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Old 12-07-2014, 08:59 PM   #6
annettchen
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 95
Methadone as supporting drug to conventional cancer therapy

I have to share this with you.

Some women I got to know via a German breast cancer forum have over the last month or so started being treated with Methadone. They were all in very bad shape, not being able to eat any more on their own, or walk much, or even spend much time awake. They were all on strong pain killers (i.e. opioids).

They decided to start Methadone as a replacement drug for other opioids in conjunction with chemotherapy. Initially, they all found that their qulity of life went up noticeably. They started being able to eat again. They had more energy and started participating in their family life again. One of the ladies had a wheelchair; she recently retired her walker in the basement. Secondly, one of the ladies had her scan early last week. All metastases (lung, bone mets sternum, clavicle) are noticeably smaller. The other two women also feel much better, but will only be re-staged in January.

Having seen all this, I decided to contact the researcher today. I spoke with her for 2 hours. She explained to me that they have seen marked improvement in ALL of the almost 4000 cancer patients they know have been treated with Methadone. Not all of them had breast cancer; as a matter of fact Methadone seems to be effective for many cancer types, among those lung, colon, breast, leukemia, glioblastoma and others. Clinical trials are in preparation, but will take time. It is also under discussion whether a comparison trial where half of the patients would not receive the medication is ethical, given the incidental results observed in the 4000 patients treated so far.

I'm not trying to raise undue hopes or anything. This is not a wonder cure for metastasized breast or any other cancer. But it looks like it might help overcome resistance to chemotherapy or other treatments. And it looks like it has some positive effects on it's own such as inducing apoptosis. I'm not a doctor or chemist, or pharmacist, so I don’t understand the details of how / why this might work. I only read what other women posted, and then followed up with the researcher that's working on the issue. Having done that, I felt like the word needs to be spread.

Currently, based on what I heard, only women that already receive Opioids as pain medication would be eligible to try this, as Methadone is not yet approved as anything but pain medication. But I felt like I have to speak up. Having seen the effects it had on 3 other women I know of, I think every cancer patient who is terminally ill or in a stage of their illness where they are on strong pain medication should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to try this.

Here's more literature (in English) on the topic:

2014 (Glioblastoma): http://science.gov/scigov/link.html?...ubmed/24626197

2013 (Leukemia): http://www.impactjournals.com/oncota...path%5B%5D=952

http://www.yourcancertoday.com/Cance...age=1&searchQ=
__________________
Annette
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03/2014: Diagnosed with ER/PR-, HER2+++ MBC (bone mets, oligometastatic)
04/2014: Started 6 cycles of "PHD" (Perjeta, Herceptin, Docetaxol)
07/2014: Finished 6 cycles of PHD; restaging; 2 bone mets are sclerotic - looks like Herceptin and Perjeta is working
10/2014: STABLE!
01/2015: STABLE!
04/2015: STABLE!
08/2015: STABLE!
12/2015: BRAIN METS. BODY STABLE.
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