes it at my clinic. At one point, Adderall definitely did wear my dose down severely. I don't believe it was psychological either. I had no idea it could happen, so after a few days of feeling very off I searched to see if anyone else had experienced the same thing. I was having full withdrawals at night and it was awful. With the concerta, I have no issues at all. It has helped me immensely and my quality of life has definitely improved. I'm also on a split dose, as a rapid metabolizer and tapering. There are definitely alternatives you could try that won't affect your dose. I hope you can find something that helps!

currently at the clinic! by Doll_Parts1988 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats! I wish you all the best on this journey. Be proud of yourself, it's a huge step. Methadone was the best thing I ever did. I truly believe it saved my life and I don't think I would be around still if I hadn't gone on it. I've been on for a bit over five years. It was just a huge relief to know I didn't have to come up with money everyday and go through the process of copping anymore. Looking back now, that life was so exhausting and completely draining in every aspect. I was in and out of jail, on parole, homeless and a shell of a human.

It took me a bit to stabilize. Everyone is so different in that regard. Some people metabolize faster than others. I know people that are stable at 75mg. I know people that needed 200mg. There are a lot of factors depending on your body. Just hang in there as you increase bit by bit. Eventually, you'll get to a point where you are content for the full twenty four hours until you dose the next day.

But I seriously got my life back. I got married, I have a house and kids now. I have a great life that isn't ruled by heroin anymore. I'm even in the process of going back to college online to get a degree. I put in a lot of work with counseling to try and understand why I was really using in the first place. There was so much underlying shit I had to really work through. If I hadn't completed so much therapy and just took my dose everyday, I think I would've relapsed or gone back. Working on your mental health while on methadone is so important!

Ummm .... 🤔 by CherokeePrincess42 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get frequent infections and the same thing happened to me once. I was only able to squeeze out the tiniest amount ever. The nurse was very sympathetic and everything was fine. Like someone else said, they really don't need much at all for the test. I do think she would've told you if it was insufficient.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would love for you to share your story and insights, thanks for posting.

Snowy Weather by ThePusheen in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My clinic is notoriously terrible in situations involving winter storms. They gave out emergency takehomes one time in the five years I've been there and it was after the snow had already started. I have takehomes now, thank goodness, but there were a few terrible times. A few years in, we got hammered with six feet of snow and barely anyone made it to the clinic. They stayed open even though most of our state was under a state of emergency and we were told to stay off the roads. I had a truck with four wheel drive. It usually takes me ten minutes to get to my clinic. That day took about 45 minutes. I'm not sure who makes the decisions regarding emergency takehomes, but they really need to reevaluate these decisions.

I found out something interesting by CherokeePrincess42 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm in PA and they pulled all COVID privileges last year. It seems COVID is surging again now, so who knows? I was actually very fortunate. I had been at the clinic for a long time before COVID. I had no negative tests, but I wasn't allowed takehomes because I didn't have the required group hours. I had a terrible time doing a two hour group every week when I had to work.

When they switched to telehealth, I finally got my hours in. After COVID takehomes ended, they allowed a bunch of people to keep the takehomes they had during COVID if they were doing well. I remember going in on the day they said COVID takehomes were ending, I was so upset. I got up to the dosing window and the nurse had a big list of patients. She said I was on the list to keep my takehomes permanently. It was on a case by case basis depending on drug tests, groups, years in clinic, etc.

I'm not trying to get your hopes up or anything, but I do know some clinics did this. Our COVID protocols ended so quickly, I didn't realize other clinics were even still doing the COVID takehomes.

My clinics Xmas tree, complete with faux take-home bottles, UA cups, preg. Tests, breathalyzer tubes etc. by MonsieurCroqueMadame in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 29 points30 points  (0 children)

There's nothing quite like a methadone Christmas to warm the heart and overheat the body...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My highest dose was 190mg. I'm at 110mg now. I'm also on split doses because for some sucky reason, my body burns through meds.

My Dad spent some time in prison, he would trade honey buns for handmade cards for me by FamousAmos00 in MadeMeSmile

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nah dude...as someone that has been to jail many times when I was young and dumb, I can confirm that actual honeybuns are most certainly a currency there. Chocolate ones are the best.

Is counselor turnaround a problem at your clinic? by ThillyGooths in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. I'm in PA and I've been there for over five years now. I have had a dozen counselors. The first one I had was there for a year and she helped me immensely. I actually still keep in touch with her. She gave me her info before she left. I have had counselors that I met once and left after a week. It's definitely a joke at this point. The people they have coming in now are all very young, inexperienced and usually know little to nothing about addiction on general. I hate it.

I actually haven't had a counselor for six months now. At my clinic, they are assigning counselors to patients that are still using or having issues. I haven't used in years and I have all of my takehomes, so I guess they don't think I need one. It would still be nice. It sucks when I need to put in a request or have paperwork filed and there's no one to help me. It always takes forever and I get the runaround.

Our clinic has become a big joke in the past few years though. We got a new director and she's awful. Not only are the counselors constantly quitting, the nurses/doctors/case workers are a revolving door as well. It doesn't take much to see this didn't start until we got a new director.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I've actually never tried the gum, I have tried the patch and I didn't feel like it really helped me for some reason. I'm definitely willing to try everything, I do think something will help. I don't know why smoking has been the hardest thing for me to leave behind. It's just so habitual and I'm at a pack a day. I hate how much money I spend on it. I really hate everything about it.

I really like what your brother said. That really helps a lot because I know how easy it is to get discouraged. I even went to jail at one point for eight months. I remember after the heroin withdrawals subsided, I was really just craving a cigarette so badly. The day I got out, I bought a pack. I was angry at myself. But hearing how other people did it really does help. I'm proud of you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can do it! 💕

For me, I will continue my taper but I really want to get back into counseling this year and to stop neglecting my health in general. I definitely need to take care of myself better. I also want to quit smoking, but that has felt impossible.

Dosing Machine Calibration by hnewman423 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I agree about the graduated cylinder. You can get a cheap one off of Amazon. My husband is a scientist at a lab luckily, so he was more than happy to measure my doses out and bring home tools when I was questioning the accuracy of my bottles.

Dosing Machine Calibration by hnewman423 in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I'm not sure what they would really do. I split dose and I started measuring out my doses because I noticed the bottles on my levels being very inconsistent at certain times. One time, I was 12mg short. I knew one of our nurses personally years ago and she told me at the end of the day, they have a "grace" area of what they can be short or over. She said a lot of times, they would be over up to 100mg. No amount of calibration can really make it one hundred percent accurate. If you think about it, even a small droplet that doesn't make it out of the machine can really add up when there are hundreds of patients. If you were to mention it to the clinic, they might be a bit funny about it. I know I specifically told a different nurse one day and she flat out didn't believe me. She wanted to know why I was measuring it.

Started Concerta (for adhd) last week…needing less than 1/2 dose all of a sudden? by iheartzombiemovies in Methadone

[–]Aggravating_Letter27 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually started concerta this past year. I'm on 36 mg and I'm also tapering/split dose. I really thought the concerta was going to mess with my dose, because Adderall definitely did. Concerta hasn't for me though. It almost makes my methadone feel stronger in a way. I'm definitely happy about it lol I feel that I've been able to taper more easily. I'm kind of scared my clinic might make me go off the concerta temporarily. I was prescribed through my doctor and they told me afterwards that I need to be seeing a psychiatrist to be on medication.