What Does Methadone Maintenance Look Like?
Methadone treatment iseffective when combined with drug treatment, counseling, and therapy, but is not a solution to true sobriety and total abstinence.
Methadone is a prescription medication that is used to help people reduce and ultimately quit the use of heroin and other opiate drugs and medications. Methadone is something that has been used for many years to treat those who are addicted to opiates and opioids. When it is taken as prescribed, it is a very safe and effective treatment as it gives recovering addicts a chance to reclaims their lives.
It works by changing how the nervous system and brain react to pain. It essentially lessens the symptoms associated with opiate withdrawal and also acts as an opiate blocker by blocking the euphoric effects that those drugs cause. When taking methadone, you are unable to get high on opiates.
What Are the Forms of Methadone?
Methadone either comes in pill, liquid, or wafer forms and it is taken once every day. For those who are dependent or addicted to opiates or opioids, methadone treatment offers a lot of benefits. The effects of one dose of methadone can last anywhere from 24 to 36 hours, so as long as you take it at the same time every day you will not get sick or experience opioid withdrawal. Taking methadone correctly also will not get you high and it will also help keep the actual drug cravings at bay so you won’t feel the need to keep using the drugs that held you down. It also completely blocks any high that you get from opiates, so if you try to take heroin or some other opiate while on methadone, you likely won’t feel it at all.
Getting on a Methadone Maintenance Program
Methadone can either be gotten from a doctor, a methadone clinic or is provided to you when you enter a detox facility for your addiction. Before you begin your methadone treatment, a doctor will need to do an assessment that includes a physical exam and have you answer some questions about your drug use so that they can make sure you are getting the right dosage, the length of your treatment, and make sure methadone is right for you.
For safety purposes, your first dose of methadone will range from 15-30 mg to figure out your tolerance and ensure no other drugs you have taken interfere with it. When you first begin treatment, it is possible to experience withdrawal symptoms for the first few days or methadone treatment. You may feel tired and experience drug cravings until your dosage is stabilized to your needs.
Methadone Maintenance is Like Medication-Assisted Treatment
The first step to having a productive treatment is making sure you have the correct dosage so that the methadone can do its job. A stable dose of methadone generally ranges from 60 to 100 mg per day and is adjusted from there on to meet your particular needs. The length of time you stay on methadone treatment will depend on the severity of your addiction and how long your doctor thinks it will best suit your needs. When the time comes to stop methadone treatment, you will need to taper off of it to avoid the side effects, especially when larger doses are being taken.
What to Learn More About Methadone Maintenance and Addiction?
Methadone treatment is the most effective when it is combined with other forms of treatment such as drug treatment and therapy. You can benefit tremendously from encouragement, support, and guidance from a therapist or a counselor. When you take the time to talk out your problems with someone who understands is can make things much simpler and easier to solve.
Let’s also not forget that addiction is a disease of the mind first, so it is important to get to the root of your addiction problems to stay on the right path. Taking the necessary steps you need to get sober can be scary, but with methadone treatment combined with therapy, it is entirely possible to get sober and remain that way. Today is the day to take the first step. Contact On Call Treatment and one of our addiction specialist can help you find the best treatment for you.
