Does methadone cause weight gain and/or slow down metabolism?

I haven't read all the posts, but I have read a few. This is a reply specifically to Seven's log. Seven said that they no longer act as an addict and is scared about getting off the Methadone do to the fear of compromising their sobriety. This is a legitimate fear. I'm sure none of us want to go back to that place. I just want you to know that you can do it, and I felt exactly the same. I was on Methadone maintenance for 3 years starting at the age of 18. I started using opiates when I was 15 years old. So, I didn't really no myself without medication. While on Methadone, I found that I overate (gained 30-35lbs), became lethargic, and was overall just depressed. I always knew that I wanted to get off Methadone, but I was afraid. I was afraid of failure, and afraid of withdrawal. Fortunately for me, I was forced into facing my fears because I could no longer afford the clinic. They put me on a financial detox. They brought me down 5mgs a day until I was at 0. This is a Methadone Maintenance Patient's worst nightmare, so I thought. I found that going down so rapidly simply made the detox go faster, not necesarily worse. I had tried to go down a couple mgs a week on my own, but that was just torture. The withdrawal wasn't easy, but it also wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would. I expected to be sick for at least a month. After 4-5 days I started feeling better. After 1 week the only real side effects left were mild diarhhea and fatigue do to some trouble sleeping. These were managed by imodium and benadryl. I thought that my detox was a small price to pay considering the benefits that I am reaping, and will continue to reap from this. I lost 20lbs in the first week. And now I don't feel depressed. I actually laughed, genuinely, for the 1st time since I could even remember. I just want everyone who's on Methadone to hear my story. It was hard, but really, not THAT bad, and it was worth it. I hope that my story can help at least one of you. And if it does, please tell me. If anyone has ANY questions about Methadone, my story, or ANYTHING that relates to this subject please contact me because I want to help. I know what it's like to be in your position. I wish nothing but the best for all of you, sincerely.

Hi, I am an ex drug addict. I have been clean for 5 years. I got clean w/ the help of suboxone. Thank god. Anyhow, I have a friend who was using drugs also. I quit, but she was still using. She finally started going to the methadone clinic about 2 years ago. When she started drugs she was always a little heavy in the rear and thighs, but she lost all of that when she was doing drugs. She actually went from a "C" bra cup to a very, very small "A". Within 6 months of her attending the methadone clinic she begun to gain went. It is unlike the weight she has gained in the past. She gain it all in her hips. She is twice as wide as she ever was (even when she was larger). The weight seems to re-distribute itself very differently. She never gained any weight back in her breast, only in her hips, rear, and thighs. Which as I said she was always somewhat large, but never to this degree, plus it sits differently on her now. I do not know why methadone does this.
I have another friend. He is male. When he began the methadone clinic he rapidly gained weight also. He went from being a pencil thin guy to this beer gutted guy. The weight on him was also distributed very strangely. He claimed that he craved sweets a lot when he was on methadone as well as a strange desire to eat a lot more than he normally would. But, he said that even when he tried to cut back on food, it made no difference. The weight never budged.
I thank god that I went the suboxone route to help w/ my drug addiction and not the methadone route. I have always battled w/ my weight and I am at a comfortable 5'9" 135lbs. and could not imagine being powerless to stop weight gain. Which is what methadone does seem to do. I wish everyone luck, but I think the side effect of weight gain w/ methadone is not something anyone can control.

I have been on Methadone now since June 2009 (7 or 8 mos) and noticed about 3-4 mos. into it, I have started to gain weight. At first I almost died when I got on the scale and it was 10 lbs... then 20, went to the Doctor because I thought something was wrong with me. He checked all my labs, blood, xrays, MRI, cat scans, poor man tried all things... here it kept going up and up the more I increased my dose. People said I looked great... I am sure I did because I was not using... but MY GOD, I have been 110 my whole life. If I had gained a few lbs here and there its not a big deal. I am so much heavier than when I was 9 mos. pregnant with my son!!! I only gained 25 lbs then, and it did not go to my ass and my legs and my stomach... like it has with this c**p. I finally asked around the clinic and all the girls and some men have said that they have also gained it and its almost too much to deal with. I am a pharm. rep... (I know its ironic) but I have to look a certain way. I hate to sound so upidy, but its the way of the world, not my decision... I am now getting eyeballed by my co-workers, someone asked if I was having another baby (in a nice way) I almost wanted to say YES !!! but then when NO baby comes.. what do I say !??? I hate this life, I hated the other life of using, but hey, this is unbearable.. much more so. I have decided to finally lower my doses this week. I am starting tomorrow.

