Methadone Addiction and Withdrawals

Methadone Addiction

Methadone is a synthetic opioid. It is used as a pain reliever and detox medication for patients. It helps men and women stop using true opiates. The downside is that many of these people start to depend on the methadone. They simply change from one drug to the other.

Methadone has been successful as a detox medication. The main effect of methadone is to relieve narcotic cravings. It also suppresses the effects of withdrawal and the high from other opiates. Improper use of the drug will increase the risk of serious side effects and death.

Since we are talking about drug abuse let’s be frank. Substituting one drug for another does not constitute sobriety. You are still using. You are not clean or sober.

The use of methadone is very controversial. Should it be allowed for use in pain management? Should it only be allowed for detox? Should it even be legal?

Methadone does have legitimate uses in some cases but a majority of the time it is abused as other opiates are. You end up becoming as dependant on it as you were on heroin or oxycodone.

The Real Question is: What is your goal in using methadone?

Getting clean should be the ultimate goal. Methadone should be used for a short duration to help the withdrawals. You should then taper down off of it so you are truly clean. As a rule the slower the detox the better. Tapering off is usually a slow process reducing the dose by 5mg every 3-14 days. The patient can request a slower detox. If there is no tapering off then methadone is just being used as a crutch. The result is that your behavior wont change because you are now dependant on another drug.

Many people use methadone for long periods of time. They are then forced into sudden detox. Methadone has a brutal “kick.” They suffer from long-lasting withdrawals. The kick can involve insomnia, body aches, vomiting and high anxiety. These can last up to 3 months. It all depends on how you were using the methadone. The reason for this is methadone’s half-life. Methadone is metabolized differently than most chemicals because it is synthetic.

If you are having trouble with methadone We Can Help. If you are tired of going to the clinic day after day. We Can Help. You have options.