If you are addicted to heroin, morphine or opiates, methadone treatment can help you to escape your addiction. Methadone is a powerful drug that has been approved to manage addiction with a successful outcome. It is widely used in methadone detox centers around the country and has helped people of all ages to return to a normal lifestyle without the struggle of addiction.
Methadone Management
Methadone is a powerful drug with long-acting benefits for the management of addiction. Since it stays in the body for about 22 hours, it only needs to be administered once a day. Although methadone has a high success rate for managing addiction, treatments must be closely monitored by professionals and physicians who regularly deal with addiction. If methadone is abused or mixed with certain drugs or alcohol, problems can occur. Like heroin, methadone is a powerful drug that can increase problems with addiction if it is abused. For patient safety, methadone maintenance therapy must be done at a professional methadone clinic with proper supervision. If methadone is taken with other medications or in higher doses than recommended, patients may show signs of methadone abuse that may include:
* Profuse sweating
* Slow breathing
* Nausea and vomiting
* Increased pain
* Constricted pupils
* Constipation
Methadone treatment must be carefully managed by a physician to avoid the risk of addiction and negative long-term health effects including respiratory problems, impaired cognitive skills, sexual dysfunction, and certain blood-borne diseases including HIV. When methadone is combined with benzodiazepines and alcohol, there can be an increased risk of severe health problems and death.
Methadone Addiction
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than 2.5 million people were reportedly abusing methadone in 2012. The age of people addicted to methadone ranged from 12 to over 60 and crossed all genders, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds. Although teenagers showed a low rate of methadone addiction and abuse, they showed a high rate of addiction and abuse to opioid drugs used for pain including Vicodin and OxyContin, as well as heroin.
Because methadone is such a strong drug with a high potential for addiction, treatment must be closely monitored under medical supervision. If you become addicted to methadone, it’s very difficult to overcome the addiction on your own without professional help. If you stop taking methadone abruptly, you will go through a difficult withdrawal period with a variety of symptoms that can include:
* Headaches
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Mood swings
* Hallucinations
* Stomach cramps
* Muscle pain
* Diarrhea
* Nausea and vomiting
* Sleep disorders and insomnia
Anyone can become addicted to methadone. Over the last 10 years, methadone has frequently been prescribed by doctors for patients with chronic back pain and post-surgery pain management. According to the DEA, more than four million prescriptions were written in 2009. As an opioid painkiller, methadone is a lot less expensive than OxyCodone and HydroCodone, so many insurance companies are more willing to cover the costs for patient pain management.
Since methadone has long-acting effects, it can quickly build up in your body leading to addiction, overdose and death. Frequent doses of methadone can cause your body to build up a tolerance to the drug. Once your body becomes reliant on the drug to function normally, you will need to take more and more to satisfy the dependence. People who take methadone to manage their pain run a high risk of overdose if their pain returns before their next dose of methadone is due. Some people take more pills than advised to manage pain, not realizing that the consequences could be fatal.
Methadone Detox
Since withdrawal symptoms from methadone addiction can be severe, it is best to detox in a medical environment with licensed professionals who understand How to Detox From Methadone. Most inpatient and outpatient programs offer detox treatment with clinical supervision. Methadone detox varies from person to person, depending on the severity of addiction and how long the person has used the drug.
Symptoms of methadone withdrawal usually occur within 24 hours of the last dosage, but it can take up to 60 hours for methadone to get completely out of the body. Withdrawal symptoms typically last from three to six weeks, but they can last longer in people with serious addictions. During detox, the first week is usually the worst with withdrawal symptoms that often include flu-like sickness, anxiety, and mental distress with signs of hallucinations and paranoia. For the patient’s safety and well-being, it is imperative for methadone detox to take place in an established detox center.
