A testimony of a mother against Methadone

I have two children, both with highly addictive personalities.

My daughter's drug of choice was illicit amphetamines until she found out that she could get legal amphetamines (Duromine) through unscrupulous doctors. Duromine is banned in England and Europe and a restricted drug in the Philippines. It is a drug most used by truckies to keep them awake on long runs. The abuse of this drug triggered several psychotic episodes in my
daughter whereupon she would end up in the mental hospital and as a
consequence end up on methadone, approximately eight times in the last three years, lost count.

Even though my daughter fits almost every negative contra-indication listed
in the National Methadone Guidelines against suitability for methadone
maintenance it has made no difference. I have complained bitterly to the
Health Rights Commission and the Medical Board and begged the methadone
clinic not to give it to her, I am totally ignored. The methadone clinic has
played a huge roll in turning my daughter into a methadone/opiate addict.

My son who is an heroin addict, although alcohol takes prime position went
on methadone six years ago for a period of two years, during this time, he
drank heavily, abused other prescription pills, used heroin, nearly lost his
arm from shooting up methadone and eventually became homeless. Two years of hell on earth for our family.

He came home and with the help of Dr. Stuart Reece, we got him off methadone. He was free of this drug for nearly four years. Approximately six months ago he lapsed and went on Buprenorphine. Unfortunately, his doctor can only treat an addict on Buprenorphine for 30 days whereupon he has to hand them over to the methadone clinic, and we are supposed to live in a democratic country, within a short time he was back on methadone.

Same ending, he has been homeless for one month, drinking alcohol, taking
Valium and sleeping pills. He has presented to the local chemist for his methadone mostly in an inebriated state, yet it has still been given to him and as far as I know no report to the clinic regarding his state of constant inebriation. It is common knowledge that methadone and other drugs taken together is highly dangerous and once again we have experienced a living hell facing every day wondering if it was going to be his last.

I also begged the clinic to get him off Methadone, as he is a walking
disaster on this drug. Methadone should not be prescribed to a person with a
known history of alcoholism which he has.

Methadone should not be administered to a person with a known history of mental illness, yet it has been given to my daughter approximately eight times with disastrous consequences despite my daughter being diagnosed with bi-polar triggered by her amphetamine abuse I assume.

November 2004