Methadone
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Methadone is a synthetic opioid most often used to treat opioid dependence. The Schedule II drug was originally developed by the Nazis during World War II in response to a threat of an opium shortage. It was introduced into the United States in the 1940s under the name Dolophine as an analgesic that would bring pain relief similar to that of morphine.
While it is still sometimes used as an analgesic, methadone became popular with physicians as a way to treat opiate addictions, particularly heroin. An estimated one million Americans are addicted to heroin, and about 120,000 people take methadone as part of their recovery treatment.
Studies have shown that methadone is useful in the treatment of opioid addiction because it blocks the effect of other opiates in the brain and reduces the withdrawal symptoms associated with opiate abuse. When used as prescribed, methadone does not produce a “high,” and instead acts a mild sedative.
However, like most prescription painkillers, it can be very dangerous when taken illegally or not taken as prescribed. Methadone has addictive properties, and critics of the drug say that it does not help treat the underlying root of an addiction, and just turns opiate addicts into methadone addicts.
Proponents of methadone encourage the drug’s usage for a variety of reasons, including the overall efficacy it has for opiate addicts, its long-lasting effect on an individual, and its affordability. Methadone therapy was originally developed as a short-term treatment option for heroin. Over the course of its existence, the length of time a patient should remain on methadone has been debated, so the current medical consensus is that treatment should continue as needed and as prescribed by an individual’s doctor.
Withdrawal symptoms of methadone are milder than those of heroin and include muscle cramps, anxiety, nausea, and increased heart rate. However, although the actual side effects are less severe, actually “kicking” the methadone habit is much more difficult than withdrawing from heroin, as it takes longer and can be quite painful. Many former heroin users continue their methadone treatment out of fear of the withdrawal process.
Methadone abuse often results in drug overdoses, either because the user has taken too much of the narcotic or because the drug was mixed with other drugs and/or alcohol. From 1999 to 2005, poisoning deaths related to methadone usage has increased by 468 percent, making it the largest poisoning death increase of all narcotic drugs.
In order to avoid becoming addicted to methadone, one should use the drug exactly as prescribed. Methadone treatment is also more successful if used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy and/or a 12-step program.
