Are you sweating it?

You Most Likely are!

Methadone Sweats

The other day I found myself with that usual feeling of withdrawal when your dose is slowly creeping out of your system. I looked at the time and said this can't be right,why am i feeling like this now I know my body and I know that my methadone dose lasts me a good 23 hours, tops. I began to think and wonder if it had anything to do with the hot summer weather and that maybe I was just sweating more than normal. 

Would this cause me to be in withdrawal? 

Stixx pointed out that it could be the reason. He's like my personal doctor on call whenever I need him night or day, it's actually pretty cool and I value his opinion over other doctors, I truly do!

So the usual monthly appointment came around and I decided to point this out to the doctor and ask if it was  possible that I could be sweating out some of my methadone. He told me"no", that I can't be sweating out my methadone and that my body may of adjusted to my dose. Well I have been on the same amount for quite awhile, my body is stable at this dose and I don't wish to go up, I'm trying to come down and off this stuff. 

Well he went ahead and bumped me up by 5mg anyways. :/

So as usual I decided I was going to get to the bottom of this, as I have for other side effects, which will be discussed in the near future.

 I found an article by Jana Burson called "In a Sweat Over Methadone" and she makes note that methadone can be sweat out, but in very small amounts. They know this because of a newer way of testing through a patch which is left on for up to a week. 

She points out that while methadone sweats out in tiny amounts, it is not enough to drop your blood level; but a person exerting themselves when it is hotter can increase metabolism and thus speed up the metabolism of methadone, which could reduce blood levels. 

So really you are not withdrawing solely because of sweating but because your metabolism has kicked into higher gear. 

Methadone causes you to sweat whether you are doing nothing at all or sweating to the oldies and can become very uncomfortable, sometimes embarrassing! 

So this explanation makes perfect sense to me, why couldn't the doctor give me a brief run down on metabolism and blood levels? I would of been content with that rather than an outright "No" answer or vague answers I sometimes get.

Have you ever experienced this and have doctors given you nothing but vague answers to your questions? If so please tell us your story below. Thanks for reading!

Your Friends in the maze,

Close Encounters of a false positive kind!

Positive Urine samples

Urine Sample

Many of you have more than likely experienced a "false positive" urine test. You go in to receive your daily drink and take homes and the nurse tells you that you have tested positive for some drug or another, and you know full well that you have not taken a single drug at all. So what has caused this and why?

Speaking from experience, I had an allergic reaction to something and was prescribed hydroxyzine and ranitidine and was instructed to take in combination. One day at the clinic i was told that i had been postive on my urine test for methampehtamines. WHAAT! even at my worst in addiction that was not my drug of choice so why in the world would I take it now after being clean 4 years? If i'm going to relapse, it's going to be with my favorite drug.

Anyhow that was the only two new things that were introduced into my system in that last week or so. Well I did some research and submitted it to the nurse and doctor. 

So what I had found, is that the drug hydroxyzine is available in two formulations, the pamoate and the dihydrochloride or hydrochloride salts. 

Hydrochloride salts are also found in methamphetamines(I'm sure that's not the only thing or ingredient and since i am far from being a doctor I need to research much more to find the exact reasons for false positives)

Since my incident, I recommend you always tell the clinical staff about any new medication you are about to take, especially antihistamines, cough medicines, etc. this will allow them to chart when you began the medication in relation to the positive urine sample. You can also take it one step further and do the research on the ingredients yourself and also research the properties which make up the drug for which you tested positive. I take my recovery serious and having fingers pointed at me for taking a drug I never took angers me.  If I have a weak moment and take drugs, then the clinical staff will be the first to know long before I fill my urine bottle! Honesty is the best policy in recovery, that is what i believe anyhow. The doctor wants to know about you taking drugs so that he/she can help to adjust your dose, or get you counselling for something that may have triggered a relapse, like stress in your life, etc. 

A List of medications that can cause false positive urine tests. 

If you have ever experienced a false positive, please share your story with us!

Your Friends in the Maze, 

Chix 'n' Stixx