Methadone detox is a method popularly known to treat heroin and opiate addicts for their drug addiction. Because the withdrawal symptoms from a serious heroin or opiate addiction can be severe and even life threatening, many centers have turned to using methadone detox as a way to help patients deal with the pain of withdrawal.
It is important to understand the basics behind detoxifying with methadone to have a successful outcome. Methadone is another opiate, which if taken long enough, can become addictive as well. When it is used correctly with the right treatment plan, it is a successful treatment.
What Is Methadone?
Methadone is a prescription medication that alleviates the symptoms of drug withdrawal. It is used as a substitution therapy or replacement for the drug the patient is seeking to detox from. Because withdrawal symptoms can be severe as patients withdraw from certain drugs, their body physically and medically needs assistance to get through the detoxification period. With the right program, methadone can be used to control the detoxification symptoms without the patient becoming addicted to methadone as a side effect of the treatment.
Methadone Detox Can be Successful
Treatment centers that use methadone as a method of detoxification for patients that have been unsuccessful on their own or even with the help of an outpatient doctor have the patient’s best interests at heart. The use of methadone is to eliminate the painful withdrawal symptoms that occur from detox that typically deter drug addicts from attempting a detox at all. The use of methadone is usually a short, quick treatment plan, only keeping the patient on the sub-drug for a short period of time. The shorter the amount of time the patient is on methadone, the less likely they will have to go through detox to rid themselves of a methadone addiction.
An Inpatient Treatment
Methadone detox is best when handled in an inpatient treatment facility. This allows the medical staff to monitor the patient’s tolerance to the withdrawal symptoms and slowly wean them off methadone. This eliminates the risk of long-term use of methadone that is unnecessary and eventually becomes a habit. A patient’s tolerance of the withdrawal symptoms from their original drug addiction, as well as their ability to return to a stable life as soon as possible, eliminates the risks associated with methadone detox.
