What is Methadone?
Methadone is a synthetic opioid that has been used for the treatment of opiate/opioid dependence for decades. It was developed in Germany in 1937, and is a much cheaper alternative for both pain management and as an anti-addictive drug than most of it’s counterparts (i.e. vicodin, morphine and oxycodone).
Whether it’s a junkie who’s been shooting up heroin, or a pill-popping soccer mom, methadone has offered addicts a way to get out of their drug-seeking environment by replacing their illicit habit with a governmentally controlled substance that can be distributed at local clinics.
Because Methadone (brand names:Â Symoron, Dolophine, Amidone, Methadose, Physeptone, Heptadon and many others) has a longer duration of effect, patients can take the pill once a day, relieving them of their withdrawal symptoms, until the following day where they can get their next dose.
Methadone’s ability to remove the addict from the dangers of copping, shooting or popping opiates, is its main benefit, in my opinion.
However, methadone’s other benefit, the long duration of action, can be, in and of itself, an extremely difficult drug to kick. Thus, former heroin addicts become current methadone addicts, and the cycle of addiction continues.
In my next post, I’ll weight the pro’s and con’s of using methadone as both a maintenance drug and a way to detox from other opiates/opioids.
11 comments
Thanks for putting this together. I’m looking forward to reading the next posts about using methadone to detox from other drugs vs. other methods.
hi my boyfriend was on meth and he came off it and he is doing really well but lately he has been having cronic headaches and he has been off his meth for 3 weeks and yeah its hard and addictive but he done it
I’m into my ninth day of being methadone free. I feel as though I’m gonna die. My emotions r out of control. I’ve been to the hospital 3x in a month ie. blood pressure 282/158. I’ve gained 50 lbs in the 3yrs I was on the shit. I have a benzo habit. Detox was a joke cause no one wants a dually addicted person with this combination.
I’m down to .5 xanax 3xd daily but of course the first couple of days I did 4mg. I’m taking clonodine 4 my blood pressure, and maylox for my stomach. I feel like shit on a stick. I walked on 40 mg. I’ve seen my primary care doc, psyche, and heart. I’m not self medicating. 4 once. I’m 47 and have been using since 9. Need encouragement…….Also heed this warning!!!
I am going in for duel detox of meths 50 ml I have been on 9 years AND alcohol 5 years 3-5 litres strong cider a day also benzos 2 , 5mg a day. I am staying on my valium 4 and after detox …….. help…. has anyone done this ????
I hope everyone that has wrote in is still doing good. I”m almost 29 been doing pills for 8 years that time really flies when getting high all the time. I’ve detoxed plenty in the past now I’ve been on methadone for about 4 years and i”m ready to quit. I was on 100 – 160 mills now down to like 60 and plan on getting to 30 by Thu. or Fri. then taking suboxone for maybe 10 days, I think I’ve done this enough to be strong as far as the withdrawal. If anyone has advice or support I’ll take any help I can get. The whole trick is after the withdrawal is dealing w/ the mental addiction fighting the cravings and something as simple as saying no, one time is to much. GOOD LUCK to everyone going threw any kind of addiction god bless.
Hello my name is Franke and im a 35 yr male whos dieing to get off meth i started off on 100mg an now im down to 50 wat scares me tha most is all the horrible stories about coming off of meth i know people who went a way for a year or more and when i finally saw them they were still detoxing. I JUST WANT MY LIFE BACK, im grateful for the meth getting me off dope but if i knew then wat i no now NEVER would i got on it the meth clinics they dont care too them we are just money i think there bigger drug dealers then the ones on the corner do you think they really want to help peo ple heck no if they did they would go out of buisness
I HAVE BEEN ON THE METHADONE FOR ABOUT 4 YEAR AND HATE IT. IVE BEEN UP TO AS MUCH AS 190 ML AND IT STILL NEVER MADE ME FEEL 100 %. I HAVE A HIGH TOLERANCE TO OPIATES. DOES ANY BODY KNOW SOME ONE THATS BEEN TO ONE OF THEM DETOX PLACES WHERE YOU ARE SEDATED AND THEY SAY THAT YOU FEEL ALRIGHT AFTER 5 DAYS? JUST BECAUSE THIS IS SOME THING I HAVE SERIOUSLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT AND CONSIDERING IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO DO, I DONT WANNA GO IN TO ONE OF THEM PLACES LIKE DETOX 5 UNLESS I KNOW IT DEFINATELY WORKS? ANY 1 WHOS BEEN THERE OR KNOWS ANY1 WHO HAS, BIT INFO ABOUT IT WOULD BE GREAT. THANKS AND GOOD LUCK TO EVEYONE THAT HAS MADE THE EFFORT TO GET OFF OPIATES COS I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS AND THE PAIN AND HEAD MESS IT GIVES YOU !