I am replying to the 26 year old heroin addict also! This little ignorant twit going on about only heroin addicts needing methadone is really quite a joke. I have been researching weight gain with methadone and came upon this website and found it quite informative. I read this pathetic post and I registered just to reply. Obviously you knows nothing about withdrawal from pain medication. You are so, so sick. Bone aches, massive nausea, diarrhea, JUST like heroin. I myself tried to detox on my own from 120 mg. of oxycodone from a disc herniation and bone spurs in my T11-T12 region and eventually gave into surgery which really didn't completely resolve the pain. You really should do some research before you post retarded c**p which you obviously know nothing about. And sounds like you are like proud of being a "black tar" heroin addict. Wow, you're cool man. You know, some people are prescribed pain medication for legitimate reasons, health reasons and your body becomes phyicallly dependent on it over a long period of time. Then you have to deal with the withdrawal agony. So you go on a site on people trying help and support each other with your moronic, uninformed opinion from what I read is really not welcomed too well on here. You also seem to brag about your active addiction, i.e. all the money I got from boosting, I don't care that I'll be on methadone for the rest of my existence? Great life goals you have in store for yourself loser. So why don't you look for a site for trashy junkies like yourself and leave us alone?

Hi. I struggled with opiate addiction for about 2 years using every type of opiate there is. During that time I never had any trouble with weight gain. My whole life I always had trouble GAINING weight. Finally I decided to go on methadone. Within 3 months I went from 110 lbs., to 140lbs.! At one point I even got up to 160 lbs. I am 5'2",so only 10 lbs can make a huge difference, much less 50. I am back down to 145, but I would like to lose at least 30 more lbs. At one point I tried some diet pills my husband had gotten from his bodyguard and they actually threw me into detox. I was extremely sick. Since then I have been afraid to try any other type of diet pills. Does anyone have any tips that could help me. I am miserable. I weigh more now than when I walked into the hospital to give birth to my daughter. I have a twin sister, and she has always been smaller than me. She had the same problem on methadone, at one point getting up to 180 lbs.! She has been off methadone for almost 2 years, and has got down to 125 lbs. She is now on suboxone, but it doesn't affect her like methadone did. I walked off methadone once, quitting 105 mgs cold turkey. I had only been on the medication for 6 weeks at that point, but I had gained about 15 lbs. I stayed clean for 3 months, losing all the weight I had gained. I eventually started using again because the sickness was so severe. The physical symptoms lasted about 6 weeks, but the mental and emotional toll was unrelenting. I didn't think it would ever go away. Shortly after starting methadone again the weight began to pile on. I don't want to be on methadone forever, but I do want to come down very slowly, which will take a while, and I don't want to be fat the whole time I'm on treatment. Does anyone have any tips? I know exercise and dieting are the main parts of losing weight, but I don't want to starve myself and work myself to death. I would just like a little help with my weight loss program.

I know how you feel, I have been taking methadone, 70mg for almost one year now. I have gained 20 pounds and I can't get rid of it. The thing is I eat the same as I use to but now I am gaining wait and I have to stay on the methadone because it helps with my drug addiction. I don't know what to do either. It sucks.

I've been on Methadone for over 1 year. I was on 100mg and now I'm down to 37mg's. I've been decreasing 1 mg every 3-4 days and I have felt fine. However, when I was on a higher dose, I had an appetite that was uncontrollable. Methadone makes your body carve carbohydrates (sugar too). I would eat tons of candy and cereal. I still eat lots of granola cereal. Eating late at night is the worst thing for the body. One thing that really helps me with digestion is Fiber. I mix Metamucil in water 1-2 x's a day. I also take Miralax which really helps with the constapation. Then I also will drink 2 glasses of Lemon water every couple of weeks. I cut 1 lemon in half, squeeze it in 12oz of water, add a pack of Splenda, and drink it. It really helps with cleaning your system out. But one of the most important things I do is I drink 2 glasses of Detox Tea every 3-4 weeks. It's called Traditionals Medicinals and it's a box of teabags. I feel like I lose a couple of pounds clearing out my system. I also feel incredibly great after I go to the bathroom. However, I have not lost much weight because I still eat too many carbs everyday. There is a great article about Methadone withdrawal and the effects Methadone has on the stomach. Also how important nutrition is. Here's the link: Thanks for letting me share.

