Today, opioid addiction has become a crude reality! It affects people’s lives and brings down its quality. Hence, if you know anyone who is into opioid addiction, it is necessary to put that person to a dedicated treatment. Over the years, people have seen improvements with methadone treatment.
Simply put, methadone is a medication that gets used in MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) to assist people in quitting or reducing the use of heroin or any other opiates. Methadone got used for several years to treat people who were into heroin and narcotic pain medicines. When it gets consumed by people, as suggested, it is effective and safe. It enables people to recover from their addiction and to get back to their meaningful and active lives. For best outcomes, the patients need to participate in a comprehensive MAT program, which also comprises social support and counseling. To know more, you can check out the methadone clinic Houston TX.
How does methadone work?
Methadone works by modifying the way the nervous system and brain responds to pain. It reduces the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. It also blocks the psychoactive impacts of the opiate drugs like codeine, morphine, and heroin, along with semi-synthetic opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone.
You can take methadone in a liquid form or a pill format. There are wafer forms as well. It would help if you took it once a day. The pain relief due to a methadone dose lasts for close to eight hours. According to the Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction methadone works best in higher doses, especially for heroin users, assisting them in staying in treatment programs for long. Concerning all the medications used in MAT, experts suggest methadone as part of a compact treatment plan comprising social support programs and counseling.
How can patients get methadone?
The patients who are consuming methadone for treating an opioid addiction should take medicine under a physician’s guidance. After a phase of stability, the patients might consume methadone at home or during the program visits. According to the law, methadone should get dispensed via an OTP (opioid treatment program) by an accredited medical organization that works for a similar cause.
The duration of the methadone treatment varies from one person to the other. Based on the National Institute on Drug Abuse publication Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide – 2012, the treatment duration can be a minimum of one year. Few patients might need the treatment for many years. Even if a patient thinks that they are all set to pause the methadone treatment, it needs to occur gradually to avert withdrawal. The decision should get made by the concerned doctor.
Methadone security
Methadone might get addictive; hence it should get prescribed accordingly! It is especially true for those patients who have permission to take this medication at home. The methadone medication gets customized explicitly for a specific patient and shouldn’t get shared with others. The patients need to share their entire health history with the healthcare providers to ensure they use it securely.
At times, other medications might interfere with methadone and might lead to heart issues. Even when the impact of methadone goes off, the active ingredients of the drug stays in the patient’s body for a long time. When you take more of the medication, it can lead to unintentional overdose.
The following guidelines can assist in attaining the best treatment outcomes:
- It would help if you didn’t use more than the amount suggested.
- You should consume the medication at the prescribed time. If you miss a particular dose or think that it isn’t working, you shouldn’t opt-in for an extra amount.
- Don’t consume alcohol during consuming methadone.
- It would help if you stayed careful about operating machinery or driving while on methadone.
- You should call 911 if you suspect that someone has taken methadone in excess.
- You should always ensure that children don’t take methadone accidentally.
- It would help if you stored methadone away from light at room temperature.
- You should always dispose of the unused methadone and flush it down the toilet.
To know more, you can check out methadone clinic Mesa AZ.
The breastfeeding or pregnant women and methadone
Women who are breastfeeding or are pregnant can opt-in for methadone. When pregnant women witness a withdrawal from the abused drug, it makes the uterus contract and can result in premature birth or miscarriage. Methadone can avert withdrawal symptoms assist pregnant women in taking care of their addiction better. It prevents all the health risks to both the baby and the mother.
Opting in for methadone maintenance treatment during pregnancy will not lead to congenital disabilities. However, there are a few babies that might go through withdrawal after birth. It doesn’t indicate that the baby has an addiction. Infant withdrawal might start a few days after delivery. Women who take methadone can carry on with breastfeeding. These are a few pointers for curing opioid addiction through methadone.
