MethadoneTreatment
Methadone is a synthetic (man made) narcotic. It has been clinically tested and widely used for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence for three decades. It is considered a safe and effective alternative to heroin and opioid use. The goal of methadone maintenance is to ward off the withdrawal symptoms from heroin and opioids and to deter an individual from using heroin and other opiates. Heroin causes an excess of dopamine to be released in the brain. This heightened dopamine level creates a need to continuously use heroin or opioids to occupy the receptor in the brain. Methadone targets this receptor. This reduces the craving and enables addicts to stop using heroin. By targeting the opioid receptor, methadone balances brain chemistry. Therefore not only does methadone reduce cravings but over time it also causes a biochemical balance in the brain.
Methadone is generally taken orally once a day. One dose of methadone suppresses narcotic withdrawal for approximately one day to one day and a half. Because it eliminates and lessens withdrawal symptoms from heroin, it is commonly used to detox opiate addicts. It is also effective for individuals addicted to morphine and other opioid drugs. It is not an effective treatment for non-opioid drugs. Methadone as a medication works by reducing the cravings that accompany heroin use and it prevents the intense high from heroin. It does not provide an intense rush itself. Therefore, methadone maintenance participating individuals do not experience the intense highs and lows that are a part of heroin addiction. The addict does remain physically dependent on opioids, but they are free from the unmanageable, obsessive, and destructive behavior seen in heroin addicts. Also, the withdrawal from methadone is significantly slower than withdrawal from heroin. As a result, it is possible to maintain an addict on methadone without harsh side effects. And many heroin addicts do require long term treatment on methadone for several years.
Because methadone maintenance is essentially replacing a harmful deadly drug with a less harmful controlled drug, methadone maintenance is only recommended after an addict has failed at less intense treatment methods. Detox at a drug addiction treatment center followed by a life time of abstinence is recommended for drug addicts but when this has repeatedly failed and the addict relapses on opioids, then methadone maintenance can be considered.
Methadone is not typically distributed by a pharmacy, but instead from a methadone clinic which has been established for the distribution of methadone. This system has been created so that the clinics can operate under close federal observation and regulation. Methadone clinics operate as any other drug treatment facility or drug treatment hospital. A physician prescribes the methadone and nurses administer and monitor the medication. Drug and alcohol counselors are available for counseling. Regulations require that to enter a methadone maintenance program, the individual must test positive as to having a current addiction to an opiate. This is generally established by urine analysis. A medical examination is also given before being accepted into a program. A methadone maintenance program is generally not considered appropriate for people under the age of 18. It has been found that methadone alone is not as effective as methadone combined with some form of therapy or drug and alcohol counseling.