I am very fortunate I have lost weight on methodoe. I am over weight already and when I found out weight gain was very possible I was scared how ever.. I have lost 24 lbs in 67 days. I am new to methodine and am going on 3 months with this medication. I am still worried that I wll gain. I am at 20 mg a day..

I have been on methadone a little over a year now due to an opiate addiction i was taking 130mg daily i gained about 25 lbs within that year trying desperatly to lose weight i lowered my dose now to 60mgs per day and still no weight loss i eat very little maybe 500-800 calories per day this has caused me to even throw up my food becuase i feel so guilty eating it

Reading your post really broke my heart. For you and for myself. I am not sure how old this is but I would love to tell you my story. please contact me on my email and let me know how to contact you. thanks Barb

hello , my name is amber , and oh gosh its so weird to here everyone saying exactly what im going through .... we were all wicked skinny,who could where the latest fasions in the smallest sizes strutten around all the cool clubs, "well ..,when we werent hunting down our dealer , or to sick to get out of bed...... i had so many friends , my phone rang off the hook ,eveyone wanted to hang with me or be me and i had so much confidance, of course some of it was false because the drugs masked how i really felt inside cause of some of the ways i hurt the people who really love me and are still around today.. and let me tell there aint many ..... i am now sober"""5 years" thanx to methadone, .. although im proud of myself cause i can be a good mom , love back the people who stood by me , and i actually enjoy hearing the birds singhing in the morning now...BUT like all of u , i weigh a wopping 165 lbs .. and i fluctuate between 185lbs and 140lbs was the lowest i got , workong out everyday ,eatig salmon, chocking down broccalli "steamed" and looking in the mirror in total despair..... so HURRAY im sobber and im "pleasantly plump" my phone does not ring " unless its a bill collector" all those friends i was bragging about dont come around anymore "which i dont even think theyde recognize me if i blew in their ear, and i have to shop in the plus sizes, which took two years.. for some reason i was still trying on size "2" s , and i still hang on to all my old cloths....... ive tried everything and still am.. so , heres a few things i am trying now.... i took an on-line "how to get rid of fat , and what type of fat do you have test "so i took it and the results came out i have screwed up liver function, 'no i do not have hep c " he said i needed these detox liver pills and tried to sell me something ... OF COURSE..... i thought he wanted to sell me something the as****e.. but the next day i was like wait a mn. doesnt methadone get absorbed by the liver ? or something it goes to the liver , so i went to a health food store and i got MILK THISTLE ITS A LIVER DETOX.. dont worry i checked it wont detox out the methadone . i started on a low dose... makes sense , maybe the methadone is clogging my liver" ive also started drinking dandelion root tea,sorry about the spelling, im sober but still cant spell for sh*t... helps get rid of water retention but without the side effects and green tea vitamins.... i heard green tea helps... but u had to drink like 10 cups a day.. like who has time for that besides i need coffee thats one addiction im not giving up yet...so u only have to take 1 or 2 vitamins instead of drinking all the tea.... so thats what ive started doing , its to early to tell, my friend who does have hep -c she has to take the MILK THISTLE shes on methadone and shes wicked skinny ... so im hopeful thats the other thing posative thinking , "remember this THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS " so i hope this advice has given someone encouragement.. maybe in a month ill post my resultsso we can see if this stuff helped me at all, and.... anyone who wants to chit chat or needs any info reply or e-mail me at ...... and never give up .....and dont forget greatfulness cause even though im "pleasantly plump" i have a lot to be greatful for ..... peace.
' :D [

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ya it sounds like little miss "im the best and most hard-core tar heroin addict here" needs to find a new clinic and a new director of clinics... for a director "someone in that position" to say ," well if they saved their money and didnt eat at mcdonalds all the time then they wouldnt be fat.." .... ..... ..... sounds like nobody there is focusing on themselves... you know what that means.........

