Methadone Addiction – The Journey from Cure to Curse

Methadone drug is actually a treatment based drug, used for curing the withdrawal symptoms of the other narcotic drugs like heroin. It is effectively used to treat and bring down the addictions and dependency of dangerous drugs. This is because most people find it really intricate to share their addiction symptoms off them. In such cases methadone is used to evade the severity of the symptoms, while making them recover from sickness and bring the drug addiction under control, gradually. But, for methadone to be really effective even, it needs to be taken in limited amount at specific times and only once a day. If not done so, it results into methadone addiction in return. This is definitely not sensible, to have another addiction, in order to get rid of one.

Methadone works to curb the withdrawal symptoms of other narcotics and the effect of taking methadone once a day can be felt for more than that day. Methadone doses are, in fact, a part of a drug rehabilitation treatment program, which must be supervised by addiction specialist doctors. Methadone, however, is only effective to patients of heroin addiction or that of any other opiate based drug. Methadone hardly works and any other kind of drug addictions. It definitely shows a fall in the addiction levels, statistics and cravings associated to drugs like heroin.

The downside of methadone is same as that of painkillers. Like an individual can remain dependant on pain killers after taking them for relieving a severe pain, similarly a person taking methadone doses to relieve withdrawal symptoms of any other addiction can get dependant on methadone, as well. This makes methadone a dangerous substance and methadone addiction a side effect of some addiction that already exists. In fact, it is some times thought as replacing one addiction with another, like heroin by methadone. There is mostly a time in every person’s life, who takes methadone, to face the methadone addiction withdrawal symptoms.

Then why is methadone still considered as a remedy for heroin and other opiate addiction? This is because, though methadone is addictive and one has to face its withdrawal after a limited period, the difficulty calculated with methadone addiction withdrawal is less than that of any other addiction, esp. the one it is used to treat. This is why one is insisted to take methadone under the supervision of an experienced addiction specialist or rehab expert. Some medicines and painkillers also consist of methadone, but in lesser contributions. Hence, even people who don’t suffer from any kind of addictions and withdrawals of them, but have some severe pains here and there, may also get addicted to methadone with gradual and consistent use. When using under a doctor’s care, the drug may not cause as severe addiction as it may without a doctor’s supervision. Hence, raw methadone and most methadone based painkillers are not available as an over- the- counter medication. This is just one step to control methadone addiction.

Also, after reading all this, you may think to quit taking your regular methadone based doses for some or the other treatment. But remember, this also would be wrong. Do not stop to take your methadone, all of a sudden, without the doctor’s advice. This also may act adversely and as an abrupt withdrawal from a drug. You need to break off the addiction under the supervision of a physician, with gradual quitting. In case of drugs, you should not be your own doctor.