Hi,
I have just come off methadone in septeraber. I understand what you are saying about not being able to afford the pills you are on anymore but i think you should really consider this switch to methadone carefully before you do it... it is really bad for you, i didnt have my perioRAB the whole time i was on it, it seeps into your bones and fucks up your marrow, and there are other side effects too, like when i was on it i was sweating all the time and had pains in my joints and it is very very very hard to come off.
I have never been on the pills you are taking, i dont even know if they are available where i am (ireland) but i was really in bits coming off methadone,and when i came off it i was also got very depressed, im now on anti-depressants.
Im not trying to turn you off it but im just telling you all the things i wish someone had told me before i went on it. Ok it was good because it got me off gear but it really does have ALOT of down sides too, so please bear that it mind.
In relation to the assesment to get on a methadone programme, well i dont know what country you are in so it could be different for me than it is for you but here you have to go to the methadone clinic and see the doc ,just for a quick chat about how much heroin your using, how frequently, wheather you are injecting or smoking and what other drugs you are using like benzo's (valium etc) crack etc etc, then you have to give 3 dirty urine samples(supervised) to the clinic so they know your actually using then thats it your on the clinic. As for the dose well i started on 40mls a day but i was such a heavy user (my habit was about