"this medication was originally prescribed to me as a way to control my pain without the &quot;high&quot; side effect that decreases mental alertness. eleven years later i am still taking 70 milligrams daily. i have lab work done four times a year and my body is in excellent condition besides the injuries i&#039;ve sustained that are not methadone related. i&#039;m told by my doctor that i would be in severe pain without the medicine due to pericarditis, dozens of healed fractures, a lacerated spleen, and multiple back injuries. i however have not felt any intolerable pain while taking methadone. i completed my mba (master&#039;s) in physics after 9 years of daily methadone use with no signs of memory loss or other negative mental side effects. wonderful medication."