Opiate Addiction: Methadone Detox Facts

Question: What do u think about methadone as an alternative to opiate addiction?

(Posted by: my two sense on 2010-01-12 02:37:27)

Posted by: Derek R the East-Coast Élitist on 2010-01-12, 02:41:06

It's trading an addiction for another addiction. You might as well just wean off whatever you're addicted to, slowly. More professionals are realising that might be the most effective treatment in the long-term.

Posted by: Taylor on 2010-01-12, 02:59:22

That's solving one problem by creating another one. Try removing yourself from any situation where you would have access to the subject of your addiction (opiates) when your thinking about your addiction, which is bound to happen, do something that occupies your mind, like read a book or play music or go for a walk or something theres a million examples.... Focus your attention. In short, take your mind of your addiction and put it on something else. something that is not potentially addictive or harmful. That's a good way to beat psychological dependence. if you are physically dependent on the substance, consider weaning yourself of slowly , as well as using the strategies above to deal with the mental component.

Posted by: Jerry on 2010-01-12, 02:59:33

Methadone IS an opiate! Synthetic heroin, that doesn't produce the "high ", but former addicts claim is even more addictive than heroin, (diacetyl morphine) which, itself was orininally used to treat morphine addicts, because it was at first thought to be non addictive. See mental-health-self-help.s5.com/ blank_8.html about addictions.

Posted by: Lisa T on 2010-01-12, 04:18:30

Methadone is just as addictive as opiats. Its an opiate blocker there for its still telling your brain cencors that your getting the drug... your brain is still getting what it wants... so really your addiction isnt going away your just focusing on getting something else. if you were to stop taking that you wouls still go through the same withdrawl symptoms... its really just as bad.

Posted by: Jennifer E on 2010-01-14, 15:31:49

I think it depends on the individual. Some would benefit from a more holistic drug rehabilitation approach and not one that depends on another drug.

Posted by: dawicker104 on 2010-01-15, 18:06:18

Patients are placed on a methadone program to help with the withdrawal symptoms from addiction to opiate drugs, such as heroin. Those suffering from the disease will explain that the withdrawal is worse than the actual addiction, so many avoid treatment for fear that the withdrawal will be too severe. Also, when off their opiate drug of choice, addicts have to deal with the intense cravings that go along with abstinence. Therefore, methadone, used under very controlled circumstances, is a tool to help addicts come down off the drugs without severe consequences. Understand that methadone is classified as a schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act, so even though it is used as a tool for treatment, it is still a powerful drug and can easily be abused. When used as an analgesic, physicians must have Drug Enforcement Agency registration. You can see that there are serious controls on methadone, and getting a prescription is not easy. The physicians who are authorized to prescribe methadone have made an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the FDA, along with the Department of Health and Social Services, decide the dosage and the cases where methadone may be used. Clinics that use it have extra state and federal licenses. Moreover, because there are so many controls, there are only about 700 methadone clinics in the country, and some states do not have any methadone clinics at all. Addicts do not have an easy path to methadone treatment, and even if they do have access, the regimen itself is highly controlled and many addicts have difficulty following the plan. Methadone can be taken by injection, or by mouth. When administered for the control of opioid withdrawal, methadone doses are slowly increased over five to seven days, but this is not always the case. It depends on how the patient responds to the treatment. For example, if the patient has a high tolerance to opioids, then the dosage will be higher, if necessary. Outpatients are encouraged to make frequent reports to medical staff during the early stages of treatment. This communication is vital to determining the proper dosage of the methadone. Each individual may need to have several adjustments before the right dosage is achieved.