Methadone in Heroin Addiction Treatment
If you are struggling with heroin addiction and planning to start your recovery, you may likely encounter methadone as heroin addiction treatment. This drug helps individuals detox from heroin and manage withdrawal symptoms that you may experience along the way.
What is methadone?
Methadone is a drug that is prescribed for treating patients with addiction to opiates such as heroin. If you stop using heroin, you are unlikely to suffer from withdrawal symptoms,including nausea, sweating, abdominal pain, shaking, nervousness, agitation, muscle spasms, depression, cravings and relapse.
How do methadone works?
This drug recovery program blocks the euphoric high caused by heroin. Its action is almost the same as other synthetic medications such as morphines. It has the capacity to reduce drug cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
Important Facts about Methodone When Used As Treatment For Heroin Addiction:
Methadone is an opiate that has the same effects as heroin.
Methadone detox lessens withdrawal symptoms.
Methadone is safer than heroin.
Methadone can be addictive.
Is Methadone effective?
Methadone is taken once a day to reduce opiate withdrawal for a period of 24 to 36 hours. When there are less withdrawal symptoms, there is a good chance of preventing the relapse. In some cases, methadone is taken as a long term heroin addiction treatment for several years or sometimes longer.
Beginning with Methadone:
When starting with methadone, doctors usually prescribe a low dose of this drug to determine your tolerance. After receiving the initial dose, patients receive a regular dose that is higher than the initial treatment.
When under the drug treatment program, patients should understand that methadone reach its peak effects within 2 to 4 hours. It is accumulating in the body so the effect of methadone increases after several days.
It may last for a few days before doctors will be able to determine your correct methadone dose. Within those days, you may experience some withdrawal symptoms.
Remember that every person different dose. The drug treatment that you need may differ from other patients because the dose depends on how much heroin you abused.
Patients should never take alcohol and drugs while having the heroin addiction treatment. After establishing the correct dose, patients remain under maintenance for methadone treatment for a long time.
Taking Methadone:
Methadone should be taken only during the presence of the pharmacist who dispenses the drug. This ensures that you are far from misuse of the drug and drug abuse is prevented.
After a few months, the methadone heroin addiction treatment is tapered off. You receive lesser dose after your regular maintence dosage.