hello, im glad to have found this site, sometimes its great just to know your not alone!! I have been diagnosed with many different things since i was very young dr. putting me on anti-depressants of all sorts thinking the pain i feel is all in my head… finally i had two girls to take care of and got so tired of the struggle. my ex husband was making snide comments all the time of me just being lazy and crazy… about three years ago i had a close family member put on a high dose of methadone and her knowing my struggles she split her medicine with me ever since. iv been on a very low dose 5 to 10 mg a day very aware of how easy it is to get addicted to anything. why would anyone not get addicted to something that makes you feel better and life a little easier! on the other hand i still had scoliosis in the spine of my back and constant nerve problems. i cant go to a doc because once they test your urine and see your on something such as methadone that is not prescibed to you… they atomatically consider you a druggy seeking anything. im on my ninth day without the methadone and i still feel so fatigue fevers pain like iv never felt and the worst part is the mental issues. i cannot even spit out what i want to say or go outside or communicate with anyone more less take care of my children! im already on disability for bipolar disorder and the struggle (from what i have read is a little different for everyone) my strength is that i wasnt ever wanting to get high on the medicine only pain managment! so i dont think ill have problems with the need to (use) as i hate that word! i just wanted to tell my story and maybe give someone out there a little encouragment or strength that their not alone. god bless all of you!!! and if anyone has this similar problem id love to hear what happenes after the ninth day of withdraw… what i can do to get back to normal or anything that may help… thanx
I was a heroin addict and now i am doing a methadone dettox. I started at 100ml and i drop to 7ml tommorrow it has taken me 18 months and i feel like crap, i have been clean from heroin for 2 years. Iam dropping at 2ml a week. Its the lack of sleep iam finding hard to cope with. Im fed up and just want this dettox to be over (which it will be in around 5 weeks). I can feel my body getting stronger and even though i feel like crap 99% of the time i feel better in myself. I think methadone is worse than smack to come off. Good luck to anybody whos done it or who is doing it because its not easy. My boyfriend has been clean off it now for 7 weeks. im so proud of him. Keep up the good work everybody well done!!
Hi everyone, I was on methadone for around ten years im now into 2 weeks without anything exepet a 2mg of diazipan to help me sleep, i was on (90mls) and then got cut right down to (19mls) then just stop going to the chemist for it and im now 2 weeks into a cold turkey! Just in time for christmas LOL, All with all respect to anyone who is going through this and has done it coz its hard i feel like its never going to get better and then i could feel ok, im up and down aqll the time, emotionally i mean , my legs hurt and underarm sweat is really uncomfortable i feel like a fkn alien sometimes but even tho i feel like shit, it feels tho my body is repairing and im getting all my memories n feelings back, from all the years of drug abuse, this has to be expected! I know everyone is different but for me the way im doing it seems to be the only way to really get clean (Cold Turkey)!!!
I also would stress that to do it in any case you have to have support and be in the right enviroment whether it be family,friends…ect
I am doing my cold turkey at my brothers and my mum and dad are here most days to see how things are and the place im at is new to me, quiet and a nice relaxing small town! For me this works, i really don’t think i could do this back in my home town of Glasgow uk because it’s just too easy to fall back down that slippery slope when you can easily go to the nearest dealer to take the pain away for a shot time.
I think its imperitave to speak to ppl about this let them know how your feeling , get it of your chest, i know its really hard and emotions are mental crazy but I WILL BEAT THIS!!
I know that u can do it if u really wan’t it but you really need to wan’t it more than anything you have ever wanted before
So i know how u must be feeling , really i do! it can only get better
Oh and i really beleive exersise and good food is a must.
Good luck to every1 thats going through this and well done for everyone that does it , be strong and god bless us all
i am 39 did pills for bout 24 months couldnt quit got sent to methadone clinic knowin what i knw now not sure this was right 4 me however whts done is done i went up to 60 and am down to 20 now im goin dwn 2 a week no probs u think i cld go faster
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