Substitution
14
D2DI: Hi Michael thanks for speaking to us today, so firstly 30 years on methadone? How did you get on Methadone?
ML: At 14yrs years old my mum caught me taking heroin, confused and frightened she took me to my GP. My GP didn’t really understand so he called an ambulance straight away, which took me to the hospital. When I started withdrawing in hospital they give me my first 100ml of methadone. I felt like this was the best thing ever after drinking it I got a real hit off it, I enjoyed it. After being kept on 100ml of methadone for a number of years I went on to start injecting heroin, I was then put on ampules, which are little amps filled with methadone that you inject.
'I have never been
told what is actually
in Methadone'
You were given ampules of methadone that were given out to addicts who used injecting to get drugs into their system; I was kept on them for a while. When I was 16 I went to jail and done my first detox off methadone, it was the worse thing I had ever been through. After leaving prison I started using heroin again and the doctors stopped giving me ampules, they put me on 50mls of oral methadone at this point. As well as taking my prescribed dose I then started buying it off the street this continued for years and years on and off I was in and out of detox’s I was also buying 50mls from the street. During this time my mum got cancer, when she was in real agony I started giving her little sips of my methadone to ease her pain and then after a while she became addicted too, so I ended up taking her to the doctors and explaining what had happened to her, she ended up being prescribed 50mls of Oral methadone also, my mum has now been put on subutex.
D2DI: So after 30 years of being on methadone what was the longest you ever come off it for any period of time?
ML: About 6 months at a time, which was usually whilst I was in prison.
D2DI: So when you ended up back on it, and you were looking to come off it, was it the doctors that decided to reduce you or was it up to you to request a reduction?
ML: Yes, it was up to me to go and ask the doctor. They always leave you on the dose you are on and when you do ask to be reduced they always say ‘are you sure you don’t want more’ prior.
D2DI: Were you taking any other medicine at this time?
ML: Yes I was also prescribed 100ml of valium blues, I was taking them, prescribed methadone and I started buying street methadone and still do to this day, at that point I was sick of it and had a really high tolerance, and one day I met a group of Christians who asked me if I would like to come of it for good, I went along with them and they reduced me by 10mlsa day but at the time it made me crazy and I found myself losing my mind and couldn’t see it through I ended up robbing it off them and I was then asked to leave.
D2DI: You have been diagnosed with a mental condition and you are on quite a lot of medication including anti- psychotics and a weekly depo injection, during the 30 years of drug taking at what point were you diagnosed?
ML: Yes during the 30 years I also got addicted to speed, which gave me severe episodes of psychosis, and they put me back on methadone again, I was then diagnosed with paranoid sczophonic and put on medication. I cant remember except for a few little stints ever being off the methadone only in jail,
The Substitute Family
Michael Lavin Drugs to Digital Inclusion (D2DI) learner was introduced to heroin at the age of 14, one day after being found in his bedroom taking heroin,
Michaels mother decided to seek medical advice and took him to his GP that day Michael was put on a 50ml methadone prescription, as a short term solution to come off heroin. 30 years on Michael is on 60mls of methadone, here he speaks to Recovery Rises about his lifelong relationship with a so-called short-term. solution.