JENNY-JAY ...
YES ,THANK U FOR YOUR INFO ... IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF YOUR WEIGHT DOES START TO GO DOWN.... PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THEY WENT DOEN AND " IT MELTED OFF, OR THEY ISTANTELY DROPPED 10 LNS" AS U IM ALSO DROPPING I AM AT 50MGS AM - AND 47 MGS PM ..AND IM DROPPING 1 MILIGRAM OFF AM -PM EVERYWEEK , I GET TAKE HOMES SO I GO IN ONCE A WEEK , PLUS I WANT TO GO SLOWWWW... I CAN POST MY PROGRESS TOOO, IM ALSO STARTING THE " VITA DONE" IVE HEARD ABOUT.. IM EXCITED.. ITS SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH THE "METHADONE SIDE EFFECTS" SO I CAN POST THAT ALSO ..... I GUESS IT WAS INVENTED BY A DR. EXPECIALLY FOR WOMEN ON METHADONE.... ITS F.D.A. APPROVED AND IT WAS TESTED ON METHADONE PTS. AND SEEMED TO REALLY HELP WITH , SWEET CRAVINGS , CONSTIPATION ,"WHICH WILL ADD BLOATING", AND HELP WITH ENERGY' WHICH I NEED , ALTHOUGH THE "METH' GIVES ME THAT ENERGY I GET EXHAUSTED BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1PM - 4-PM, LIKE THE EYE HEAVY , GROUTCHY TIERD , FEELING .... SO IM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS "VITADONE" ANYONE WANT INFO .. JUST GOOGLE IN "VITADONE" I THINK ITS $24.95 OR SOMETHING FOR A BOTTLE OF 90 AND U TAKE 3 A DAY.. I BAUGHT 3 OF THEM FOR $74.00 AND THAT INCLUDES SHIPPING AND HANDLING SO ... GOODLUCK AND PEACE... AMBER

I truly hope people read this and check back from time to time but I have to help someone because I was just like most of you and I am on methadone and gained alot of weight. THe difference is..... I FOUND A SOLUTION!!!!!!! Let me first start by addressing TooLong, I know by researching that it feels like that is the only way and I too was at that point but I tried that before and quickly relapsed back to my old bad habits. That should never be suggested because it will definitly threaten the users sobriety as their decision was based on weight. I am not just someone sticking my nose in and giving my unwanted opinion. I have been searching and searching and searching for years to find someone , anyone that lost weight. So let me tell you. I started out at 5'2 weighin 117 pounds. Just seven days ago i was 172 pounds. I hated myself. I have been in a depression for years because its a horrible choice to make... Be skinny and addicted or be fat and clean. Lets face it, being clean is great and im proud but I was just not me anymore carrying all the weight. I tried everything. Every fad diet you can think of. You name it, I tried it. I tried working out couple times a day everyday. Tried just 3 times a week. Tried eating right, then not eating at all. Tried over the counter diet pills. Then tried prescription diet pills. Nope adderal didn't work nor did phentermine. So couple weeks ago Im watching the news doing crunches and I see this small segment on HCG and i immediately started my research. I was very very very skeptical and had no hope of it working but I figured why not, I tried everything else. Anyway, like I said 7 days ago I weighed 172 and today i weighed in at 157. and counting. It works and works fast!!!! You have to follow the protocal to the "t", and you have to want it but I am telling you this is working and I am thrilled. Im walking on air. If anyone would like to discuss the details of the hcg diet then post a reply or you can . I just am not sure anyone is even reading this thread any longer. And before I hear the nay sayers telling me its just another fad diet....No its not. It has been around for over 60 years. Like I said I can go into detail on this thread or privately over email so if anyone want to talk let me know. And NO I am not making any money or benefiting by promoting this diet. This is not a gimmick. I was a skinny fat girl and now im heading back to me... I have been researching for years and I just want to shout it to the world and help as many people as I can because I know how you feel.

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OMG MYMICHELLE37--

I just read your post and NEED TO KNOW! anything! I have been on methadone about a year and gained about 50lbs. I have never gained in my life until i started this. I have been so incredibly depressed, i cant even put my feelings into words. I have worked out ate amazingly and it is just so hard to even get this weight off. I dont even want to see anyone anymore. It's so vain, I know, but that's the way it is. PLEASE HELP ME. I am one desperado. my docs and counselors cant seem to give me any info.