When switching from methadone to opiates does the long term use of the methadone curtail the effects of the opiates or does it take a certain period after stopping methadone use for the opiates to reach their peak performance?

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Originally Posted by Nitty

when switching from methadone to opiates does the long term use of the methadone curtail the effects of the opiates or does it take a certain period of time after stopping methadone use for the opiates to reach their peak performance?

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Trial and error. Rotation to another opioid from Methadone (ME) has been given little attention, an exception is Walker (2008) that provides a proposed dosage ratio for the rotation.

Much will depend on your particular metabolism and history of ME use. There is a cross-tolerance between ME and other opioids. Certainly ME blocks the action of other opioids (by design) and there will be a transition period to peak effectiveness of the newly substituted opioid.

Hope that helps.