Star, definitely get a second opinion if you can because there does need to be a good sense of trust between a patient and the doctor especially when they're treating your pain.
As for the difference between methadone and morphine - I rally can't say. Perhaps he might get more respect if he's on morphine, although I have found that sometimes people in hospitals can pre-judge even so.
I've been on morphine for over ten years now and found for me that it helps my pain a grat deal. The important thing is to never let the pain medications completely eliminate the pain, or you risk addiction. You will of course have a tolerance problem but that cannot be avoided. Over time your body adapts to the opiate (whatever it is) and you require more to get the same analgesic benefit. I have found with me, however, that my dosage has stabilised. When I was on prednisone recently the morphine dose was able to be reduced (I did this myself) but coming off the prednisone I was unable to stay on the lower dose and have had to slowly go back to the earlier higher dose again. I have discretion to take a little more if I need to because my pain specialsit knows I do my utmost to avoid doing this unless the pain really is stopping me in my tracks.
I'm not sure what you mean by the "dumb". When I first went on morphine I think I was on too high a dose to begin with, I did find it made me a bit sleepy. I put a lot of that down to the morphine eliminating the pain so completely that I was at last able to sleep and feel free from pain. That did not last, I rapidly habituated to the dosage.
Since the first few weeks of being on morphine, I've not had any trace of sleepiness whatsoever. Far from it - I occasionally take 5 mg Valium to relax tight or twitchy muscles and THAT sedates me, but not the morphine and I'm now on double the dose I began on 12 years ago. However, apart from the recent adjustment I mentioned due to the prednisone, I'm on the same dose now that I have been for the last four or five years (maybe longer).
Withdrawal - it's only a major problem if you are addicted to the drug, and you only get addiction if you take it to get high. You DO get habituated and if you ever cease to need it you will have to come off it gradually to avoid unpleasant withdrawal effects. These aer inevitable simply because the drug has side effects in the short term which the body rapidly adapts to. Example - the first thing that happens is constipation from the opiates. He will already have this problem from the methadone. But after a fairly short time (a week or so) your body adapts back and normalises. So if you come off the opiates, the first thing that happens is the opposite - diarrhoea. If this happens then your body begins to remove your remaining medications too rapidly and the reaction can accelerate. This is why you need to wean off gently if you need to avoid withdrawal.
I discovered this for myself when the prednisone reduced the pain so much that I was able to cut back on my morphine. I cut back too fast and my body reacted, ridding itself of more than I intended. I found this eased after 24 hours and I was able to stabilise on a slightly lower dose. Then I dropped it a little further and again rapidly adapted to the lower dosage.
There are things you can take to reduce this side effect (either the constipation or the diarrhoea).
But frankly, this is all utterly hypothetical, because when you have chronic pain, the idea of that pain miraculously and suddenly disappearing completely - it's pure fiction. If that miracle happens, you cross tyhat bridge when you get to it. For me, the price is worth it because the morphine has made it possible for me to function.
Some people can't tolerate opiates. mother in law is an example of this - she had to have heart bypass surgery with nothing stronger than paracetamol for pain relief. My father couldn't take opiates, he would hallucinate on it.
If you can't take it, you can't. But if you can - don't be afraid because of the name. However, it does need to be managed with care and respect. If you respect it and manage it carefully, you will be its master and it will make your life functional again, as far as possible. However, you really should have the ongoing supervision of a good pain management specialist, one who you trust and who trusts you. Maybe that trust needs to be earned, but it is still necessary.
Personally - I would want a second opinion before stopping the methadone, a GOOD reason which can be backed up by evidence from the drug company. Try calling the company, ask them if what the doctor has said has any truth to it. If the company cannot verify it, talk to the doctor and ask for clarification. The drug company could be lying, or the doctor. Or neither.
There are also other ways to manage chronic pain, it's always good to stay in touch with these options in case something new presents itself. Chronic pain is very different to acute pain, it needs to be managed very differently. with acute conditions we tend to shut down and rest the injured area. With chronic pain, we need to keep living and not let our lives be too limited for too long. We do the best we can with what we've got.
Marg