Methadone
Methadone is a rigorously well-tested medication that is safe and
efficacious for the treatment of narcotic withdrawal and dependence. A
synthetic narcotic, Methadone has been used to treat opioid addiction
for over a quarter of a century. Use of heroin releases excessive
amounts of dopamine in the body and causes a need for the user to have
opiates continuously occupying the opioid receptor in the brain.
Methadone occupies and stabilizes this receptor, allowing addicts to
change their behavior and discontinue heroin use.
The use of methadone for the treatment of heroin addiction, known as MMT
or methadone maintenance treatment, furnishes the recovering addict with
comprehensive healthcare and prescription methadone for relief from the
symptoms of heroin withdrawal, reduction of opiate cravings, and for
restoring a biochemical balance to the body. Additionally, treatment for
heroin addiction requires specialized social and rehabilitation
services. Admission to a licensed detoxification/rehabilitation center
is recommended.
Taken in pill form once a day, methadone works by suppressing the
physical symptoms of narcotic withdrawal for 24 to 36 hours. Because
methadone has proven to be effective in eliminating withdrawal symptoms,
it is used on opiate addicts during the detoxification process.
Methadone treatment, however is only useful and effective for addictions
to heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, it is not effective in the
treatment of other drugs. Methadone reduces the cravings, and negates
the high from heroin, but does not provide a euphoric rush or “high”. As
a result, methadone patients do not undergo the intense highs and lows
resulting from the fluctuation of heroin in blood levels.
Ultimately, the methadone patient becomes physically dependent to the
drug, but in exchange, is freed from the compulsive, and disruptive
behaviors of heroin addiction. Since the time of withdrawal for
methadone is longer than that of heroin, patients can be treated over a
longer period of time without the risk of harmful side effects.
Methadone treatment can be a lengthy, arduous procedure, in some cases
even lasting for years.
Methadone treatment gives patients freedom from the horrors of heroin
addiction. A study conducted by a leading authority on drug abuse and
addiction, the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that, outpatients
participating in methadone treatment, decreased their weekly heroin use
by 69%. The benefits of this decrease in use are essential for the
patients health and productivity to improve. In addition, the use of
methadone for the treatment of heroin addiction has been proven to be
beneficial not only to the patient, but society as well. Methadone
patients were no longer required to commit criminal acts to support
their habits, resulting in 52% drop in criminal activity among patients
involved in the study. Full-time employment was also increased by 24%.
In another study conducted in California in 1994, regarding the overall
benefits of methadone treatment, researchers found that the incidence of
illegal drug use, criminal activity, and hospitalization for overdoses,
were lower for methadone patients than for heroin addicts being treated
in other types of drug treatment programs.