Methadone Addiction Treatment

Methadone addiction is usually caused by the long term intake of the drug methadone. Methadone is one of the synthetic substances that have properties that are similar to heroin and morphine. This drug is usually prescribed to patients who are under some severe pains. These pains can be as result of a serious road accident or during a surgery. The methadone works by muting the psychological response to the brain by decreasing the sensation of the pain. It is usually available in the form of the liquid concentrate, tablets, liquid and dispersible tablets.

Uses of methadone

Methadone is usually used as an alternative substitute in the treatment of codeine and heroin just but to mention a few. A legal drug dependency - methadone is usually replaced with the illegal dependency which is heroin. Methadone is easily available in most of the government approved pharmacies and the treatment clinics. They are also available by prescription in certain areas. Methadone has been successfully used in the treatment of heroin addiction. However, it can also be addictive just like the illegal substance heroin and may require that the drug user goes for a second detox.

This drug was developed in Germany in the 1940s when the cases of heroin addiction became on the high during the Second World War. This drug reduces the withdrawal symptoms of the illegal drugs like heroin without causing the drug user to feel high. Methadone helps in the blocking of the euphoric rush from the other narcotic drugs like heroin, fentanyl and oxycontin.

The signs of methadone addiction

The signs of methadone addiction usually take a few days to manifest. Methadone is an ideal treatment for drug users looking to fight heroin addiction. It is however not the best option especially for users who are looking for the opiate free medication. The withdrawal symptoms experienced when drug users stop using the drug are usually a sign of the psychological and physical dependence. They are less severe as compared to the withdrawal symptoms or heroin or morphine. Usually the side effects usually last for two weeks to about six months. The side effects caused by the drug include nausea, ideation, fever, diarrhea, tremors, pain and aches, anxiety, hallucinations, insomnia and agitation.

Preventing the Methadone addiction

If methadone is used to treat an existing addiction then it should be used just as the doctor prescribed. Users should not take larger doses to complete their dosage quickly. The drug should not be diverted for the non medical uses. The drug addicts should be closely monitored when medications that have a high content of opioid is used. It is important that the patient be monitored periodically and the therapy and dosage re-evaluated when need arises.

Methadone addiction treatment

Narcotic drug addicts are usually placed on the methadone program to help them deal with the withdrawal symptom of such drugs like heroin. Many drug users usually tend to go back to the drugs because the withdrawal symptoms are usually worse than the drug addiction. This is the reason that many narcotic drug addicts will prefer to keep taking the drugs other than face medication. The narcotic drugs addicts also have to deal with the intense craving for the drug that usually comes as a result of the methadone addiction treatment.

Methadone should therefore be only used under controlled measures so that the drug addicts get off the narcotic drugs without having to undergo very severe consequences. Methadone is equally a powerful drug and has the same effects that the narcotic drugs have when it is abused. Medical experts using the drug as an analgesic should have authorization from the relevant government body.

Taking the methadone dose

The methadone dose can be taken orally by mouth or through an injection. When used to control the withdrawal of heroin the doses are usually increased for up to seven days by the doctors depending with how the drug addict responds to the treatment. Patients who have high levels the narcotic drugs in their system will usually take higher doses of this drug compared with drug addicts with lower opioids in their system. The outpatient drug addicts should visit the clinic regularly so that their progress is monitored.